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POTHOLE OF THE WEEK VISIT US ON FACEBOOK MHJLIVVR JVT [HJVTH^LLRS`

72nd and Warner Street Tacoma has a tremendous pothole problem, and the city knows it. During the past couple of years, the city has acknowledged this issue by spending millions of dollars in major arterial repairs with the council’s “pothole initiative.� And in 2010, routine maintenance by Tacoma’s Grounds and Maintenance Division completed street repairs on 229,638 square feet of road. In 2011, the city repaired about 150,000 more square feet of road riddled with holeyness, and continued those efforts in 2012. And while that may sound like a lot of ground, new holes pop up – or return – each and every day, which means a pothole-free road might never exist in Tacoma. With the help of our readers and our dedicated Pothole Pig, we will continue to showcase some of the city’s biggest and best potholes through our weekly homage to one of T-Town’s most unnerving attributes. Help the Pothole Pig by e-mailing your worst pothole suggestions to SaveOurStreets@tacomaweekly.com. Potholes in need of repair can be reported to the City of Tacoma by calling (253) 591-5495.

Gloria Dei Lutheran Church - ELCA Mark E. Woldseth, Pastor 3315 South 19th St. Tacoma, WA 98405 (253) 383-5515 lutheransonline.com/gloriadeilutherantacoma

“Come and see!�

Sunday Worship - 10:45am

SAVE THE DATE 2014 Pierce County Financial Fitness Fair:

Healthy Finances, Healthy Lives First Creek Middle School 1801 E. 56th Street, Tacoma WA 98404

10 am - 3 pm Saturday March 1, 2014 Medical / Health services Credit (and report) services Tax preparation assistance Foreclosure education Financial education and resources Document Shredding Kid Zone available Hosted by

Pierce County Asset Building Coalition

Bulletin Board MAYOR TO HOST STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS MARCH 19 In collaboration with the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Marilyn Strickland will host the 2014 State of the City Address on Wednesday, March 19 at 11:30 a.m. in the Hotel Murano’s Venice Ballroom (1320 Broadway). Speaking on the theme “Tacoma 2.0,â€? Strickland plans to discuss an array of topics including economic development, Tacoma’s regional and national presence, education, and her youth summer employment program, SummerJobs253. Event attendees and members of the public will be encouraged to engage with the mayor during her address using the #SOTC253 Twitter hashtag, and a live Twitter feed will be displayed prominently at the venue. “Tacoma is an attractive waterfront city that has recently experienced some great wins, but there is some heavy lifting to be done if we are serious about realizing our full potential,â€? says Strickland. “I am pleased to share my vision for how our entire city must work together to ensure that growth benefits our neighborhoods, our business districts and the residents who choose to call Tacoma home.â€? Tickets are $25 for students with an ID and persons aged 55 and up. Tickets for general admission are $40 in advance. For more information, contact Janice Hutchins at the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce by calling (253) 627-2175 or visit the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce’s website at www.tacomachamber. org. *644<50;@ 05=0;,+ ;6 ;/ +0:;90*; ;6>5 /(33 State Senator Jeannie Darneille and State Representatives Laurie Jinkins and Jake Fey will hold a District Town Hall on Saturday, Feb. 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Jason Lee Middle School Cafeteria, 602 N. Sprague Ave., Tacoma. The 27th District Legislators will give a mid-legislative session update and answer questions from constituents on issues important to them. Residents are encouraged to attend. Doors open and sign-in begins at 9:30. “STANDARDIZEDâ€? ARGUES THAT ;,:;05. 0: 9<0505. 7<)30* ,+<*(;065 Parents and Friends for Tacoma Public Schools (PFTPS), a community group dedicated to strengthening our public education system, is partnering with Washington Badass Teacher Association (WA-BATS) to screen a film focused on the effects of standardized testing in public education. The documentary will run at 2pm, Sat., March 1, in University of Puget Sound’s Tahoma Room in Commencement Hall. “STANDARDIZED. Lies, Money & Civil Rights: How Testing is Ruining Public Educationâ€? created by Daniel Hornberger is a 75-minute exposĂŠ of how mandated testing is undermining public education. Participating in a panel discussion immediately following the film will be Representative Jake Fey of the 27th Legislative District as well as author and professor Wayne Au. There is a suggested donation of $5 per person. According to Rockfish Productions, “For decades, standardized testing has been a part of public education. Within the last 10 years, however, the testing has taken on a more important, and possibly more damaging, role. Test scores, mistakenly viewed as effective assessments of student ability and teacher/school effectiveness, are anything but. This film sheds light on the invalid nature of these tests, the terrible consequences of high-stakes testing, and the big money that’s involved.â€? PFTPS is a grassroots organization with membership comprised of parents, community members, current and retired education employees, grandparents, and community activists. PFTPS also welcomes high school and college students, civic leaders, retired school district employees and neighborhood leaders who are interested in joining. Members are expected to support the mission and attend at least two meetings per year. For more information about Parents and Friends for Tacoma Public Schools, visit http://PFTPS.org or visit Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ParentsAndFriendsForTacomaPublicSchools. ( >05 -69 -(9405. 05 70,9*, *6<5;@ After a three-year battle, the developer Invesco and the City of Sumner have withdrawn their appeal of a Growth Management Hearings Board decision prohibiting the rezoning of 182 acres of prime agricultural land in Pierce County for residential and commercial development. This is a victory for anybody who wants to preserve farmlands and ensure a long-term farming economy in Pierce County. Among numerous issues, the development would have expanded the urban growth boundary around the City of Sumner and placed significant residential and commercial development on prime agricultural land and within the land subject to geological hazards. If the project had gone forward it would have opened the floodgates to development on prime agricultural land in the Puyallup Valley south of

Sumner. An active coalition of organizations came together to oppose the rezone and prevent any further loss to Pierce County’s remaining prime farmland. The coalition included Futurewise, American Farmland Trust, Tahoma Audubon, PCC Farmland Trust, and the Friends of Pierce County, who successfully challenged the proposal before the Growth Management Hearings Board in 2012. The Washington Sustainable Food and Farming Network; Cascade Harvest Coalition; Organically Grown Company; Tilth Producers; Terra Organics; Tahoma Farms; Let Us Farm; Washington State Farmers Market Association; and Charlie’s Produce also joined these organizations in opposing the rezone. “We were delighted when the Hearings Board agreed with our argument that building a big project like this on productive farmland is wrong,� said Tim Trohimovich, Planning and Legal Director of Futurewise, “We are even more delighted now that the developer and the City of Sumner have decided to end the appeal of the Growth Board’s decision. Sumner and Pierce County have plenty of land available for urban growth without paving over farms.� “This is a big step towards a better future for farming in Pierce County,� said Dick Carkner of local berry producer Terry’s Berries, “We’ve lost far too much farmland to subdivisions and shopping malls in this area. Pierce County has a proud tradition of farming, and it’s time we protect our farms.� According to Rebecca Sadinsky of PCC Farmland Trust, “We’re seeing a big revival of the agricultural industry in Pierce County due to the strong interest in local food. We can’t have local food without local farms, and the Orton Junction project would’ve taken us in the wrong direction.� In 2011, the Pierce County Planning Commission recommended against the conversion of the 186 acres of prime agricultural land at Orton Junction, but the Pierce County Council went forward with approval. The large coalition of organizations are now working together to develop and implement long-term solutions that will better protect farmlands in Pierce County, especially those around the urban fringe – to ensure the long-term sustainability of farming in the county. For more information, contact: Tim Trohimovich at tim@futurewise.org or (206) 343-0681 x118; Dennis Canty, Pacific Northwest Director American Farmland Trust, at (206) 860-4222; and Krys McArthur Kyer, Executive Director Tahoma Audubon Society, at (253) 565-9278.

;(*64( )9,>05. *647(5@ /,37: 565796-0;: Tacoma Brewing Company is proud to call Tacoma home. Its rich heritage inspires us, and community support sustains us. For this, we return the favor by donating a full 10 percent of Thursday taproom beer sales to local charities. This commitment allows Tacoma Brewing Co. to elevate the financial assistance we can provide to local nonprofits that support us by making Tacoma a better place to live. Beginning Thursday, March 6 – coinciding with Tacoma Beer Week – and every Thursday through June, the Emergency Food Network will be the featured organization in the “10% For Tacomaâ€? program. Then, starting in July, a new non-profit partner will be selected quarterly. Besides the cash donations raised through the “10% For Tacomaâ€? program, Tacoma Brewing Co. also donates beer to many non-profit organizations’ fundraising efforts and provides merchandise for charity auctions on an ongoing basis. “Beer is fun and gets people in the giving mood,â€? says Morgan Alexander, Tacoma Brewing Co. owner, “and we’re glad to participate knowing that our beer can help the success of community organizations. Spaces are still available for the Tacoma Brewing Co. “10% For Tacomaâ€? program. Organizations must be a taxdesignated charity or registered non-profit. */<9*/ /63+: -9,, :*9,,505. 6- Âş05,8<(30;@ -69 (33Âť On Thursday, Feb. 27, 5:30–7 p.m. there will be a free public showing of the film “Inequality for Allâ€? with Robert Reich at First United Methodist Church, 621 Tacoma Ave. S. Discussion and refreshments will follow. This public viewing of an important documentary is part of a coordinated national Watch Party in hundreds of locations. Reich, former Secretary of Labor and present faculty member of the University of California at Berkeley, has been working with the organization Democracy for America in seeking to alert the American people to the deliberate disempowering of workers and others of the “99 percent,â€? so that the “redistribution of wealthâ€? in this country upward to the few can continue. According to the event organizers at First United Methodist Church, it is hoped that the showing of this powerful film “in churchâ€? will spark a strong local effort to design and take effective action to reverse the trend. Information concerning the central biblical call for economic justice, as a very high priority on God’s agenda, will be available, along with lists of resources which expose the roots of the growing inequality of life-resources now being experienced by so many.

Sip  &  Swirl Open  House

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Friday,  February  2 ‡ 2pm  to  5pm If  you’re  55+  and  considering  a  move,  take  self-­guided  tours  while  you  enjoy  delicious  wines  and  cheeses! 5693 E\ )HE DW RU ZZZ $IÂżQLW\DW2O\PSLD FRP

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