Health & Wellness

Wellness Wednesday: Don’t just wear a pink ribbon during Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Oct 11, 2023 | By: Scot Fleshman

With October comes pumpkins, costumes, and candy, as well as an abundance of one thing — pink ribbons. The pink ribbon has become the nationwide symbol for breast cancer and is a universal sign of support. Breast Cancer Awareness Month aims to bring awareness to the common disease. Whether you have battled the illness yourself

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Sports safety agency suspends former coach at Gig Harbor gymnastics facility

Oct 09, 2023 | By:

The U.S. Center for SafeSport suspended a former coach at a Gig Harbor gymnastics facility for two years, citing inappropriate conduct, emotional misconduct and physical misconduct. The organizations suspended Andrew Michael Smith, listed as a resident of Dupont and a former coach at NASA Gymnastics in Gig Harbor, on Sept. 6. It will remain in

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Nielson, Sehmel campaigning for PenMet Parks board position

Oct 05, 2023 | By:

One will fill the seat left vacant by Amanda Babich, who isn’t running for re-election. Sehmel topped Neilson in the primary, 49.5%-32.3%.

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Jennifer Preston: You say tomato, I say tomorrow

Oct 04, 2023 | By:

In my last article, From Wanton Waste to Good Taste, we discussed how 40% of our harvest is thrown in the garbage. When edible, healthy food is tossed in the trash, it becomes food waste. Now let’s focus on tips for reducing food waste by properly planning, purchasing, storing and cooking it. By doing this,

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Voters to weigh pocketbooks, performance in PenMet taxing measure

Sep 29, 2023 | By:

Editor’s note: This story has been updated since it was first posted. It now includes additional responses from PenMet to statements made by opponents of the lid lift, specifically about overtime costs associated with the end of the parks host program. It also clarifies that the state Auditor’s Office issued a “finding” in a PenMet

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Paramedical tattoo artist helps cancer survivors feel like themselves again

Sep 28, 2023 | By:

Nichole Shervanick works her mini-tattoo machine deftly, applying pigment with a needle as fine as a strand of hair to the lips of client Becky Logan. A numbing agent keeps Logan comfortable, and she gives a thumbs-up when asked how she’s doing. When Shervanick has added the finishing touches, she hands Logan a mirror and

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Don’t get Wigged Out by this gang of bikers

Sep 27, 2023 | By:

Sue Scanlon beat breast cancer in her 40s. By comparison, learning to ride a motorcycle in her mid-50s wasn’t that big a deal.  She and other survivors created the Wigged Out Ride after Scanlon and her husband Pat discovered a passion for motorcycling in 2014. And that is a big deal. This year’s ride, which

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Suicide prevention coalition works to remove stigma around mental health

Sep 21, 2023 | By:

Editor’s note: This story deals with mental health issues, including suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Suicide has been on the rise since the hands of time clicked over to a new millennium, but the risk increased during the pandemic. Between 2021 and 2022,

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Domestic violence: Navigating the legal system

Sep 14, 2023 | By:

Editor’s Note: This is the final installment in our four-part series on services for victims of abuse and violence in Pierce County. Previous stories include: One woman’s story of escaping an abusive relationship Inside the Crystal Judson Center, a clearinghouse for helping abuse victims Other resources available for survivors, catering to specific communities Warning: This

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Pierce County, city of Gig Harbor promote suicide awareness

Sep 13, 2023 | By: Mary Williams

The Pierce County Council declared September as Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month in Pierce County on Aug. 29 and presented a proclamation to Thelma Brown, president of the Gig Harbor Key Peninsula Suicide Prevention Coalition. The council also issued the proclamation to Kelly and Corey Widman, parents of Reese Widman, died under tragic circumstances in

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