Community

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

Police find 66-year-old man dead of apparent suicide after woman reports being held against her will

Nov 20, 2023 | By:

Gig Harbor Police found a 66-year-old man dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a home on Sehmel Drive on Saturday, Nov. 18. The discovery came after a 27-year-old woman said he held her against her will for several days. The woman walked up to a house on the 10800 block of Sehmel around

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Gig Harbor Now and Then: If you figured out what Flamo is, you’re really cooking with gas

Nov 20, 2023 | By: Greg Spadoni

The setup to our last Gig Harbor Now and Then local history question was very simple: In 1930, Flamo arrived in Gig Harbor. It’s still there, although is now known under another name. Question: What is Flamo? Answer: propane. “Flamo” was the trade name of the Standard Oil Company of California’s propane. The first mention

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Chum Fest brings lots of families (but no salmon) to Donkey Creek

Nov 20, 2023 | By:

The salmon didn’t show up, but hundreds of festival goers did. The 2023 Chum Festival, hosted by Harbor WildWatch, was a family-friendly walk this year, with hands-on learning activities along txʷaalqəł Estuary from Austin Park, behind Harbor History Museum, and to Donkey Creek Park. To keep it fun, participants received a small passport book to

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2023 LeMans race was short but sweet thanks to thick fog, still conditions

Nov 20, 2023 | By: Chapin Day

A fog-shrouded start and winds that varied from light to nary a breath foreshortened Saturday’s annual Le Mans Yacht race, but not before the nearly two dozen yachts provided a dazzling display of sails and seamanship for spectators ashore. Onlookers who tried to watch the start from Gig Harbor’s north end saw nothing but a

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Sports Beat: Volleyball teams qualify for state tournament

Nov 17, 2023 | By:

The Gig Harbor (14-7) and Peninsula (13-8) volleyball teams both qualified for the Class 3A state tournament with inspired play at the 3/4 District championships at Mount Tacoma and Capital High Schools on Nov. 10 and 11. The teams play at the Yakima Valley SunDome on Nov. 17 and 18. District play Gig Harbor and

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Two In Tow & On The Go: Ahoy Kitsap Playland is worth the drive

Nov 17, 2023 | By:

I know of a magical place where the little kids go, but the big kids secretly love playing there too. Children can climb, and spin and meet new friends. And it doesn’t even require a jacket, even in jacket weather. This place is Ahoy Kitsap Playland, a padded indoor commercial play place that’s widely popular yet doesn’t ever seem too crowded. Yes, it’s all the way north in Bremerton. But you get to pass the big Navy ships on the way there! Our faves here are the foam circles to tip-toe across the net bridge like rocks in a creek, an epic bright yellow wave slide and various ways to swing, sway and spin.

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Gig Harbor City Council slightly increases property tax rate

Nov 17, 2023 | By:

The Gig Harbor City Council voted unanimously to increase the city’s property tax levy by 1.14 percent in 2024 at a meeting Monday, Nov. 13. The 2024 levy will bring in $3,404,969, $83,187 more than this year. That calculates to a rate of about $0.6981 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation. The 2023 rate is

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Gig Harbor Police Blotter: Suspect Tases woman during robbery attempt

Nov 16, 2023 | By:

Editor’s note: The Blotter is written based on information provided by Gig Harbor Police , Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One  and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. A 68-year-old Port Orchard woman told police that someone Tased her following an unsuccessful attempt to steal her purse in the parking lot of the Gig Harbor Costco around 3:30 p.m. Nov. 9. Police

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In the Margins: It’s time for humanity to take off its training wheels

Nov 15, 2023 | By:

In October, my phone buzzed with an incoming message from my son-in-law. He proudly shared a video of my spunky 3-year-old granddaughter pedaling her new “big kid” bike, complete with hot-pink paint and fresh training wheels. She was grinding away on her pedals, then cautiously coaster-braking to a stop, much to the amusement of her

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Jennifer Preston: Foraging for the fungus among us

Nov 15, 2023 | By:

Editor’s note: This is the second in Jennifer Preston’s two-part series about mushrooms. Read the first here. The Pacific Northwest is known for its wide variety of wild mushrooms. They sprout up throughout the year from the coast to the Olympics Peninsula’s temperate rainforest, in local parks, perhaps even in your backyard. We are lucky

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