Here’s the consumer alert Niki Horace, Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations for the Better Business Bureau, posted regarding Couch’s Appliance and Furnishings’ sudden closure in Fife.

Many customers report that they had paid for appliances that have not been delivered.

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BUSINESS FAILS TO CLOSE OUT TRANSACTIONS BEFORE CLOSING ITS DOORS

Couch’s Appliance and Furnishings Shuts Down, Without Notifying Its Customers



DuPont, WA

Drivers on the Kitsap Peninsula might have noticed their commutes were a bit easier the last three days.

That’s because state work crews opened the Burley Olalla interchange just north of the Pierce County line Wednesday. I wrote a story on the $25 million project back in 2007.

The state wanted to “open up” the only intersection on Highway 16. Cars on Burley Olalla Road used to have to cross four lanes of 50 mph traffic.
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Here’s my story that’s scheduled to run Monday:

By Brent Champaco
The News Tribune
These days, the Lakewood Theatre – once the echelon of the city’s entertainment and find-dining scene — is a forgotten relic of local history.

Efforts to purchase the 1937 building have come and gone. Its owner wants to sell the building to someone who will restore it.
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Neighbors and park district officials will dedicate rebuilt playground equipment on Saturday at Alling Park. This is literally a “rise again from the ashes” story out of Tacoma’s South End.

The play structure replaces one that was damaged in an arson fire over the summer. South End neighbors had spent five years raising money toward that play area as part of the larger renovation of the park. The new equipment was up and running only 12 weeks before an arsonist torched it on July 24.

But neighbors and Tacoma Metro Parks officials rallied and vowed to immediately rebuild. …

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The deadline for applications to be in Auburn’s 2009 Veterans Day Parade is Friday, according to the Auburn Parks, Arts & Recreation Department.

The 44th annual event will be held on Saturday, Nov. 7, beginning at 11 a.m. The parade is limited to approximately 200 entries and will be viewed by tens of thousands. This year’s parade will honor the American Legion.

Official applications may be picked up at the park’s office located at 910 Ninth St. Souteastor downloaded from the City of Auburn’s website at www.auburnwa.gov.

Applications can be faxed to 253-931-4005 or can be mailed or …

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By Brent Champaco
The News Tribune

Attention Lakewood prostitutes: Asking one of your potential clients to touch you sexually to prove he’s not a cop could land you in handcuffs.

On a 6-1 vote Monday night, the Lakewood City Council adopted new rules to help police catch suspected prostitutes and avoid health risks. It is now the first city locally to make it illegal for a person to try to avoid an arrest by exposing herself, touching someone sexually, asking someone to touch her or even asking the potential customer if he’s a police officer.

As I wrote …

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Readers are telling me how much they love Inez Glass, who was the subject of my story today.

I shared her story of being a nurse in World War II and opening Cottesmore nursing home as part of a promise to her family.

What I didn’t have room to include was her story of how she actually started the Gig Harbor nursing home, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

The story goes like this: Glass, now 87, was a full-time, working mother when she pursued construction of a new nursing home. She didn’t have the money, so she contacted the pastor of her church.
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The Samoan Community of the Greater Tacoma/Seattle area will hold a candlelight vigil Saturday evening in Tacoma for the victims of the Samoa tsunami.
The vigil, which will begin at 6 p.m., will be held at Jack Hyde Park, 1743 N Schuster Parkway, on the Tacoma waterfront.
The vigil is open to the public. Organizers encourage the Samoan community members to attend. Donations will be collected to send to Samoa to help with the relief efforts.