Click below to read an early edition of my story about a Tacoma veteran who survived the attacks on Pearl Harbor

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Columnist Kathleen Merryman, upon reading the Crosscut article below about the panhandling ordinance, weighs in with this:

Tacoma now has a variety of Housing First programs. They include those that get housing for the chronically homeless, the people living in encampments, veterans, and people with mental illness.
Tacoma is following up its initial Alcohol Impact Area with another that will cover most of the south and east parts of town.
Tacoma shelter and drop-in center providers have coordinated their hours to provide maximum shelter and meals for those who need them. That’s important, because people here know that if they want to feed down-and-out folks, there’s a safe and efficient way to do it.
Ask me about the encampment I visited in the county last month. Stacey Emerson and I met three people enjoying a few six-packs. They were about to head out to the 512-Canyon Road off- and on- ramps to raise money for “dinner.”
In Tacoma, we’re about solving the problem, not enabling the people caught up in it.

It's a couple of days old, but here's a outside look on Tacoma's panhandling ban.

A reader sent in these photos of vandalism to Garfield Park in Tacoma's North End. It apparently occurred early Wednesday morning.

Click below for more photos:

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Today I'll finish up writing my story on G.W. Mayo, a Tacoma man who was aboard the USS Nevada when it was attacked at Pearl Harbor 66 years ago tomorrow.

This afternoon, I'll meet with Puyallup's Rich Hammermaster. Besides having the greatest last name in the area, he's undergoing state-of-the-art brain surgery for his Parkinson's disease. That story likely won't run until next week.

And I'm on call to head back into the flood zones of Centralia/Chehalis if needed.