PASCO — Oh, so close.

The belief that the Gig Harbor Tides’ girls cross country team could make history with their fourth straight Class 4A state championship seemed more than likely after senior Alyssa Andrews won the race last Saturday in 18 minutes flat at the Sun Willows Golf Course.

I’ve never been nervous about running. I don’t think I would be unless I had committed a crime and the cops were chasing me on foot. Then I’d be nervous.

The Peninsula girls soccer team had its hopes of advancing to the Class 3A state soccer tournament turned away by the Kennedy Lancers on Saturday after a 5-0 loss at Highline High School in Burien.

The Gig Harbor Tides nearly had a remarkable comeback all wrapped up Friday night during their Class 4A state preliminary round game against the Federal Way Eagles.

Peninsula senior swimmer Lindsey Marchand sliced through the water to grab two Automatic All-America times at the Class 3A West Central District III meet last weekend at Hazen High School in Renton.

The lobby at the Inn at Gig Harbor will become home to a sweet little village this Thanksgiving — literally. For the fourth year, the staff at the hotel and restaurant will gather to build about 40 gingerbread houses for auction. The tasty treats will decorate the hotel’s lobby during Thanksgiving week, and the proceeds will benefit the Children’s Home Society in Vaughn.

It’s Nov. 12 and the election is over — at least, I assume it is. Having written this a few weeks ago, I have to rely on faith that neither parties pulled any shenanigans and we were spared hanging chads and attempts at voter suppression.

Several local residents walked away with prizes at this year’s Puyallup Fair.

Within the pages of the Apostolic Scripture (New Testament), we find Yeshua (Jesus) using a genre of teaching known as the parable.

The most important aspect of rose growing is choosing the right variety. Whether it’s a hybrid tea, floribunda or climber isn’t important. Knowing the variety name is what leads to success, because the variety name tells almost everything about its performance.

Anyone who looks closely into the display cases at Kit Kuhn — A Jeweler Designed For You on Harborview Drive won’t just find the usual gold, silver and sparkling stones glinting back at them.

The atmosphere at Elandan Gallery in the Uptown Gig Harbor shopping center invites one to stay a while.

LaborWorks owner and CEO Scott Sabo says business is going strong. That’s good news during hard times — especially in the employment arena.

Homeowners looking to improve their home decor may have noticed a change of ownership — from Dreyer’s Interiors to Abbey Carpet — on Kimball Drive in Gig Harbor.

A lumber-free, energy-efficient home that’s fireproof, moldproof and environmentally friendly doesn’t have to be a vision of the future. You can get it from Chad O’Mealy and his business, Pacific Northwest IFC, right from O’Mealy’s Fox Island home.

A WEEK after the most historic presidential election in our nation’s history seems enough time to reflect on the results. But what to make of them? On the national scale, voters clearly wanted change by electing the first African-American president. On the state level, voters of the 26th Legislative District lived up to their reputation as a swing district by electing both a Republican and a Democrat.

WE’RE guessing most peninsula residents would rather not see tolls on the Tacoma Narrows bridge increase in 2009, after jumping a buck this year. If you feel strongly about where tolls might be heading, you have two opportunities to share them with the Citizen Advisory Committee. The CAC will hold a public meeting at 5 p.m. Thursday at The Inn at Gig Harbor, and again next Tuesday, Nov. 18, at the same time and place.

This column is being written on Nov. 3, the eve before one of the nation’s (and world’s) most important elections in history.

“Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.” — Christopher Reeve

Young musicians from across the Peninsula School District will convene at Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church next Tuesday to participate in the annual district-wide band concert.

Kopachuck Middle School principal Iva Scott sent an in-house e-mail to her staff late last month.

The Peninsula School District hopes to make an upcoming levy process as simple as possible for voters. When the current levy expires in 2009, the PSD board of directors and staff members plan to ask for a replacement levy, so the current tax rate won’t change a cent.

Two Peninsula Schools Education Foundation members attended a Monday morning “Classic Movie” earlier this month at the Uptown Gig Harbor Galaxy Theatres. But they weren’t there for the movie.

Children and teachers lined the field at Discovery Elementary School last Friday after a small food fire in a microwave in an unoccupied classroom set off fire alarms.