I’ve gotten a couple of e-mails and a phone call regarding my reporting that “no one was turned away” at Saturday’s swine flu vaccination clinic at Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup.

The concerned readers said they were at the end of the line when a security officer told them early in the day there wouldn’t be enough vaccine for everyone. So they left.

That announcement was wrong and not authorized by the health department, a health department supervisor told me Saturday. Health department workers later went out to tell people there would indeed be enough vaccine.

It sounds like …

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The City of Auburn is waiving fees for inspecting and permitting sewer back flow protection during the upcoming flood season.

Anyone who paid such fees after Oct. 8 will have that them refunded.

The potential savings is up to $60. While no fee will be charged, an inspection and permit are required. Fees will be waived through March 1.

“This decision came at the urging of Municipal Services (Committee) chairperson Gene Cerino,” said Auburn Mayor Pete Lewis. “He saw a real need to offer real assistance to our community so they can prepare for a potential disaster and we …

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Still time to cast your vote to help choose the name for Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium’s newest Sumatran Tiger. The choices: Bali or George.

Here are arguments in favor of either name, from Point D’s Web site:

Keeper Andy cast his vote for Bali.
“Bali was his original name,” Andy said. “Plus, his brother’s name is Java. The islands of Java and Bali both had tigers at one point, but they’ve gone extinct. So, their names reference that significant loss that we have suffered.”

Keeper Paul cast his vote for George.
“George just fits

…

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Puyallup won’t be hosting a tent city for homeless individuals in the immediate future, city officials decided Tuesday night.
After a lengthy public hearing on the proposal, the city council failed to approve an ordinance that would have allowed a 40-person encampment somewhere in the city.
Homelessness prevention advocates, church representatives and some members of Puyallup’s homeless community spoke overwhelmingly in favor of allowing a homeless encampment in town.

They said a camp would help families who have ended up on the street as a result of the economic recession and need a place to stay during the …

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South Tacoma gardeners have spent the summer doing the practically impossible. In half a year, they planned, built and planted a garden to feed the community.

Now they are planning gardens that will feed the spirit of the community.

They have invited Daniel Winterbottom to talk about Restorative Community Gardens Saturday,  from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at  Manitou Community Center, 4806 S. 66th St., Tacoma.

Winterbottom is an associate professor with the University of Washington’s Department of Landscape Architecture. He’s designed urban gardens for immigrants in New York City and slum dwellers in Guatemala.

He’ll discuss the ways in …

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Eatonville has seen a century’s worth of the worst weather the Northwest can muster, so town residents weren’t about to let the threat of showers rain on their parade Saturday morning.

Several hundred of them lined downtown streets to celebrate the town’s centennial. Lo and behold, the rain held off.

“Once again, the Lord prevailed,” declared Cyndy Simianer, director of the Eatonville Community Float. “It never rains on my parade.”

The parade was part of a full weekend of festivities as the foothills town of 2,300 celebrated its 100th birthday.  Saturday also featured a Volksmarch and a street fair.

At …

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Historic Tacoma has put together an Open House and Tour to build interest and support for Tacoma’s historic churches.

The event runs from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, October 25. Sponsors suggest visitors start at one of three churches to pick up a tour guide and map. They are St. Luke’s Episcopal at 3615 N. Gove St., Immanuel Presbyterian at 901 N. J St. or Holy Rosary at 434 S. 30th St.

The tour is the latest event sponsored by Historic Tacoma related to pre-1970 churches. The group helped push a city survey that identified 170 historic churches. Fifteen different …

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Homeless people are among the first in Pierce County to get the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine that was dispensed today during the Project Homeless Connect health fair held in the Tacoma Dome.

The Tacoma Pierce County Health Department, the community coordinator for the 2009 H1N1 vaccine, allocated about 200 units of the vaccine for the fair, according to Kathy Harsch who supervises the flu vaccine outreach for the Health Department.

It was the first public dispensing in the county of the still hard-to-get vaccine.

The vaccine was only in a nasal form and was targeted at healthy people ages two …

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