News
Beginning Jan. 1, 2020, the VA Funding Fee will increase for some veterans, however, the effective "cap" on VA no-down payment loans will be eliminated, according to the Veterans Affairs website. Signed into law in June 2019, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 provides service-connected disability benefits to
News Front
As Americans adjust to the Jobs Act of 2017, it's worth noting that military enlistees have a great tool on the IRS website available to help keep them from falling prey of paying too much or too little in taxes. The tax estimator, which was called the tax calculator last
News Front
(Photo: Staff Sgt. Justin Zorn, recruiter, Tempe Recruiting Company, engages a potential lead, prior to Arizona State University’s Salute to Service college football game between ASU and the University of Southern California, Nov. 9, Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Ariz.) Starting early next year, officers looking for a new calling may discover
Military Life
Gratitude characterized the 10th Annual Ham Grenade stop at the Warrior Transition Battalion at the Madigan Army Medical Center last Friday morning. "This event and all the events we host are to say thank you for the many sacrifices our military families live out every day," said Isabella Colvin, vice president
Archives
Sure, by the time you read this, Christmas will officially be over, but this season is continuing to be jolly for everyone’s favorite Carmen. I made a conscious decision to not attend the Swiss Christmas party because it happened on a Sunday, and I had consumed too many drinks the night
Archives
We at the Weekly Volcano really do care. Last week, the astute Matt Driscoll was rapping about some safe driving tips for New Year’s Eve. I’m going to take that a step further. In my column, you’ll find so much of what you need to survive your entire New Year’s Eve night, completely
News Front
WASHINGTON— Service members will see an increase to their basic housing allowance and basic pay rates starting Jan. 1, the Pentagon announced Thursday. AD: Couple counseling on JBLM pays you $300 and it is confidential. Info here CLICK The basic housing allowance rate will increase by an average of 2.8%
Family
DALLAS — The Army & Air Force Exchange Service has enlisted a team of young experts to share the joy of toys this holiday season and beyond. AD: VA home loan class with free dinner - January 14 in Lacey. Don't miss the top things to know before you
Family
DALLAS – Military students who study and succeed can pick up extra spending money from the Army & Air Force Exchange Service. AD: Depressed? Stop using drugs. All natural, Tricare supported program in Olympia. Start here - CLICK Through the Exchange’s You Made the Grade program, first- through 12th-graders, including
Reviews
ANNOUNCER: Basilico in Olympia is a local favorite for authentic Italian cuisine. The menu often offers seasonal Northwest ingredients with an Italian flair. With rumors of the husband and wife owners Giampaolo Falchetti and Kathryn Philbrook opening a similar place in Tacoma's Proctor district, Dutch and Jackie head south for
Stage
By far one of William Shakespeare's most popular plays, A Midsummer Night's Dream -- as its name might suggest -- carries with it a loopy, humid feel, befitting its summer solstice setting. It's a bit of a treat, then, to see the Changing Scene Theatre Northwest stage this show as
Music
It might be startling to realize this, but there's no particular reason to begin a new year on the first day of January. It's a week and a half past winter solstice, the shifting date on which the ancient Greeks rebooted their communal calendar, and nowhere near ancient Mesopotamians' preferred
Features
I've never been much of a holiday person. Don't get me wrong, I'm no Grinch, but you better not ask me where my Christmas tree is on Thanksgiving, and sure as heck don't ask me to go shopping right after dinner! But that aside, I am a lover of twinkling
News Front
Headquarters Air Reserve Personnel Center recently introduced a virtual tracking status bar for Guard and Reserve members to monitor the status of their submitted retirement application. The status bar provides the applicant a real-time snapshot of the status of their application. The status begins with "Coordination" following a successfully submitted application,
News Front
(Photo: Airmen 1st Class Christine Smith and Kaylie Cunningham, 364th Training Squadron electrical and environmental apprentice course students, remove and install an oxygen regulator on an F-15 Eagle at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, June 14, 2019. In an effort to expand learning opportunities for airmen and enable training and
Military Life
When I first signed my name on the dotted line to serve my country, I had all these crazy, outlandish ideas of what I thought my Air Force experience was going to be. Well, spoiler alert, they didn't come to fruition, but what I got was a million times better
Jobs & Education
Last week at Graham-Kapowsin High School, leadership from Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) and the Bethel School District announced a new partnership with the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI). The initiative is an evidence-based, rigorous national STEM program which was made possible by a $727,500 grant from the U.S. Department
News Front
To ensure that deployed service members from Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) in Pierce County could vote in the recent 2019 elections, the county's auditor's office piloted the first mobile elections platform in Washington state. "We opted to try a mobile voting solution when we were confronted by the imminent withdrawal from
News
Rogers High School in Puyallup unveiled a monument last Friday afternoon honoring Medal of Honor recipient SSgt. Ronald Shurer. Escorted by the school's Battalion Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) Cmdr. Duane O'Brien and Command Sgt. Maj. Erica Gonzales, the 1997 graduate of the school and his family spent the day
News Front
Hundreds of fists punched the sky, mingling with the warm wisps of breath in the cold morning air, as a resounding cry of "Together to the future!" roared across the band square in both English and Japanese. With that, U.S. Army I Corps and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) service members