I've updated my Google map showing from where I have reported and filed. Click to check it out:

This press release arrived in my inbox. Even though it's called toxic and made of algae, toxic algae bloom still sounds like a lovely plant. But apparently it's not:

A toxic algae bloom has been identified in Clear Lake. Toxic algal blooms can be harmful to people and pets and should be avoided. Toxic algae blooms continue in American Lake, Spanaway Lake, and Bresemann Pond.

As a general guideline regarding all Pierce County lakes, areas that have heavy concentrations of algae should be avoided. These areas are usually along portions of the shore and resemble green paint or pea soup.

Ingestion of the algae or prolonged contact with the algae may result in illness, such as muscle weakness, vomiting, diarrhea, and/or nausea.

If you swallow a large amount of water containing the algae, please seek immediate medical attention. If a pet has recently (within several hours) ingested lake water with algae and is showing signs such as vomiting, lethargy, disorientation, or seizures it should be taken to a veterinarian immediately. For more information on toxic algae go to the Health Department’s website at tpchd.org and enter “toxic algae” in the search box.

The duration of the blooms is dependent upon weather conditions and biological factors. It is expected that the blooms are likely to pose a health concern for at least the next couple of weeks.

The following is from my mobile-home park closure story. It's a growing statewide trend:

Country Aire is the latest in a string of mobile-home parks to close statewide. More than 52 parks have closed or are scheduled to close since the beginning of 2006 – a loss of more than 2,000 spots, according to the State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development's Office of Manufactured Housing.

Pierce County is the state’s hardest hit area. Thirteen parks have closed or will close in the same timeframe, eliminating 499 spaces.

The average park closure rate from 1989-2002 was 5.8 per year. From 2003-07, 13.6 closed each year.

“It’s obvious the real-estate prices – especially those within urban growth boundaries up and down the freeway where a lot of the mobile-home parks are located – increase so dramatically that, we assume, owners are selling for that reason,” said Kristi Aravena, a relocation assistance coordinator with the state.

The state offers relocation assistance, but the department can only distribute $30,000 per month, leading to a 10-month waiting list.

As of Friday, 36 people applied for about $300,000 in reimbursement.

“In the next few months, I can say that will be dramatically going up due to more parks I know will send in a lot of invoices,” Aravena said. “It’s such a fluid thing, but there’s always a wait list, and it’s not uncommon for it to take one or two years to get the reimbursement money.”

I'm back on my day off, and I'm going to talk to some more folks about the recent trend of mobile-home park closures in the state.

Federal Way coach Jerome Collins’ suits are often the talk of the state tournaments. The man knows how to dress. This morning, he’s sporting a loose-fitting lavender-and-white checkered suit, a lavender vest, a purple tie and lavender pants.

I asked students from Federal Way and Franklin what they thought about Wednesday’s selection.

Here’s what some had to say:

Franklin junior Nick Caldwell: “It’s nice. It’s colorful. It brings out the color in his skin. It’s flashy for a high school game, yeah, but everybody’s themselves.”

Federal Way senior David Park: “He’s fresh. Fresh every time. He looks a bit like a Froot Loops box or Willy Wonka, but I like it.”

Franklin junior Samrawit Bekele: “I think it’s ugly. It’s not very manly. He should wear something more manly.”

Federal Way senior Ufa Tauile: “He’s fitted. It looks fresh. I don’t know what else to say except that it looks good on him.”

Franklin sophomore Sami Abera: “I think he shouldn’t have worn the suit. He could’ve bought a better suit. It ain’t Easter yet.”

It’s a long day for Matt Baer and Jon Wu. The two Bellarmine Prep freshmen arrived at the Tacoma Dome shortly before noon to play in the pep band during the girls team’s opening-round game against Snohomish.

But that was just the start of their jam-packed schedule.

Even though Bellarmine Prep students were dismissed at 11 a.m. to root on their classmates, the two had to head back to the Jesuit school’s campus for track-and-field practice. (They both run the 1,600- and 3,200-meter events.)

This evening, they’ll be back at the Tacoma Dome at 6 p.m., an hour before the Bellarmine boys play Richland.

“It’s going to be busy,” Baer said, “but it’s going to be worth it.”

The band practices all year, said freshman Jamarion Mayo, and this is one of the biggest crowds in front of which they’ll play all year.

“I like it because we get to cheer the teams on,” said Mayo, who plays the snare drum. “We usually don’t play two games in one day, but I’m up for it.”

Give credit to Chase Anderson. In a sea of goofy-dressed fans, the junior from Shadle Park topped them all.

Before he left Spokane for Tacoma on Tuesday, he and some friends wanted to find an outfit that would stand out. They spent about $20 at a Wal-Mart and came up with a look that’s, umm, interesting.

Start with the head. He’s wearing an electric-orange wig underneath a green-plaid headscarf tucked under a Shadle Park hat.

He also used the same plaid material to cut a sash that hangs over his inflatable fat suit and wore a black-and-white shirt and green-plaid boxers.

He wore red-plaid socks underneath calf-high white ones and white hospital covers over his shoes.

He bounced around the stands, screamed and played air guitar while the Highlanders cruised to a first-round victory.

“I just wanted to do something that could top all the other things I usually wear,” the 16-year-old Anderson said. “I pretty much just picked random stuff and tried to make the funniest outfit I could find.”

He had set the bar high: Two of his favorite outfits were an 1980s-style mustard-yellow basketball uniform (complete with knee-high socks and way-too-high shorts) and a wrestling singlet.

In the upper decks of the Tacoma Dome, far above the face-painted students chanting unoriginal cheers and teachers relaxing on an unexpected day off, the hardcore prep basketball fans sit.

”I’ve been doing this since 1966,” Gene Bonner said. The West Seattle native leaned back in his chair almost directly in front of the heavy black curtain that separates the two courts. His head swayed slightly between the two games, and he used binoculars dangling from his neck when the action got intense.

About 30 of them spread around the second layer of stands before the 9 a.m. tip-off of Wednesday’s first games in the Class 4A state tournament: Decatur boys vs. Snohomish and Lake Stevens girls vs. Mount Tahoma.

The ability to watch both games simultaneously was a draw for the group of mostly middle-aged men. So was the laid-back atmosphere. Blue-and-orange-clad Decatur students stood on their seats and clogged the aisles to try to get a better view in the lower stands. In the upper decks, people were able to stretch their legs over the chairs in front of them and read the sports section.

Snohomish’s Dave Manzanares and Mount Vernon’s Dick Snow said they’ve been watching the state basketball tournament for more than 20 years. The two also like to banter about the games and don’t want to disturb others sitting near them.

“We just like a little room to talk,” Manzanares said, “and this provides a little privacy.”

The Tacoma Dome plays host to the tournaments for Class 4A and Class 2A; the others are at Yakima, Spokane and Seattle.

“This is our favorite spot,” Manzanares said, “but there’s one problem: The food here stinks.”

There are a few things that will ruin your morning. A NyQuil hangover. A real hangover. The breakfast sandwich at the Tacoma Dome.

And then there’s this little ditty that my RSS feeder kicked up: According to a computer simulation, a 9.0 earthquake would not only be not good for Washington, but Tacoma (and Seattle, Olympia and Vancouver, Wash.) would be especially bad off.

“What the scientists learned from this simulation is not reassuring,” read PhysOrg.com.

It continues:

The long-duration shaking, combined with high ground velocities, raises the possibility that such an earthquake could inflict major damage on metropolitan areas -- especially on high-rise buildings in downtown Seattle. Compounding the risks, like Los Angeles to the south, Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia sit on top of sediment-filled geological basins that are prone to greatly amplifying the waves generated by major earthquakes.

It's early. It's loud. That means the state basketball tournaments at the Tacoma Dome are about to get under way.

I'll be here much of the day chatting with players, coaches, fans and workers in the broad, go-there-and-capture-the-vibe-of-the-event kind of story editors love to call "scene-setters."

I'm about to hit the road for Puayllup. I've received several e-mails from concerned residents of a mobile-home park there who were given one year's notice to leave. Many can't financially leave, and others' units can't safely be transported. And then there's the shock of an entire neighborhood going away.

The owner of the park is allegedly selling the land to developers (I haven't had a chance to talk to him yet) -- and it's part of a growing national trend.

The Hilltop Action Coalition has voiced support for Tacoma Streetcar, which advocates for the return of vintage or replica streetcars to provide mass transit in Tacoma.

From the press release:

Tacoma Streetcar, a non-profit transportation advocacy organization, has announced that the Hilltop Action Coalition has joined the growing list of organizations and individuals that support the creation of a city-wide streetcar system. Jeannie Peterson, Director of Community Initiatives for the Hilltop Action Coalition stated, "We need better transportation alternatives and streetcars will add vintage flavor to areas that deserve them, especially the Hilltop."

Other supporters include former city council members Tom Stenger and Bill Evans. Stenger sponsored the city's resolution two years ago creating a committee to study the feasibility of a city-wide system.
Evans recently co-authored a history of the Proctor District which was written from the perspective of taking a streetcar through the district. Several neighborhood groups have also sent letters of support including the West End, North End, and Central Neighborhood councils.

In a recent letter to Sound Transit officials, Tacoma Streetcar urged that an aggressively implemented downtown LINK extension be the focus of any future Pierce County transportation ballot proposal.

It was hectic last week; now it's all calm out there. I'm making some calls to put together some stories for the next few days, and I'll let you know what else I'm up to today.

Joe and I followed Clover Park High School's Air Force JROTC team. Here's a video from today's competition at Wilson High School:

Janice Sami stood at attention and didn’t flinch when a judge snapped questions at her during inspection. During regulation and exhibition, she was conscious to move in near-perfect formation. A wrong answer or misstep, she knew, could put the competition’s outcome at risk.

Only when Sami and her colleagues from the Clover Park High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps left the gymnasium, the site of the unarmed drill competition, could they relax a bit. Proud parents snapped photos of them. The cadets smiled for the first time since the competition began.

For Sami, a senior at Clover Park and a cadet lieutenant colonel, the competition was also a celebration of the JROTC program. She wants to become an agent in the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations after she graduates from college, and she JROTC is giving her an early taste of military life.

“This program is amazing,” she said while wearing her dress blue uniform. “It’s not just a program. It’s like a family. It’s made me a different person, and I’m proud of who I am because of this program.”

Clover Park was one of nine schools participating at Saturday’s Northwest Rifle and Drill Conference competition at Wilson High School in Tacoma. The squads vied in color guard, shooting, strength, armed drill and unarmed drill teams contests.

The teams gather once a month from December to March, when teams have a chance to qualify for championship meets. The regional meet is April 19 at Bethel High School in Spanaway.

=> Read more!

Joe and I have decided to shadow Clover Park High School's unarmed drill squad. They just finished their competition, and we're going to chat with a few people soon.

Here's a photo from the first drill, the inspection:

Photographer Joe Barrentine and I are at Wilson High School in Tacoma today to cover a JROTC competition. We just arrived, and I’ll have more for you later.

I swung by Neighborhood Coffee House & Espresso this morning. Chris Woods was behind the counter, and there were plenty of customers. Things had been busy all morning, he told me. I didn't grab a drink or anything (so I can't comment on that), but the vibe of the place seemed pretty dang cool.

UPDATE: I can't comment on the quality of the coffee, but someone else did.

McCarver Park's name is going to stick for now.

Here's from an e-mail from project manager Doug Fraser:

At this point we are not looking to rename the park. We certainly will be providing a number of opportunities to celebrate and memorialize Zina including looking at the playground itself within the park. But this is all something the committee needs to work through as we develop the design details over the next couple of months.

Here are some renderings of what a renovated McCarver Park could look like:

=> Read more!

I received an e-mail from Ryan Mello, a member of the board of park commissioners for Metro Parks Tacoma. He believes McCarver Park -- which could be renamed in honor of Zina Linnik, the 12-year-old Hilltop girl who was kidnapped and killed last year -- shouldn't lose its name because it's part of the neighborhood's identity.

Here's his e-mail:

While I have a tremendous amount of sympathy and heartbreak for the family of Zina Linnik and the tragedy they have and continue to experience a family, I am in full support of a memorial of some kind at McCarver Park or anywhere else appropriate. Without hearing a lot of detail from any particular side of the issue (for people advocating to rename the park or constituents advocating for it to remain named McCarver) I would not support renaming McCarver Park to anything else at this time. The tragedy of that happened to this young girl should not forever change the name of a park that brings identity to this neighborhood. We can remember what happened to Zina and work to ensure it never happens ever again to another child without renaming a park that brings identity to a whole neighborhood.

I've sent e-mails to the other four park commissioners and I'll tell you what they say.

I’m off to Orting High School this morning to speak to the kids there on career day.

After that, my whirlwind tour of high schools continues with a stop at Remann Hall to check out a program they’ve got going on there.

And finally, back to the newsroom to talk Tall Ships 2008 with Matt Erlich, who’s PRing for them. Look for something in print next week catching you up with what’s going on with this summer’s festival.

Chris Woods and Miguel Flores can finally concentrate on lattes instead of licenses, on pastries instead of permits and on bagels instead of bureaucrats.

Their business, Neighborhood Coffee House & Espresso, opens this morning on Tacoma’s McKinley Hill. Neither had any idea how difficult getting to this point would be.

“It was just one thing after another after another after another,” Flores said. “I’m not so sure I would’ve done this if I had known about all the red tape it involved.”

That’s because the two started renovating the building – a former drug house on the corner of East 34th and McKinley Avenue – in August 2007. They hoped to spend $40,000 and open several months later.

Instead, they’ve plowed $70,000 into the business before it served its first customer. And both believe they wouldn’t have received their 90-day provisional license if it weren’t for the intervention of a city councilman.

=> Read more!

I was set to talk with City Councilman Mike Lonergan today about his push to get a temporary permit for Neighborhood Coffee House & Espresso. Instead, I turned on my computer this morning to find this narrative in my inbox. (Now that's city government workin' for ya.) As you can read, he really did help these guys out:

I met with the City Manager Tuesday morning about the urgency of getting Chris and Miguel's business open. He immediately contacted Public Works Director Mike Slevin, who in turn reviewed this with his Building & Land Use staff. By 3 pm Tuesday, Slevin met with me to report his findings.

Mike Slevin informed me that an inspector and an administrator would visit the Coffee Shop on Wednesday and make every effort to reach a conditional permit so that the business could open and generate some revenue within a few days, perhaps even before completing every item on the checklist.

There are always two sides to these stories--and the land use staff felt they had been trying hard to help Mr. Woods and Mr. Flores to meet the requirements of converting a house into a commercial space. They did not believe they had been holding things up or giving conflicting information. However, when the building inspectors go on site, they do often see items needing attention.

=> Read more!

I had already finished my breakfast -- at the FeedTacoma Feed at Puget Sound Pizza -- at this time yesterday. This morning, though, I spent a great deal more time staring at the back of my eyelids.

So today I'll crank out the story about the McKinley Hill coffee shop and put the final touches on the Zina Linnik park story.

I'm resisting posting the entire Zina Linnik park story because there have been a few tweaks to what they're going to do and because I want to get the permission to publish the architect's renderings, but here's a list of some of the renovations planned:

● Tetherball courts, since it was one of Linnik’s favorite games.
● Birch trees, because they remind Linnik’s family of their native Ukraine.
● Large egg sculptures to honor her Ukrainian heritage.
● The unused, in-ground swimming pool would be transformed into a garden.
● Linnik’s first name written in Cyrillic on an existing cement structure near the pool.
● Decorative steel mesh clouds near the entrance and throughout the park.
● Benches arranged a semicircle to encourage reading.
● A chicken and an egg on poles at the entrance of the park.

Readers,

The gal to the right is Aimee. She's 18. She's from Spanaway. The picture to the right is a screengrab from the Web site for "America's Next Top Model." She's a contestant on that show.

She was also raised Mormon. And that's apparently a problem for a newspaper reporter in Salt Lake City.

We need a bit of context: The Deseret Morning News is owned by a for-profit company owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It's a conservative paper. You won't find liquor ads in it. And that's fine; it fills a niche. I'm not cracking on the paper.

But a reporter harps on this question: "Can an ex-Mormon be 'America's Next Top Model?'"

Or here's a better question: Who the heck cares? It's a reality show some people like to watch and a good opportunity for her. But the reporter feels the need to bash a teenager he's probably never met because of her choice of religion.

He assumes she'll do a nude photo shoot. He takes a jab at her in his third paragraph: "Aimee, an 18-year-old "hostess" (whatever that means) from Spanaway, Wash., is upfront about her ex-Mormon status."

Whatever that means? She's not decades into a career. She's fresh out of high school.

You know what's missing when you pick on an 18-year-old girl because she's not following the faith of her family? Decency. Whatever that means.

Just got back from talking to the guys at Neighborhood Coffee House & Espresso on McKinley Hill. While I was there, an inspector from the city issued them a temporary permit.

They'll open Friday at 5:30 a.m.

More details coming later.

I'm heading back to McKinley Hill today. The guys trying to open a coffee shop in a former drug house are drowning in a sea of red tape.

Also, plans are rolling to rename the park near McCarver Elementary School after Zina Linnik. I'll bring you more about that, too.

Hundreds sat in the bleachers at Chief Leschi School’s gymnasium below dozens of flags of Indian tribes from around the country. Elders from the Nisqually Tribe stood near the half-court circle, eulogized the chief and recalled memories about Indian culture. Dozens stood in a circle and sang during a drumming ceremony.

It was the final ceremony of the inaugural, daylong “Honor & Celebration of Brothers,” which pays tribute to the lives of Chief Leschi of the Nisqally Tribe and his half-brother, Quiemuth.

Leschi was executed 150 years ago Tuesday after a conviction that proved controversial at the time and has since been vacated. Quiemuth was killed while in protective custody.

The festivities prove that much the times have changed, one participant said.

“To me, it’s phenomenal that we’ve reached a point that a Native American who was executed is honored and recognized,” John LaPointe said. “In the most elementary sense, he was a true American – fighting for freedom, fighting for democracy, fighting for his people.”

About 100 people met Tuesday morning at a marker in Lakewood erected in honor of Leschi. Three hundred yards away, the engraving reads, the chief was hanged 150 years ago today. They ran a 12½-mile course from the marker to Chief Leschi School.

Others participated in “unity walks” from Grandview Early Learning Center near Roosevelt Park to Leschi’s grave near the Church of the Indian Fellowship to Chief Leschi School in Puyallup.

At the grave, participants listened to speeches and offered a prayer for the chief. The walkers heading toward Chief Leschi School strode down the shoulder of Pioneer Way wearing bright yellow T-shirts bearing stenciled images of Leschi and Quiemuth between a drawing of Mount Rainier and writing in English and the Nisqually language.

=> Read more!

The folks who want to keep Faith Dairy in Summit-Waller have taken their battle online.

SaveFaithDairy.org provides background information and gives visitors a chance to help the cause.

The dairy at 3509 72nd St. E. closed last year. Its future hinges on what vision of the dairy and its property – 100 acres in Summit-Waller and 300 acres in Roy – survives. Sid Mensonides, who owns just over 50 percent of the company, wants to develop the 30 acres into a subdivision that would hold 16 housing units. His brother John, who owns the minority stake, wants to preserve the land and reopen the dairy with a new business plan.

The brothers aren’t talking directly anymore.

"Our current plan is to gather a consortium of conservation groups and private equity to invest in re-opening the dairy, preserving the land permanently, and putting together a non-profit to manage other activities on the land, such as educational opportunities, cultural activities, etc.," wrote organizer Andrew Bacon in an e-mail. "The possibilities are endless, but first, we need community support!

"We're collecting individual signatures and pledges from businesses which sell dairy products to support the idea that it is desired by the community as a whole and that the idea is an economically viable business."

Joggers jumped in place to stay warm in the cool, foggy elements. A tribal elder shared the despair of the past and hope for the future. Schoolchildren warbled songs in the Nisqually language to drumming.

It was the opening ceremony of “Honor & Celebration of Brothers,” which fêtes the lives of Chief Leschi of the Nisqally Tribe and his half-brother, Quiemuth.

“To me, it’s phenomenal that we’ve reached a point that a Native American who was executed is honored and recognized,” said John LaPointe before preparing to run 12½ miles from Lakewood to Chief Leschi School in Puyallup. “In the most elementary sense, he was a true American – fighting for freedom, fighting for democracy, fighting for his people.”

A group of about 100 people met in Lakewood near a marker erected in honor of Leschi. Three hundred yards away, the engraving reads, the chief was hanged 150 years ago today.

The celebrations will continue later today with a series of runs to places significant to the Nisqually Tribe and ending at Chief Leschi School. There, organizers will service lunch and present speeches and drumming ceremonies.

=> Read more!

I’ve reported an the closure Murray Morgan Bridge and its impact on local businesses, and Tom Rogers of Commencement Bay Marine Services e-mailed me over the weekend to voice his opinion:

The closure of the bridge has had multiple ramifications on our side. First the infrastructure is not designed to handle the increased traffic load, second all maps still show the bridge open, access to our business is difficult and finally the closure relegates the east side to second class citizenship.

The tragedy is the east side is a vital part of Tacoma with good paying jobs paying living wages. But we have a difficult time getting to and from there.

Portland Avenue is our main access route, but it is in disrepair. St Paul near the Foss Waterway has chuck holes in it, in which you could lose a car. Do not drive through the water puddles. East D Street is the main access to fuel farms which supply Tacoma’ service stations and “D” Street looks like a third world country road.

=> Read more!

The Rialto is hosting an Academy Awards party for all you movie buffs. The proceeds go to the Grand Cinema (can’t complain with that).

Here are the details:

What: Academy Awards Party
When: Sunday. Doors open at 4 p.m. Red carpet coverage begins at 5 p.m.
Price: $14 for members of the Grand and $17 for non-members.
Another reason why: Free food provided by Varsity Grill

More from the press release below:

=> Read more!

First stop for me today is the celebrations honoring Chief Leschi. Our story on it can be found here.

I’ll bring photos and updates from throughout the day.

Don’t wear yourself out voting today.

Things are heating up in Northeast Tacoma. I just received this press release in my inbox:

Save NE Tacoma, a coalition of more than 2500 concerned citizens in the Northeast Tacoma and Federal Way communities, filed a motion on February 13, 2008, in the Pierce County Superior Court to intervene as a party plaintiff in the City of Tacoma's lawsuit against Northshore Investors, LLC, and North Shore Golf Associates, Inc.

The City of Tacoma’s lawsuit seeks a declaratory ruling from the Superior Court requiring Northshore Investors, LLC, and North Shore Golf Associates, Inc., to abide by existing zoning rulings, restrictive covenants and contractual obligations to keep and maintain the North Shore Golf Course for golf course and open space use.

=> Read more!

They descended on McKinley Hill holding signs and chanting slogans. Others joined as the group marched through the neighborhood. Passing motorists honked their horns in support.

The East Side neighborhood residents demonstrated Saturday morning to send a message.

“We’re here to tell the drug dealers and the thugs that we’re stronger than they are!” Dwayne Wegner shouted to the group of 40 people preparing to demonstrate. “Their actions will not be tolerated!”

Instances of apparent intimidation and threats against residents sparked the march.

Tim and Kelly Mulligan, residents of the McKinley neighborhood for the past six years, witnessed repeated apparent drug deals and prostitution. On Jan. 27, they wrote down the license-plate numbers of two cars and called the police with the information.

A resident recently threatened Tim Mulligan’s life, Kelly said. The next night, Kelly was sitting in her car when the same man approached the vehicle, stood about a foot outside her door and stared her down.

They left their home for a week. When they returned, Kelly said they were there about an hour when someone drove on their front lawn and peeled out. Others drove by and stared them down.

The police have been “extremely supportive,” Kelly said, but she said the entire area needs more support.

Her neighbors didn’t let her down on a cold Saturday morning.

“You can tell by the honks and waves that people want things to get better,” Kelly Mulligan said. “This was a pretty good success today.”

The absence of police presence at the beginning of the march underscored the demonstration’s necessity. Officers responded to a burglary at a nearby pharmacy and were arresting the suspects several blocks away while the group of residents was mobilizing, said Lt. Kathy McAlpine, who commands the police sector that encompasses the East Side.

Criminals are feeling increasingly isolated in the neighborhood, she said.

“When we executed search warrants Tuesday, people inside the apartments were clapping,” said McAlpine, who joined the march minutes after it began. “People don’t want drug dealers in their neighborhood.”

The march drew more than just McKinley Hill neighbors. City Councilman Mike Lonergan was in attendance, as was Darren Pen of Safe Streets and four students from Clover Park High School in Lakewood who wanted to show their support.

=> Read more!

I'll be on McKinley Hill this morning for the march against crime in the neighborhood.

This was e-mailed to me (and left as a comment on this blog):

Given what is happening in our world today I would hope that you would be able to find more constuctive news to write about than the Town of Ruston. While you continue your quest for reading fodder you are truly hurting our town. The Town of Ruston is a great place to live and we really enjoy our neighborhood and our neighbors but you are casting a seriously negative light on our wonderful town.

The Mayor is a good man and the council members are all excellent people and very well qualified to do the jobs they were elected to do.
The council members and our Mayor are very similar people in more ways than your reporting portrays but more importantly, after this is all said and done, they will still be neighbors.

The only thing your reporting will do is contiue to pour salt in an open wound. It will continue to pit neighbor against neighbor and the way things are going - Ruston will wind up with its own Reality TV show.

So quit stirring the pot and let us work through our issues - which we will do. Quit stirring the pot so people interested in buying a new home won't be deterred from Ruston because of its political climate you have helped fuel.

We have a beautiful town, great neighbors, and tremendous future. Let us move forward having learned valuable lessons from the past and present.

Please go pick on another town for awhile - how about DuPont? I have heard they have issues or maybe Puyallup but how about leaving Ruston alone for awhile?

You heard the man, readers: Find me dirt on DuPont!

First stop today is a chat with Jeanie Peterson of the Hilltop Action Coalition. She's got a good idea for a story, and I'll let you know what comes of it.

Robert "The Traveller" Hill is getting some love out in western Idaho eastern Washington.

I just got back from a visit to Sam’s Café. The restaurant, which serves an eclectic crowd that includes employees of Tideflats businesses, Port of Tacoma workers and downtown residents, takes advantage of its convenient location.

The restaurant, at 602 E. 11th St., is one of the first buildings after crossing the Thea Foss Waterway on the Murray Morgan Bridge.

Since the closure of the bridge in October, though, business is down. The owner, Soon Jin Kim, said the breakfast rush has slowed by about half.

“A lot of people just don’t drive around,” she said.

Lunchtime is still doing OK, she said. But breakfast, which accounts for a third of her business, could have been worse if it weren’t for some dedicated patrons.

“I’ve been open seven years, so many people still drive around to come eat here. They know us by now.”

Footsteps echoed off the walls of ReHarvest Center’s cavernous warehouse on Tacoma’s Tideflats. Stacks of doors, cabinets, windows and other furniture dwarfed the two employees working Thursday morning and added to the feeling of isolation.

ReHarvest isn’t a business used to the hustle-bustle of many retail stores, but it’s hurting from the closure of the Murray Morgan Bridge in October.

“It might be a little early to tell if there’s a definite drop in sales, but I believe there is,” sales manager Barbara Garcia said. “Sales are dropping in a lot of places (around here).”

Garcia said she’s talked to customers who are unhappy with the closure. The building sits at 1113 Saint Paul Ave. – a few hundred feet from the closed bridge – but many customers are forced to take Highway 509 across the Thea Foss Waterway, turn north on Portland Avenue and head back west on East 11th Street.

It adds miles and headaches and likely drives away new customers, Garcia said.

“People have to go out of their way to get here, and they have to choose an alternate route,” she said. “Most people just choose not to do that. They just say, ‘Aww, the heck with it.’ ”

Let’s be honest: Our northern neighbors like to look at Tacoma as a tad crime-ridden. And despite the strides made in recent years, we’re having a tough time shrugging off that image.

But it could be worse. Much worse.

I came across a story yesterday in my hometown paper, the Times-Picayune, that reports about the mayor and police superintendent showing off new SWAT gear. Not such a big deal there. But then check out the photo with it. (I had to shrink it down to fit on the page, so the text is a bit skewed.) That’s Mayor Ray Nagin on the right giggling while the barrel of an M-4 is pointed at the NOPD’s top dog.

The T-P posted a clarification on its Web site yesterday saying that the mayor was lowering the rifle, and that its barrel was pointed toward the police superintendent for just an instant.

The sad part? No one I knew actually thought it was a big deal. Everyone thought it was funny. (And it kinda is.) But next time you think Tacoma has a bad reputation, just try envisioning people chuckling at a photo of Bill Baarsma pointing an assault rifle at Don Ramsdell from point-blank range. There’d be an uproar.

If you’re a resident of Tacoma, there’s another free day at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium coming your way.

Bring a photo ID or other proof of admission next Wednesday, and you’ll get in for free.

Here’s the reason why, according to a release from the zoo:

The free day is offered as a thank-you to Tacoma voters, who in 1999 approved a $35 million bond issue to pay for Zoo improvements. There have been lots of new additions since then including the Kids’ Zone children’s area, the five-acre Asian Forest Sanctuary, Wild Wonders Outdoor Theater, and a new front entrance, gift shop, and café.

I have a few things cooking today, but first I'll be heading to Sam’s Café to see if the predicted financial hit following the closure of the Murray Morgan Bridge really happened. I'll let you know.

Click below to read an early edition of my Ruston story:

=> Read more!

I've converted two Ruston meetings to digital format. If you weren't at the Jan. 14 study session or the Jan. 22 town council meeting, you're in for a treat.

At the study session, bickering led to an early adjournment. A link to the audio of the few minutes before and after the meeting ended is here.

And a week later, Councilman Bradley Huson's new rules of order at the meetings upset many. I begin with Mayor Michael Transue speaking, an outburst from audience member Jim Wingard, then, well, you can just listen... The link is here.

By now most people in the area have heard that Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place will host the 2015 U.S. Open. (For those who aren't golfers, this is a big, big deal.) Writers across the country have weighed in on the selection.

The latest is Detroit Free Press golf writer Carlos Monarrez. Here's what he writes:

I applaud the U.S. Golf Association for announcing Friday that it had awarded the 2015 U.S. Open to Chambers Bay, a municipal course 40 miles south of Seattle. This means five of the next nine U.S. Opens will be held on a public course, where anyone can pay their greens fee and try to recreate the historical moment of their choosing.

If you've never heard of Chambers Bay, you're not alone. It opened last June to great acclaim. Pierce County, Wash., pumped $21 million into an abandoned sand-and-gravel quarry on the shores of Puget Sound and hired architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. to turn it into a links-style masterpiece. He did. In October, Golfweek magazine ranked it No. 2 among the country's best new courses.

We're talking graffiti with the State Department of Transportation today. Coworkers and I have noticed a rise in tagging along roadways. WSDOT already has to deal with a growing trend in copper theft, so I'm going to chat with some officials today about the problems.

I talked with a few Ruston residents – ones that more or less stay out of the political fray – to get their take on what’s going on in the small town.

Sandra Alvstad, a 12½-year resident, isn’t happy with the situation.

“I don’t think it’s productive,” she said. “I think it’s creating a lot of inefficiencies, and it’s not logical to me. I can’t figure out what’s driving this. It’s some root cause that we haven’t found yet. A lot of people blame it on The Commencement project, but it seems like it goes deeper than that. There are too many emotional issues.”

Ruth Campbell said it’s flared tempers across the town.

“It’s gotten everybody irritated, and it’s got everybody fighting with each other,” she said. “The majority of people all feel that it’s just wrong – the way that it’s done and the way it’s carried out.”

But many residents aren’t taking it personally.

=> Read more!

I’ve been writing a lot about McKinley Hill, but I’ve mostly focused on the lower hill. But there are some good neighborhood meeting spots you might not know about further up.

Sinoun Hem runs Engine House Coffee & Deli at the corner of South 38th Street and McKinley Avenue. I don’t know how many days a week she works, but she seems in all the time. And so are a few other regulars who hang out at the deli and coffee shop (which serves some tasty hot dogs).

“I opened this up for the people of the Eastside to meet,” she said. "It's a gathering place for the community."

Her shop is also part of a small commercial strip that includes Mexican and teriyaki restaurants. All the businesses’ owners are first-generation Americans and make up the rich tableau of immigrants who comprise the ever-changing Eastside.

Hem arrived from Cambodia when she was 16. She graduated from Wilson High School and earned degrees from Tacoma Community College, Evergreen State College and City University. She’s active in the area’s Cambodian community and mentors youth in the area.

But soon you might not see her at Engine House. Her son, Connor, is nearing preschool age, and she wants to focus on raising him. The Eastside could lose an important meeting place.

I'm finishing up reporting on Ruston and decided to get the academic view on small-town politics, so I called James J. Lopach , the chair of the political science department at the University of Montana. He’s worked with small towns across Montana, so he has a pretty good view of the phenomenon.

For some places, the political turmoil has caused a deadlock.

“In recent years, I’ve seen two towns that have become dysfunctional because of the divisiveness in the city government,” he said. “Both had to bring in outside mediators just to make it work – almost like a marriage counselor.”

The size of the town plays a direct role on the viciousness of the politics.

“You don’t have a large group of people to choose from for mayor or city council,” he said. “Those who do run are involved in other things. Their lives are entangled, and they bring this baggage to council meetings. In larger towns, you get a larger group of people, many of whom don’t know each other.”

There’s also something else to think about.

“Also, I think there’s a greater likelihood of conflicts of interest,” he said. “If there’s a request for a change of zoning or a contract comes up for review, there’s a greater chance of having a history with the person making the request.”

We've covered the transformation of McKinley Hill a lot recently. There's an anti-crime march scheduled for this Saturday:

From the Dome Top Neighborhood Alliance:

WHAT: Anti-Crime Picket March.

WHO: Everyone who cares about a better future for our community.

WHEN: Saturday, Feb 16, 11:00 AM.

WHERE: We will meet in the parking lot of The Tacoma Christian Center, 3523 E Mckinley Avenue (across the street from Fergies Restaurant)

WHY: To demonstrate our unity, strength and resolve to the drug dealers, thieves, prostitutes and molesters.

HOW: Bring a hand-made sign with your special message for the criminals and for City Hall.
Bring a bull-horn if you have one available, and definitely bring your voice.
We will congregate at 11:00 AM sharp, take three minutes to greet and organize.
We will march to the drug-dealing epicenter at 34th and Mckinley.
We will maintain our calm, our unity, and civility.
With enough time and numbers, we will also march to other nearby crime havens.

We in the newspaper business aren’t huge fans of hyperbole. All too often, people blow things way, way out of proportion.

And if you need any more evidence of it, here’s an e-mail that landed in my inbox today. The reader (I won’t name her) was unhappy that Saturday’s caucuses at Truman Middle School in Taocma's North End weren’t this perfect exercise in democracy. And then she writes this:

Patience was at a premium, as we could not hear people speak with all the noise. I felt like a Katrina victim at the New Orleans Dome.

Woah. Five days in the sweltering Superdome are the same as a couple of hours in a school cafeteria? Either the folks waiting for FEMA aid were living in relative luxury, or Washington’s public schools are worse than most believe.

Sen. Barack Obama won a clean sweep of the Democratic delegates in Garfield County, we reported on Sunday.

Crosscut picked the story up and talked the editor of the East Washingtonian in Pomeroy, who had some funny things to say.

When I told my buddy Jay, who's a walking IMDb, he was quick to point out that rural Garfield county was the main setting of the 1996 Chris Farly/David Spade comedy "Black Sheep." And do you remember where Farley's character worked? At the Pierce County Recreation Center.

This in from the Associated Press. The jokes write themselves:

A young woman in Bremerton has learned that credit unions don’t accept deposits of methamphetamine.

According to documents filed in Kitsap County Superior Court, an envelope containing an undisclosed amount of money and a bag of meth was found in a Kitsap Credit Union automated teller machine.

Checking on the account, police contacted an 18-year-old customer. Officers wrote that she said she might have mistakenly included the bag when she got money out of her pocket for the deposit.

The woman was arrested Thursday and was charged Friday with possession of meth, a felony.

I'm back from my mini foray into political coverage (and I promise I won't cram the term "Potomac Primary" down your throat today), and I have a few odds and ends to clean up. I'll finish up my Ruston story reporting and hopefully line up a few other things.

And 27 electoral votes for a non-state?

Try again, CNN:

Below is a video of today’s caucuses at Mason Middle School in Tacoma:

I talked with Scott Miller yesterday after the Barack Obama speech. Here’s what he had to say in my story today:

Tacoma’s Scott Miller has been on the Obama bandwagon since the senator announced his candidacy last year.

“I’ve always admired him, liked him, was drawn into what he was saying,” said Miller, 69.

Miller said Obama’s speech “was right up there at the top” when compared to other political speeches he has attended. He compared it to Obama’s speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention that propelled the then-state senator to national prominence.

“It was exhilarating, moving, encouraging and hopeful,” he said.

Well, by a stroke of chance, he was at the caucuses at Mason Middle School today. Because he’s a really, really nice guy and editors salivate when we do follow-ups, I asked him about his caucus. He’s in Precinct 306, which overwhelmingly voted for Obama.

“Obama’s my guy,” he said. “I’ve never seen a turnout this big, and I think it’s greatly attributed to Obama.”

I’ll have to double-check, but I believe Sen. Barack Obama won the most delegates from each precinct caucus at Mason Middle School in Tacoma today.

Now each group is electing delegates to the county convention.

Bill Baarsma was pumped. They read the first delegate count for Precinct 305, and Sen. Barack Obama had almost doubled Sen. Hillary Clinton’s count. The mayor clapped his hands, pumped his fists and let out a yelp.

He’s the most vocal person in his caucus. It’s a noisy atmosphere, so he’s acting as a human microphone: A speaker will say something, and he’ll scream it out louder.

The sign-in sheets ask caucusers if they’re disabled, what ethnicity they are – stuff like that.

They also ask if you’re LGBT. I’ve heard dozens of people yelling out, “What is LGBT? Does anyone know?”

For the record, it stands for “lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.”

I just ran into Tacoma City Councilwoman Julie Anderson at Mason Middle School. She’s sporting a pair of Obama buttons on her blue vest. She said the senator first landed on her radar after his speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and she also has had the chance to watch him speak again. She’s sold.

“I haven’t seen people so hopeful – ever,” she said. “I have to get that behind that kind of passion.”

It’s a good thing The News Tribune doesn’t allow its reporters to participate in the caucus. I’m the kind of guy who would be won over by free coffee and cookies.

Mmmmm… free.

Nathe Laver has the not-always-so-fun job of trying to organize this mayhem.

It’s becoming obvious there just aren’t enough places for people to sit in either the gymnasium or the multi-purpose room at Mason Middle School. Folks are sitting on the floor, leaning against the walls and standing in aisles.

And it’s gonna get worse: More people still need to check in.

The gymnasium at Mason Middle School is crammed with people signing in, finding seats, catching up with neighbors and doing a little early campaigning.

People have campaign gear stashed everywhere: bumper stickers on shirts, lawn signs hung over backs and, of course, plenty and plenty of buttons.

There's an overabundance of homemade signs, mostly for Sen. Barack Obama. There's one written in blue, red and yellow that reads "Barack my world." Another tapes the cover of a Newsweek issue and quotes from the magazine's glowing profile of the candidate.

They’ll open the doors at Mason Middle School in Tacoma’s North End in about five minutes. It’s pretty calm now. Soon, not so much.

Here's a video I compiled from Obama's visit and press conference earlier today.

Click below to read an early edition of my Barack Obama story:

=> Read more!

Obama is off the stage. His speech took about 45 minutes. I'll be bringing some video and audio later this afternoon.

Obama, parodying his critics, just called himself a "hopemonger."

Barack Obama is slamming John McCain for his pro-war stance, saying he's happy to debate him about it.

He says the Arizona senator is "perpetuating the failed Bush (foreign) policies."

Need more comparisons between an Obama rally and a Beatles concert?

A woman in attendance apparently just fainted.

Barack Obama is talking about changes in health care.

"We're not going to wait to do this. We're going to do this by the end of my first term!" he told the crowd.

First term? Sounds like there's no four-and-out for him if he wins.

Remember the story about Sen. Barack Obama and Vice President Dick Cheney being distant relatives? Obama just joked about it:

It’s kind of embarrassing to be related to Dick Cheney. You always kind of expect to be related to somebody cool. That was a bit of a letdown.

Early in the speech, someone from the crowd yelled, “I love you!”

Cheers.

Obama smiled. “Well, I love you back.”

More cheers.

Obama just stepped on stage. I've been at KeyArena many times for SuperSonics games, but I've never heard it this loud.

Then again, I think Obama has won more states than the Sonics have games this year.

Gov. Chris Gregoire said she decided to endorse Obama after lots of "soul-searching and debating." She drew the loudest cheers so far.

Rep. Adam Smith is on the stump now. Usual boilerplate stuff, but here's the best quote so far:

He is right on the issues. On health care. On energy. On changing our foreign policy. He’s right on the issues, but he’s the only person in this race with ability to deliver. The only persopn with the ability to bring people together and make those changes.

They just introduced Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. There were a significant amount of boos when he walked to the stage.

But here's how he started off:

"I gave the fire chief the day off today," he said. "This building holds 18,000 people and we are over capacity!"

No boos there.

It took a little work, but I'm inside KeyArena. It's at capacity, and the crowd is rocking in here. They're chanting, doing the wave and singing along to the music thumping from the speakers.

Thousands of people who couldn't get in are outside chanting Obama.

The press follows Sen. Barack Obama -- and all the presidential candidates -- like a hip-hop star's entourage. During the factory visit, here's just the photographers and videographers hoping to get shots of the candidate.

Throughout the McKinstry Company’s buildings, banners tout the manufacturing company’s commitment to green technology. Sen. Barack Obama used the Seattle company’s building as a venue to tout his climate-change proposals.

Before hosting a press conference in which he promoted his plans, he toured the company’s warehouse, cafeteria and offices. He strode among workers shooting sparks into the sky with their welders in the warehouse, and he stopped to sign one worker’s copy of “Audacity of Hope,” a book he authored in 2006.

Upon one wall of the warehouse sits several dozen sheet-metal jerseys – hung like retired jerseys at a baseball stadium – with long-time employees’ names and the years they worked. There was a jersey for Obama with the number 8.

“Congratulations McKinstry on doing such a great job!” Obama signed it.

He then moved to the company’s cafeteria and walked through a cubicle-filled office, shaking hands and chatting along the way.

During the press conference, one reporter asked the candidate about the significance of Washington’s caucuses Saturday.

“Many in Washington state thought our vote wouldn’t count,” the reporter said.

The senator cut him off.

“It does now,” he said to applause.

Pete and I are out of the press conference. Obama talked mostly about his climate-change proposals, but he also touched on gun control, whether superdelegates should vote against their constituents' will and other topics.

I'll post some videos and more details soon.

Pete Callaghan and I are heading up to Seattle a little bit early. Democratic candidate Barack Obama is touring the McKinstry Company, a mechanical engineering company in Seattle. He’ll have a press conference afterward, and I’ll post some video from that later today.

I’m going political the next two days. I’ll be covering a Democratic caucus on Saturday, and today I’ll be at KeyArena for a Barack Obama rally. I’ll be cross-posting stuff on Political Buzz, too.

No word if Obama Girl will be there:

A statement in this clip from KOMO represents ignorance that frustrates me. I won’t mention who said it (you can watch it if you want to know), but the interview is about charity in Africa.

Out of nowhere, one of the hosts blurts out, “I've been to Africa.¹ They have, like, mud huts and maybe scrap metal to make a roof out of."

Only mud huts and scrap metal in Africa, eh? There aren’t any proper buildings on an entire continent?

This fancy thing called the Internet sure tells me otherwise.

Here are some links from the Ghana container story:

Vanessa Anderson runs this blog updating people on how fundraising is going.

Here is Vanessa’s appearance on KOMO.

Here’s the Gathering Project blog.

Here’s a story (originally printed in the King County Journal but ripped off and reposted on another site) about Chief Nana Kwaku Dapaah II.

Vanessa Anderson was returning from a mission trip to Guatemala when she heard about an opportunity to help in Ghana. Before the plane touched down at Sea-Tac, her mind was set: She was going.

Since then, her hopes have expanded. Now Anderson wants to fill a 40-foot refrigerated shipping container with medical and school supplies for the people of Bamboi in the north of the country.

This 15-year-old homeschooler from Tacoma dreams big.

The two-week trip last summer to Guatemala with Real Life Church of Maple Valley left an indelible impression on Anderson’s conscience. She and others spent two weeks running a Vacation Bible School in the Central American country.

“I don’t know how to describe it, but it impacted me so much that I wanted to do something else,” Vanessa said.

=> Read more!

I'm going to be bringing you more details about Dennis Mutuma, the Kenyan student at Tacoma Community College who overcame great personal hardship to get where he is today.

And on the topic of Africa, I'll post an early edition of my contribution to next week's Show&Tell page about a girl who is trying to raise money to send a shipping container full of medical supplies and other goods to Ghana.

Change often begins humbly. For Andrew Bacon and others hoping to save the Faith Dairy, it began in an almost-empty community hall.

Bacon attended Tuesday night’s meeting of the Summit-Waller Community Association to raise public awareness of efforts to revive the dairy and to ask the group’s board to write a letter supporting the possibility of keeping it open. Seven board members listened to the presentation. There were five people in the audience, Bacon included.

"It's a good start," he said after the board agreed to support his cause.

The board and Bacon also floated the ideas of getting local residents and businesses – especially coffee shops and espresso stands – agreeing to purchase products from Faith. It also has more of an opportunity to grow market share after Wilcox Family Farms announced Tuesday that it would end its dairy operations in Roy.

The dairy at 3509 72nd St. E. closed last year. Its future hinges on what vision the dairy and its property – 100 acres in Summit-Waller and 300 acres in Roy – survives.

Sid Mensonides, who owns just over 50 percent of the company, wants to develop the 30 acres into a subdivision that would hold 16 housing units.

“He’s moving very quickly,” Bacon said. “We need more time than we think we have.”

=> Read more!

I'm going to be in interviews for other stories for much of today, but later this morning or early afternoon I'll bring you an update of the Summit-Waller Community Association meeting I attended last night. Community organizer Andrew Bacon was there to try to rally support to save Faith Dairy.

Got this tidbit from our Puyallup reporter, Melissa Santos:

"I was at a Puyallup City Council meeting the other day. Things are getting nutty there, and I heard someone say, 'Man, we're becoming like Ruston.'"

Gold.

I'm listening to the audio of the Jan. 14 Ruston fire study session. Here's the audio bar for it. I'll give you one guess where it gets loud:

I'm back from my trip down to the Big Easy, and I'm not going anywhere for a while. (A depleted checking account has that effect.)

But while I sort through four days of e-mail, voicemail and the occasional snail mail, let me just tell you what is one of the most beautiful sights in the world: Thousands lining St. Charles Avenue in Uptown New Orleans ahead of Mardi Gras festivities and wearing purple-and-gold T-shirts in honor of LSU's national championship.

And then it gets even better when the man himself, coach Les Miles, comes riding by on the Bacchus Officers' Float and gets into the spirit of the celebration.

Can't complain about that.

(And folks wonder why I can't get pumped up about the Daffodil Festival.)

Earlier this week, it was Los Angeles. Now it's New Orleans. I'll be back Tuesday.