Columns

The book on candidates in the upcoming primary election

Jul 31, 2024 | By: Chapin Day

It’s that time of year when responsible journalists, such those who labor for Gig Harbor Now, offer the electorate some earnest and well-intentioned advice. VOTE! Done. But, for pure entertainment value, we suggest this first. READ A BOOK!  There’s nothing like a book, particularly a 112-pager printed on cheap newsprint and delivered (at taxpayer expense)

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Chapin Day | Turning 80 doesn’t seem as significant anymore

Jan 22, 2024 | By: Chapin Day

Each week,  a Sunday morning CBS television news magazine I frequently watch includes a brief segment of remembrance for notable deaths during the past week. Usually accompanied by photo portraits, brief summaries of the deceaseds’ significance, and muted elevator music, the feature can vary in length depending upon a tape editor’s judgment and how busy

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Editor’s column: No better time than now to support Now

Nov 01, 2023 | By:

More people are reading Gig Harbor Now these days than at any other time in our two-plus years as a nonprofit digital newspaper. We have a new-and-improved calendar (more about that later) and a fun community announcements section. Our reporters are keeping an eye on new housing developments, covering this month’s election, and probing the

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Letter to the editor: Suicide prevention requires attention, compassion and action

Sep 13, 2023 | By: Thelma Brown

Hello, Gig Harbor Now and Followers. I am Thelma Brown, President of the Gig Harbor/Key Peninsula Suicide Prevention Coalition. On behalf of our Coalition, we would like to thank Mayor Markley and the City Council for proclaiming September as the Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. It is truly an honor to be supported by our Mayor,

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In the Margins: Not your father’s real estate market, nor your mother’s

Aug 23, 2023 | By:

Nearly 40 years ago, my wife and I purchased our first home. For what seemed like a staggering sum of $75,850 ($221,000 in today’s dollars), we moved into a 1,350 square-foot, three-bedroom home in a small subdivision just north of the Harbor. We vacuumed our sofa cushions for the down-payment and borrowed the balance at

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In the Margins: Can’t we find better ways to celebrate a birthday?

Jul 19, 2023 | By:

We returned to Gig Harbor at the end of June after a family vacation in the north woods of Canada’s Great Lakes region. Unfortunately, this year the typically fresh lake air and photogenic views were compromised by a gray layer of noxious wildfire smoke from northern Ontario. It reminded us of Puget Sound’s summer of

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As fire season approaches, Gig Harbor mom says “Enough!”

Jun 14, 2023 | By: Heather Maher

We all know it’s coming: fire season. All year long, Gig Harbor-ites look forward to the summer months, when we can be outside and relish the beauty of living in the PNW. When summer arrives, I find myself sighing with relief: finally, my children can play outside! But it has come to be an unofficial

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In the Margins: Bruce the boat whisperer keeps history afloat

May 17, 2023 | By: Chris Phillips

Ask those who have owned an old wooden boat, and it’s likely they will tell you a story involving family lore, lessons learned, and a few blissful moments on the water. In the 1920s and ’30s, when the Skansie brothers were building commercial fishing boats in Gig Harbor, another pair of boatbuilding siblings — the

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Letter to the editor: Lonergan will bring experience to Pierce Co. Council

Oct 14, 2022 | By: Brandie Herbert

With only weeks to go before the Midterm elections here in Washington, Paula Lonergan continues putting the word out about where she stands for the voters of Pierce County and District 7. As a Pierce County Council member, Paula would be responsible for passing legislation, setting county policy, adopting the county’s budget, and holding government

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Editor’s column: Making a go of it as a nonprofit news organization

Sep 01, 2022 | By:

It’s no secret that the news industry has had a tough couple of decades. That’s especially true in the newspaper world, where I spent the bulk of my career.   In the modern era, newspapers made their money primarily through advertising — both business ads and classifieds. (Remember newspaper classifieds? If you’re younger than 30,

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