News Front
Growing up in Washington D.C., Marie Lanham was first introduced to the safety patrol in elementary school. She happily volunteered for the position during 4th, 5th and 6th grades. Lanham could not have known just how much that experience would impact her in the years ahead or how her experience
News
When Rep. Gina McCabe, (R-Goldendale), met with military veterans in 2015 in her 14th District, located in southeast Washington, she discovered many of them were powerless to find meaningful work. She acted quickly and sponsored House Bill (HB) 2040 to encourage employers to hire more veterans In 2014, there was a
Military Life
When you stop at a convenience store or gas station, you don't often think of your money giving back to anything beyond a gas company. However, Nisqually Markets has locations throughout the South Sound, and funds do more than buy gas and candy bars. Founded as part of the Nisqually Indian
News Front
The Cascadia Subduction Zone, or CSZ, is a sleeping giant. Stretching a bit over 600 miles from Vancouver Island, British Columbia to Cape Mendocino, California, it last awoke over 300 years ago. At 8 a.m. this past Tuesday, a simulated disaster began when nature's alarm clock sounded, the giant stretched and a
Military Life
Life as a military brat can be vastly different than childhood portrayed in the media. It can be difficult to keep long-lasting friendships when your family continuously relocates from base to base around the country, and for some, around the world. Couple that with an earlier loss of innocence compared
News Front
After serving in the Navy for 20 years, both driving and working on submarines, Commander Alan Mandigo knew that he would like to spend his military retirement teaching but wasn't exactly sure what. Very quickly, Mandigo found his second calling by becoming a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) instructor
Archives
It was a Wednesday morning at the YMCA, and I was sweating at the elliptical machine in rare form, reveling at the shuffle iGods who placed Blur’s "Common People" after The Killers’ "Somebody Told Me." Such sublime pleasure couldn’t last, of course. There, in the midst of my revelry came the
Archives
So where were you when you heard the big explosion at the Atlas Foundry in Tacoma’s Nalley Valley? I was sitting here at my computer when my back door practically shook off its hinges and I fell off my chair. I was also witness to the big fireball because the
Archives
I missed the Tacoma Greek Festival last weekend. And I still had Greek on the brain. With visions of traditional Greek white wine Retsina dancing in my head, a drive down Sixth Avenue to give Opa! Greek Cuisine a try was in order. At 6:30 p.m. Sunday, the brightly lit
Archives
Childhood’s End Gallery in Olympia is featuring two artists and one husband and wife collaborative team this month: Marilyn Frasca, Betty Moynahan, and John and Robin Gamaelius. Moynahan, a Native American and member of the Cowlitz Tribe, is showing a series of pastel portraits all of the same woman. The
News Front
Clover Park High School's Junior Reserve Officer's Training Corps (JROTC) received the 2015-16 Air Force JROTC Distinguished Unit with Merit Award. This award recognizes Air Force JROTC units that have performed above and beyond normal expectations and distinguished themselves through outstanding service to their school and community, while meeting the
News Front
Joint Base Lewis-McChord will host the Annual Military Retiree Appreciation Day, or RAD, event from 7:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at the JBLM American Lake Conference Center June 3. The purpose of this event is for retirees in the Pacific Northwest region to acquire new acquaintances, receive assistance from federal and
News Front
Looking for a site that allows you to get to know the Joint Base Lewis-McChord community on a personal level? MyJBLM.com will bring you personal stories from behind the military veils of JBLM and the community, and launches in early June. The website will promote public involvement and improves information
Attractions
The Seattle area is known for many things - rain, the Puget Sound, coffee. It's also known as the birthplace of the world's biggest aerospace company, Boeing. Today, Boeing has plants and offices in many other locations, but its largest factory remains just north of Seattle in Everett. And that factory
Music
It's hard to believe, but it really has been two whole decades since Lakewood first incorporated into a city. That means that right around the time the rest of us were nervously re-spooling our Scotch-taped Tragic Kingdom cassettes with a #2 pencil, ensuring our Jinco pants had the precise amount
Music
One of my favorite Christmas songs - and I like so very few - is "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas." It's a lonely little number that reflects the quiet ambience of winter, while still largely sending a positive message. The most interesting part of the song, though, comes at
Arts
I almost missed seeing the "11th Annual Student Art Exhibition" at South Puget Sound Community College. It has only another week to run. If I were cynical enough, and I admit that I often am, I could say, "What's the big deal? It's only a student show." There's some truth
Reviews
Announcer: The greater South Sound area is not lacking in waterfront dining. From Browns Point, slicing through the downtown, around the bend at Point Defiance and on down to Olympia, diners can have views of ships, ferry boats, kayakers, seals and islands to their heart's content. You can eat on,
Stage
The Wiz hit Broadway like Soul Train on steroids in 1975, winning seven Tony Awards, including best musical. It was followed-up three years later by a popular film version starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. To ask any community theater to follow that is a tall order. Tacoma Musical Playhouse