Government

Gig Harbor Now provides citizens the information they need to oversee and participate in the city of Gig Harbor, Pierce County and smaller governing bodies.

A filling station in the forest? Developers propose bringing gas, retail and more to the heart of Swede Hill

Oct 17, 2024 | By:

Leaving Highway 16 at Burnham Drive and turning left onto Sehmel Drive has always meant a quick shift into rural mode. As drivers navigate the winding two-lane road through Swede Hill and North Rosedale, over hills and alongside woods and scattered residences, there’s nary a place to shop or fill the gas tank before arriving

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Vision for future Peninsula Gardens park emerges

Oct 17, 2024 | By:

Consultants working with the community create a master plan for the former nursery that includes all the desired amenities they could reasonably fit.

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Conservative, progressive values collide in state superintendent race

Oct 16, 2024 | By:

As K-12 schools have become a battleground for culture wars, it’s no surprise that the 2024 race for state Superintendent of Public Instruction, a nonpartisan position, is fraught with political overtones. David Olson, a longtime Peninsula School District board member, hopes to unseat incumbent Chris Reykdal, seeking a third term as head of the state’s

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Pierce County jurors now getting $100 per day

Oct 15, 2024 | By: Grace Deng/Washington State Standard

The Washington State Standard, a nonprofit newsroom covering policy and politics in Olympia, wrote this story. Residents of Pierce County who appear for jury duty will receive $100 a day and mileage reimbursements in an attempt to improve juror participation and diversity. The pilot program, which began Monday, Oct. 14, replaces the $10 typically paid

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Sixth District contest matches state senators from adjacent districts

Oct 15, 2024 | By:

During an event at the Admiral Theater in Bremerton last week, Democratic candidate Emily Randall recounted to a colleague how she first came to the venue as a fifth-grader, winning the chance to present a check to the reigning Miss America. Randall, a state senator from Bremerton, has frequently highlighted her Kitsap County upbringing as

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Vet Caldier, upstart Mitchell vying for 26th District seat

Oct 10, 2024 | By:

Four Democrats have taken a crack at state Rep. Michelle Caldier since she edged Larry Seaquist in 2014 to capture the 26th Legislative District’s Position 2 seat. None have come close. Caldier, R-Gig Harbor, has won every general election race by double digits. Next up is Tiffiny Mitchell, who finished second to Caldier in the

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Young, Richards foresee another tight 26th District clash

Oct 10, 2024 | By:

Jesse Young and Adison Richards received more than 49% of the vote in separate legislative races during the 2022 election cycle. Both lost. Now they’re running against each other in what’s likely to be another tight competition for the 26th District’s Position 1 seat in the state House of Representatives. Which will get that little

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Work begins on Gig Harbor Fire’s training center as Fox Island, Crescent Valley projects near completion

Oct 09, 2024 | By:

Gig Harbor Fire and Medic One reached a milestone on Tuesday, Oct. 8, when it ceremonially broke ground on construction of a new live-fire training center. Another milestone is just around the corner. The department expects renovation work on two of its fire stations — Station 53 on Fox Island and Station 57 on Crescent

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2025 PenMet budgets show shift from building to operating rec center

Oct 03, 2024 | By:

PenMet Parks’ proposed 2025 operating and capital budgets illustrate a transition from building the Community Recreation Center to operating it. Contractors broke ground on the $31.6 million facility in August 2023 with completion expected 13 months thereafter. Supply chain issues pushed the opening date to spring 2025. However, progress on the 58,000-square-foot indoor center helped

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After failed acquisition, undeveloped Eagles Ridge parcel still on PenMet’s’s radar screen

Oct 02, 2024 | By:

The Eagles Ridge property is 114 acres of forested property with waterfront access. Only a fraction of it is developable.

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