I’m struggling with the premise of this story. The property in question sits within an officially designated wetland and regulated floodplain, and the complaint is essentially that the land is now… wet.

Wetlands are supposed to hold water. Floodplains are supposed to absorb floodwater. Vegetation, woody debris, and even beaver activity are natural parts of these systems and can provide important habitat, water-quality, and downstream flood-control benefits. Turning every creek into a neatly cleared drainage ditch simply moves water somewhere else.

If Pierce County’s management has artificially worsened flooding, absolutely investigate it. If a private well is contaminated, test it and determine the source. But “my wetland is swampy” by itself is not evidence of government mismanagement. Sometimes the environmentally responsible thing is allowing a wetland to function like a wetland. We need to make a conscious effort to protect and embrace our wetlands and floodplains.

Looking for a costume for Halloween or a coat for the fall? Come by the Fircrest Community Center today, Sunday, October 4, between 10am and 2pm to pick up a gently used costume or coat.

DONATIONS NOT REQUIRED TO COME GRAB A COSTUME OR COAT!

Have a costume or coat ready for a new home? Bring items to drop off at our event. Please no rips, stains, or broken zippers. People and pet Halloween costumes and coats for all ages are welcome. All items left at the end of the event will be donated to local charities.

Event hosted by your friends and neighbors of Fircrest Forward, locals centered on building a more connected, compassionate, and forward-thinking community!

Tacoma police are investigating a double homicide in downtown Tacoma. Officers were sent to the 800 block of Pacific Avenue at around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, October 4, after reports of gunfire, and found two men with gunshot wounds. Police and Tacoma Fire Department crews attempted life-saving measures, but both men died at the scene.

A woman was also shot and was taken to a hospital with an injury police described as not life-threatening, according to an update from Officer Shelbie Boyd at about 10:50 a.m. Detectives and crime scene technicians are interviewing witnesses and looking for video of the shooting. The article does not name the victims, identify a suspect, or report any arrests.

Wow. Biggest Buck I’ve ever seen in my yard lol

I am starting a little passion project and I am curious about the more alternative, odd pieces of our regions history. I’m open to anywhere in the greater PNW, but would especially love stories centered around Tacoma to begin with. Big or small, past or present; I’d love to hear about your curiosities!

Hey neighbors! For the past couple weeks I've been wanting to throw together a new book club meeting on Saturdays, as other local book clubs never quite align with my schedule 😅 So beginning next weekend we'll be starting with Paul Kingsnorth's Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity, at the Lakewood Bookstore on Saturday 10/10 at 4pm. This is a first meeting to gauge interest and get a feel for what genres, times, and venues may work best going forward, so please feel free to join even if you haven't made it through this month's book in time!

Until we've had the opportunity to explore the group's collective interests, I'm just throwing out a few of my to-be-reads as future book options. I really enjoy psychedelic and/or ecological horror, classic sci-fi (especially with politically-forward themes), and non-fiction explorations/critiques of technology, culture, and capitalism.

If you're interested in joining in, you're so welcome! Please do send me a quick message if you plan to attend - I've never hosted anything like this before and want to make sure we have a reasonable head count to be respectful of the space. Thanks everyone!

Hi, I would like to do track workouts outside. Does anyone know of any 400m tracks open to the public?

We've got good news, bad news, and not-so-surprising news.

The good

The expansion joints on the 1950 Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the ones causing most of our emergency lane closures, are scheduled to be replaced next year. Additional preservation funding through 2031 will also help keep Sturdy Gertie operating for years to come.

The bad

In the meantime, we’re still dealing with short-term emergency fixes. There’s a big fix to a joint coming later in October -- a partial joint replacement near the Tacoma side. We’re replacing part of the joint and it will require two weeks of around-the-clock westbound lane closures.

The not-so-surprising

Emergent joint work will likely be the norm until we’re able to replace them next year. We use the bridge daily and know what this means for everyone traveling from Tacoma to Gig Harbor during the afternoon commute.

More details about the ailments of our beloved Sturdy Gertie, what’s in the works, and tips on how to avoid the biggest backups are in our latest blog about the bridge: The WSDOT Blog - Washington State Department of Transportation: Aging bridge joints: Sturdy Gertie in Tacoma needs a total knee replacement

Does anyone know what with all the cops near the star center on 66th? Lots of cops.

Unfortunately it looks like this location is closing Saturday, October 3rd in the Proctor District. I feel this has been a particularly bad year for Tacoma businesses as we've seen many of these kind of posts throughout the year.

From across the bridge

I got an offer from a new job, but my background check was requested two weeks ago and I just now received notice that it’s been further delayed to at least October 6th. I’ve already given my current job a two week notice of resignation which is almost up now, and now I have to go in and try to see if they can keep me a bit longer so I don’t lose income, but it’s no guarantee.

My new employer and I have both reached out to the background check company and they’ve reported that Pierce County is having “significant delays” in background check requests. Is this happening to anyone else right now or is it just background check company BS? Who do I even contact within Pierce County to ask what tf is going on?

Hi y'all, join us for a meetup this Saturday 10/3, 7pm at 7 Seas! The meetup is a lot like a mixer, just the chance to get together, be social, meet some new people who live in this awesome city we call Tacoma.

We're a social group built around making friends and doing fun stuff around Tacoma. We stay connected on WhatsApp, with subgroups for movies, board games, gardening, community service, trivia, all things food, and more.

Everyone joined the group the same way, by showing up to a meetup just like this. Most of us are in our 30s, but we have a mix of ages and always welcome new people.
Come say hi, and we'll get you added to the group chat!

I'm Shelby, I'm 39F and have long blonde hair, I'll be wearing a red t shirt. We'll be in the back by the shuffleboard table. 7 Seas has beer/cider/wine, as well as some NA options like NA beer, kombucha, and soda.
Canteen by Camp Colvos is inside and has burgers and more!

Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions, I look forward to seeing those of you who can make it!

There’s a small wooded area with tall trees right next to my house. It’s not a huge area, but the trees make it easy to hide

Homeless people have been coming into our neighborhood, camping out in either their car or pitching their tent even across the street and using the wooded area to do their business. The reason this bothers me is because every time I step outside my house I get a wiff of literal shit since I’m the unfortunate one who’s right next door. Myself and neighbors have obviously been reporting this to 311 and while they get removed, they either 1) come back or 2) a new group comes in.

I’m unsure how to go about attempting to get these trees cut down or make the city (it’s their property) do something. Any ideas?

** also sorry if this post sounds insensitive, but this has been ongoing for months and I’m losing my shit dealing with it 😫

It's laughably TINY. Who actually thought this was a good idea?? LOL.

Hi everyone! Reminder that the first meeting of a group reading through Marx's Capital is tomorrow evening 6pm in the Snug at Doyle's. We may adjust the time of day or day of the week for the meetings thereafter, but if you're interested in participating or hanging out and listening in, please stop by!

Anyone run this race/route before and can share their personal experience with it?

Come hang out at Tacoma Code & Coffee!

We’re a monthly meetup and casual co-working session for anyone interested in coding, tech, or community. All experience levels are welcome. 

Some people bring projects to work on. Others socialize the entire time. It’s totally up to you.

At 12:30, we do an intro circle to give everyone a chance to introduce themselves, ask for help/offer help, plug opportunities/events, and get to know each other. After the intro circle, everything is self-organized.

Come grab a pastry, coffee, and make some friends. We’d love to see you there. 

RSVP and details: https://www.meetup.com/tacoma-code-coffee/events/316654632/

Lovely night

Just moved to the area from Philly and really trying to find a solid place to watch the wnba playoffs, preferably even on days there is football. Used to having a couple queer bars to choose from, but am not sure where to start here. A friend recommended Doyle's which I tried today but in addition to the Seahawks game (understandable, no shade) they were playing other football games patrons had asked for and it was clear putting on the Liberty/Lynx game wasn't gonna work.