David Armstrong

David Armstrong grew up in the Northeast but likes the Northwest better. He was a longtime resident of California, moving to Washington two years ago. Most of his decades-long journalism career unfolded in the Bay Area, where he was a staff reporter, columnist, critic and copy editor at the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Francisco Examiner. He is the author of four non-fiction books and co-author of a fifth. David lives with his wife in gorgeous Gig Harbor.

In addition to lead contamination, high concentrations of PCBs have also been found near the Donkey Creek delta.

New data, new progress on Donkey Creek contamination

Mar 09, 2023

The slow-rolling saga of Gig Harbor’s attempts to find, measure and cleanse toxic chemicals from its streams and harbor waters is picking up velocity, albeit at a stately pace. The

Wait continues for new data on lead contamination near Donkey Creek

Sep 22, 2022

As the rocker Tom Petty told us, “The waiting is the hardest part.’’ A 20-year quest by state agencies to pinpoint the levels of toxic lead contamination of waters in

Business spotlight: Yellow Belly creating a buzz at farmer’s market

Aug 08, 2022

When he was a kid growing up in Lebanon, Wally Mseitif devoured American cowboy movies. It seemed natural that when he grew up, he’d fly off to America and become

Business Spotlight: Farmer’s Market vendor evokes a Simpler Past

Jul 28, 2022

It’s easy to find A Simpler Past’s booth at the Waterfront Farmers Market on Thursday afternoons in the summertime. It’s the one with the long line of customers avidly eying

More growth seen for Gig Harbor — but not like in the 2010s

Jul 21, 2022

Gig Harbor had a moment of shock and awe last year when the 2020 U.S. Census results came in. The Census showed the city’s population soared by a staggering 69

Pickleball is played on a smaller court, allowing more players to participate than in more space-consuming sports like tennis.

Pickleball popularity evident on the courts of Gig Harbor

Jun 23, 2022

Pickleball, the grassroots sport born in a Bainbridge Island backyard in 1965, is often said to be having a moment, thanks to an impressive growth spurt over the last few

Vehicles wait to enter the roundabout on Borgen Boulevard near the exit to westbound Highway 16 on May 19.

Circle logic: Why Gig Harbor has so many roundabouts

May 19, 2022

Roundabouts are safer and decrease wait times, according to traffic engineers everywhere. Still, many drivers are not big fans.

Data on lead in Donkey Creek slows to a trickle

Apr 21, 2022

Donkey Creek is an unprepossessing-looking stream, but glamour isn’t everything. The small salmon-bearing creek is well-known and well-liked by locals and visitors. The waterway takes an annual star turn when

Gig Harbor Police captured the scenes above and below at Skansie Brothers Park.

King tides a rising threat in Gig Harbor

Mar 31, 2022

Gig Harbor’s Midway School, a lovingly restored one-room schoolhouse built in 1893 and relocated to the Harbor History Museum on an oversized truck in 2009, is due for another change.

Gig Harbor’s Ukrainian community worries, prays and pleads for help

Mar 04, 2022

Gig Harbor’s sizable Ukrainian-American community watches and worries as war consumes their homeland.