Walkie Talkie Blog
IN THE BIZZ, THIS IS CALLED A TEASE >>> 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
Walkie Talkie Blog
LOTS OF IMPORTANT STUFF HAPPENED THIS WEEK >>> This is the first edition of what will be a weekly blog series on Spew highlighting some the local political and community happenings of the past week, and looking forward to notable events in the upcoming week. Bear in mind this is not
Walkie Talkie Blog
SIXTEEN SPACES AND 51 PROJECTS >>> 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
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A WHOLE SLEW OF EDUCATION INTERVIEWS TO COME >>> Education has taken a center stage in Olympia this session as the legislature deals with balancing a laundry list of funding dilemmas and a roster of struggling schools that spans seemingly every county in the state. However, our struggling schools are not
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SHOULD SIR-MIX-A-LOT'S "NOT IN OUR HOUSE" BE THE STATE'S OFFICIAL SONG? >>> Chances are if you've ever ventured out to a Tacoma farmers market, festival or political gathering you've seen Kris "Sonics Guy" Brannon - no doubt decked out in Sonics gear, holding his "Save Our Sonics" sign and encouraging all
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GANG FIGHTING LEGISLATION RAISES CONCERNS AT TACOMA TOWN HALL >>> Last Wednesday night, Feb. 16, Tacoma residents of all ages and ethnicities gathered for a town hall meeting at The Evergreen State College Tacoma to discuss House Bill (HB) 1126, a piece of proposed legislation that seeks to modify the way
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ELECTION SHOWS WHO'S WILLING TO PAY FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT - AND WHO'S NOT >>> Pierce County residents decided to reject Proposition 1, a decision that officials say will result in reduced transit services throughout the county beginning as early as July. Roughly 55 percent of voters chose to reject to measure.
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DON'T STOP BELIEVIN' >>> Last night Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland gave Tacoma's first ever "State of the City" address. The speech culminated what seemed to be an overwhelmingly successful Shift Happens event at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center, organized by the good folks at Go Local (see this week's
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DOES IT FEEL LIKE OCTOBER YET? >>> It doesn't feel like the season for political mail, street signs, and phone banks, yet it is. As we highlighted previously, Pierce Transit services as we know them are in jeopardy. The approval of Prop 1 allows a 0.3 percent increase in the sales
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TACOMA IN OLYMPIA >>> This past weekend members of the state House Democratic Caucus approved the 2011 committee structure. Of special note to Tacoma: Rep. Jeannie Darneille was assigned vice chair (focusing on Appropriations) of the Ways and Means Committee. Newly elected Rep. Laurie Jinkins, who campaigned on her experience in
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THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO >>> This week's Volcano will include a story featuring Gazmo the Gr8 about how local emcees are using mixtapes and the Internet to increase their buzz. Here's a look at a new promo video from Gazmo off his most recent mixtape, Ibeast. Gaz is rapping over Clipse's
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CONSUME WITH A CONSCIENCE >>> Cities all over the nation are supporting American Express' "Small Business Saturday" campaign, which encourages shoppers to consider supporting their local retailers this weekend, particularly the Saturday after Black Friday. According to Civic Economics, out of every $100 spent on a small business, $68 returns to
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GOING ON A RECORD HUNT, AND HE'S NOT AFRAID >>> Local graphic/web designer Michael Pierce (moderator of 253hiphop.com) and hip-hop producer Todd Sykes (one-third of the local group City Hall) linked on a recent Sunday morning to chronicle Sykes' dig for records around Tacoma. Sykes is a longtime record collector and
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FOLLOW THE CARP >>> Last week we published an article about the current funding threat to the Pierce Conservation District - largely due to a lawsuit concerning the legality of the assessment fee used to fund the district. While our article focused on what the potential damage to Pierce Conservation District
