I just toured Tacoma Community House, a charity that helps immigrants get language and job skills. Don Rennegarbe, its executive director, showed me around its Hilltop buildings.

We were bouncing around different ideas for future stories for the paper, and I’ll keep you posted about that. But I found it interesting how the origins of the people it helps have changed. Tacoma Community House aided Italian and Scandinavian immigrants when it opened 98 years ago. Now, many come from the Latin America and the former Soviet Union.

It got me thinking: From where will the next wave

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I’m about to head out to Tacoma Community House, where I’ll meet with the executive director about possible story ideas.

Later, I’ll be trying to pop into some tattoo parlors near Fort Lewis to try to grab some leads about a story about memorial ink.

And I’m going to be chasing down a fresh look at the increasing trend of stolen copper wire.

I realize I’ve been slacking with updating the blog. There’s good reason.

I sent a records request to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department:




























And it returned almost 1,700 pages:


























And I’ve had to boil it into something semi-readable:

I was out and about with a job shadow today chasing down leads that led nowhere on Tacoma’s Eastside, in Tillicum and in Puyallup.

One thing I notice every time I’m on McKinley Avenue: The best-looking building in the city is located there. (I dropped by to talk to the editor, but he wasn’t there.) It’s this one:

Two more after the jump:

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There’s a vigil tonight in support of Sukhvir Singh, a Sikh cabdriver from Kent who was attacked Saturday in what police say was a hate crime (an older version of the story is found here).

According to a release from The Sikh Coalition, the vigil will begin tonight at 6 p.m. at the Gurdwara Singh Sabha of Washington at 5200 Talbot Road S. in Renton.

There’s more info here.

UPDATE: The address has changed.

I’ve got a job shadow today. That means I’ve got to find something cool to cover. Got any ideas?

Calvin Goings is a good sport. Trib columnist Pete Callaghan tears into him about the early appearance of the Pierce County councilman’s yard signs, yet he calls me hours after the paper landed on his front porch to talk about the signs.

Quick recap: The signs started appearing months ago. They’re everywhere. And the election for Pierce County Executive is in November 2008.

If Goings wanted to outflank his opponents early, he’s successful. And, the Democrat said, isn’t that the point?

"Obviously, this is not a campaign for student council," he said. "This is for the top

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Toy Rescue Mission is in need during the critical holiday season. I previously blogged and shot a video of the place (posted again below), so check it out. If you’re interested, there’s more info after the jump.

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