Community

2023 in review: Our top stories during a very busy year

What a year 2023 was.

I know, I know. One could say that about any year. But for us here at Gig Harbor Now, it really was a BIG year.

In 2023, readers clicked on our stories 1,151,300 times (through Dec. 26). Anytime a statistic hits seven digits, it’s a big number. But for context, in 2022 readers clicked into our stories 656,043 times. In 2021 (Gig Harbor Now launched in September of that year), we had about 104,000 page views.

Clearly, we are finding an audience. And our little nonprofit news outfit is finding financial support, too.

With just a couple days left in our annual NewsMatch fundraising campaign, locals have donated $93,000 to help us produce even more stories in 2024. If you haven’t yet, you can donate here.

Also this year, we’ve launched several new columns and regular features: Tonya Strickland’s family-focused Two in Tow and On the Go; Greg Spadoni’s twice-a-month history deep dive, Gig Harbor Now and Then; Mary Williams’ regional travel series, Day Tripper; Jennifer Preston’s monthly column focusing on the environment, gardening and health; and In the Margins, a monthly slice-of-life column with former Peninsula Gateway staffers Chris Phillips and Leland Smith platooning as writers.

Read on for a look back at some of the top stories we covered in 2023. Scroll all the way to the end to see a list of our 20 most-read stories of the year.

January

The Peninsula School District investigated an alleged racist incident at girls basketball game. In the wake of the investigation, the district barred spectators from a Gig Harbor-Peninsula district playoff girls basketball game on Feb. 10, a move announced on Feb. 9. The district released results of the investigation in late February, announcing that investigators were unable to substantiate allegations that a Gig Harbor player used a racial slur to a Peninsula player. 

 State Rep. Michelle Caldier, R-Gig Harbor, left the House Republican caucus, citing “issues with our leader,” Rep. J.T. Wilcox of Yelm. A Gig Harbor Now public records request later revealed that Caldier objected to what she said where inadequate accommodations made by the caucus for her disability, vision loss. Caldier later returned to the caucus after Wilcox stepped down following the 2023 legislative session. An investigation into Caldier’s conduct, released in December, alleged that she violated House policies on abusive behavior and bullying toward staff members and colleagues. Caldier told Gig Harbor Now the investigation was political retaliation.  

February

Teddy bears collected from the local community by the Peninsula High Key Club arrived in Ukraine. The shipment of bears — boxes upon boxes of them — traveled more than 5,000 miles over several months to reach the war-torn country, which was invaded by Russia in February 2022. 

Voters approved two Peninsula School District levies on Valentine’s Day: A replacement of an expiring local levy and a security and technology levy.

A fish-passage project that disrupted traffic in Purdy and parking for Peninsula High students got underway in March. Work wrapped up in November.

Local property tax bills increased significantly. 

March 

Just a couple weeks after voters approved the two levies, the school district announced that it needed to make steep budget cuts for the 2023-24 school year. The cuts were attributed to a steep enrollment decline, a trend seen around the region and the nation. In March, the district announced plans to slash $12 million from its budget by eliminating 40 staff positions, none of them teachers. Among those eventually laid off were Spencer Abersold, manager of district-owned radio station KGHP. The station’s future is unclear. 

After months of debate and study, the Gig Harbor City Council approved new regulations on short-term rental properties. Previously, the city placed a moratorium for 18 months on processing permit applications for the so-called vacation rentals.

The Gig Harbor boys basketball team made the state tournament for the second consecutive season, but suffered a 69-60 loss to Shorecrest in the regional round.

Shaun David Rose pleaded guilty to murdering Mina and Steven P. Shulz in Olalla in 2022. Rose was sentenced to more than 66 years in prison. Prosecutors believed Rose was burglarizing the Schulzes’ home. 

Work resumed on a lead clean-up plan in Donkey Creek. The work was delayed for years because of the lack of a permanent site manager. Meanwhile, the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife found high levels of lead and even higher doses of PCBs (or polychlorinated biphenyls) in caged native bay mussels implanted in the Donkey Creek delta.  

Rodney Collen of Tacoma and his 2006 Cessna airplane disappeared after departing Tacoma Narrows Airport on March 6. Search and rescue crews later found the pilot and his aircraft in a heavily forested area near Queets in Grays Harbor County.

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Passages

A few of those we lost in 2023:

• • Former mayor Chuck Hunter, in January.
  • Community champion Hugh McMillan, in February. Hundreds turned out for a memorial service in June. 
  • Former Gig Harbor Tides and Washington Huskies football star Joe Jarzynka, in March.
  • Philanthopist and Active Construction founder Walt Smith, in June.
  • Dick Shaw, owner of the Pleasurecraft Marina and a titan of the Washington state wine industry, in November.

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Harbor General Store on Pioneer Way abruptly closed in early March. Commencement Bank later announced plans to move into the location.

Westbound Highway 16 was closed near the Pierce-Kitsap county line for much of the afternoon of March 22 following a wrong-way collision. A driver fled on foot. Traffic backed up along Gig Harbor surface streets while police investigated the collision and attempted to locate a suspect. A 73-year-old Gig Harbor woman suffered serious injuries. Police later released photos of the vehicle involved and a female suspect. 

April

B’s Bagels & Butters opened in April, with customers often lining up around the block to buy one. 

The Olalla Bay Market opened, after years of work on the former Al’s of Olalla building and a devastating fire.

The new owners of the old Stutz Fuel property, on Harborview Drive across from the Tides Tavern, cleaned up the property and discussed possible plans for its future. 

May

The Gig Harbor City Council briefly considered a plan to demolish the old Masonic Lodge near Crescent Creek Park. After extensive objections from the community, the council tabled the plans. The Harbor History Museum is considering its future. 

The Peninsula Seahawks won the state Class 3A fastpitch softball championship. Alli Kimball pitched a complete game in the title contest and hit a three-run home run. 

June

A huge crowd turned out on a beautiful day for the 2023 Maritime Gig Grande Parade on June 3. 

Gig Harbor Now learned that the current owners of Island View Market in Rosedale were suing their predecessors. 

Gig Harbor’s first Pride Fest was held in June at Skansie Park. 

July

The Gig Harbor area was largely fireworks-free in 2023, with only a lone stand operating in Purdy. Fireworks were banned inside city limits, while a new county ordinance allowed them only from 10 a.m. until midnight on the Fourth of July. 

Two serious house fires marred the first week of July. A possibly fireworks-related fire destroyed a home on Peacock Hill Road on July 4, and an elderly man and pets died in a July 5 fire on the Key Peninsula. 

While Gig Harbor is “still very safe,” Police Chief Kelly Busey told the city council in July that the city experienced a sharp increase in the most serious crimes against people, property and society in 2022. 

The Peninsula School District hit “silence” on student cell phones. In July, the district announced a ban on cell phone use at school except during lunch, starting in the 2023-24 school year. 

August

Voters overwhelmingly approved a Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One levy request on the Aug. 1 ballot.  

The Harbor History Museum began work on enclosing its Maritime Gallery, which includes the historic fishing boat Shenandoah. The museum also won a prestigious award for its Shenandoah Restoration Project. 

A couple weeks later, the museum relaunched the restored 26-foot sailboat Thunderbird No. 1. 

The Tides Tavern celebrated its 50th anniversary with a big party, a mayoral proclamation and this tribute story by our Ted Kenney.

September

Two people died in a collision at the Tacoma Narrows Bridge toll booth. 

Facing dropping reading test scores and legal action from families of students with dyslexia, the Peninsula School District changed course on how it teaches English language arts. 

A proposed (and still pending) merger between Kroger and Albertson’s could drastically change how Gig Harborites buy groceries. Here’s why. 

Gig Harbor Now’s Ted Kenney learned that two Tacoma businessmen with deep local roots have been quietly buying up downtown properties for years. Those purchases often led to rent increases, forcing some local businesses to close or relocate. 

A federal judge sentenced David Rhine, who owns Cox & Lucy CPAs on Soundview Drive, to four months in prison for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. 

The Gig Harbor City Council, after hours of testimony, approved a policy on flag display on a 5-2 vote at a packed meeting on Sept. 11. The policy allows the city to fly the Pride flag in June, Pride Month. Council members Le Rodenberg and Seth Storset voted against the policy, and Mayor Tracie Markley — who votes only in case of tie — announced her opposition to the policy but declined to discuss why. 

The Gig Harbor Tides beat the Peninsula Seahawks, 21-20, in a Fish Bowl football game marred by a violent injury to Tides quarterback Koi Calhoun. The district later investigated both the on-field injury and reported off-field misconduct by fans and coaches. Coaches from both teams were disciplined following the completion of the investigation. 

The Seattle Sounders signed Stuart Hawkins, a 17-year-old Fox Islander, to a Homegrown First Team contract on Sept. 14. Hawkins, a center back, played most of the year with the minor-league Tacoma Defiance and also represented the U.S. in the U-17 World Cup in November. 

More than 60 independent films aired during the Gig Harbor Film Festival, with veteran actor Tom Skerritt making an appearance to promote his film “East of the Mountains.” The festival included the premiere of “The Lost Angle,” the story of lost footage of the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. 

The Washington State Department of Corrections announced that it is examining closing the Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women in Mason County and relocating women housed there to the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Gig Harbor. 

October

A 30-year-old Shelton woman died when a wrong-way driver hit her while she was riding a 2000 Yamaha motorcycle on Highway 16. Prosecutors charged the wrong-way driver, Mecca K. Berkins of Federal Way, with vehicular homicide. 

The Washington state Department of Transportation re-activated ramp meters at Gig Harbor’s on-ramps to eastbound Highway 16. WSDOT promised to use the meters only during collisions or other traffic back-ups. 

Neighbors objected to a planned development of 14 homes on a 9.88-acre plot off Peacock Hill Avenue called The Reserve. The city of Gig Harbor said “City staff are reviewing the project to ensure consistency with all municipal, state and federal laws. State and Federal law prohibit the city from refusing to review projects from a legal/valid applicant.” 

KettleFish, a year-old restaurant in a prominent Pioneer Way location, closed, citing rising costs, a sluggish economy and the seasonal downturn. 

November

Voters rejected PenMet Parks’ levy lid lift request on the Nov. 7 ballot. Also on the ballot, city voters elected Mary Barber, Ben Coronado and Le Rodenberg to the city council; picked Billy Sehmel for a spot on the PenMet commission; and returned Chuck West, Lori Glover and Natalie Wimberly to the Peninsula School Board. 

U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, announced that he would not seek a seventh term representing the Sixth Congressional District in Congress. Candidates who have announced campaigns to replace him include state Sen. Emily Randall, D-Bremerton; state Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Frantz; and state Sen. Drew MacEwen, R-Shelton. 

A rift between Gig Harbor Mayor Tracie Markley and City Councilwoman Jeni Woock spilled into public view when the mayor sent an email to the city’s subscriber list objecting to statements Woock made via social media and email. Markley said Woock’s statements, about a city proposal to hold some meetings virtually instead of in-person, were erroneous. 

December

Patterson’s Market, forced out of its longtime location at the end of 2022, reopened for the 2023 holiday season outside Anderson’s General Store on Point Fosdick Drive. 

Peninsula School District warned parents that it may have to abruptly cancel some bus routes due to an ongoing driver shortage. The district anticipates this could become an issue after students return to class following Winter Break. Parents will be notified by 5:30 a.m. if their children’s bus route is canceled.  

Following reports of racist and antisemitic comments being made on Zoom in other Pierce County cities, the Gig Harbor City Council voted to no longer accept comment in that manner starting in January. Comments can be submitted in writing or in person. 

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Our most read stories of 2023

These are the 20 stories that Gig Harbor Now readers clicked on the most in 2023:

1. 1. Xitco brothers quietly stake claim in downtown Gig Harbor, published Sept. 11, 16,491 views
   2. State Patrol asks for help in ID’ing people involved in Highway 16 crash, March 23, 14,190
   3. One dead in collision on Highway 16, Oct. 7, 13,680
   4. Westbound Highway 16 closed while police search for crash suspect, March 22, 12,449
   5. Pilot, plane disappear after departing Gig Harbor airport, March 10, 12,211
   6. Grocery merger, sale could impact Gig Harbor shoppers, Sept. 8, 12,208
   7. Current owners of Island View Market suing their predecessors, June 12, 11,783
   8. KettleFish restaurant closing after about a year in Gig Harbor, Oct. 19, 10,875
   9. Former Gig Harbor star Jarzynka dies on Olympic Peninsula fishing trip, March 8, 6,845
   10. Peninsula School District investigating Fish Bowl injury, Sept. 19, 6,755
   11. The Brown lady who rang a doorbell in Gig Harbor, May 31, 6,660
   12. Deputies arrest suspect who shot at neighbor in Purdy, Nov. 7, 6,596
   13. Local businessman David Rhine sentenced in Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Sept. 12, 6,473
   14. Driver in fatal Highway 16 crash charged with vehicular homicide, Oct. 16, 6,442
   15. Business Spotlight: One:11 is Gig Harbor’s new gentlemen’s den, Sept. 25, 5,630
   16. Gig Harbor Police Blotter: Mom confronts man who disciplined her son at party, June 23, 5,495
   17. Gig Harbor Police, county deputies searched Burnham Drive for suspect in Poulsbo murder, Nov. 1, 5,303
   18. Highway 16 crashes paralyze Gig Harbor streets, March 29, 5,156
   19. Gig Harbor businessman convicted for participating in Jan. 6 Capitol riot, April 24, 4,748
   20. “The Lost Angle,” premiering at Gig Harbor Film Festival, shows bridge collapse as you’ve never seen it, Sept. 18, 4,714

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