Gig Harbor Now reporters stay alert to crimes and emergencies and relay information that allows readers to understand and react to incidents.
Throughout August and Labor Day weekend, law enforcement agencies across the state deployed high-visibility patrols aiming to crack down on drunk drivers and prevent roadway fatalities. Traffic deaths have increased sharply across Washington and the Kitsap Peninsula since 2020, with impairment involved in about half of those incidents. Yet courts on the Kitsap Peninsula —
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Firefighters appear to have a handle on the wildfire that ignited on the Olympic Peninsula last week, as cooler temperatures and light rainfall have aided the hundreds of personnel battling the blaze five miles west of Brinnon. The 2620 Road Fire, which ignited near Mt. Jupiter on Aug. 14, has remained at approximately 398 acres
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More than 100 firefighters are battling a wildfire in Jefferson County, five miles west of Brinnon. The 2620 Road Fire had burned 445 acres near Mt. Jupiter since igniting Wednesday evening, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Jan Glarum, director of Kitsap County Emergency Management,
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Air quality remains good in the Gig Harbor area, but that could change quickly with a 150-acre wildfire burning on the Olympic Peninsula. A fire near Brinnon in Jefferson County started at about 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 14. A statement from the state Fire Marshal’s Office distributed around 3 p.m. Thursday said the fire is
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Pierce County Animal Control officers and Sheriff’s Department deputies rescued 68 dogs from a home in Lakebay on July 18, the department said on social media this week. One of the puppies died on the way to an animal hospital. Two others were euthanized following the raid, the department wrote. A person who purchased a
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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. An officer checking on the welfare of three people passed out in a running car at Crescent Creek Park found a possibly stolen firearm and a cache of illegal drugs. A passerby noticed three
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His route to law enforcement wasn’t typical, but Nathan Betts has been collecting accolades as a Pierce County Sheriff’s deputy for years. His latest came Aug. 7, when he received the Deputy of the Year Award. Prior to becoming a deputy, Betts spent years in sales with the Seattle SuperSonics basketball team, in real estate,
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Wildfires are burning across the Pacific Northwest, and public health officials are encouraging West Sound residents to prepare for the possibility of smoky conditions and poor air quality. What are conditions like now? Washington is in the midst of what is likely to be an unusually hot and dry summer, according to the state Department
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When local firefighters deploy to battle big fires elsewhere in Washington, they come home with valuable experience and knowledge.
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West Sound law enforcement agencies arrested more people for drug and narcotic violations in 2023 than they have in either of the past two years, according to a new state report released this month. The 2023 Crime in Washington Report, an annual tally of arrests compiled by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs
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