Community

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

Gig Harbor Real Estate: Despite high mortgage rates, home prices tick up in October

Nov 09, 2023 | By: Alison Paoli

It was a scary sight in October when mortgage rates spiked to a 23-year year high, causing the housing market to slow to a December-like crawl a few months ahead of schedule. But, while the historically high mortgage rates are keeping buyers and sellers at bay and impacting the volume of sales, they are not

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Jennifer Preston: All mushrooms are magic

Nov 08, 2023 | By:

They help turn wheat into bread and fruit into wine. They ferment cacao beans, making it possible for us to enjoy one of the world’s favorite treats — chocolate. They give us penicillin, forever altering the way we fight infection. These mostly invisible, seemingly magical organisms quietly go about their work sustaining forests and enriching

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Elementary students get ready to rhumba with ballroom dance lessons

Nov 08, 2023 | By:

Sultry tango music plays in a half-empty portable classroom at Voyager Elementary School. Chairs and tables have been pushed aside to create a small dance floor, where students in pairs mark the beat with their feet. Step, step, step, to-the-side and close. “T-A-N-G-O,” calls out instructor Roxanne Nielsen, helping count the rhythm. It may not

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Nearly 59 percent of voters rejecting PenMet levy proposal

Nov 07, 2023 | By:

Voters in the PenMet Parks district rejected a six-year levy lid lift request in preliminary ballot returns posted Tuesday, Nov. 7. Nearly 59 percent of 8,733 ballots counted as of Tuesday opposed the request, which would allow the district to collect property taxes of up to 6% more than the previous year instead of the state

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Deputies arrest suspect who shot at neighbor in Purdy

Nov 07, 2023 | By:

Pierce County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested a man in Purdy early Tuesday morning, Nov. 7, after he allegedly fired a gun at a neighbor. Nobody was injured in the incident, according to sheriff’s office spokesman Sgt. Darren Moss. The incident occurred on the 14400 block of 62nd Ave. NW, near Peninsula High School. The victim

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Harbor Happenings: A salute to veterans on Nov. 11

Nov 07, 2023 | By:

The sixth annual Gig Harbor Veterans Day Celebration starts at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at the Gig Harbor Antique Aero Museum at Tacoma Narrows Airport. This year’s event will include a special ceremony commemorating veterans of the Vietnam War. United States military forces withdrew from Vietnam 50 years ago this year. The keynote speaker

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Gene Juarez opening in Uptown Gig Harbor on Nov. 11

Nov 06, 2023 | By:

A new Gene Juarez Salons & Spa in the Uptown Gig Harbor shopping complex will open Saturday, Nov. 11, the company announced Monday. It will be the salon’s 11th location in Washington state. Previously, the closest Gene Juarez locations were in Tacoma and Silverdale. The 2,300-square-foot Gig Harbor salon is taking reservations. A news release

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Gig Harbor Now and Then: Donkey Creek Park Douglas fir isn’t all that old … for a tree

Nov 06, 2023 | By: Greg Spadoni

Our most recent Gig Harbor Now and Then questions of local history involve Gig Harbor’s first big industry, logging. Specifically, they concern a single second-growth Douglas fir tree standing tall in the city of Gig Harbor’s Donkey Creek Park. They are: How old is the Donkey Creek Park fir tree? Answer: Between 50 and 100

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Sports Beat: Gig Harbor volleyball beats Peninsula as teams finish tied for second in league

Nov 03, 2023 | By:

An ESPN banner hung over a tabletop at center court, with three Peninsula students energetically playing their parts as announcers for a girls volleyball showdown between Gig Harbor and Peninsula on Wednesday, Nov. 1. Full student sections from each school saw some fantastic volleyball with leaping kills, quick-handed saves, running serves, high-velocity spikes, and several

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Ballots are due Tuesday, Nov. 7; here’s where to drop them off

Nov 03, 2023 | By:

Ballots in this fall’s elections must be mailed by Tuesday, Nov. 7, or placed in a drop box by 8 p.m. that day.  Local races on the 2023 ballot include a levy lid lift proposition for the Peninsula Metropolitan Park District; a PenMet commision seat; three Gig Harbor City Council positions, though only one is

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