You’re Invited Party to Celebrate Successful Fundraising Date: October 8 Time: 6:00 PM Location: DuPont Civic Center 303 Barksdale Ave, DuPont, WA 98327 Come celebrate our successful fundraising effort that started last June. With your help, we cleared our first major hurdle when CalPortland’s attorneys tried to strip us of our right to appeal their […]
by Kirk Kirkland Energy prices across the United States are rising rapidly. Electricity demand is surging to unprecedented levels. Political leaders and private developers lack consensus on how to meet the power challenge of artificial intelligence. Previous newsletters detailed local legislative actions in Olympia alongside data center moratoriums in Seattle and Pierce County. Before taking […]
by Kirk Kirkland In the last several years Pierce County has been implementing Transit Oriented Development in Parkland and Spanaway as a way to reduce traffic congestion and build more livable communities. The Keep Pierce Moving Campaign is about increasing bus service all across the county for 275,000 more new residents and 140,000 new jobs that […]
Grit City Community Collective is joining two upcoming national rally days with sign waving rally’s in our favorite spot at the entrance to Pt Defiance Park in front of Defiant Goldfish. As you all know, this may well be our last opportunity to keep our precious democracy. Let’s all do everything we can do to make sure we […]
By Kirk Kirkland Cal/Portland has a permit to de-watering the aquifer and destroy Sequalitchew Creek near Dupont WA and Northwest Landing. We’ve been fundraising all summer and almost have enough money for our attorney to produce our final brief. September 8 is the date of our fundraising party. I’ve been working on stopping gravel […]
Katharine Viner, the editor in chief of the Guardian, an independent newspaper published in England, is leading the world in stopping the expansion of AI data centers. She reports that: “From the deserts of the southern United States to the cramped backstreets of east London, the fight against data centers has rapidly gone global. “The […]
by Kirk Kirkland., The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing to eliminate the 2001 National Forest Roadless Rule. Proponents of repealing the Rule argue that it is necessary to combat future wildfires in our national forests. The wildland firefighters say that repealing the rule and allowing roads to be built in areas of the forest […]
There is currently a nationwide, bipartisan movement defanging the 2010 Citizen’s United decision. States are seeking to exercise a fundamental states’ right to define the powers granted to corporations, ensuring these do not extend to engaging in ballot measure or election activities. This has been called the “Montana Plan,” or “Corporate Power Reset,” and Hawaii […]
by Kirk Kirkland Congress, state legislators, and local Pierce County leaders have stepped up to establish common-sense guardrails addressing the fears around AI data centers. Rather than letting rapid technological expansion outpace public policy, our leaders are putting community priorities, and economic accountability first. At the federal level, lawmakers are pushing for a national pause […]
by Kirk Kirkland Just a few days before appearing before the Pierce County Superior Court judge, CalPortland’s attorney filed a frivolous motion attempting to dismiss our lawsuit. They argued that improper signatures invalidated our land use petition. Instead of focusing on setting the dates for our legal briefs, we found the opposition trying to stop […]
Al Schmauder is the Water Steward for Chambers and Clover Creek Watershed. For over 25 years he has organized work parties to keep the fish ladders open. This year he also maintained the signs at the Chambers Dam and other places along the creek to educate visitors about the effort to keep salmon runs returning. […]
by Kirk Kirkland We have had huge success in our fundraising effort to stop the CalPortland gravel mine’s expansion from impacting our aquifer. We were quoted $15,000 for an attorney to represent us at the first hearings. Roughly fifty people have stepped forward, many giving small gifts. Now we have contributions of $11,300 — enough […]
by Kirk Kirkland In August voters supported critical county council members elections that have continued the Sea Change that swept a new County Executive and two county council members that has changed the face of Pierce County’s government actions. The priority county government programs have focused on providing compassionate services at an amount not experienced […]
by Brett Johnson As of Monday August 10, over 30% of Pierce County voters have spoken in the August primary election results. Ballots featured several choices including Pierce County Council, State House and Senate seats, various judge positions, and even Precinct Committee Officers. The City of Tacoma also proposed a streets initiative to replace one […]
by Kirk Kirkland Whenever I ride my bike through DuPont and Northwest Landing, I appreciate the intentional design. This town features wide bike lanes, active walking trails, and safe paths. Children can walk downtown or ride their bikes safely to the public library. These livable features now face an immediate threat. The CalPortland gravel operation […]
Your Pierce County mail-in ballot arrived a few weeks ago. The final deadline is August 4th. Because the voting window is so long, ballots are easily lost under a stack of mail or forgotten on the kitchen counter. This election is critical. Your vote will decide the future of our local landscape. If you are […]
“Our vote is the most powerful non-violent tool we have to create a more perfect union.” — John Lewis Join Grit City Community for a Sign-Waving Rally! Saturday, July 18, 2026 • 1:00–3:00 PM Defiant Goldfish (Point Defiance Entrance) 5310 N. Pearl Street, Tacoma
By Kirk Kirkland On June 11, 2026, the DuPont Hearing Examiner approved the South Parcel gravel mine expansion. The final decision confirms that this gravel project will create significant, irreversible environmental disruptions. The approved permit completely fails to provide adequate mitigation for the following structural impacts: Catastrophic Stream Loss. Active mining will drain the Vashon […]
By Kirk Kirkland The ongoing dialogue in May and June about the proposed Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe Land Transfer focused on what the city and County Commissioners could do on the local level. Their concern was to reduce the impact of the decline in taxes and other fees when governance of the Tribe takes over governance […]
by Brett M. Johnson, Political Committee Chair Endorsements have been decided for most County Council and State Legislature races. Previous endorsements were carried over to this year for several incumbents. For those who interviewed with us last month, we truly appreciate their time and willingness to discuss important issues. A few of these races were […]
