Word on the Street

Word on the Street » Archive by category "Gig Harbor" (Page 2)

Word on the Street

The latest news in and around Tacoma, Pierce County and South Puget Sound

Category: Gig Harbor

Aug.
13th

Gig Harbor graduate sets up legal defense fund for much-publicized flight attendant

A 2005 graduate of Gig Harbor High School has set up the “Steven Slater Legal Defense Fund” for a famous JetBlue flight attendant.

Gary Baumgardner, 23, who works as an airline pilot on the East Coast, said Thursday that the fund had surpassed $3,000 since he started the account Tuesday morning. He said all the money raised will go to Slater. After a confrontation with a passenger, Slater is accused of cursing out the passenger on the plane’s public-address system, grabbing some beer

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June
4th

Weekend plans: Gig Fest, National Trails Day

Many drivers are still recovering from last weekend’s encounter with the 27-mile-long traffic snake in Snoqualmie Pass, so all of this week’s ideas are within 27 miles of Tacoma. That way, no matter how bad things get, we guarantee you won’t be stuck in 27 miles worth of traffic.

But drivers beware: Construction work is expected to close multiple lanes of northbound I-5 through Lakewood, with the potential for 10-mile backups. Try to avoid the area from 9 tonight through 8 a.m. Sunday, with the heaviest traffic expected Saturday.

The weekend forecast calls for high temperatures in

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June
3rd

Harbor History Museum reopens in September with new building, new name

The Harbor History Museum is reopening mid-September at a new facility in downtown Gig Harbor.

The museum has been closed since 2008 while the new 15,000 square foot building was under construction. When it opens its doors Sept. 18, its official name will be the Sehmel Family Harbor History Museum. The Sehmels have donated $1.5 million to the museum, officials announced Wednesday.

The museum, established in 1973, aims to raise $500,000 in the next four months.

In September’s free-admission grand opening, visitors will be able to view the 65-foot fishing vessel Shenandoah, the historic Thunderbird Hull #1 and the one-room,

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May
21st

Peninsula students enjoying healthier lunch menu


Students at Harbor Heights Elementary eat lunch Friday. Janet Jensen, staff photographer.

Sophia Gregg snacked on a zesty soft taco during her lunch break Friday at Harbor Heights Elementary in Gig Harbor.

That might not sound different than the thousands of other lunches served every day in school cafeterias across the country, but the 11-year-old wasn’t eating a normal school meal.

Sophia and the 600 other kids Harbor Heights, as well as Voyager Elementary, are being served a healthier lunch menu that’s meant to increase fiber, limit salt and suger.
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May
18th

Gig Harbor seventh-grader one of 40 finalists in Google contest


This doodle by Bryan Wei, 13, of Gig Harbor, is one of 40 selected Google’s national Doodle 4 Google contest. If he wins, this picture will be displayed on Google’s homepage for an entire day, and seen by eleventy gajillion users.

A Gig Harbor seventh-grader is vying to get his artwork in front of millions of viewers everyday, and you can help him reach his goal.

Bryan Wei, a 13-year-old student at Kopachuck Middle School, is one of 40 finalists nationwide in the Doodle 4 Google contest.
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May
13th

Sehmel Homestead Park (finally) opens Saturday


View Untitled in a larger map

One of the Gig Harbor area’s most-anticipated pieces of park space is finally ready for the public.

On Saturday, the community will celebrate the opening of Sehmel Homestead Park, a 98-acre space lush with trees, meadows, sports fields, trails and amphitheater, among other amenities.

It took a few years to complete the $7.6 million park’s construction, but the effort to preserve the property as a community resource dates back to the early 1990s.
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April
30th

Vote to decide which historic site gets money

Cast your vote for one of 25 historic sites in the Puget Sound area – including six in Pierce County – that are competing for a share of $1 million in grant money from the Partners in Preservation program.

To raise awareness, most of the sites will have free open houses Saturday and Sunday. Many sites will offer tours, refreshments and entertainment. Read more »