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Last week Ryan Mello announced a bid to retain his current seat (Position 8 At-large) on the Tacoma City Council. Mello was appointed to his council seat in January of 2010, at 31-years-old, and will now seek election to the Tacoma City Council for the first time. According to Mello's
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It has been an intense past few months for the Tacoma School Board, as the body has been attempting to level a monumental budget deficit while continuing to address the achievement gap and quality of Tacoma's schools. However, this period of dialogue, research and priority setting has led to some
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Concerned citizens were out in numbers Wednesday, March 16, as the City of Tacoma's Planning Commission listened to public testimony regarding proposed revisions to billboard regulations. In a glorious representation of our city's intellect and quirkiness, public statements ran the gambit from prepared arguments rooted in legal precedent, to a
Arts
Over its six-month lifespan Spaceworks Tacoma has introduced and reacquainted the community with local artists, tremendously improved the aesthetic of many downtown storefronts and been a popular subject of discussion at many a Tacoma party. This month the program releases its third installment, which includes 16 spaces and 51 projects. City
Music
It's late in the afternoon on a recent Sunday and Ra Scion (of Common Market fame) and I are finishing up a session with DJ Phinisey at his East Tacoma studio, Remedy Recordings. As he is putting his jacket on, Scion inquires about a song of mine, "I Know Better,"
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After just four weeks on the job the 27th District's newest State Representative, Laurie Jinkins, has already made her mark on the State Legislature in Olympia. Jinkins was appointed vice chair of the Health and Wellness Committee (and sits on many others) and has already introduced 12 new bills. Last
Music
If a romantic dinner for two at Maxwell's Speakeasy isn't your ideal Valentine's Day, or if you're looking for something to do after diner, local hip-hop will be out in full effect this Monday evening at El Perron, located at 13021 Pacific Ave. Local mainstays Doughkain and Josh Rizeberg are
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Next week the Pierce County Council will vote on a resolution supporting the continued practice of poll voting. The decision whether or not to use polling places is currently made by the Pierce County Auditor's Office. Pierce is the only county in Washington to still operate polls and physical polling
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Harold Moss knows a thing or two about perseverance. Tacoma's first African-American Mayor and City Council member and the first African-American elected to the Pierce County Council, Moss began working with the Tacoma chapter of the NAACP in the 1950s, served on Tacoma's First Human Relations Commission (now the
Music
The Tacoma hip-hop community is uncommon in that it is most often represented on a citywide scale not by its local rap music, but by its local graffiti and B-boy communities. These two communities along with Fab-5, the educational and community arts program that helps organize them, had a very
Music
As far as the masses are concerned, vinyl records were eclipsed by tapes decades ago. But records still hold a special place in hip-hop culture. Producers use them to "sample," which is to cut brief segments out of a record and piece them into a beat - a common method
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One of Tacoma's most successful musical sons will be performing Thursday evening at The New Frontier Lounge. Eliot Lipp is one of the most looked-to artists in contemporary electronic music. Known for his unique take on hip-hop and house, Lipp has paid dues in underground scenes in almost every primary
Music
This year, 2010, was a busy year for Tacoma hip-hop music. Many different individual artists and groups released and promoted good music and built their fanbases. However, there was no clear-cut top artist, and therefore I didn't feel compelled to spout 500 words of my own opinion about who had
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Recently I got a chance to sit down with Tacoma City Councilmember Ryan Mello to highlight some of the cities work in 2010 and look forward to 2011. Mello holds position 8 (an at-large seat) on the City Council and is also the Pierce County Director for the Cascade Land
Music
As the landscape of hip-hop changes to account for the gift and the curse that is the Internet and the free download epidemic, local and national artists have been forced to adjust their promotional strategies in response. In particular the role of the mixtape, a constantly evolving pillar of hip-hop
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Rumors have been flying through the Tacoma hip-hop community about dealings between El Potrero Night Club and local law enforcement. For over a month El Potrero has been under heavy scrutiny of the Tacoma Police, the Washington State Liquor Control Board, and the local Fire Marshall. This scrutiny culminated the
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Pierce Transit is facing a large deficit - a deficit likely to result in a 35% cut in services unless Pierce County Voters pass Proposition 1 this February. Prop 1, which will be the only item on February's ballot, would increase the sales tax that funds Pierce Transit and consequently save
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The Pierce County Council may choose not to renew an assessment fee currently used to fund the Pierce Conservation District - a subdivision of state government in existence since 1949, created to help farmers and landowners manage natural resources and be better stewards of the environment. The Pierce Conservation District
Music
From Jay-Z to Tupac to Kanye West, hip-hop's most beloved emcees have found a balance addressing their hardships while maintaining a high level of charisma and charm. Hip-hop is rooted in the racial and economic struggles endured by New York City minorities in the late-1970s and the '80s, but it
Arts
If you've driven down the 900 block of Market Street in the past couple of months, you have probably noticed the spectacular new mural on the side of the Rialto Theater. Like much of Tacoma's greatest art, it arrived with little celebration or acclaim, despite its beauty, grandeur and mystique.
