Puyallup students weren't going to be marching in the Daffodil Festival's annual Grand Floral Parade this year.

That is, until Emerald Ridge High School's Melanie Stambaugh was named Daffodil Queen a few weeks ago.

School district officials decided they should figure something out to make sure Stambaugh was backed by a band from her home district. It is tradition for the band from the Queen's high school to lead the Festival Royalty float at the front of the parade.

So for the past two weeks, band leaders from Rogers, Emerald Ridge and Puyallup High have been working to pull together an composite band of students from the three schools.

"This was a district decision that we would support the queen," said Bruce Leonardy, band instructor at Rogers High School.

The group of about 100 students met for their first practice together today at Rogers.

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Remember summer?

Here's a chance to think back to a time when it didn't spit snot every other morning, and when white sails and cannon fire punctuated Commencement Bay.

Tall Ships Tacoma is hosting the theatrical premier of its official video with two gatherings at the Galaxy Theater Gig Harbor, 4649 Point Fosdick Drive N.W.

The events run from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 2, and Wednesday, April 8. Tickets are $20 a person, and the DVD sells for $15. You can order them at tallshipstacoma.com, or call (253)272-5650.

The evenings will begin with a reception with a cash bar, a welcome from Stan Selden, president of Tacoma Tall Ships Organization, and Les Bolton, executive director of Gray's Harbor Historical Seaport.

Expect Selden and Bolton to celebrate the fun, and the money, Tall Ships 2008 brought to Tacoma. The financial benefit includes $2.5 million in improvements to the Foss Waterway infrastructure, and the $20 million economic boost the festival generated in July.

Also expect Selden to encourage donations to cut the debt the festival still owes some of its vendors.

First it was dead raccoons, now someone has apparently shot and killed a fox at Point Defiance park. Here's the release from MetroParks:

Fox killed by wildlife assault at Point Defiance Park

Walkers in Point Defiance reported to Parks staff this morning that a fox which appeared to have been shot with a pellet gun was found across from Camp Six. The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) responded conducting an onsite investigation of the scene and removing the animal for a determination as to the cause of death.

In early February, staff and park visitors encountered dead raccoons which were victimized by similar attacks along Point Defiance’s Five Mile Drive.

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Well, sort of.

What officials in flood-prone cities like Orting actually are looking for in the Puyallup River basin is something called scalping, gravel skimming, or -- to use an even milder term -- sediment management.

The difference? They only want debris to be removed from above the water line, not below. That approach is thought to be less damaging to fish habitat below the water. But local officials say it would still increase the capacity of the river, helping alleviate some of the major flooding Pierce County cities are starting to see on an annual basis.

Orting building official Ken Wolfe took me out today along one of the levees along the Puyallup River in Orting. He was trying to show me the extent of the sedimentation in the river, and how much the capacity of the river could improve just by skimming all that dirt off the top.

The topic has been a hot one among Orting citizens and business owners as well. Wolfe said if the gravel was removed from the river, it would take a more downpour for the river to flood surrounding housing communities.

This is some of the sedimentation he showed me today. In the foreground is the edge of a levy, while the gravel in the river and on the far side is all debris.

I'll be writing a story for next week on the issues surrounding dredging or scalping the river, and all the communities who are now asking for it. Besides Orting, there's also Sumner and plenty of private citizens and business owners.