Any reasonable person would agree that an obligation to build a frontage road in a 1958 deed is long past due in 2010. That is the case with a deed executed by the state, and it is time the state built that road.

THE 32ND rendition of the annual Fish Bowl football game this Friday night between the Gig Harbor Tides and Peninsula Seahawks will be similar in a lot of ways to the high school football games the schools have played in the past three decades.

TWO HUNDRED hours probably seemed like an eternity to Spencer Abersold, but the DJ known as “The Walrus” at KGHP-FM in Gig Harbor was willing to try just about anything to save the community radio station.

Dave Ogilvie says that, “If you favor responsible fiscal policies and support our troops, then you should stand with the flag wavers” (Gateway letters, Aug. 25).

“But before the line of irrevocable separation be drawn between us, let us reason the matter together.” Thomas Paine to Lord Howe in “The American Crisis,” 1777.

AS I SCURRIED up and down the fescue grass-covered dunes at Chambers Bay Golf Course on Sunday to watch the 2010 USGA U.S. Amateur final match, I reflected on the risk of leadership and what an important role timing plays.

WE WERE a bit surprised in June when we learned that eight candidates would be in the race for our District 7 seat on the Pierce County Council. Our hope was that the race wouldn’t get bogged down with over-saturation, because too many candidates can sometimes weed out some of the best ones simply due to vote distribution.

I wanted to send residents of the Key Peninsula a huge thank you for their support to renew the community’s Emergency Medical Services levy.

There’s a new law on the books. We are now under obligation by our state government to not use our cell phones while we drive. Interesting.

Summer reminds us to pay attention to the fact that we live in and around a harbor. Warmer weather, boating season and our willingness to slow down and smell the salt air all means that we pay a bit more attention to the “harbor” aspect of Gig Harbor.

This week, as state and national leaders try to figure out how to keep our financial ship from sinking and we prepare for fall election campaigns that are sure to illustrate the rising tide of political pusillanimity, we the people remain as confused as ever.

The Key Peninsula Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services levy is so crucial this week that 14 members of the department already have received layoff notices based on its results. If less than 60 percent of voters in Pierce County Fire District 16 approve the 10-year replacement levy, those 14 people will soon be out of work.

We ran a story last week about a new café and coffee house that literally sits over the water on Gig Harbor bay. The outdoor deck has seating for people of all ages, propane heat lamps for chilly days and is dog-friendly. Unfortunately, the story omitted one important tidbit — the address.

I have been a Republican my entire life. I have lived in the 6th Congressional District for nearly 20 years, and I have tried to vote Norm Dicks out of office nine times. This year, I am voting for him.

It’s big. It’s bold. It’s beautiful. It’s our new Sehmel Homestead Park, and if you haven’t yet had a chance to visit, make it a point to experience this grand gift to our community.

Ground Zero in New York City may seem like a million miles from Gig Harbor, but the controversy brewing there is affecting people all across the continent. Yes, we have Muslims and Christians and several other religions being practiced peacefully in our not-so-little-anymore community.

THE RACE for the Pierce County Council’s District 7 seat is one of the most crowded in recent history. Eight candidates are vying to replace Terry Lee, who has represented the Gig Harbor and Key peninsulas, as well as University Place, Fircrest and parts of west Tacoma, extremely well in the past eight years. But Lee will reach his two-term limit this December, and we believe there are two local candidates who would do the best job of carrying his torch.

DEREK KILMER knows what’s best for the 26th legislative district because he does what all politicians should do: He asks everyday citizens how they’re managing these tough economic times, and he attempts to find ways to fix it.

Two former state legislators have endorsed Boss for county seat Recently, there has been much speculation about the County Council race. While Terry Lee has done a good job for the area, he told many of us, several times, that he would not endorse anyone during the primary.

There I was last week, polishing off my mint chocolate chip ice cream cone while stepping around fanciful chalk drawings on the downtown sidewalks on my way to the free Elvis concert in Skansie Brothers Park. The evening sun gilded concertgoers. Boats bobbed in the harbor. “Elvis” swiveled in tight black leather pants.

On Aug. 17, Pierce County Fire District 16 voters will be asked to approve an Emergency Medical Services levy. This is not a new tax, it is simply a continuation of your current tax, which will maintain your current level of emergency services.

The Peninsula School District — and Key Peninsula Middle School, in particular — have had a long and wonderful relationship with NASA. It’s one of a select few schools in the United States chosen to participate in the NASA Space Explorer program. For that reason, this recent editorial piece written for The Olympian has special meaning for the Gig Harbor area.

I’ve been kicking around the newspaper business long enough to remember when public discourse was mostly civil and people who wanted to express their personal opinion in response to something they read would sign their names.

In a recent Gateway editorial, the Women in Black, the Gig Harbor chapter of an international antiwar organization, were identified as standing in support of the troops. I believe a clarification is in order.

As my final term on the Pierce County Council winds down, I want to thank the citizens of the 7th District for your support, and to assure you that, even after I leave office, I will continue to have a strong interest in the well-being of the district.

FOR 10 YEARS, Gig Harbor has been the community connector for those who serve in the military from our region. But for the 800-some troops who are returning home this month from Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, the connection may as well be a victory parade.

EVERY ONCE in a while, you come across a true story that could be torn straight from the pages of a novel. A story about a small-town hero who makes it big against all odds and beats the pros at their own game.