Supporters are throwing a car wash today, Saturday July 25, to help send Tacoma 12-year-old Tyler Hill to the National Junior Olympics.

Tyler’s mom, Chantell Hill, says in an e-mail that Tyler hopes to compete in the National Junior Olympics in Greensboro, N.C., July 27 to Aug. 2. He's been participating with a USATF track team this summer.

To qualify, the Stewart Middle School student placed second earlier this month at the regional meet in Salem, Ore., in the 200 meter and 400 meter. His team placed second in the 4 X 400 meter relay.

The family is trying to raise $2,000 to cover airfare, hotel and other expenses for Tyler and one of his parents to go to the meet.

The car wash will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at New Jerusalem Church of God in Christ, 1623 S. 11th St. Tacoma. That’s at 11th and Grant streets on Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood.

If you can't make it to the car wash, donations may be sent to:

Tyler Hill
c/o Ed and Chantell Hill
416 S. 48th St.
Tacoma, WA 98408.

Good luck, Tyler!

Eastsiders have come to love the sound of tow trucks in the morning.

They have been working with Tacoma Police Department Officer Don Williams to rid the neighborhood of illegal and decaying cars in all the wrong places.

They’ve alerted Williams to blocks clogged with cars on the planting strips, cars with grass growing in their wheel wells, cars with expired tabs, cars on lawns, cars on sidewalks, cars parked facing the wrong way. Williams checks off the pertinent violation on a form. He leaves the form on the windshield with a notice that, if the owner doesn’t move the car by a certain date, the city will do it, and send a bill.

The first time Williams went out, people thought it was a bluff.
Then big trucks towed 30-plus cars away.

The next few times around, owners dealt with the problem themselves, and the tow trucks hauled off half a dozen vehicles.
Now Tow Day is going city-wide.

Jeanie Peterson of Hilltop Action Coalition is inviting volunteers in Sector One, which includes Hilltop and the downtown, to get the training to hit the sidewalks for the program. The police will offer free training sessions the weekend of Dec. 6 and 7.

“The first training class for the 6th will begin at noon at the Sector One Substation, South 16th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way, and other trainings will happen throughout the day,” she said.
Tow Day will come to Sector One in time for the holidays, then cycle through Sectors Two and Three, then back to Four.

I snapped this aerial shot of Northeast Tacoma. Just kind of an interesting layout:

I talked to a few neighbors about the Joseph Foundation properties. Here’s what they had to say:

“They’ve just been regular neighbors,” 28-year-old Nicole Bradbury said. “In fact, they’ve been great neighbors. No complaints.”

A few houses down the street, one resident said he doesn’t give much thought to the nature of the homes because the residents have never caused problems for his family.

“I’ve only been here a few months,” 38-year-old Jose Lopez said, “but I haven’t had or heard of any problems.”

The Joseph Foundation is about to open its third site for tranisitional homeless housing in Northeast Tacoma. Here's some brackground about the organization:

The Joseph Foundation – named after the foster father of Jesus – began in 1990 when five Federal Way churches combined their resources to help homeless families. The foundation received a donation of property in Northeast Tacoma. One house and plenty of untamed vegetation then sat upon the land; today it’s home to the charity’s first two houses (a single- and double-family home) and the foundation upon which the third house will sit.

The houses provide transitional housing for up to two years for single- and two-parent families with children. The foundation has teamed with two case-management agencies (Multi-Service Center in King County and Exodus Housing in Pierce County) that checks in with the families several times a month. A mentoring program, which pairs the families with others from one of the churches, began in 1999.

A house gives the family a place to live, and the foundation teams up with other charities to provide worker training, find jobs and create a savings program. If a family arrives without furniture, the churches ask for donations and furnish the houses. When they move out, the family takes the furniture with them.

The foundation has provided housing to 30 families (including 81 children) since the first house opened in 1996. The success rate, defined as the families exiting the program in better shape than they arrived, is about 60 percent.

Browns Point Lighthouse Park boasts impressive views of Puget Sound, the North End of Tacoma, Maury Island and Vashon Island.

And on this afternoon, plenty of homemade kites.

The fourth-grade class at Annie Wright School took advantage of the warm weather and brisk winds that sent the dozens of white Mylar kites skyward.

"This is great wind," teacher Julia Carnell said. "It's really ideal for kite-flying."

The class ventures out to the park once a year, 10-year-old Colby Enebrad said. It's become a tradition that was started in part by one of their classmates, an avid kite-flyer named Adam Len.

Adam and his dad, Rick Len, venture to the park often to fly kites. They've been helping arrange field trips for Adam's classmates for about six years.

Friday seemed like a perfect day for it.

"It's a big jump from really bad weather to really good weather," said 10-year-old Adam.

Each student could design his or her Mylar kite. Some boasted colorful designs. Others paid homage to favorite sports teams or players.

A drawing of a dog was the centerpiece of Kaylee Kim's kite. She said she's wanted one "since I knew what a dog was." Rainbows, a yin-yang, candy and stars also adorned her kite.

The class was at the park about two hours. Many students probably could have stayed all day.

"The weather is perfect," she said. "It's not too hot or too cold."

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!

The owners weren't home, so I couldn't get a story on how long it had been there or other details like that.

Strong winds and gray skies have a tendency to ruin the image of an idyllic golf outing for many, but that didn’t stop several brave souls from hitting the links at North Shore Golf Course.

Matt Wamsley was one of them. The 39-year-old was putting on the practice green before playing nine holes. He said he enjoys playing in the wind because he doesn’t get the chance to play in such conditions often.

“Sometimes you’re playing in a tournament when it’s really windy,” he said, “and you have to be prepared for that.”

As of 3 p.m., 11 people played a round at North Shore.

Brett Davis didn't, but the 22-year-old still took time to hit a few balls on the driving range. He admitted the wind was messing with him a bit. Still, he says it was “absolutely, absolutely worth it.”

“After all, “he said, “it was better than going to work.”

And who can’t agree with that?