FREE s Friday, March 15, 2013
MIDDLE SCHOOL FOOTBALL
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ST PATRICK’S DAY IN TACOMA
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WILD (BUT TASTEFUL) WOMEN
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.com TACOMAWEEKLY 24 YE A R S O F SE R V I C E BE C A U S E CO M M U N I T Y MAT T E R S
PHOTO COURTESY OF WSDOT/ PHOTO BY DAVE HONAN
Magical night R FO Kenna Erhardt Rogers High School girl is new Daffodil Queen By John Larson
TOOT-TOOT. Amtrak trains are set to shift from Point Defiance route to Sounder tracks down South Tacoma Way now that an environmental study finds the shift will not impact traffic, safety or nature.
AMTRAK GETS GREEN LIGHT
REROUTING GETS ENVIRONMENTAL APPROVAL FOR SOUTH TACOMA TRACKS By Steve Dunkelberger stevedunkel@tacomaweekly.com
A three-year environmental study that researched expected impacts of the proposed rerouting of Amtrak trains from the current Point Defiance tracks to the Sounder rails through South Tacoma has determined See AMTRAK / page A5
jlarson@tacomaweekly.com
K
enna Erhardt of Rogers High School on South Hill is the new Daffodil Queen. Erhardt and girls from schools around Pierce County competed for the title during the Queen’s Coronation, held at Life Center in Tacoma on March 8. Kayla Prewitt of Curtis High School in University Place was selected as Miss Congeniality. With that title comes a $500 scholarship from Tacoma Yacht Club. Grace Collins of Fife High School came in third place, with Prewitt taking second place. The event began with welcome and introductions from emcees Chris Egan and Tracy Taylor, reporters from KING 5 television. Sarah Karamoko, the outgoing queen, came onstage. She was escorted by Clan Gordon Pipe Band, which performed “God Bless America.” Next was the introduction of the 2013 court. Each girl was escorted by a boy from her school, who introduced her to the audience. Each princess gave a oneminute speech, then answered a question about what she thinks is magical about Daffodil Festival. Several touched on this year’s theme, “The Magic of Music,” in their responses. “Music reminds me that I am a winner,” said Shelondra Harris of Foss High School. She mentioned playing basketball and volleyball for the Foss Falcons. Through the values she has learned in school and through participating in Daffodil Festival, she has learned she is “always a champion regardless of the outcome.” The 24 girls are building up their self-confidence, Harris observed. “I am a force to be reckoned with.” Tara Harris of Lincoln High School recalled being bullied in seventh grade. A music teacher at school
See QUEEN / page A5 PHOTOS BY STEVE JAMES
MARCH MAGIC. (Top) The 2013 court onstage at Life Center. (Middle) Kenna Erhardt of Rogers High School reacts to the announcement that she is the new Daffodil Queen. (Bottom) Carly Knox of Stadium High School, escorted by school-mate Tommy Hawthorne.
Helping kids A3
TINKERTOPIA: Couple’s new project is fueled by trinkets and trappings. PAGE B3
Season preview A7
City Briefs ................A2 Pothole Pig ...............A3
Wishbone Ash B5
Sports ......................A6 A&E ....................... ..B1
PHOTO BY CEDRIC LEGGIN
ON THE MARKET. The Armory was
the jewel of Tacoma in 1908. Echoing with history’s voices now in the 21st century, it’s a city treasure that can be yours for a cool million.
WHAT’S RIGHT WITH TACOMA
Tacoma’s Armory stands ready for a new future
By Kathleen Merryman Tacoma’s National Guard Armory and all its wonders could still be yours. The fortress of arms, concerts, horses and presidents is still on the market. An interested buyer had toured, talked, run
See ARMORY / page A4
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Make A Scene ........B5 Calendar .................B6
Look for daily updates online! tacomaweekly.com
Two Sections | 20 Pages
Section A • Page 2 • tacomaweekly.com • Friday, March 15, 2013
Police Blotter
City Briefs
MAN CHARGED WITH PIMPING GIRL
VOTE NOW IN ‘IF PETS HAD THUMBS’ CONTEST
On March 7 Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist charged Tacoma resident Tyler Elkins with promoting sexual abuse of a minor and third-degree child rape for having sex with, then prostituting, a 15-yearold girl. Last November the victim was kidnapped by an acquaintance named “Hollywood” and an unknown man in California. She was escorted at gunpoint to a house, where she was forced to have sex with several men. Hollywood threatened to kill her if she attempted to escape. Hollywood forced the girl to walk the streets looking for customers and took numerous nude photographs of her that he used on websites to solicit dates. The victim gave the money she earned to another prostitute, who would give a portion to Hollywood. On March 2 Hollywood arranged for the victim to begin prostituting in Tacoma. He drove her to meet a friend, the defendant. The three drove to a hotel, where the victim was left with the defendant. There he allegedly threatened the girl and forced her to have sex with him. He arranged encounters with her, collected between $600 and $1,000 from men, then forced the victim to have sex with them. This occurred three times. On March 5 Elkins is accused of taking the girl to a fast-food restaurant. She went to the restroom and escaped. She then called police. On March 6 Elkins was arrested at his home. He has pleaded not guilty and bail was set at $75,000. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 22.
CAR HITS TRAIN
A man with a medical condition lost control of his pickup truck on March 6 and hit a Tacoma Link light rail train. The incident occurred in the 100 block of South 25th Street. Police believe the driver had a seizure. He was taken to a hospital for treatment. No one on the train was hurt. Damage to the train was minimal.
SUICIDE ON BRIDGE
A man jumped to his death from the Narrows Bridge on March 5. Police and medical crews responded. The man, 62, was a University Place resident. His car was parked along the eastbound shoulder of the bridge. His body was recovered.
POLICE INVESTIGATING FIRE
Firefighters responded to a fire in a commercial building on Feb. 28. Heavy smoke was coming from PetSmart, located at 3326 S. 23rd St. The sprinkler system in the building was activated and fire crews extinguished the remaining hot spots. Employees, customers and pets were evacuated. No animals appear to have been injured. Damage is estimated at $35,000. The cause of the fire was determined to be suspicious and the case was handed over to Tacoma Police Department.
As everyone already knows, March 3 was declared national “If Pets Had Thumbs Day.” So that seems as good a reason as any to have a petthemed photo contest. The rules are simple. Readers e-mailed photos of their pets to Tacoma Weekly with a caption of what they thought their pet was thinking at the time. Now it is your turn to vote on the best photo and caption. The photos have been posted online and on Facebook. The photo with the most votes, either through “likes” or comments, by March 15 will be the winner. The winners will be announced March 18. The top winner will receive four tickets to the Andre Rieu concert at KeyArena on March 19. The second and third-place winners will receive two tickets. Admission is regularly $72 each. Rieu, one of the best-selling live acts in the world, is a master of the violin and his international “And The Waltz Goes On Tour” is an ode to the waltz and named after his successful album, for which he collaborated with Sir Anthony Hopkins.
WILSON CHOIR HOSTS DINNER, AUCTION
The Wilson High School Scintillation Show Choir will host its annual dinner and auction starting at 5 p.m. on March 23, at the Charles Wright Academy Dome, 7723 Chambers Creek Road in University Place. Guests must be 21 or older to attend this event. The $20 tickets include an Italian dinner, a Show Choir performance and silent and live auctions. Attendees can bid on more than 400 silent auction items and 25 live auction items. For ticket information, call Scintillation Booster President Samantha Logar at (253) 223-9721 or Scintillation Director Wendy Shepherd after 2:30 p.m. at (253) 571-6156.
WALKATHON TO HONOR MACHINIST
Machinists Union members are joining with The Rescue Mission in Tacoma for a walkathon to benefit the mission’s community service work. Along with raising money, the first Vennie Murphy Walkathon also will honor a member of Machinists Union District Lodge 751 who has been an outstanding volunteer at the mission since the 1990s. The five-kilometer walk will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 6 at Federal Way High School. Registration is $15 for adults and $5 for youth under 16. Murphy, a retired Boeing Co. worker from Puyallup, was honored as one of the mission’s volunteers of the year for 2012. “I don’t know of anybody who’s had as much faithfulness about serving, and has been so influential in bringing in other people to serve,” said David Curry, The Rescue Mission’s chief executive officer. “We need lots of Vennies.” In particular, Curry credited Murphy with creating the partnership between the mission and the Machinists Volunteer Program, which is the community service arm of District 751. Union “MVPs” help prepare and serve Saturday and Sunday breakfasts two weekends each month, while also throwing periodic Sunday dinners for the mission’s clients.
Murphy is one of the union’s top volunteers. In 2012, he received a gold-level President’s Volunteer Service Award from the White House, which is the top award given by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation. It goes only to volunteers who have given more than 500 hours of their time in a year to community service, which Murphy accomplished in 2011. “Vennie’s been an example and an inspiration for a lot of us at the union,” said Robley Evans, who is chairman of District 751’s MVP Committee. “He’s also a great friend. We couldn’t think of a better way to honor him for all he’s done in the community than to have a fundraising event in his name.” For details, go online at www.rescue-mission. org/walk-a-thon.
FLEA MARKET OFFERS BARGAINS AND FUN FOR ALL
The popular flea market run by the Women’s League of University of Puget Sound will be held this year on March 23, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. More than 60 booths will offer antiques and collectibles, artwork, handcrafts, artisan and vintage jewelry, home and garden items, furniture, clothing, glassworks, locally-sourced foods and more at Memorial Fieldhouse, near the corner of Union Avenue and North 11th Street in Tacoma. Admission is $3. Parking is free. The flea market, now in its 45th year, has become a much-anticipated tradition in the South Sound. Its attractions include the “Grandma’s Attic” booth, a silent auction, and coffee, pies, and cakes at the cafe. Proceeds from the event support University of Puget Sound scholarships for students. Last year the flea market raised $13,000, all of which went toward scholarships. In total last year Women’s League endowed scholarships provided $28,950 in financial aid to 13 talented Puget Sound students. To make donations of goods to be sold at the market, please contact Carla Moschetti at (253) 777-4385 or send an e-mail to ccmosh@yahoo. com. The flea market is the largest event organized by members of the Women’s League of University of Puget Sound each year. It has been held since 1968, after a member of the league traveled to Paris, France, and was inspired by a visit to a flea market there. The league was founded in 1900 and has been supporting the university and its students since that time by selling tickets to concerts, publishing cookbooks, collecting donations and hosting events. Tickets can be purchased at the door. For more information about the flea market contact Lynn Raisl at (253) 759-0725 or send an e-mail message to lynnraisl@hotmail.com. For daily updates, visit the Women’s League Facebook page at www. facebook.com/PugetSoundWomensLeague.
SEAHAWKS COACH PARTNERS WITH NORTHWEST LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION
On Feb. 27, Pete Carroll, head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, spoke to the Legislature in Olympia about youth and gang violence in the Puget Sound. Carroll spoke to representatives and senators about the value of public/private partnerships and the importance of continued investment in youth and gang violence intervention and prevention programs.
Carroll spoke on behalf of his A Better Seattle organization, the YMCA of Greater Seattle’s Alive and Free program and Tacoma’s Northwest Leadership Foundation (NLF), whose efforts are reducing gang violence and building ladders of opportunities for youth in the Puget Sound. His primary purpose at the Capitol was to draw support for funding and cooperation from state officials. Carroll stated, “Creating partnerships across our region and increasing private funds to support the flow of public dollars has allowed us to build a model that we believe is sustainable, managed at the local community level and is results-driven.” He stressed that Washington has an opportunity to be an example of social innovation for the rest of the country. He feels this program should be in every major city in the United States to reduce youth violence, incarceration and the number of victims of violence. Carroll chose the Northwest Leadership Foundation to work alongside A Better Seattle because of their dedication to urban youth and the revitalization of the city. NLF was the Seahawks Charity of the Month for December 2012 and continues their relationship with the NFL team to advocate for youth in the Puget Sound. With a heart for the city, NLF runs programs designed to lift youth up and out of self-destructive cycles and provide safe places for them to excel. Applying straightforward, practical solutions to advance the faith of their beloved city, they operate in accessible, culturally sensitive and powerful ways. The Proteen initiative is NLF’s one-stop-shop for youth ages 10-22 involved in or at risk of involvement in the juvenile justice system. The program helps these youth recognize their gifts, find their distinctive voice to set goals and take action for change. They provide a non-threatening environment, working intensely with adult mentors, the faith community and service providers to assist them in developing and achieving their goals. MORE CITY BRIEFS AT TACOMAWEEKLY.COM
#1 EVENT CALENDAR #2 GUITAR PHENOM NOLAN GARRETT CONTINUES HIS JOURNEY…. #3 NEW POLICE SPOKESPERSON IS EAGER TO SERVE TACOMA #4 TACOMA OPERA STAGES 1853 CLASSIC ‘LA TRAVIATA #5 CULTURA INFUSES ART, CULTURE INTO COMMUNITY
Local Restaurants Flipping Out Famous Burgers and Fries Judging from the prices on the menu at Flipping Out Burgers ($3.79 for a cheeseburger!), most people may not automatically assume that only the most high-quality, premium ingredients are used. But owners Tom and Marina Lomis refuse to cut any corners when it comes to their burgers, fries, corndogs – or anything else on the menu, for that matter. In fact, each morning, workers hand grind the beef, and the buns are baked fresh the night before using a special recipe created for the restaurant. Only the freshest condiments are used, including hand pulled lettuce, and French fries are freshly cut in-store. Customers can build their own burgers, choosing whichever ingredients and condiments they would like – and for no extra charge. “We’re a small company with friendly employees creating a great clientele,” Tom Lomis said. While typical burger restaurants tend to add fillers to create that “juicy” look to a burger, Flipping Out’s beef contains only 9 percent fat or less – the closest thing any of us will ever get to a low-fat hamburger. Each burger also includes a special – secret -- seasoning from Chicago. “People can actually enjoy a burger here and not feel guilty about clogging their arteries,” Lomis laughed. Corn dogs are also made using only Hebrew National Kosher hotdogs, hand battered in a recipe made inhouse. Marina Lomis also recently opened up Sipping Out, a coffee stand connected to the restaurant, featuring high-
quality coffee from Olympia-based roaster Batdorf and Bronson. Sipping Out also serves breakfast sandwiches in the mornings, and its delicious caffeinated beverages are offered all day long during the restaurant’s normal business hours (Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Fri.-Sat. from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.) Flipping Out also offers senior discounts, and some lucky toddlers out there – if they’re good for their parents – may receive mini ice cream cones for free, as well. In addition to ice cream, the restaurant offers a full menu of milkshakes, malts and even deep-friend cheesecake. Flipping Out Burgers is located at 4008 S. 12th St. in Tacoma.
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Friday, March 15, 2013 • tacomaweekly.com • Section A • Page 3
1926 marmon d-74 stevedunkel@tacomaweekly.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF LEMAY COLLECTION
500 motor race. The Wasp featured the world’s first rear-view mirror and also pioneered the use of aluminum in its engine, body and chassis. The 1926 Marmon D-74 roadster featured an in-line six. Nearly 4,500 of were sold in 1926 at a cost of $3,000. But the car maker’s fate was sealed with the global downturn of the 1930s. Production ended in 1933.
The 84-horsepower car in the LeMay collection is Marmon’s twopassenger, three-speed roadster that successfully completed the 2011 Pebble Beach Motoring Classic. Only 350 of the 250,000 Marmon cars ever produced are known to exist today. D-74 models run upward of $90,000 when they are auctioned in car collecting circles.
Associated Ministries adopts the Dinosaur
MOST WANTED NEW ITEMS
PHOTO BY KATHLEEN MERRYMAN
BLESSING THE DINOSAUR. Associated Ministries colleagues will fill their rolling suitcase with all the things a child going into foster care will need. Team members are (from left, back row), Bria Zimmerman, Jovan Dumas-Orange, Kiet Do, Jeannine Mott, Marcy Stahl. Sandy Windley, Valorie Crout, Greta Brackman, Megan Shea, Adam Ydtsie, and Michelle Cotton. In the front row are Sam Samoeun and Amy Allison. By Kathleen Merryman Kathleen@tacomaweekly.com
G
ive Megan Shea and Amy Allison credit for the best idea of the Charlie’s Dinosaur Drive for Foster Kids. They work at Associated Ministries, where they’re true to the mission of uniting people of faith to build stronger communities. They embraced the drive as a chance to add a little personal oomph to that mission by collecting supplies for kids going into foster care. Most collection sites so far are gathering random items from the most wanted list of clothing and toiletries. Shea and Allison saw another way. “Can we fill a backpack for one child?� Allison asked, just as Shea was about to pose the same question. These women are brilliant. They’re going beyond buying hair dryers and jeans for a cause. They and their colleagues will be sending one child on his or her way with a rolling bag packed with love and hope. Associated Ministries’ staff will decide together whether they would like to help a boy or a girl. They will pick an age range, and they will plan together who will bring what for the suitcase. It’s a perfect model. Any office, church, classroom or club can do it. The next best question of the drive came up when the staff got a briefing on it: “Can we fill more than one?� You know the answer.
ABOUT THE DRIVE
Child abuse and neglect cases are some of the hardest on Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies. Though they are all awful, the death of Charlie and Braden Powell
POTHOLE
OF THE WEEK
By Steve Dunkelberger
The Nordyke and Marmon Co. was an early maker of gas-powered vehicles with its first production model of an air-cooled V-twin automobile in 1902 at a factory in Indianapolis. That car came a full six years before Henry Ford released its landmark “Tin Lizzie� Model T in Detroit, which would go down in history as the first affordable automobile. The Marmon cars had a price tag of about $2,500, while the Model T cost just $850. That price difference made one only reachable to the upper crust, while the Ford model was clearly marketed to the masses. The V-2 Marmon, and its sibling V-4 model, soon gained a reputation as a sporty and speedy upscale automobile that was also reliable and easy to maintain. America’s driving culture proved large enough to allow both markets to prosper, until money was harder to come by, that is. But the market could not foresee the Great Depression to come. The Model 32 of 1909 led to the Wasp, winner of the first Indianapolis
Pothole pig’s
at their father’s hand was one of the worst. Who could make sense of a parent murdering his own boys? After they found a picture Charlie made of a happy dinosaur, five detectives saw it as the mascot of an effort to help the kids they still can. They founded Charlie’s Dinosaur as a non-profit to help children moving out of abuse and into foster care. There’s an awkward time in that process, said Det. Sgt. Theresa Berg. The children rarely have clean clothes, toiletries or anything to pass the time in the few days when they are in
meetings, hearings and temporary care. Charlie’s Dinosaur fills in that blank with a backpack or rolling suitcase filled with new necessities. The detectives are allowing us to help fill those bags during Tacoma Weekly’s Charlie’s Dinosaur Drive for Foster Kids. The list of things the children need, and the places to bring them are next to this story.
s "ACKPACKS s 2OLLING LUGGAGE s 0AJAMAS NO NIGHT GOWNS OR SHORTIES s :IP FRONT HOODIES s #OATS s *EANS AND TOPS s (AIR DRYERSS s 4OILETRIES INCLUDING SHAMPOO CONDITIONER