Community

Gig Harbor Now reporters cover community events and efforts that benefit and entertain the community.

Locals share personal stories of fentanyl crisis at town hall meeting

Oct 09, 2024 | By:

One man stepped up to the podium and spoke at length about his history with addiction, incarceration and path to sobriety. A mother spoke about how her child died after being peer-pressured. Another parent said his teenage daughter just celebrated 90 days free of drugs. These were a few of the stories shared during the

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Monday’s fog forced tug pulling two barges to put on the proverbial brakes

Oct 08, 2024 | By: Chapin Day

A little maritime drama with a happy ending played out Monday morning when, in bright sunshine at the west end of Gig Harbor, an historic tug pulled out towing two barges. The larger ferried a towering crane, the smaller hauled a jumbled pile of old dock debris. The barges dwarfed the tug “Cayou,” a 73-year-old

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Harbor Happenings | Mask-making, boat tours and more

Oct 08, 2024 | By:

Local organizations are celebrating Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month and gearing up for Halloween with mask making events, costume parties and painting experiences. Veteran tours The Gig Harbor BoatShop hosts a fall colors tour of Colvos Passage aboard the historic purse seiner Veteran on Sunday, Oct. 13. The tours run from 10 a.m. to 1:30

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Gig Harbor Now and Then | The lutefisk slander has to stop

Oct 07, 2024 | By: Greg Spadoni

Remembering the halcyon days when one could get lutefisk whenever one wanted in Gig Harbor.

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Volunteering is in Larry Bleich’s blood

Oct 07, 2024 | By:

Larry Bleich of Gig Harbor, who organized the Battle of the Badges and other blood drives, recently received the Red Cross’s highest honor.

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Sports Beat | Gig Harbor wins 11 of 12 swimming events against Peninsula

Oct 04, 2024 | By:

The Gig Harbor (4-1) girls swimming team hosted Peninsula for a duel in the pool that’s the “real” Fish Bowl, according to Tides head coach Mike Kelly. Kelly’s team came away with a 116-67 victory over the Seahawks on Thursday, Oct. 3. Kelly was impressed with his team’s determination, refuse-to-lose attitude and recovery between events.

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Two In Tow & On The Go | Fast times on Tacoma’s Chutes and Ladders

Oct 04, 2024 | By:

Tacoma’s Chutes and Ladders to the east end of the Wilson Way bridge is the fun way to quickly get down to the marina complex below. Each slide has a set of stairs next to it for those who prefer a slower route.

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Man throws punches at Gig Harbor officer, delivery driver following road rage incident

Oct 04, 2024 | By:

Gig Harbor police fought with a 44-year-old local man in a retail parking lot in Gig Harbor North following a road rage incident on Sept. 20. Police cited him for three counts of fourth-degree assault. The incident began when a 66-year-old delivery van driver backed out of a driveway in a nearby residential neighborhood. She

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2025 PenMet budgets show shift from building to operating rec center

Oct 03, 2024 | By:

PenMet Parks’ proposed 2025 operating and capital budgets illustrate a transition from building the Community Recreation Center to operating it. Contractors broke ground on the $31.6 million facility in August 2023 with completion expected 13 months thereafter. Supply chain issues pushed the opening date to spring 2025. However, progress on the 58,000-square-foot indoor center helped

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Local man helping auction relics from Western Flyer, a boat famously connected to Steinbeck

Oct 03, 2024 | By: Chapin Day

How much would you pay to own one-of-a-kind pieces of fishing, environmental, scientific and literary history? Could you be an “angel?” Those are questions inspired by a Wauna man’s quest. Michael Hemp, a vibrant, engaging and consistently curious 81-year-old whose business card lists him as “Historian, Heritage Marketing & Communications Consultant, Researcher, Archivist, Lecturer, Novelist,”

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