Here’s one for the “as low as you can go” file.

The Salvation Army reported Friday that someone stole one of the organization’s Christmas kettles from outside the Spanaway Albertson’s about 6 p.m. Wednesday. The brazen thief struck as a volunteer rang the bell nearby.

The pot contained about $300 in cash and change, the Army said in a news release.

“Authorities responded, but the kettle, money and suspect still remain at large,” the release stated.

No description of the thief was released.

Salvation Army officials said the theft came at a time when the

Read more »

Lakewood resident Jehoshua Sean Kilen was sentenced Friday to 18 months in federal prison after being convicted of bank fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported in a news release Friday.

Kilen, a former employee of KeyBank, used insider information to identify inactive accounts that still had money in them. Some of the accounts were inactive because the customer had died, according to the release.

Kilen, 27, would transfer money from the inactive accounts into accounts he could withdraw cash from, federal authorities said. All told, he got away with $138,000 before getting caught.

The long arm of

Read more »

Two military deployments have prompted staffing changes within the Tacoma Police Department’s ranks.

Assistant Chief Jim Howatson has been deployed with his U.S. Coast Guard port security unit. Howatson is the commanding officer of the unit, which is supposed to be gone for the next six months.

Lt. Mike Ake, the Sector 3 commander, has been called and will be gone from the department for the next year, Assistant Chief Bob Sheehan said.

The following moves have been made to fill those spots.

* Capt. Tom Strickland was promoted to temporary assistant chief and will oversee

Read more »

The public parking lot at the Tacoma Police Department headquarters will be the scene of a Toys for Tots toy drive the first three weekends in December.

The drive starts tomorrow (Dec. 1-2). Toys will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Volunteers and officers will be accepting new and unwrapped toys for Pierce County’s annual Toys for Tots campaign. The department will have police vehicles and the mobile command center set up for viewing as an added bonus.

The headquarters is located at 3701 S.

Read more »

Put in a call this week to the state Liquor Control Board regarding the liquor license for McCabe’s American Music Cafe.

You may recall that I wrote earlier this month that McCabe’s liquor license expires at the end of this week. The City of Tacoma and Tacoma Police Department had filed a notice seeking non-renewal.

Brian Smith, communications director with the liquor control board, reports that Tacoma put in a request for non-renewal and asked for more time to submit a packet of information to backup their request before the license renewal is considered.

So, McCabe’s

Read more »

The state Supreme Court issued a ruling Thursday upholding previous law on pregnancy and hiring decisions.

The case is out of Cowlitz County. Here’s a link to the majority decision. And here’s a link to the concurring opinion.

The Northwest Women’s Law Center issued the following news release about the decision:

Read more »

Seattle PD needs your help in finding a man suspected in a series of sexual assaults in the South Seattle area in the past several months.

The most recent incident was Wednesday.

Here’s more from a Seattle PD press release:

The assaults occurred along Beacon Ave S (from Columbia to S. Cloverdale) and in the vicinity of 45 Ave S. and South Cloverdale St. All of the attacks have occurred within a very short distance of Metro bus stops, Routes 32 and 36 in particular. Most of the assaults have occurred between 5:30 p.m. and

Read more »

Tacoma police are investigating a robbery Wednesday evening at an espresso stand in the 4500 block of South Tacoma Way.

The suspect implied he had a weapon when he robbed the stand about 5 p.m. The gun was not displayed, however, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

The suspect, described as a Hispanic man in his 30s, was wearing a puffy white hooded jacket.

No arrest has been reported.