Roy Anderson's legacy on the Gig Harbor and Key peninsulas will live forever. He put in countless hours of work at Peninsula High School and the Peninsula Athletic Association, and he did it because he loved to give youths many opportunities to play sports.
Providing answers to tough questions is never easy, but try doing it when you’re unsure whether or not you even have the money to start addressing those questions. That’s what the Peninsula School District is trying to do with its four scheduled superintendent forums this winter and spring.
In a recent letter titled “Country can’t afford to educate and police the entire world,” the writer wrote, “We can’t afford to educate our own people, let alone foreign women.”
Who would have thought that King County would be the cause of higher-than-needed tolls on the Narrows Bridge? Whether it was in your wildest dreams or not, upcoming King County transportation projects may soon have an adverse, albeit indirect, impact on our Narrows Bridge tolls and, therefore, the Gig Harbor economy.
Scenario one: It was a fine summer morning as nine Gig Harbor book club ladies assembled at the Point Defiance ferry dock for an excursion to Vashon Island. We weren’t wearing red hats, but I dare say we were sassy and hot to trot. We looked forward to tea and scones, lively conversation, lunch, and exploring bookstores, antique shops, a quilt store and the coffee roasterie — a perfect outing on a sparkling day with good friends.
Four new columnists will begin to share their observations of our community and beyond this week as we kick off our 2010 guest panel. A dozen well-qualified writers applied to be part of the panel, and we’re proud to announce the volunteer columnists to be Sherrie Spangler, Sara Kellerman, Lynda Richards and Joe Siegel.
Watching the Brett Favre curse descend upon the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, I wondered what my favorite NFL football team did to offend God?
A GIG HARBOR HIGH SCHOOL civics class is doing more than simply discussing current events. It is researching local business habits, formulating opinions based on environmental factors and supporting those that make conscious decisions to have a positive impact.
THE STATE Transportation Commission, which listens to many arguments before it ultimately sets the toll rates across the New Narrows bridge, has a lot to think about in the coming weeks. We hope commission members keep in mind the financial impact that those decisions will have on the people who fund the majority of the bridge.
Re: “ ‘Can’t we all just get along?’ Resolutions for the new decade,” guest column on Jan. 6. No, of course we can’t get along, and we haven’t for thousands of years.
We strongly believe that the federal government, in cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, has a responsibility to financially support and provide educational opportunities to all Native American tribal members.
The volunteers of the Gig Harbor Peninsula FISH Food Bank send their most heartfelt thanks to the Gig Harbor community for its generous support of the FISH Christmas Basket and Toy programs.
In the middle of an article I read recently about the Islam religion, the author included a statement that made me pause.
ACTIVE-SHOOTER situations are the last thing any of us wants to think about, especially in the weeks following public memorial ceremonies for six Puget Sound law enforcement officers. Yet in the wake of the tragedies, we feel more vulnerable than ever in our hope for public safety.
VAUGHN ELEMENTARY School students earned their fourth consecutive state championship in the President’s Council for Physical Fitness, a remarkable accomplishment for any individual, much less a portion of the student body.
Sumner Schoenike says he’s fed up with the political situation in the 26th Legislative District. Who does he think has been in control for years? Democrats.
Lawmakers gathered in Olympia for the 2010 legislative session can either set our state up for long-term prosperity or put off the tough budget decisions until 2011, when it will be even more difficult to solve our financial problems.
The holidays have now ended, and we have put away all the lights and decorations for another year. Visitors and family members have returned home, and I readily admit I’m glad to see 2009 end. It was a rough year.
They call her a teacher, a friend, a mentor and a coach. But no matter what Patty Ley was or is, she will always be inspiring.
Proving that Peninsula folks are forward-looking people, the most oft-asked question around here is not “What were the big stories of 2009?” Instead, people want to know what major stories will occur this year, in 2010.
NOT EVEN brain cancer has been able to stop Mike West. The former Gig Harbor High School principal, now the chairman of the board for the South Sound CARE Foundation, has found a new but similar mission for his life: To help people. Specifically, to help those with cancer receive cutting-edge treatment in Pierce County.
IT WILL be a unique election year in our 26th Legislative District, because both of our state Representative positions and our state Senate seat will be up for election. That only happens once every four years.
Our community has heard the plea to “shop locally,” and I believe all of us who care do just that. Although I cannot speak for others, I can say that I do all my shopping in Gig Harbor with the exception of a few specialty items at Metropolitan Market, even though I work in downtown Tacoma.
At the end of a year of column writing, I’m left with a folder of unfinished essays, leftover bits and pieces that could, with lots more thinking, evolve into decent material. I waited in vain for one of the stray paragraphs to nudge me, whispering that its time had come.
We state legislators reconvene next Monday in Olympia. As we continue to deal with damage statewide from the most severe recession in memory, this may be the most important legislative session in decades.
A small community like Gig Harbor that produces a Rhodes Scholar can appropriately indulge itself in some pride. But one that produces two in consecutive years should take a closer look at its public school system, and give thanks.
WE’RE MERELY DAYS away from wrapping up 2009, and, frankly, it couldn’t come any sooner. As we put together stories this week to recap the year, we ran into a recurring theme of economic struggles.
