Have you been following the conversations about the new 253 decal & tee & hoodie design by Jesse Arneson?

Steve Naccarato, owner of The Republic of 253 posted it today, and it’s gotten a passionate reception, pro and con.

That’s not surprising, considering the contrast to the 253 heart designed by Daniel Blue and seen on thousands of rear windows throughout the South Sound and Beyond..

Naccarato is listening to other opinions and considering bigger issues of artistic integrity, community responsibility, even the second amendment, before he decides whether to sell items bearing the design.

What do …

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Point Defiance Elementary School in Tacoma will be closed Thursday, May 17 due to a break in the water line.

The break was detected early Wednesday. Tacoma Public Schools brought in portable toilets and other supplies to operate school on Wednesday.

School District officials said they are working with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, which must inspect the emergency repair to the main water line to the school. Once the health department determines the water supply is clean and safe, the school can reopen on Friday. If unforeseen problems delay the reopening beyond Friday, the school will notify parents.

Students …

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Communities in Schools of Tacoma hosts its fundraising luncheon Wednesday, June 6, at the Hotel Murano in downtown Tacoma. Tickets are $50.

The guest speaker is Jon Kitna, former Seattle Seahawk and current Lincoln High School football coach and math teacher.

Doors open at 11:00 a.m., and the luncheon is from noon to 1 p.m.

For more information or to reserve your seat, call 253-571-1139 or go to www.cisoftacoma.org.

Communities in Schools is a drop-out prevention program that strives for student academic success by providing community support for students.

The Puyallup Public Library has joined a network of public libraries offering free downloads of songs from the Sony Music catalog.

Registered cardholders of the Puyallup Public Library can download three Sony Music MP3 tracks each month at no charge through the library Website, www.puyalluplibrary.org

The library underwrites the purchase of the music.

Other libraries in the network include the Pierce County Library System and Tacoma Public Library. (Download rules may vary)

University of Washington Tacoma professor Charles Emlet has been selected as a Fulbright visiting research chair in science and the environment at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. He is the sixth UWT faculty member selected as a Fulbright scholar.

Emlet was granted the award for his project that will examine the experiences of older, HIV-positive Canadians. His work will be conducted during the 2012-13 academic year.

He joined the UWT faculty in the university’s social work program in 1999.

Lincoln High School in Tacoma recently celebrated “signing day” for graduating seniors heading off to college and careers. More than 100 parents, community members and school officials attended. The event was created to help create a “college-going culture” at the high-poverty school.

Old English Sheepdog Rescue of Washington State, based in Roy, recently joined other animal welfare organizations in the area that list their homeless pets on Petfinder.com, a database of adoptable animals on the Internet.

More than 13,600 animal welfare organizations post their pets on the site. Old English Sheepdog Rescue of Washington State pets may be viewed at www.petfinder.com/shelters/WA549.html

You can enter search criteria for the kind of pet you want, and a list ranks the pets in proximity to the zip code you enter. Adoptions are handled by the animal placement group where the …

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Pierce College has been selected to join the Achieving the Dream National Reform Network.

Pierce joins with 15 other colleges in Washington and 200 nationally that are working on strategies to help close the achievement gap for minority students and increase college completion rates.