It's almost that time of year again - National Night Out.

This year's 26th annual event is Tuesday night. Local neighborhood organizations and cities are gearing up for events intended to get people out of their homes in an effort to fight crime. Block parties will be held so neighbors can chat and get to know one another.

In Pierce County, 128 parties have been registered with Safe Streets. Of those, more than 75 will occur in the City of Tacoma.

"National Night Out has much more than a one-night impact; it brings people together at the 'picket fence level,'" Safe Streets Deputy Director Steve Jewell said in a press release. "We realize that it is a key strategy for building and maintaining an extensive network of neighborhood block groups throughout Pierce County. The evidence is clear that neighbors who value knowing their neighbors will build communities that care for each other, and ultimately help to make Pierce County a friendlier, more welcoming place to live."

For a list of the National Night Out events registered with Safe Streets, click here.

The City of Fircrest is gearing up for its annual celebration. The event, sponsored by the Fircrest Police Department, will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Fircrest Community Center, 555 Contra Costa Ave.

A "Dunk A Cop" booth, sidewalk drawing contest, vehicle displays, a fireworks show and visits from Ronald McDonald, McGruff and Scruff, Keystone Kops, Big Foot Clown Alley, Vince and Larry will be among the activities.

Downtown Puyallup residents are invited to a meeting tonight with Puyallup police officers.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the Puyallup Library's south meeting room.

The neighborhood meeting is for residents who live between Third Street Southeast to Fifth Street Southeast and from East Pioneer to Fourth Avenue Southeast.

Some neighbors requested the meeting. Members of the Puyallup Police Department's Problem Oriented Policing unit and the city's code compliance officer will be at the meeting to talk about issues and answer questions.

Tacoma residents are invited to a 100th birthday celebration for one of the city's fire stations.

Station 11 at 3802 McKinley Ave. will host its centennial celebration Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The station opened April 17, 1909, and has been serving the citizens and businesses of the East Side since.

The station will host an open house Saturday and offer tours of the station and a view of a 47-foot fire engine. The fire department's historian will be on had.

Fourteen Tacoma neighborhood groups will show their resolve against criminal activity tonight on their streets.

The third-annual March Against Crime begins with a rally at 6 p.m. at the 76 gas station, 6329 Pacific Ave., in Tacoma. There will be speeches from Tacoma Police Department officials, a Safe Streets representative and elected officials.

Participating this year are 14 Safe Streets block watch groups in the South End. Most will dot Pacific Avenue through the South End of the city to the border with unincorporated Pierce County.

"The grassroots event has become a powerful way for Safe Streets groups to show criminals their dedication to improving their community; moreover, the march serves to galvanize passersby into organizing their own neighborhoods and increasing their awareness of safety issues," the non-profit organization reports.

The participating groups will be stationed at:

Lincoln South Neighbors: 34th Street and Pacific Avenue.
East Abe’s Safe Streets: 38th Street and Pacific Avenue.
Lincoln LAWGs: 43rd Street and Pacific Avenue.
Stewart Safe Streets: 50th Street and Pacific Avenue.
Pacific Avenue Business District: 56th Street and Pacific Avenue.
Four Star Safe Street group: 56th Street and Pacific Avenue.
Stewart Heights neighborhood Coalition: 60th Street and Pacific Avenue.
Park Avenue Neighborhood: 64th Street and Pacific Avenue.
Pak – Yak Safe Streets Neighborhood: 72nd Street and Pacific Avenue.
Larchmont Safe Streets: 84th Street and Pacific Avenue.
Fern Hill Alliance Safe Streets: 96th Street and Pacific Avenue.
Lincoln West: South 38th and M streets.
Mann Safe Streets Neighborhood: South 56th Street and Yakima Avenue.
A new group will also be participating but hadn't decided where they will be.

Nearly 200 law enforcement professions, service providers, community leaders and educators will be at Pacific Lutheran University today to talk about gang violence.

The regional gang symposium "Ignite Hope" kicks off at 8 a.m. and is scheduled to end at 4 p.m. Safe Streets has organized the one-day event.

Participants will hear a keynote address from state Attorney General Rob McKenna and a videotaped message from the federal drug czar Gil Kirlikowske (also the former Seattle police chief). They'll be able to attend workshops to learn about the national and local gang picture, how to close the achievement gap and using microfinance to support gang members as business people.

"All of us, from residents and youth to community institutions, must recommit ourselves to working together to leverage our resources to make a difference for all youth in our community," Priscilla Lisicich, executive director of Safe Streets Campaign, said in a press release.

For the symposium, Safe Streets is partnering with Click! Network, the Good Man Project, Lakewood Police Department, Metropolitan Development Council, Pierce County Sheriff's Department, Puyallup Tribe of Indians, Tacoma Police Department and Tacoma Public Schools.

Local clergy will perform a spiritual ceremony today at the spot where a 26-year-old Sumner man was killed earlier this month.

The Moment of Blessing ceremony for Michael J. McGowan begins at 11 a.m. along State Route 167 just south of the State Route 512 interchange. The spot will be marked with bamboo poles laced with red and purple ribbons bearing the names of the men, women and children killed in acts of homicide in Pierce County.

McGowan was the passenger in a car that left the highway and hit a tree June 10. The 46-year-old driver was initially arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide. Prosecutors have not yet filed charges in the crash.

Associated Ministries conducts Moment of Blessing ceremonies at the places where homicides occur in Pierce County. The brief ceremonies are intended to cleanse the spaces where people are killed and to provide comfort to the victim's relatives and friends as well as the community where the crime happened.

Kids wearing their helmets and riding their bikes safely this summer could receive a free sub sandwich.

Firefighters from the Valley Regional Fire Authority will be handing out "citations" and coupons for a free, three-inch Subway sandwiches as a reward for safe behavior.

"The 'Safe Rider Citation' program has been in place in parts of King and Pierce County for several years, encouraging children to wear bicycle helmets and follow road safety rules," a press release from the fire authority states.

The agency reports that wearing a bicycle helmet can reduce the chance of a serious head injury by 85 percent.

"We often look for groups of children who are primarily not wearing helmets," firefighter Dave Berg stated in the press release. "We then pick out one or two children with bike helmets and reward them for their smart choice - in hopes of encouraging the others to follow their example."

Tacoma and Seattle firefighters will take the baseball field Sunday to raise money for the American Cancer Society's Camp Goodtimes West.

The charity softball games begins at 1 p.m. Sunday at Cheney Stadium. The gates open at noon. Tickets are $10.

Members of Tacoma Firefighters Local 31 will go to bat against representatives from Seattle Firefighters Local 27.

There will be activities for the kids and entertainment for the adults.

Tacoma first responders will be hitting the court Friday night for their annual basketball game.

The game between Tacoma police and Tacoma firefighters is sponsored by the Hilltop Action Coalition.

Tip time is 7 p.m. at the University of Puget Sound Fieldhouse on North Union Avenue. The doors open at 5 p.m.

For more information, contact the Hilltop Action Coalition at 253-383-3056 ext. 112.

They called us and sent out this press release after everyone here went home. It's not clear if there were any arrests but I didn't notice anything when I checked the jail roster this morning.

Port Militarization Resisters detained by police

BREAKING NEWS:

LAKEWOOD, WA -- As citizens converge on Fort Lewis to resist the deployment of Stryker vehicles to Iraq and Afghanistan, police have stepped up their interference with the legal activities of activists and bystanders. As of 11:40 pm, police have stopped numerous vehicles and detained and questioned their drivers and passengers.

=> Read more!

Residents in Lakewood are invited to learn more about disaster preparedness today.

Lakewood firefighters, police officers and members of the Lakewood YMCA will host the annual "Disaster Preparedness Day" from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the YMCA, 9715 Lakewood Dr. S.W.

Residents can:

• Learn how to assemble a disaster kit
• Learn about Lakewood’s Community Emergency Response Team
• Learn what to do when power lines are down
• See CPR demonstrations
• Learn about the 9-1-1 system in a major emergency

The local American Red Cross and Pierce County Department of Emergency Management will be on hand. The police department will be raffling off a disaster preparedness kit.

"The first 100 families will receive some supplies to start a disaster kit of their own," the fire department reported.

Residents in Tacoma's Edison neighborhood will be out spring cleaning their streets and yards this weekend.

It's the fourth annual clean up for the neighborhood.

Edison is one of the city's community-based services areas. The neighborhood is defined as from South 56th to South 66th streets and from Oakes to Washington streets.

The clean up is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Homeowners are encouraged to get rid of their junk and beautify their property, according to a city press release.

Residents can take their garage to the parking lot of Edison Elementary School, 5830 S. Pine St. The debris will be taken away for free as long as residents provide a proof of residence such as a driver's license or current utility bill.

Some items cannot be dumped. Those include: "material from a business; cars, motorcycles, campers or boat parts; truck canopies, trailers, boats or RV vehicles; daily household garbage; liquids, paints and other oil-based products; hazardous waste; riding mowers; and animal carcasses," the city reported.

Employees from Tacoma Goodwill will be on hand to accept gently used items.