October is a big month at the Pierce County Library branches, including the Peninsula Branch in Gig Harbor and the Key Center Branch in Lakebay.

Financial issues and safety concerns were key issues for the Gig Harbor City Council during a five-hour council meeting Monday night.

Challenger Marlyn Jensen touted her knowledge of small business and accused incumbent state Rep. Larry Seaquist last Thursday of being part of the “Democrat Legislature” that now has to cut at least $3.2 billion from the 2009 state budget at a public affairs forum in Gig Harbor.

Gig Harbor High School senior Matt Powell has years of running experience under his belt, but he hadn’t coordinated an event until this fall.

A decision on improvements to the Burnham-Borgen-state Route 16 interchange will be pushed back another month, the City of Gig Harbor announced last week.

Editor’s note: Gig Harbor’s Laureen Lund is in Ethiopia as part of the Denny Wilford Foundation, which is working to eradicate polio from the planet. Lund has been sending periodic updates about her impressions and work while she’s in the country.

A crowd of rowdy elementary students paraded into Lighthouse Christian School’s Navigator Hall last Thursday. They chanted “Heany! Heany!” at the top of their lungs while shaking red, white and blue pompoms.

Not long ago, I wrote about dynamic young men washing cars to help cover expenses of their chosen sport, the Peninsula boys water polo club.

The sky was still pitch black Saturday morning as electricians in glowing striped vests disconnected the traffic light stretched across Harborview Drive.

Gig Harbor-area residents moved one step closer last week to having a representative voice at Tacoma Narrows Airport.

Editor's note: Gig Harbor’s Laureen Lund is in Ethiopia as part of the Denny Wilford Foundation. She will send periodic updates about her impressions and work while she’s in the country.

The construction of the new Narrows bridge solved two key problems: It greatly improved safety along the state Route 16 corridor, and it untied traffic congestion during peak hours.

The national economy is under strain, but the Gig Harbor business scene is booming.

It was almost exactly a year ago today when Steve Lawson of Gig Harbor watched the Atlas Foundry explode while he was talking to his wife on the phone.

Elected officials and city employees were on hand last week as the City of Gig Harbor ceremoniously broke ground on the new Waste Water Treatment Plant.