Even little kids know why teams head south for spring training.

“It’s cold here!” said 9-year-old Breanna Wagner of Bellevue. But even though the temperature at first pitch was 50 degrees (and it dropped from there), she was more than willing to unzip her jacket to show off her pink Mariners jersey.

She and her brother, 8-year-old Colton, attended a few spring training games at the Mariners’ complex in Arizona last month with their father, Robert. Breanna’s favorite player is Ichiro Suzuki; Colton’s is Kenji Johjima.

“I’ve been a fan of them ever since I first saw them play,” Breanna said.

Colton was a bit more precise: “Umm, I’ve liked them for two years now.”

Robert smiled.

“They’re big fans,” Robert said. “They love the game.”

Lynn Vena gets a chance to watch every Mariners home game from a spot in behind home plate in the lower bowl.

Oh, and she gets paid for it.

Vena works for the Mariners as a seating host – she’s the one that helps you find your spot and tells others not to walk around during at-bats – and she works most Seattle home games. She’s in her third year at Safeco.

“I couldn’t not be here – to be a part of baseball is just great.”
Vena also occasionally works the gate and special events at the ballpark. She said it’s still hard to believe she gets to watch games, interact with fans and draw a paycheck for it.

“To be able to watch baseball and get paid for it – it’s just amazing.”

Connor Reilly was almost born at Safeco Field last year, so his parents thought an Opening Day ticket for the munchkin was fitting.

His parents, Tyler and Nicola Reilly of Seattle, held the 7-month-old child in the concourse between innings as he napped. On Aug. 28 last year, the couple was watching the Mariners play the Los Angeles Angels when Nicola went into labor.

“It was the first game of that series where, had they won, they would’ve tied up the division. But they went in the tank,” Tyler said.

The losses – heartbreaking for Mariners fans – weren’t all bad.

“Hey,” he laughs, “I got a kid out of the deal. And we didn’t miss any good baseball.”

Most fans crave a chance to sit right behind home plate. Dimarco Grant sat in the seat furthest away – above the top row of the back bleachers behind center field – from the action.

And that’s just fine for him.

“It’s relaxed back here,” he said. “And I probably will only stay a few innings.”

Grant, a 23-year-old Seattle resident, is a cook for Centerplate. He spent the earlier part of the afternoon on shift at Safeco, so he was just relaxing for a while before returning home. He doesn’t watch baseball often on TV, but he’ll catch a few innings at a time after work.

But don’t write off Grant’s seat as the worst in the house. No one sat next to him, and he enjoyed plenty of legroom. And – perhaps most importantly – there weren’t any obnoxious fans trying to squeeze past everyone while balancing four beers and three hot dogs.

“It’s not a bad seat,” he said. “Not at all.”

It was Lee Person’s 10th Opening Day. It was Jon Barnett’s first.

Judging their reaction, it was tough to tell who the rookie was.

“There’s a ton of people,” said Barnett, a 30-year-old Monroe resident. “It’s got a playoff atmosphere to it.”

The two chowed down on garlic fries in the concourse outside their seats on the third-base line. Barnett wore a Seahawks hat. Person sported a Mariners jacket.

“I love it,” Person said. “I never miss it.”

It’s the national pastime of the national pastime. Before the first pitch of the regular season is thrown, fans predict what their team must do to win their division.

That’s what best friends Kenneth Elliott and Jack Haines were debating while sitting in their seats directly behind home plate, 18 rows back. The two Boeing employees have bought ticket packages since the 1986 season. They’re season-ticket holders now.

“I come out thinking every year that they could win the division,” said Elliott, a 48-year-old Federal Way resident. “But there’s an injury here, an injury there. It’s a matter of staying healthy. But we have hope – I think they can win it.”

And the two seemed to relish the atmosphere that accompanies Opening Day.

“I go a little crazy this time of year,” Elliott said. “There’s March Madness and Opening Day. There’s a ton going on.”

The sun’s out – but they’re closing the roof at Safeco Field – and the TNT’s writers are hard at work. I’ve got the pictures to prove it.

Here’s Ryan Divish, who apparently soaked up tons of sun the past six weeks in Arizona:

Here’s columnist John McGrath, who graduated from the finest school of journalism in the country:

And here’s preps guru Doug Pacey, who is writing about the Rangers today (and who graduated from some diploma mill with a good basketball team):

We also have columnist Dave Boling, M’s writer Larry LaRue, team leader Paul Miller and yours truly here.

There will be plenty of baseball talk in a little bit, but first let me share this link. It's to the NPR Web site, which there links to a report by KUOW's Austin Jenkins that aired nationally¹.

I've been past (and eaten at) Galloping Gertie's near the Freedom Bridge in Lakewood, and I've noticed the signboard that lists the names of the Washington-based soldiers who most recently died in Iraq. It also lists the total number of war dead.

Turns out the restaurant's owner is staunchly pro-troops but also anti-war. Find a few minutes to listen to this story. It's well worth it.

^{1 - Actually, all over the world thanks to the Web. I first was alerted to the story by a good friend of mine studying in New Zealand. Thanks, Geoff!}

It's Opening Day. (The real Opening Day -- not this day or that day.) There's not much else like the atmosphere of Opening Day, no matter what ballpark you're in. It's a feeling of universal optimism, where the Royals and the Devil Rays have as much of a chance at winning the World Series as the Dodgers or Yankees.

So, of course, I'm jumping at a chance to hang out at Safeco Field today. My job is the fan-reaction story, so check back here to get a taste of what the atmosphere at the ballpark is like.

Indeed it does. Check out today's Stone Soup.

You know the story. It’s the fodder of dozens of G-rated movies: Farmboy leaves for the city for the first time. He’s nervous. He’s scared. It’s noisy. It’s crowded – more people than he’s ever seen before. He avoids the crowds but slowly lets his guard down. Soon, he realizes he’s no different than anyone else.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Stoli. He’s 4. He’s orange and white. He’s a border collie-Australian shepherd mix. And he made his first trip off his home on a six-acre farm in Eatonville for Saturday’s Most Magnificent Mutt Show in Graham.

Humans had a good time, too.

“This is a great mother-son experience,” said Stoli’s owner, 33-year-old Kerri Miller. She attended the Daffodil Festival event with her son, 7-year-old Wyatt Field. “He loves this dog – it’s his best friend. I thought this would be good for both my son and Stoli.”

=> Read more!

I know you like dogs. Who doesn't? I'm gonna be at the Daffodil Festival mutt show. Check back later for pics and videos.

Commencement Bay Coffee Company has apparently run afoul of the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, and the downtown Tacoma coffee shop (and community meeting place) is in danger of closure.

According to a letter from owner Keith Pritchard, here’s what happened:

Nearly 4 years (after opening), a representative from the PSCAA appeared at our door demanding we cease operations until we receive a Notice of Construction and Approval from their agency. I told them I had never heard of their agency. I received my permits from the City of Tacoma.

Besides having installed my equipment illegally, he said my roaster required an afterburner to incinerate any particulates in the exhaust. When I purchased my roaster, the manufacturer suggested afterburners were rarely required unless one’s neighbors complained. I had also read the same information in a magazine article, which the PSCAA representatives were familiar with.

The cost of an afterburner and new exhaust stack would come to approximately $30,000. Having spent my life’s savings to open Commencement Bay Coffee, I explained to them I couldn’t afford it and the Coffee business I have wouldn’t support such an expense. Their solution was simple – stop roasting coffee.

They stopped roasting coffee (a company in Puyallup took that over), but now they owe fines for previous violations. According to Pritchard, the company owes more than $8,000.

“This latest move,” the letter continues later, “will push Commencement Bay Coffee into bankruptcy.”

Read the full letter here.

Whimsy from Fort Lewis:

I'll be off the radar most of the day. I'm in a computer-assisted training workshop to learn about how to track Congressional earmarks.

I'm about to shut down the computer and shadow the military honor guard, but I thought I'd first share this photo of a snow-blanketed Tahoma National Cemetery.

I'm going to be at the Tahoma National Cemetery today to report on the local honor guard who volunteers to give former service members full military burials.

Trees, a famous last name and views can be a volatile mix.

Several residents near the intersection of North 46th and North Verde streets in Tacoma are objecting to one neighbor’s landscaping plan – an arrangement that calls for trees that can grow to a height of 50 feet.

And that’s a problem for some of Eric Russell’s neighbors, who have long enjoyed sweeping views of Commencement Bay.

“No one in this community ever took the view for granted,” said Joan Best, who lives across the street from the property, “nor did we ever assume we could change it by planting trees that would grow up to be 50 feet tall.”

And despite a compromise that moved the trees, some neighbors still aren’t happy with Russell’s plans.

“We’re doing the best we can to try to deal with this without creating animosity,” Best said, “but that’s not happening.”

=> Read more!

I received an e-mail from a reader last week about guns and JROTC. Here’s his e-mail:

The Tacoma School District states clearly in its policy handbook to students and parents that "Students who possess a weapon or who carry, exhibit, display or draw any weapon or any item... shall be subject to discipline up to and including expulsion."

Further, "A weapon includes, but is not limited to:
(b)...any items which appear to be realistic firearms or air guns..." The policy calls for the Principal to place the student on Emergency Expulsion.

So, why the different rules for different students?

My youngest son currently attends the School Of The Arts (SOTA). As a Freshman, he attended Wilson.

During his first week of school, he saw several student walking in the halls with weapons. It scared the hell out of him. He came home shaken and calmed when told that they were fake guns and the students were JROTC kids. He asked me why the rules are different for him and why these students are allowed to carry very real looking weapons. It's over a year and a half later and I still have not been able to find an answer for him. Your article renewed my interest in the situation. Can you find an answer?

Click below to read the answer:

=> Read more!

One thing stuck with Alyson Baker when she first saw a flyer for a missing Tacoma girl: 14-year-old Jaleeza Ann Lobdell disappeared on her son’s birthday.

The flyer was distributed among the adults working at Stewart Middle School, where Baker is an attendance specialist, about a month after Jaleeza went missing on Sept. 15. A parent of a schoolchild who worked with Jaleeza’s mother brought it in.

“I filed it away, thinking that we couldn’t show it to the kids or anything, but we could pass it around the office,” she said. “I kept it and thought about the missing girl.”

And Baker, a 42-year-old University Place resident, helped make a valuable connection in the case.

Unbeknownst to Baker – and just about everyone else – Jaleeza’s charred body was found in an orchard in Moxee, southeast of Yakiama, two days after she ad her cousin accepted a ride from Tacoma to Federal Way with two men.

=> Read more!

I've got a pretty neat story in the cooker: This afternoon, I'm heading to Gig Harbor to watch a honor guard practice the ceremony they perform at military funerals. What makes this cool is that they do this free of charge and they don't get paid for it. And it's a service open to anyone who ever served in the military.

This just in from the Tall Ships Tacoma office: The Point Ruston Ferry is moving near Johnny’s Seafood at 1199 Dock St. to act as a crew lounge for visiting sailors.

The tug Joe is pulling the ferry, which is a sales office for the residential development, toward its new location.

A house in Jacksonville, Ore., was apparently ransacked after a Craigslist post encouraged people to show up and take what they want.

I wonder where they got that idea?

I’ve received some calls and e-mail from the folks at Tacoma School of the Arts. Their robotics team, SOTA BOTS, finished second at this past weekend’s FIRST competition, but they’re a bit strapped for cash to go to next month’s international competition at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

A team of about 18 kids and three chaperones want to go, and it’ll cost about $1,000 per person. There is also an entry fee for the team.

I’ll keep you updated on how to help if you’d like.

I'm juggling a few things today. I'm meeting this morning with Wilby Casey. He's been a chaplain with the Tacoma Fire Department since January 1981 -- or, in Fontainespeak, 18 months before I was born.

I'm also going to be chatting with some folks about the growing controversy in the North End surrounding trees blocking off the view of Commencement Bay.

And hopefully I'll be touching base with the folks at Tacoma School of the Arts to delve a little more into the science of their robots.

Tacoma School of the Arts finished second and was awarded the Rookie All-Star Award at the FIRST Microsoft Seattle Regional robotics competition Saturday at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center.

The team also won a spot in the international championships April 17-19 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

The School of the Arts was one of three teams in Tacoma participating in the competition, at which 33 high school teams from across the West and British Columbia created robots.

Bellarmine Prep won the Creativity Award.

They stood on opposite sides of the Freedom Bridge and hurled insults at each other. Lakewood police officers and state troopers stood between them to maintain the peace.

Another weekend, another Iraq war demonstration in the South Sound.

About 200 people met Saturday at Harry Todd Park in Lakewood for an anti-war rally, which included speakers, live music and food. Organizers called for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq, and they distributed pamphlets encouraging active service members to speak out against the war.

Another 200 assembled on the Freedom Bridge, the Interstate 5 overpass that links Fort Lewis with Camp Murray and Tillicum, for a pro-troops rally. They waved American flags as patriotic songs blared over portable loudspeakers.

When the anti-war protesters marched toward the bridge, the atmosphere turned tense but remained largely peaceful. Demonstrators on both sides chanted and occasionally hurled personal insults across the two-lane bridge. Each side stood on sidewalks behind yellow police tape. Officers stood in the roadway, and others on bicycles, motorcycles and in cruisers waited a block away.

It was a far tamer response than the Tacoma Police Department’s preparations for last weekend’s demonstrations outside military recruitment offices at Tacoma Mall, where dozens of officers (including some in SWAT gear) formed a human barricade between both sides.

“Today was an inspirational day because we held a rally on the fifth anniversary on the war and brought attention to the fact that our servicemen and women are being abused by this war, and also their families are being abused by this war,” said Tacoma peace activist Tom McCarthy.

=> Read more!

The family of Jane Britt of Federal Way expressed “denial, anger and sorrow” at her killing last week, in a statement released through her church, and her pastor remembered her Saturday as an “elegant, gentle, caring woman.”

“She was an exceptional person,” said the Rev. Vic Hippe of Community of Christ-St. Luke’s. “She’s going to be missed by all.”

She had gone Tuesday night to visit her husband, Frank, at Garden Terrace, a Federal Way nursing home, and police later found her dead inside her car in the parking lot. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office said Britt died of asphyxia due to strangulation and suffered from force injuries to the head and neck.

Federal Way police had no new information on the homicide investigation Saturday night.

=> Read more!

I'm first off to St. Luke's in Federal Way this afternoon. The pastor of the church will speak on behalf of the family of 75-year-old Jane Carol Britt, who was killed earlier this week.

After that, I'm heading to Lakewood for the anti-war protest/pro-troops counterprotest.

Check out the video of the FIRST robotics competition from über-talented Joe Barrentine here.

Once again, I've updated my Google map of locations from which I've reported.

Click below to check it out.

People wishing to volunteer for Tall Ships Tacoma 2008 can sign up at one of several recruitment fairs the organizers will hold in the coming weeks.

The recruitment fairs will last about one hour and will be held at the Washington State History Museum at 1911 Pacific Ave. in Tacoma on March 29 at 10 a.m., April 3 at 5:30 p.m., April 17 at 5:30 p.m. and April 24 at 5:30 p.m.

As many as 3,000 people are needed for to work an array of jobs that include working with the vessels to security to hospitality.

Volunteers must be at least 16 and must commit to at least two five-hour shifts during the festival, which runs July 3-7. All volunteers will receive a shirt, baseball cap, water bottle, handbook and fanny pack.

Click below to read the full release:

=> Read more!

The robot’s battery system needed adjustments. The team from Wilson High School had a few minutes to get it done.

So a crew of eight people scrambled around the Tacoma school’s working area to tweak their red-bumpered machine. They finished the repair work just before wheeling the robot out for its next competition against five other machines.

“It got a little hectic for a few minutes,” senior John Cote said.

And it was just a small part of the frenzied atmosphere that overwhelmed the fifth floor of the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center as part of the FIRST Microsoft Seattle Regional robotics competition.

The event drew about 1,800 people Friday, organizers said. Hundreds packed the bleachers in the main competition area and gave it the atmosphere of a sporting event. School mascots milled about, and some fans painted their faces and wore rainbow wigs. One person dressed up like a penguin, and another wore a Scottish kilt. The crowd screamed during the competition and continuously pounded the bleachers, causing an ear-splitting noise.

=> Read more!

Tacoma might not be better than Cedar Rapids, Iowa, but hey, at least we’re better than Phoenix!

Forbes released a list of best places for businesses and careers. Our fair city was ranked 43rd – one spot ahead of that behemoth in the desert.

Other Washington cities: Olympia at eighth, Spokane at ninth and Seattle at 20th. Not shabby for the Evergreen State.

And, in case you don’t want to actually click the link, Raleigh, N.C. was first, followed by Boise, Fort Collins, Colo., and Des Moines, Iowa.

First stop today: the Tacoma Convention Center for the FIRST Robotics Competition.

As long as I don't wind up like this guy, I'll have some photos and stories later today.

It wasn’t tough to figure out who they were rooting for.

Six of the loudest guys at West End Pub & Grill in Tacoma sat at the same table. Most wore crimson and gray. They cheered each time Washington State scored a basket and winced when Winthrop, the Cougars’ first-round opponent, answered. They timed trips to the bathroom to coincide with time-outs and commercial breaks.

“You’re talking to some lifelong Cougars fans,” said Gig Harbor’s Derik Sandstrom, who graduated from WSU in 1985. The 45-year-old relished in the recalling how he golfed with coach Tony Bennett. Still, he admits, “the Sweet 16 would be an accomplishment.”

The Washington State game was the first Sandstrom watched Thursday. No so for John Burton, the 52-year-old Tacoma man who sat across the table.

Burton, who attended WSU from 1973-76, had been watching games all day.

The reason that made the Cougs a laughingstock for decades – but not lately – is why he fell in love with the program.

“I always wanted underdogs to win,” he said, “and there’s no bigger underdogs than the Cougs.”

Most of the tables were already packed – and the ones that stood empty were reserved for those soon to arrive.

John Doiron sat at the bar drinking a beer. The 37-year-old Tacoma man said he’s rooting for Washington State because it’s a good school and the Cougs are a local team. It was the first game he had watched Thursday.

“I’m not really a big college basketball fan,” he said, “but I’ll come out and watch a game like this.”

Ross Harris and Aaron Johnson sat at a table designed to hold eight people at the Ale House Pub & Eatery near Fircrest.

A mistake? Think more like strategic placement: Less than 15 feet away sat one of the restaurant’s large-screen plasma television.

“Can’t complain about high-def,” Harris said.

The two Fircrest men ate lunch, watched the TV (at that moment, UNLV and Kent State were on the tube) and bantered in the early afternoon.

Harris gave Johnson some good-natured ribbing for being from Bellingham and enjoying hockey. (“He’s almost a Canadian,” Harris said.) Johnson, a firefighter, admitted that the college hoops season does at times interfere with hockey, but all is forgiven during the tournament.

Harris, who owns a plumbing company, admits he’s more of an NFL guy. But, he said, it’s tough not to get excited come tournament time.

“March Madness is way, way more exciting than the NBA,” he said. “During the season, yeah, it’s cool. But now? Almost nothing compares to it.”

About a dozen people sat in the bar shortly after 1 p.m. Most appeared to be watching basketball.

In the room closest to the entrance, one man was drinking a beer and putting money into a Golden Tee machine so he and his friend could play a round of virtual golf during commercial breaks.

Both men trying to keep a low profile.

“I’m supposed to be at work right now,” one of them said. “My boss would kill me if he knew I was here right now.”

Karnell Steele looked up at a TV showing the Kentucky-Marquette game when his cheeseburger and fries arrive. The 32-year-old Tacoma was at the Schooner Pub & Galley in Lakewood to take in the NCAA tournament on his lunch break, but he wasn’t there to watch any particular team – just enjoyed watching the CBS broadcast of March Madness.

In years past, he watches games during the regular season and fills out a few brackets.

This year, it’s a bit different.

“This is the most I’ve watched hoops this season,” he said. “I’ve got a little one – a 7-month-old son – so there’s not much time for basketball. And no time for a bracket.”

Many of the basketball fans at the Schooner were just taking off for their lunch break. Jack Childers, a 55-year-old Lakewood man, was among them. He used to watch basketball all season long, but now he just pays attention to the playoffs.

His early impressions? Pay attention to Kansas, which defeated Portland State 85-61.

“I was pretty impressed with them,” he said. “Plus, I grew up in Nebraska, so I’ll be rooting for them.”

Who knew planting a few trees could turn so divisive?

Eric Russell, the son of Russell Investment Group founder George Russell, wants to plant some trees outside his North End home. Here's the problem: The trees are large enough to potentially block the view of Commencement Bay from his neighbors' homes. There's also a public right-of-way issue to deal with.

I'm going to make some calls and find out what's going on. I'll let you know more.

There’s a minor cyberspat brewing between two of Tacoma’s bloggers – over an issue that has been dead for a few years now.

Remember when some folks wanted to bring the USS Ranger (the aircraft carrier in “Top Gun”), moor it in the Thea Foss and turn it into a museum? The whole idea is now, ahem, dead in the water.

But that’s not stopping one blogger from resurrecting the issue and blaming it on the “liberal, anti-war, anti-military” population of Tacoma. Another blogger who worked to bring the aircraft carrier here responded and defended the city's effort to bring it here. And then the debate continued on in the 5views.com comments section.

It’s worth checking out.

I'm sure everyone has heard by now, but here's another reminder: The community forum about the problems facing the Pierce County Jail is at 6 p.m. tonight at The Evergreen State College.

Someone from The News Tribune will be there to cover it, and we should have a write-up in tomorrow's paper about it.

Click below to read the press release:

=> Read more!

Don’t fish off the Les Davis Pier tomorrow afternoon, the folks at Metro Parks Tacoma are warning people: You might just snag a scuba diver.

About 20 volunteer divers are cleaning up broken fishing line and trash around the pier at 3427 Ruston Way. They should be in the area from 3-9 p.m.

“We often see people throwing cans, bottles and other garbage into the bay when we’re diving,” event organizer Amy Rhodes said in a release. “As one of the few reefs in the area created specifically for divers, this place is becoming a Tacoma icon. We’re excited to start removing the garbage littering this special habitat.”

I’ve been tasked with finding some fun stories of local folks watching and/or gambling on the NCAA Tournament today.¹ So if you’re gonna sneak out of work for a few hours, just want to talk about office pools or are watching it via streaming Internet, feel free to shoot me an e-mail.

I’ll also hopefully be making contact with Alyson Baker, an attendance specialist at Stewart Middle School in Tacoma. Just by paying attention, she helped the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office identify a missing child.

^{1 – For the record, it’s gonna be Georgetown, Tennessee, Memphis and UCLA.}

I was talking to a board member of Oklahoma City Public Schools about Alan Ingram, a semifinalist for the Tacoma School District superintendent job, and this is what she had to say about him:

"The man can walk. Just watch him walk, and you say, ‘This guy is somebody.’"

Love it.

First stop today: the University of Puget Sound for a charity fundraising breakfast.

After that, I'm kind of knee-deep in profiling one of the semifinalists for Tacoma School District superintendent. Several of my coworkers and I were assigned one or two of the seven candidates, and I'm going to profile Oklahoma City's Alan Ingram.

I received an e-mail yesterday from Jim Jones, who apparently wasn’t too happy with my coverage of Saturday’s anti-war/pro-soldier rally at Tacoma Mall:

I was there and it is hard to imagine that you were in attendance from the sorry job of reporting that you displayed in the Sunday News Tribune. You and your paper continue to be used as willing tools of the anti-military and anti-US elements in our society. Your inaccuracies and failure to accurately report what transpired at the rally are truly pathetic. You and your ilk are an embarrassment to our city and should be an embarrassment to your editor.

I received several e-mails from all over the political spectrum about this story – which is admittedly a touchy subject. It got me thinking: Did you think the story was balanced? Fair? Objective?

Let me know. You can read it here.

There’s a good recap of the Lincoln Park neighborhood meeting this weekend over at Tacoma Mama.

If you get some free time later, check out this video. University of Puget Sound student Joe La Sac (known for videotaping tense situations) was at Saturday’s war demonstrations at Tacoma Mall and pretended to be an Estonian exchange student. Funny stuff.

I’m going to be at Remann Hall today for the final session of the Junior Achievement program pairing students at the day reporting school with Tacoma firefighters.

More stuff later. I’ll let you know what’s up.

It's short and not particularly good, but here's my video of today's protests at Tacoma Mall:

Ed Green believed he had found a nice seat – close to the field, behind home plate and not too expensive. His three kids apparently thought otherwise.

They ran around the stands of Cheney Stadium checking out other spots available for purchase for Tacoma Rainiers games this season, calling his name every time they discovered the perfect location.

“They’ll want everything,” Green laughed, “so I have to exercise a lot of veto power.”

About 2,000 people attended the Rainiers’ preseason open house Saturday, when fans could purchase tickets, tour the stadium, pose for the cameras with Rhubarb, try out to sing the national anthem or buy Rainiers apparel.

Saturday was also the first day fans could purchase apparel with the team’s new alternate logo: a white, overlapping T and R with red trim atop a thin blue, red and gray compass.

Some were on hand to pick up their preordered ticket packages, like Derek Pieterman. The 19-year-old Pierce College student received the package – which also included a hat, scarf and bobblehead – and said attending Triple-A baseball games reminds him of his youth.

“When we were little, we would always come to games,” he said. “And we’re going to keep going this summer.”

=> Read more!

Roger Ford was an X-ray technician with the Army during the Vietnam War and dealt firsthand with wounded soldiers. Witnessing the extent of the injuries, he said, was enough to turn him anti-war.

Sam Bell was a Marine during Vietnam and remembers how the American public treated service members upon returning stateside. Those memories, he said, made him a vocal supporter of the troops.

Both men – and about 150 others – gathered outside the Tacoma Mall office building Saturday at a protest marking the upcoming fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. Ford, from Vashon Island, was part of the group protesting the war. Bell, who lives in Northeast Tacoma, joined the counter-protest.

Dozens of police officers, including some in full SWAT gear, created a buffer zone between the two sides. The protest targeted the office building because of military recruiting stations are there.

“We are here to stand on the side of the U.S. Constitution, on the side of justice and against this war,” Nathan Bowling, a Tacoma native and six-year veteran of the Air Force, yelled into a bullhorn.

=> Read more!

=> Read more!

Just received an e-mail from my boy, Tacoma Rainiers PR honcho Geoff Corkum. The team has a new alternate logo:

Not shabby, eh?

(I realize this is more baseball than hard-news stuff, but I'm posting it here because the minor-league team, in my opinion, is one of the few long-lasting, quintessentially Tacoma institutions.)

A few of y'all have e-mailed about the asking price for the land upon which the Goldfish Tavern sits.

I just got off the phone with owner Carol Gore (she's been out of town the past few days), and the land and building is listed at $900,000.

Her husband purchased it in 1983, but she's selling so she can leave something for her children and grandkids.

UPDATE: It only took a few minutes before Jacob realized I screwed something up. The price is for the land and the building.

Safe Streets is hosting a community meeting on Tuesday to combat underage drinking among teenagers on the Eastside of Tacoma. The anti-crime organization chose the area, a spokeswoman told me yesterday, after the national Healthy Youth Survey showed high instances of teenage drinking in that neighborhood.

Click below to read the release for more information:

=> Read more!

Several community groups will host a public forum about the problems concerning the Pierce County Jail on Thursday at The Evergreen State College.

Click below to read the press release:

=> Read more!

I’m back at Remann Hall this afternoon, and then I’m going to write up my story about how rising gas prices are affecting people across the area.

I’ll be at the Friday Night Feed tonight to see what (if any) police action is taken.

The Fish might go belly-up.

The Goldfish Tavern, the iconic bar near the entrance to Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, could be closing by the end of this year.

And the South Sound could lose one of its oldest bars – an establishment that survived the Great Depression and waves of gentrification but could fall victim to further development in the Ruston/West Tacoma neighborhood.

The land upon which the 75-year-old bar sits is for sale. The business owner, who is battling health conditions and said the bar hasn’t made much money since she took it over 15 years ago. She would like to sell the business and is likely to opt out of the last five years of her lease if she can’t find a buyer.

“And, with the land for sale, it’s not likely we’re going to find a buyer,” for the bar, 58-year-old Sandie Stevens said. According to the Pierce County Assessor’s Web site, the land upon which the tavern sits is valued at $248,100. The property’s owner, Carol Gore, did not return messages left at her Tacoma home.

=> Read more!

Volunteers and organizers believe they’re doing God’s work. Police say it lacks proper permits, attracts troublemakers from outside the area and have threatened arrests.

“Something’s going to have to change,” Pastor Ed Wren said.

Wren and the Christian Biker Tabernacle are the organizers of the Friday Night Feed and its spinoff event on Saturday. Each week, dozens of volunteers meet at a parking lot on 25th Street under Interstate 705 near the Tacoma Dome to distribute food and clothing to the homeless and low-income population.

Tacoma Police Department officers say the event can’t operate without a permit (the event hasn’t had one for more than a year) and threatened arrests before last week’s feeds but backed off.

The department’s plan on how to handle this weekend’s feeds had yet to be finalized as of Thursday afternoon, Capt. Mark Langford said. He added that while the department isn’t against the events, the police department’s job is to enforce the law – including permitting and public right-of-way ordinances.

Public-safety concerns also surround the event.

=> Read more!

Just got this press release in my inbox. Tacoma’s own Sandie Andersen keeps getting noticed on a national scale:

Starbucks barista Sandie Andersen served up more than a great cup of coffee this week, she donated one of her kidneys to a long-time customer. Annamarie Ausnes has suffered from polycystic kidney disease for nearly 20 years, a disorder that would eventually require her to undergo dialysis if she didn’t receive a transplant. With no matches in her family, Annamarie faced a long and uncertain future on the transplant wait list. That is until, on one of her daily trips to Starbucks, she mentioned her health troubles to Sandie. Sandie immediately volunteered to get a blood test and was a match. The two underwent surgery this week in Seattle, and doctors expect a full recovery for both.
ABC’s Neal Karlinsky reports on Sandie Andersen, who has been selected as “World News’” Person of the Week. She will be profiled on the broadcast on Friday, March 14.

Every Friday, “World News” features a “Person of the Week,” someone who – for better or worse – has made a difference to the world or the country or a community. The series was part of the broadcast from 1986 until 1998 and was reintroduced in 2003. Viewers can submit their suggestions for “Person of the Week” via ABCNEWS.com.

The fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War is approaching, and there are some protests planned. A reader forwarded me a string of e-mails from a local anarchist group, and there’s a protest planned for 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Tacoma Mall office building, where there are several military recruiting offices.

Across town that afternoon, Operation Homecoming will be at Theatre on the Square. The Broadway Center For The Performing Arts invites attendees to “come hear the stories from Operation Homecoming and take part in a dialogue that will go beyond the headlines and politics, and focus on individual experiences. We will invite local service men and women, and their families to participate with new writings and in conversation.”

(Exit133 has some more info on it here.)

I'll share something a reader sent in. Jim deMille is a member of the Seafair Pirates and wrote a poem entitled "Eagle of the Sea" about the Coast Guard vessel that will be the centerpiece ship of Tall Ships Tacoma.

Feel free to click below to read it:

=> Read more!

I'm juggling a few different things today, but based on the number of e-mails and hits I received yesterday, it sounds like all y'all want to hear more about the Goldfish Tavern.

I'll post more about it later today.

The shock arrived via registered mail. Doug and Pattie Donery, like 69 others at Country Aire Manor mobile home park in South Hill, learned their park was being sold. They had a year to move.

“Not in a million years did I expect this,” 60-year-old Doug said last week.

And it came at the worst possible time for the couple. Pattie is recovering from two heart attacks and has a brain tumor. Doug is battling several disabling medical conditions. Their two sons are battling cancer. Their manufactured home is likely unmovable, and they don’t have enough money to start over again.

The residents of Country Aire, a quiet, leafy plot on Meridian Avenue across from Pierce County Airport, are scrambling to adjust after receiving the eviction notice. For many, the closure leads to financial nightmares, leaving the neighborhood they’ve long considered home and uprooting a tight-knit community.

The land upon which Country Aire sits and two adjacent lots will be developed into a shopping center, said Michael Luis, a consultant hired by the developers to assist residents with relocation. The Home Depot will be the anchor store – four miles south of another one of the big-box hardware store’s locations near South Hill Mall.

=> Read more!

We sent out an e-mail to our “news network” – the group of readers who like to receive e-mails from us asking for their help with stories – and ask about the high gas prices.

Click below to read a sampling.

=> Read more!

If you’re one of the many people who have had a few too many at the Goldfish Tavern near Point Defiance Park and have spent hours nursing your pint while watching the dozens of fish swim back and forth in their tanks, pay attention.

The Fish will be closing soon.

I received a few e-mails from some folks in the newsroom and called the bar’s owner yesterday. The tavern, which opened 75 years ago, will soon close, and the land is on the market. It hasn’t been sold yet, but it sounds like condos will be going up there.

I’m waiting to get the police view about the future of the Friday/Saturday Night Feed.

Also, I’m looking to write a story about how the rising gas prices are affecting people in their everyday lives. If you’d like to contribute, feel free to e-mail me at scott.fontaine@thenewstribune.com or call me at 253-320-4758.

I e-mailed City of Tacoma spokesman Rob McNair-Huff earlier today about the Friday and Saturday Night Feed’s permit. Here’s what he wrote back:

Event permits are handled through the City Clerk's Office. Doris Sorum says that a permit has been filed, but the City is still working with the Washington State Dept. of Transportation to figure out how long the property under I-705 will remain under City control. DOT has been planning to take over the lease on that property

I just off the phone with Pastor Ed Wren of the Christian Biker Tabernacle. He helps run the Friday and Saturday Night Feed, where dozens of volunteers hand out food and clothing to homeless and low-income people in Tacoma.

It’s an interesting time for the program. They’ve been operating without a permit (with the city’s consent, Wren said) but applied for one and should hear soon. According to Wren and several people who e-mailed me over the weekend, the police threatened to shut down the feed and arrest the pastor.

“On Friday, officers came and told us we had to vacate or be arrested,” Wren told me. “We told them we were going to say. They said, ‘Well, we won’t push you off tonight, but if you show up tomorrow, we’ll arrest you.’

“They asked me if I understood. I told them that, yeah, if we came down here (Saturday), they would arrest me.

“They asked if I was still going to come down, and I said, ‘Most certainly. The people will be there, and we’ll be there to help them.’

=> Read more!

Things are getting ugly between the Tacoma Police Department and volunteers at the Friday and Saturday Night Feed, where volunteers hand out food and clothing to the homeless.

I’ll get the views of the different sides and let you know what the latest is.

An audio of Master Sgt. Don White's Airman's Medal citation can be heard here.

Master Sgt. Don White picked up Allison Norman and sat her on his lap. The 2-year-old smiled so wide, she almost dropped her pink pacifier. She giggled and clapped her hands.

And the crowd of more than 100 airmen at McChord Air Force Base followed the child’s lead, giving White a standing ovation moments after he received the Airmen’s Medal for saving the lives of Allison and her older sister, Emily, after a car accident two years ago.

The medal is awarded to service members who voluntarily risk their life under extreme conditions other than combat. White, a reservist with the 446th Airlift Wing and a civilian pipe fitter at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, was a technical sergeant when awarded the medal.

“What was supposed to be a fun event became very chaotic,” said Maj. Gen. Harold Mitchell, who awarded the medal to White. “Who knows how any of us would have acted in that situation?”

=> Read more!

“God bless you and come home safe,” read the message on a red T-shirt from the fire department in Lincoln, Neb.

“Thank you for your support” was scribbled on a shirt from the Spokane Fire Department.

“Hang in there, stay strong and be safe” wrote one person on a shirt from Millerton, N.Y.

“Thank you for serving the best country ever!” the writing on a shirt from San Antonio said.

These shirts – and about 25,000 others – will soon be headed to American and Canadian troops overseas as part of the Hero To Hero program, which had its fifth and final PackOut on Saturday at Camp Murray.

At the event, service members and civilians sat at long, white tables and signed messages on T-shirts donated from fire and police departments from around the world. The hope is that the shirts will provide a morale boost to troops serving overseas.

=> Read more!

Just for your reading pleasure, I descended (and ascended about 10 minutes later) about 300 stairs to check out the control station of the Cushman Dam outside Hoodsport.

And, much to my surprise, I found a hardhat that can fit my size-8 noggin:

HOODSPORT – The black button on the control panel had a larger effect than raising the level of the North Fork of the Skokomish River or providing more spawning ground for salmon.

Many hope it will help ease contentious relations between Tacoma Power and the Skokomish Indian Tribe.

About 60 people – including members of the utility company, contractors and the tribe – stood atop Cushman Dam No. 2 outside this Mason County town to celebrate a near-quadrupling of water flow into the river, an issue over which the tribe has long sought resolution. In less than an hour, the flow from the dam increased from 60 cubic feet per second to about 240.

“This should kick-start the restoration process of the fisheries,” said Pat McCarty, a generation manager with Tacoma Power. “It’s more than just putting water in the river. It’s a celebration of our accomplishments together on restoring the river.”

=> Read more!

I'm heading to Hoodsport to watch crews from Tacoma Power boost flow into the dam on the North Fork of the Skokomish River.

I wrote my article in today's paper about the deal to keep the Sonics in Seattle while sitting in a comfy chair in the lobby of City Hall.

The surroundings sure beat my half-cubicle:

The only scheduled thing I have today is to swing by the Parkland home of the couple killed last weekend. Associated Ministries is having a blessing ceremony of the house.

There is more private money. There are local investors. There are no tax hikes.

There just might not be enough time to keep the SuperSonics in Seattle.

A group of four local businessmen announced a proposal Thursday to buy the basketball team from its Oklahoma City-based ownership group and pay for half of a $300 million renovation of KeyArena.

The offer is contingent on the sale of the Sonics or another NBA team to the group and passage of legislation by state lawmakers. It’s the largest offer of private money to renovate the arena at Seattle Center thus far.

=> Read more!

I’m at the press conference soon to be held by Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels about a public-private plan to improve KeyArena.

It appears the draft proposal is tweaked enough to sidestep the restrictions placed by Initiative 91.

“Under the proposal,” reads the press release, “the local investment group would pay for upgrades that directly benefit a basketball team, while public investment would cover needed renovations to the public areas and building systems in the city-owned arena.”

A.J. Archer arrives just after dawn already wearing his navy-blue jumpsuit. He enters the garage, finds his timecard and punches in. Within minutes, his head is underneath the propped-up hood of a 1992 Ford Probe.

But Archer’s not a mechanic. At least not yet.

“This is the best class I have,” the Mount Tahoma High School junior said. “I absolutely love it.”

Archer is one of 16 students enrolled in Mount Tahoma’s Automotive Youth Education Systems program, which allows students to work hands-on with auto repairs and maintenance and sets them up with internships at local car dealerships.

The students arrive at 6:30 a.m. so they can leave school an hour early and begin working in garages.

“The early start time means they want to be here,” teacher Tim Kelly said.

=> Read more!

Russell Investments is the subject of a Crosscut Seattle piece today. There's not a ton new if you've been reading the Trib's business pages, but they do tee off on Tacoma a few times.

Here's part of a passage about a former trader who quit to move back to Queen Anne:

"Living in Tacoma absolutely had something to do with my decision to leave Russell," he says. At 25 now, McLaughlin found Tacoma's cultural scene sorely lacking. "It was pretty boring," he says. "There was nothing down there."

McLaughlin left even though he found it intellectually stimulating to be at Russell, which he knew first by reputation, having encountered the firm through his finance curriculum and as a Wall Street Journal reader. "It was fascinating to see how much money moves across the world every day," he says. "They're a global company in every sense of the word." When he entered Russell's offices, he found himself connected to places like Tokyo and London. "Then you go back outside, and you're in Tacoma," he says. "And you smell the paper mill."

I’m heading out early today to Mount Tahoma High School. It’s my turn in the rotation to write a story for our weekly Show&Tell page, and I’m going to be watching an automotive-shop class there.

Later today, I’ll be at the school at Remann Hall as part of an ongoing project I’m working on.

The festival will be split into three “villages” along the waterway. Organizers are still tweaking the plans, but the current plan looks like this: Northwest Passage, on the south end of the Thea Foss near the Museum of Glass, features Class-B and C ships and an “age of sail” historic-living encampments.

Tradewinds, further north, features the Niña, a landing area for water taxis, booths offering international music and food vendors. The third, Treasure Cove, will be near the Foss Waterway Museum and will be home to the Class-A ships.

Plenty of volunteer opportunities still exist. Erlich said the organization has signed up more than 1,000 people, but it needs about another 3,000. There are myriad duties available, but organizers are particularly searching for people with a boat who can help with ship escort or security, people with sailing experience who can act as a ship liaison and people with customer service or ticket sales experience.

Volunteers receive specific training for their job.

“We’re not just going to throw someone out there to handle the large crowds we expect for the festival,” Erlich said.

Erlich said the organizers have “learned lessons” since 2005. There is more paid staff, plans for more frequent shuttles from parking areas and more shaded areas for attendees. They also are making a “concerted effort” for disabled participants, including ADA-compliant viewing areas.

The festival operated at a deficit during the 2005 event, but Erlich said the organization is on track to reach its revenue goals for its $2.5-million budget.

It is fundraising largely though sponsorships. Tall Ships Tacoma has signed up more than 20 sponsors, with State Farm as the presenting sponsor.

Several companies – and one city government – have “adopted” individual ships, including local companies like Columbia Bank (with the Zodiac), the Russell Investment Group (Lynx), KeyBank (Cutty Sark) and Windermere (Amazing Grace). The City of Fife has adopted the Lady Washington.
The sponsors underwrite the costs of the ships and receive tickets, signage on the ships and the opportunity to participate in an on-board party.

Tickets will become available on tallshipstacoma.com on March 15, but only if the purchaser joins the Tacoma Tall Ships Organization, the nonprofit formed in 2006 putting on the event. Single memberships are $50, and it’s $100 for a family.

After joining, members can purchase two types of single-day boarding passes. For $10, they can board Class B and C vessels. For $20, they can board all ships.

The general public can purchase tickets on May 19.

Members receive a 10 percent discount on Tall Ships Tacoma merchandise and other perks, Erlich said. Ultimately, the memberships help the long-term goals of the organization, including future events.

“People becoming members help sustain the effort for our next festival in 2011,” he said.

Thirty-two ships have accepted invitations to appear, an increase of seven from the 2005 event. It’s obvious which will be the marquee sight in the Thea Foss Waterway: The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Eagle. The stately, 295-foot barque is the federal government’s only commissioned sailing vessel, and it acts as a training ship for Guard officers. It was built in Germany in 1936 and taken by the United States as a war prize after World War II.

Like many other ships participating in Tall Ships Tacoma, it will be sailing from the previous week's festival in Victoria, B.C. But there is no charge to tour the ship.

Three other Class-A ships have agreed to appear at the festival: The HMS Bounty (a replica of the infamous Royal Navy vessel), the Niña (a replica of one of the ships Christopher Columbus used to reach the New World) and the Kaisei (a 151-foot Japanese vessel).

The possibility remains that several bigger ships will still sign up.

“There are still outstanding invitations to Class-A ships from South America,” said festival spokesman Matthew Erlich, adding that the organization might not hear back from some until a month before the festival kicks off.

Several smaller ships are noteworthy. The HMCS Oriole is the oldest commissioned vessel in the Canadian Navy, and the 23-foot Bounty of Krister is a replica of the longboat aboard which the Bounty mutineers placed Capt. William Bligh. The S.S.S. Yankee Clipper features an all-metal body, and the 107-foot Merrie Ellen will be compliant with the American with Disabilities Act.

All 32 invitations to Class B and Class C ships were accepted, Erlich said.

I've got plenty of Tall Ships Tacoma information coming your way today. Stay tuned for updates every hour or so.

The concrete floats bobbed and swayed in the Thea Foss Waterway when workers moved around on them. Scraps of rusted metal, pipes, dried and broken barnacles and multicolored frayed wiring littered the top of the dozen pieces held together with thick metal cables.

The platform in the water behind Johnny’s Seafood on Dock Street will become a pedestrian dock during Tall Ships Tacoma in 2008. Like the festival itself, the platform needs a lot of work – and both are beneficiaries of early planning.

“We’re donating our time to help Tall Ships clean up their docks and get ready for their festivities,” said Kenneth Thompsen, who owns Thompsen Timber and was working with a four-man crew on the platform. “And once we get these cleaned up, they’ll get more refurbishing elsewhere.

“It’s nice to play a part in Tall Ships.”

They began work Monday and hope to finish by Wednesday evening. The platform came from a marina in Seattle, and the crew had to rip out the wiring and piping and make it suitable for the large crowds expected ahead of this year’s festival in July.

Click below for more photos:

=> Read more!

I received this in my inbox last week from Lori Briggs over at PR firm JayRay. It's a snazzy press release for Point Ruston, but kinda interesting nonetheless.

I thought I'd share:

What is the tallest point in Tacoma? Kerrie Kennedy, marketing manager at Point Ruston and MC Construction, always believed it was the site of her alma mater, Bellarmine Prep.

Among Kennedy's roles is overseeing marketing for the brand new Apex Apartments and Apex Penthouses, perched above the Tacoma Mall. The aptly-named Apex is often billed as one of the highest points in Tacoma.

Standing in one of the penthouses, enjoying sweeping views of Mt. Rainier and the foothills, this is tough to dispute.

She wondered aloud to her boss, Mike Cohen, where, exactly is the highest point in Tacoma?

"I had always believed that Bellarmine was the highest point in Tacoma," says Kennedy, who graduated from the school in 1989. She's not alone - Wikipedia's page about Bellarmine makes the same claim.

A check of another online source for topographic information, topozone.com, revealed that the highest land point in the city of Tacoma is actually Indian Hill, in NE Tacoma, which is listed as being 548 feet above mean sea level.

Turns out that Bellarmine isn’t even tops in terms of school elevation. According to topozone.com, that honor goes to Boze Elementary, listed at 423 feet above sea level, as compared to Bellarmine’s site at 410 feet. Highest of high schools? Still no – Franklin Pierce High School has a slight edge at 413 feet.

That Lion pride will have to come from elsewhere – perhaps its boys’ basketball team will create some school pride in the Tacoma Dome this weekend.

(That last line might be a bit dated, but I did say it came in last week.)

I rave often on here about how I like my job. But don't get me wrong: I'm a reporter, which means I also like to get in some complaining about the industry.

I'm not alone. If you have some time to kill today, check out AngryJournalist.com. It's a string of rants about the newspaper and broadcasting industries. For those not in the business (and that's the vast majority of you), it provides a window into what we like to gripe about.

My favorite:

I’m angry that you haven’t added Google AdSense to this site so you can make some real money at it. Seasoned journalists should know that good deeds aren’t their own reward.

Amen.

Received in downtown Tacoma (error spot-shadowed):

I'm scheduled to chat tomorrow with a Starbucks barista who agreed to donate one of her kidneys to a regular. But if you can't wait to read Ol'Fontaine's masterpiece on the topic, some paper I'm sure no one's heard of (it's called The New York Times) is running it in today's paper. A link is here.

For those Tacomans who are obsessed with like to track what the national media calls our fair city ("gritty," "a port city south of Seattle," etc.), there's no mention of that in the story. So if that's all you were looking to see, feel free to skip it and check out my version.

And the story was the Web site lede last night (but was replaced by a story about malaria at about 11 a.m.). The proof's in the screenshot above.

I met with Tall Ships Tacoma spokesman Matthew Erlich last week to talk about the upcoming festival, and he had some pretty cool things to say. It really does sound like they have a killer lineup coming. We're planning a front-page story about it for later in the week, so I'll keep you updated as I write it.

Eric Zuehlsdorff is no stranger to the stage. The senior plays saxophone and has spoken in front of his classmates at Puyallup High School, but a spoken poetry competition presents a totally different feel.

“You’re more exposed up there,” he said. “With music, you’re up with a band. But with this, it’s only you up there.”

Zuehlsdorff, dressed in a black shirt, black slacks and a gold tie, stood in front of a crowd of about 50 people Saturday at the University of Puget Sound’s Schneebeck Concert Hall and delivered three poems. His third selection, “Thoughts in a Zoo” by Countee Cullen, propelled him to an honorable-mention finish.

“I loved it. I’ve never had a chance to experience something like this before,” said Zuehlsdorff, who only began practicing after the start of this semester.

=> Read more!

Schneebeck Concert Hall is maintaining a swanky atmosphere during the competition. Dim lights in the seating area contrast with brighter – but still soft – lighting on stage. After each participant finishes his or her recitation, a jazz duo plays short riffs on a saxophone and a stand-up bass.

I'm going to be at the University of Puget Sound today for Poetry Out Loud state finals. It’s a national poetry recitation contest of high school students.

Audio and possibly video to follow.