Month: October 2021

I recently spent a few hours with Dr. Karen Cline-Parhamovich and the Medical Examiner Team.  I learned that there is quite a bit you can learn from a decedent.  She considers herself a “family practice doctor to the dead,” and with her team of professionals, they diagnose the manner and cause of death.  Unlike most medical professionals, they can’t ask their patients questions to help in the diagnosis.  They must examine the decedent to solve the mystery of why and how they died.  And these answers are critical to bringing closure to families and sometimes helping solve crimes. It seems fitting to take you on a tour of the Medical Examiner’s Office during “spooky season,” so take a look at this latest installment of “Inside Pierce County!” [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI9syvdtgTM[/embedyt] My…

Back in February I decided to dive into a well-regarded series on the U.S. Navy in World War II - Ian W. Toll’s “The Pacific War Trilogy.” Toll goes beyond the traditional look at the people, strategy and tactics of the battles.  He gives important context by delving into what was happening on the home front, including the politics, war production, and the stresses on a wartime society.  I am nearly halfway through the final book (“Twilight of the Gods: War in the Western Pacific, 1944-1945) and the combined 2,200+ pages have been well worth it. In the Fall of 1944, with nearly a year of brutal war still ahead, the end result was not really in doubt.  The U.S. industrial output, by every measure, was dominating our enemies -…

I have always loved Fall – the change in the weather, fall leaves, and visits to Spooner Farms with my granddaughters! Seeing pumpkins reminds me of all the work that farmers put into them before they end up decorating our porches.  Planting the seeds in the field, weeding, and watering them for months before they are ready for harvest.  Then we take over – carving, painting, stickering, or making them into pie! Another important effort in our community that has been planted and tended for a long time is ready for harvest. Next week we will see a very significant milestone for a critically important effort for our community. Three years ago, Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards, former Councilmember Connie Ladenburg and I invited all the cities and towns in Pierce…

Next Monday is Indigenous People’s Day around the nation. It is an opportune time to raise awareness of a nationwide crisis tribes face - Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). It’s tragic, it’s unbelievable and it needs to be addressed now. We need to acknowledge the truth and work with the tribes to find solutions. I have hope we can all come together and do our part. This issue continues a legacy of violence against tribal members and has led to generations of trauma that exist to this day. For example, September 30 was recently declared a Day of Remembrance in Canada for Native children who were taken from their homes in the late 1800s and sent to government and church sponsored boarding schools where they were stripped of their culture, language…

Sadly, there are too many news stories that remind us of the dangerous jobs our first responders have.  Earlier this month, a Fircrest police officer was sprayed in the face with bear mace during a traffic stop.  Last month, Central Pierce Fire & Rescue led the response to a dramatic fire at a Puyallup cold storage facility that required a one-mile radius shelter in place order – while our firefighters were onsite. And tragically, sometimes our heroes lose their lives in the service of our community.  Our responsibility is to never forget their loss…their stories…their families… their colleagues.  Now we have a appropriate place to honor and remember them. Our new First Responders Memorial is positioned just off the Nollmeyer Lane entrance to the County-City Building (named for Tacoma Police Officer…