In such turbulent times as these, the nation’s attention is almost constantly pulled from one breaking news event to the next. Too often it is President Trump destroying essential parts of our economy, or making war on Chicago’s residents and other large cities. Meanwhile, what is arguably the most important story of our time has […]
Voters shuffled the candidates around bringing some exciting people forward after the August primary election. The City of Lakewood will have some close races if the voters want to make some changes and turn out in force. Ellen Talbo in position 1 ran away from the field with over 41% of the vote in Lakewood. […]
After the first 500 salmon were released above the Chambers dam it has been a long wait to see them upstream. Summer drought has affected the creek. Will the fish make it, were our previous restoration efforts enough? Online comments discuss the past efforts describe the next phase of creek restoration. In August we learned […]
Kingfisher Village includes 60 new tiny homes offering safer transitions from the street to housing in Tacoma and Pierce County. County Budget to tackle leading social and environmental issues This year’s proposed County Budget is tackling some of the leading social problems from drug programs to funding affordable housing for low income people to building […]
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: In response to recent federal actions that have undermined the independence of the CDC and raised concerns about the politicization of science, Washington, California and Oregon Washington are beginning the process to provide evidence-based unified recommendations to their residents regarding who should receive immunizations and to help ensure the public has access […]
by Kirk Kirkland Last week fishermen in their boats appeared at dawn around the Browns Point lighthouse as the August salmon run began. By 10 am there were 50 boats fishing off of Point Defiance Park. As of August 21, this year, 132 hatchery Chinook salmon ran the gauntlet of fishermen and found their way from […]
On August 16, the Guardian reported that President Trump declared at a White House press conference that Washington DC had been ‘overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals’” – a typical flourish untethered from reality – and announced he would seize control of the city’s police force. By Tuesday night, national guard troops were patrolling the […]
County environmental groups oppose the repeal of the EPA’s Endangerment Finding ordered by President Trump. During August two environmental groups in Pierce County joined forces to express their concern regarding the repeal the EPA’s 2009 “endangerment finding” for greenhouse gases. Their letters urged the Federal agency to uphold its legal and scientific integrity by rejecting […]
By Kirk Kirkland Eighteen years ago, farmed oyster larvae began disappearing in mass die-offs, mystifying hatchery managers in the Pacific Northwest and threatening a thriving part of the region’s shellfish economy, according to an article in the New York Times in July 2025. Up to 90 percent of the farmed Pacific oysters are being lost. Businesses […]
By Brett Johnson As we enter late July, a crucial primary election is upon us. Many Pierce County voters have received their mail-in ballots, and will soon cast critical votes that will impact the outcomes of several races for local elected offices. From Charter Review Commission and city councils to school boards and parks boards, […]
By Kirk Kirkland At the final public hearing held in the Dupont City Council Chambers, over 70 people filled the room. For a Friday morning, this is a significant number. The proposal for mine expansion prompted a record of over 85 written responses to be submitted. The hearing began at 10 o’clock in the morning, […]
What has our state government done for people that counters some to the destructive things that President Trump has done to medical research in colleges, reducing staff and funding for the research arm of Environmental Protection Agency, and stopping the funding in 20 states that needed funding for FEMA Disaster Mitigation for hurricanes and floods? […]
Local Organizers report on July 17 Rally in Tacoma. “The Good Trouble Rally on July 17 in honor of John Lewis was wonderful,” said Beverly Smaby. ” It was smaller than the others we’ve had, and it was blistering hot, but the organizers had a good tent that provided information, poster-making materials, and soothing cold […]
The public hearing to review the Final Impact Statement on the expansion of the Dupont gravel mine turned into a circus The seventy-two members of the public in attendance had to wait four hours before given an opportunity to speak. By 2 PM, only a dozen or so people had returned after the lunch break. […]
By Marianne Lincoln Sequalitchew Creek runs from Sequalitchew Lake, through Edmund Marsh, to Puget Sound’s Nisqually Reach, through the City of Dupont, Washington. This is the same Dupont where the Nisqually Indians lived and later welcomed and worked for the Hudson Bay Company at Fort Nisqually. The Fort had two sites above the Sequalitchew. The […]
It is about a gravel quarry in Dupont that has been there since the late 1800’s, so why is it a problem now? The Pioneer Aggregates Project Proposal being considering by the Hearings Examiner in Dupont Friday, June 20 is about 14 years of gravel mining in their southeast parcel that includes dewatering the Vashon […]
by Kirk Kirkland For each issue of the newsletter I scan the New York Times and other internet sites for evidence that the tide of chaos created by Trump was turning and there was hope that the madness would be stopped by a well-organized resistance by our elected leaders. This week an e-mail from the […]
Futurewise gave Pierce County the “Excellence in County Planning” award at their annual meeting in May at their Spring Celebration. The award recognized the county’s stewardship of the land and celebrated on-going partnerships for habitat conservation and connectivity. In particular the award recognized Pierce County based on its innovative approach to land use, regional coordination, […]
by Kirk Kirkland Tucked into a budget reconciliation bill, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee made a recommendation to sell off more than 250 million acres of public lands across the American West to private developers. This proposal was personal and would have had a significant effect on National Forests in Washington. If passed, […]
Sean Arent is the president of the Clover Creek Restoration Alliance. The speech was presented at the public hearing of the Dupont mine’s expansion. The zoom connection failed during his presentation. It is printed here: _______________________________________________________ Let me tell you about the Clover-Chambers-Sequalitchew Watershed. Our watershed, located between the Nisqually and Puyallup watershed, is an […]
