Community

Gig Harbor Now reporters cover community events and efforts that benefit and entertain the community.

City considers options, next steps in wake of failed property tax vote

May 01, 2024 | By:

As soon as it was apparent that voters had rejected a proposed property tax increase, the city’s Executive Committee – composed of the mayor, city administrator, police chief, finance director, city clerk and public works director – met to discuss the next steps for solving a potential budget crisis. As City Administrator Katrina Knutson reported

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Gig Harbor Police Blotter | Suspect in bicycle theft fights with officers

May 01, 2024 | By:

Gig Harbor officers and Pierce County deputies arrested a 35-year-old University Place man on suspicion of stealing an electric bicycle following a fight in which deputies say the suspect tried to reach for their firearms.

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Harbor Happenings | Volunteers sought for Parks Appreciation Day

Apr 30, 2024 | By:

Volunteers are needed at six local parks on Saturday, May 4, to clear trails, remove invasive vegetation and plant new trees and shrubs as part of Parks Appreciation Day. Parks Appreciation Day is an annual partnership between the city of Gig Harbor and PenMet Parks to tidy up local parks. This year, the focus will

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Grant helps Rotary continue its Little Food Pantry program

Apr 30, 2024 | By: Jill Dabbs

The Rotary Club of Gig Harbor Midday’s Little Food Pantry Project embarks on its fourth year providing emergency food, thanks in part to a matching grant from Rotary International District 5020. The grant provided $3,000 to purchase food to supplement donation and fundraising efforts. Beginning early 2021 with just two pantries, the project has grown

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Gig Harbor man dies while hiking in California national park

Apr 30, 2024 | By:

A 66-year-old Gig Harbor man died while hiking with his wife in Death Valley National Park in California on April 5, according to the National Parks Service. The man was about a mile up Mosaic Canyon Trail when he suffered what officials termed an “acute medical event.” The Parks Service did not identify the man.

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PSD stands for Peninsula School District and its Purple Star distinction

Apr 29, 2024 | By:

“I am a military child. That means moving every few years and constantly fighting change,” said Brendan Masini Jr., as he spoke in Olympia in early 2023 to support a bill creating a Purple Star Award for military-friendly school districts. “Whether those changes were new schools, new people, new surroundings, or watching my dad leave

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911 meets 988 at emergency call center serving Gig Harbor area

Apr 29, 2024 | By:

As the largest 911 call center in Washington, a growing number of the nearly 1 million calls South Sound 911 handles annually involve someone experiencing a mental or behavioral health crisis.  Aiming to better support these callers, the emergency call center launched a first-of-its-kind model that will bring counselors from the state’s 988 mental health

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Russell Foundation grants go to Harbor WildWatch, Great Peninsula Conservancy, others

Apr 26, 2024 | By:

The Gig Harbor-based Russell Family Foundation this week awarded 27 grants worth $819,000 to several organizations serving youth and young adults in Pierce, Kitsap, Thurston, Jefferson, Mason and South King Counties. The grants are part of the foundation’s Environmental Education portfolio and provide focus on organizations that provide outdoor environmental learning experiences. “We recognize the

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Two in Tow & On the Go | Tacoma reaches new heights with tower slide at Foss Waterway

Apr 26, 2024 | By:

I don’t know if it was the magnetic pull of seeing a 36-foot-tall climbing tower or the sure-fire promise of thrills zipping down its double-digit tube slide – but Metro Parks Tacoma’s brand-new playground unveiled earlier this month definitely convinced us to make a trip over the bridge to see what’s up.

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Day Tripper | Beginning a Puget Sound Loop

Apr 25, 2024 | By: Mary Williams

I know. This is Day Tripper. I’ve established limits: No more than 100 miles each way, and an adventure that can be accomplished in just one day. Each of my destinations is just that, a one-day trip that does not exceed 200 miles total, out and back again. I’ve been thinking about places I want

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