About 1,000 Lakewood residents face not having power restored tonight after a pole fire that caused power outages across Pierce County.

Tacoma Public Utilities crews are working to replace the damaged equipment and reroute power to restore service after the fire, which the agency reported about 5:30 p.m.

Power was lost in the Lakewood, Steilacoom, University Place, South Tacoma and Joint Base Lewis-McChord areas after the fire at 75th Street West and Bridgeport Way in Lakewood, TPU spokeswoman Chris Gleason said.

The cause of the fire and boundaries of the outage were still being determined.

People who live between 70th …

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Pierce County prosecutors have charged a suspected drunken driver with prior convictions after he drove through a yard in Steilacoom Sunday and tried to assault the homeowner when confronted.

William James Hughes Jr., 42, has been charged with fourth-degree assault, felony DUI, third-degree driving on a suspended license, resisting arrest and failure to have an ignition interlock device.

Court records indicate he has at least four prior DUIs.

Police were called about 2:20 a.m. Sunday to a house in the 2400 block of Worthington Street by a woman who said a drunken driver had torn up her yard and was …

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A woman was attacked by a pack of raccoons near Ft. Steilacoom Park Monday afternoon, Lakewood police said.

Michaela Lee, 28, was walking home with her leashed dog after jogging through the park about 1:30 p.m., when the raccoons attacked, her boyfriend Shane Bennett said.

Her dog, Maddison, ran away to chase two raccoons up a tree as she was leaving the park on a trail, said Lakewood police spokesman Chris Lawler. Lee went to get the dog, at which point more raccoons came out of a bush and chased her as she ran away.

She ran 75 feet before …

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Crews using vacuum trucks spent Friday cleaning up diesel fuel that spilled in Steilacoom, the state Department of Ecology reported.

Ecology officials were notified about 10 p.m. Thursday of fuel in storm drains and ditches. Investigators tracked the source of the fuel to a residence on Nisqually Avenue. The cause of the spill remained unknown Friday afternoon, Ecology spokeswoman Linda Kent said.

Officials said a small amount of diesel sheen may occur at the outfall near the landing for the Steilacoom-Anderson Island Ferry at 56 Union Avenue in Steilacoom.

Flames destroyed a Steilacoom home early Thursday.

The owner of the home at 74 Bonney St. noticed the fire and ran to the house of a neighbor, who called 911 about 1:40 a.m., according the Steilacoom Department of Public Safety.

Public-safety officers from Steilacoom as well as firefighters from DuPont and West Pierce Fire & Rescue responded and doused the flames.

No one was hurt.

Pierce County sheriff’s deputies arrested a 27-year-old man Saturday after he allegedly stole a can of baby formula and pack of hot dogs from a grocery store, then bit a loss prevention officer.

Court documents provide the following information.

Loss prevention officers at Safeway spotted the man inside the store in the 15800 block of Pacific Avenue. They watched him hide a package of hot dogs in his clothes.

The man then went to the deli counter and bought an item.

A prevention officer then saw the man grab a can of baby formula and place it in his bag …

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UPDATE: The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the woman as Leslie Jacobsen of Yelm.

INITIAL POST:

By The News Tribune staff:

A 63-year-old woman drowned Monday while scuba diving with a companion near Sunnyside Beach in Steilacoom.

Her name was not released, pending notification of her family.

The diving partner pulled the unconscious woman onto Sunnyside Beach shortly before 2 p.m. and help was called, Town Administrator Paul Loveless said.

Paramedics tried to revive the woman but were unsuccessful.