At least two men and one woman have separately been asking people for money in the Gig Harbor area, a practice commonly referred to as panhandling. They stand at the busiest intersection in town — at Olympic Drive NW and Point Fosdick Drive — and they typically hold a sign that tells their story.

Washington's jobless rate posted its first gain in more than a year in January, but the Employment Security Department said Tuesday that an estimated 8,300 jobs were lost statewide last month to raise the unemployment rate to 9.5 percent.

Skansie Park is a real community asset and a gathering place in the hub of our city. I do not agree that expansion is necessary there.

Reading Brent Emery’s On Faith column in November 2009, “Learning to pray from a Jewish perspective,” and the recent first anniversary of the terror attacks in Mumbai, where the murders of the young Rabbi and his wife, Gabbi, and Rivki Holtzberg occurred, motivated me to introduce Chabad, an organization probably little known to Gateway readers.

When I first got to Olympia in 2005, one of my colleagues who had been in Olympia for some time approached me and asked, “Are you for or against the new Narrows Bridge?”

In another month, the federal government will expect you to fulfill your obligation as an American citizen: flee to Canada, where they have universal health care.

The City of Gig Harbor hasn’t been able to share a lot of good news lately when it comes to its financial standing. Between its mandatory furloughs and a $1.9 million budget shortfall it dealt with last year, it was about time the Maritime City got some good news. It came last week, packaged as a new Standard and Poor’s AA bond rating.

Last October, Bonneville Power Administration raised its wholesale rates for Northwest utilities, and that included Peninsula Light Company, which serves more than 25,000 members on the Gig Harbor and Key peninsulas. It was a fairly steep climb of 7.6 percent to start a new two-year cycle, but PenLight didn’t pass all of that on to its ratepayers.

I was asked to provide my reasoning for voting no on Senate Bill 6130, the measure that suspended the Taxpayer Protection Act, Initiative 960. The initiative, which was approved by voters in November 2007, requires the Legislature to have a two-thirds approval to raise taxes. I joined with my House Republican colleagues in more than 10 hours of debate on the House floor, arguing that SB 6130 should be set aside indefinitely.

I'm just going to say what everyone is thinking: I love spring. The birds are back in our yard with a vengeance.

This year, I’ll celebrate my 20th year as a business owner and Gig Harbor resident. In the past two decades, I have been an active participant in our community, serving on many boards and community action committees, including the Design Review Board.

Please take the following two-question quiz: 1) Name as many members of “The Simpsons” TV show family as you can; 2) Name as many of the rights enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution as you can.

The state Legislature voted last week to temporarily suspend I-960, the voter-approved initiative that, among other things, required a two-thirds majority vote to increase state taxes. Many of those who disapprove of the move are casting a general cry of foul, blaming the Democrat-controlled House and Senate for pushing for more revenue before they do all they can to cut state expenses.

It came as no surprise when we received a call from both Sen. Derek Kilmer and Rep. Larry Seaquist this week to announce that funding for lights on the New Narrows bridge would not be part of the state capital budget. It’s been a long-standing topic of conversation among peninsula residents, but it’s a necessary cut, even though it won’t make much of a dent in the total budget.

I was disrespectful of Gov. Christine Gregoire when she signed Senate Bill 6130, which gutted voter-approved I-960. I attended the public bill signing in a suit and tie, and I stood beside her, holding my nose with one hand and showing thumbs down with the other.

More than seven years ago, Women in Black began a weekly vigil in Gig Harbor. We are a diverse group of women whose over-riding concern is peace. We stand every Friday evening to remind ourselves that peace begins with each of us.

Our state’s constitution declares education funding to be Washington’s “paramount duty.” Unfortunately, our state has a history of leaving that duty unfulfilled.

Societies declare an adequate and decent education to be a right for every citizen and, in doing so, it is expected that every educated citizen becomes a better citizen. All boats are raised, and society is improved as a result.

Newspaper publishers get lots of letters from readers. Some agree with editorials we’ve written, some do not. Some like articles we’ve published, others do not. Some are nice, some are rude.

THE STATE Legislature has just 2 1/2 weeks remaining in its short, 60-day session, and countless arguments have been heard in regards to closing a $2.8 billion shortfall. Here’s a novel thought: Let’s stop politicking for votes, worrying about sacred cows and start thinking about our future.

The New Narrows bridge is making waves in Olympia. Senate Bill 6499, which passed nearly unanimously last week, would alter how toll violations are collected and where that money goes. The bill would take violations out of the hands of the court and make it what it really is: a bill.

When the phone rings at 4:30 a.m., it’s never good news.

As most of us will admit, we’ve become a nation huffing and puffing toward our next super-size meal. Each January, hordes of us try to combat the trend by joining a gym. By now, many are bored and ready to quit.

Gov. Christine Gregoire and some legislative leaders have proposed closing the Rainier School in Buckley as part of a plan to help balance the state budget, which is currently facing a $2.8 billion deficit.

In my never-ending quest to make this column seem more intellectual and culturally relevant, I have decided to tackle some of the enduring questions that have tested the world’s greatest philosophers.