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As work crews slide into Phase III of streetscape and utility improvements on Broadway, businesses that have weathered the storm say they’re starting to warm up to new sidewalks and such. But it’s a tough gig, says Over the Moon Café owner Deanna Bender, who celebrates her eighth year in
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The City of Tacoma’s green ambitions now have a champion. City Manager Eric Anderson announced recently that Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Resource Conservation Manager and Sustainability Coordinator Kristin Lynett is on her way to Tacoma to head up efforts to reduce carbon emissions. For those of you who
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It’s time we got real about where we are and who is coming to our rescue. The economy is not turning around. It’s finally becoming clear that the market isn’t “normalizing.” It’s tanked, and it’s getting worse. The same people who remained forcefully optimistic about a mere “market correction” are
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You’d be surprised by the kinds ghastly trials faced by heroin addicts, political revolutionaries, man killers, thieves, dope pushers and cop killers. Especially the girl kind. Especially the girl kind that get caught and thrown in prison to be lorded over by a sadistic warden with a huge rack and
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There’s a lot of talk about hope and change these days. And let’s be honest, things are changing faster than most of us can follow. Alvin Toffler called it future shock — the inability to cope with the pace of change that’s emerged in response to technological and social evolution.
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The gulf between middle class American life and life on the streets is closing. Tacomans who have taken comforts for granted are losing their jobs, their homes, their medical care and their carefully cultivated security. Many of them are ending up on the streets, says Diane Powers, Homeless and Housing
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There’s no way this latest legislative session was going to be good. For anyone. Legislators know it, and now business owners and citizens will know it in no uncertain terms. “Unfortunately, the people of Washington will feel the pain of the difficult choices required to address the budget crisis. Like
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It’s about time. A group dedicated to approaching mom-hood from a holistic perspective is setting up shop in Tacoma. This is the next stage in the evolution of parenting organizations, folks. It’s called The Holistic Moms Network, and it’s dedicated to providing support and resources for parents who are interested
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Clean energy and construction are likely to be the next big industry coming to Tacoma. Thanks to a partnership between the William M. Factory Small Business Incubator, Marine View Ventures Inc. and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Tacoma will soon be home to a clean technology incubation facility that will
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It’s been almost a year since city officials announced their intention to clean up Tacoma neighborhoods and cut crime within the city by 50 percent under an aggressive new program called Safe & Clean. Let’s just say it. They didn’t hit 50 percent crime reduction. But they did manage to
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And you thought the county budget situation was bad. If Senate Democrats’ budget proposal is any indication, the impacts of proposed cuts at the state level will be deep and widespread — felt heavily in education at all levels, in social services, and state employment. What’s more concerning, however, is
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Immigration policy in America is downright un-American. And confusing. Not just for people who come to America seeking asylum, work, or opportunity. For everybody. People arriving in America with hopes of becoming citizens face a dire challenge, say local immigrant rights advocates such as Colleen Waterhouse, who volunteers with legal
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As city officials ruminate on how much money to give upstart business advocacy organization Go Local, some might argue with the notion that Tacoma needs another business advocacy group. I mean, let’s be real. We already have 14 neighborhood business district associations, a Cross-District Association, the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, the
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It’s been a good ride. It’s been a good ride with belly dancers, live painting, bicycle limbo, fashion, mobs of faux Chihulys, graffiti, all varieties of burlesque, nuns hitting bongs, painted bodies, an endless variety of styles, dance, music, film, mayhem and carefully crafted madness. If Andy Warhol were still
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Mayor Marilyn Strickland. Kind of has a nice ring to it. The likelihood of that very thing being on the lips of everyone in Tacoma just increased dramatically, as Strickland has announced she is now officially vying for the spot of T-town top dog. Recently elected to Tacoma City Council,
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Ronald Magden isn’t so sure we’ve turned the corner when it comes to racism and what amounts to terrible treatment of immigrants in America. Those were among topics at a recent panel discussion about Japanese-American internment camps at the University of Puget Sound, where Magden was accompanied by author David
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City of Tacoma is set to get all gung-ho on going green. I mean really green. Like tree green. City officials in charge of Tacoma’s Urban Forestry program recently presented to Tacoma’s Environment and Public Works Committee a comprehensive set of policy guidelines that would make it easier for citizens
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Steve Rodrigues is on a mission. If he has his way during the next several years, the current owner of the MV Kalakala will transform the discarded, historic vessel and a prime piece of waterfront property into a crowning jewel on Tacoma’s waterfront. Plans for the Kalakala would involve complete
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Nick Leider is betting on the generosity of his neighbors this weekend. As Executive Director of Tacoma-based social service organization Nativity House, Leider is responsible for ensuring that hundreds of Tacoma’s homeless residents receive food, clothing and other basics. This Saturday, Leider’s organization hopes to net about $80,000 at the
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Allisa and Caesar Jr. Keymolen are normal, happy, goofy kids until you ask them about what happened to their father. They maintain composure when their grandmother, Gena Mejia, talks about Allisa and Caesar Jr.’s mother, Liberty Bell, who died of a medication overdose several years ago. During a long recounting
