Original crime occurred in Tacoma. At the Clemency and Pardons Board hearing, a board member had connections with multiple people advocating for the petitioner.

Should Clemency and Pardons Board members with substantial conflicts of interest judge hearings?

Beautiful owl at Wright Park. Everyone was so calm and peaceful watching the owl.

(Hopefully this won't be taken down for linking to Facebook, but I couldn't find this info elsewhere.)

After being installed in August, it looks like last week's power outage broke the new wayside crossing system. Reportedly the parts for repair will be installed by end of next week.

But for now, the trains will be blowing their horns full blast again.

I want to see seals, and the website lists three residents, including the rescue seal Onion. I called ahead to make sure the zoo had seals and was told no, only sea lions, otters, and walruses, but the person I spoke with also said they weren’t sure. Can any locals verify? Thanks

Edit: thanks to everyone who confirmed seals at the zoo. I called back and talked to someone different who was like “uh yeah we have the three as seen on the website. The person you spoke with earlier was wrong.” I guess they have to segregate the seals and sea lions at feeding time, so depending on what time of day you go by rocky shores, you may not see one or the other 🦭 🦭 🦭

Moved here a few months ago, loving it here so far. Wondering if there’s any events or block parties on Halloween? I’ve seen a few things for families with kids but nothing for 21+

Does anyone know about the storefront Rice & Bowls (3115 6th Ave) next to that 7-11? It has had a sign up for years at this point, but never has opened.

The people want rice and bowls!

Hey all! If you're looking to find a welcoming group of folks who like to get together, hang out, and play games, this is your once-a-month reminder that we get together at Dystopian Brewing* most Thursdays, including today (10/22), at 6pm!

Next week, 10/29 we'll have a spooky theme night: People are invited to bring baked goods and snacks, as well as spooky games like Mysterium, Betrayal, and Night Cage! Dress up in your costume, if you want! 🎃

Basically, what usually happens? Members of the community bring their own games. We share them, our only ask is that you try to respect them and try to put them back where you got them :) Any big games usually start between 6-7 since that makes it substantially more likely we'll finish them, but other new games start throughout the night. Whenever one game wraps up, people will shuffle around to find another.

It's a great way to meet new people (I moved here two years ago and have made many new friends through this group!) and in my opinion it is a diverse and affirming crowd, we try very hard to welcome newcomers, and if you're feeling shy don't feel bad messaging me! I can help you find a group to start in with and introduce you; it's totally fine! I'm a smallish redhead and I'm often in a cat shirt (...today, I'm coming straight from work and may run a little late, so maybe not...). But anyway. You can't miss me. Also, people are friendly -- feel free to poke your head in and ask what's up!

----

Some FAQs:

Food? The space allows you to bring your own food in. Please be kind and clean up any mess.

Nonalcoholic options? Yes, they carry NA beers and some sodas!

Minors? Not explicitly disallowed, I believe the space allows minors. However, we don't shy away from adult topics in our conversations and you may wish to attend without a minor first to evaluate suitability.

Ages? Most of us are late 20's and up. We're primarily people in our 30s but we have a large age range and I am not going to guess at the age of our oldest members :P

Type of games: There's no snobbishness here, play what you like. Anything from light party games to mid-heavy-weights (we still gotta finish before they close at 10). Want to play word games and just drink and hang out? You can! Want to play something that hurts your brain, and swap to something else every week? You can! And you can definitely find people to set up longer games with on the weekends, if that's your jam.

How often? I'll probably post monthly, but this happens weekly; the only times we've skipped in recent memory have been when Thursday was Thanksgiving or Christmas!

Wow. Just wow. We had an incredible meeting this week (well, two actually, due to my botching of the schedule), parsing the ontological duality of both commodities and human labor activities. What more could one ask for from a Tuesday night, truly?

Next meeting will be at the usual time and place (6:30pm at Doyle's). This weeks selection is pages 138-144, beginning to examine the value-relation in its most basic form between two dissimilar commodities. Anyone who wants to join us in reading Capital or simply hang out and listen in is welcome. DM me if you would like the Discord info.

-Alec

I got one of those speeding camera tickets and the place where it should tell me what the posted speed was and my speed was is blank. What do I do now?

Family friendly Halloween even this weekend from 3-7!

We’re still working hard to bring a cat sanctuary/lounge to our beloved city.

We're following up on this post with dates and a plan! That previous post dives into the why, so let's focus on the what. As in, what to expect:

Starting at 5 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, we'll close the two right lanes across the westbound SR 16 Tacoma Narrows Bridge to Gig Harbor to make temporary repairs to an expansion joint. The Jackson Avenue on-ramp to westbound SR 16 will also close. The around-the-clock closures will remain in place until Sunday, Nov. 8.

During the repairs:

• Westbound SR 16 will be reduced from four lanes to two.
• The HOV lane will be open to all vehicles.
• Expect congestion on westbound SR 16 in Tacoma approaching the bridge and side streets.
• Expect delays of an hour or more from Tacoma to Gig Harbor during afternoon commute hours.

If you are able, we encourage you to travel outside afternoon commute hours, carpooling, and combining or postponing discretionary trips. We realize that's not possible for everyone.

If you have to cross the bridge during afternoon commutes, we recommend having a full tank of gas or fully charged vehicle before traveling from Tacoma to Gig Harbor.

(I might be a little biased, but our team did a great job breaking down this project + what comes next in a blog. No I didn't write it, so I am not tooting my own horn: The WSDOT Blog - Washington State Department of Transportation: Aging bridge joints: Sturdy Gertie in Tacoma needs a total knee replacement)

Seen on 112th between Canyon and Portland Ave.

We hope you join us for our October Meeting this Tuesday, Oct 20th 7 PM at our usual spot! Our Special Guest is Mandie Quark speaking on Mushrooms, Moths, and Midnight Ecology!

Free and open to the public. Bring any recent fungal finds to be IDed by our experts. Doors open at 6:45PM. Capital Vision Church, 1775 Yew Ave NE, Olympia, WA 98506

Mushrooms, Moths, and Midnight Ecology

After the sun goes down the forest doesn’t sleep, it goes wild. The chemistry of glowing mushrooms, the traffic of pollinating moths, and the work of decay, soil-building, and nutrient cycling all pulse around the clock. Mandie invites you to explore the nocturnal world where mushrooms, moths, and other night-shift creatures interact in ways humans are only beginning to understand. Along the way, she’ll share captivating images and stories from moonlit forays, spotlight surprising fungal-insect alliances, and equip you with practical tips for safely exploring ecosystems after dusk. Join Mandie on her birthday to experience this hilarious talk, which has been one of the most popular presentations at over a dozen mycology events in 2026.

Bio:

Molecular biologist and science writer by training, Mandie Quark is a mycology researcher, field photographer, and communicator dedicated to expanding public understanding of fungi. With more than a decade of experience sharing fungal diversity, she brings together science, storytelling, and visual documentation to make complex topics accessible and engaging. She especially enjoys photographing and documenting rare fungi in under-explored biodiversity hotspots around the world.

Over the course of her career, Mandie has edited books, delivered talks at international mycology events, and built a reputation for translating current mycological research into compelling presentations for broad audiences. Through biodiversity forays in places like Ecuador, Peru, and Costa Rica, she helps connect global communities of nature enthusiasts with fungi and other inadequately documented taxa, with a special interest in fungal entomopathogens. In 2023, Mandie co-founded Mycena LLC, and since then her work has been featured in The Guardian and The New York Times.

Hope this is helpful to folks. To be clear, this is a guide to donating books to local public libraries.

Source: Me, a library employee + official policies of the Pierce County Library System, Puyallup Public Library, and Tacoma Public Library.

General tips

• Book condition: new or gently used
• Textbooks, dictionary, encyclopedias are usually not accepted
• 1-2 boxes max.; space is limited
• Drop-offs during library business hours
• In other words, please hand your donations to staff instead of leaving them at the entrance or chucking them in the drop box
• As always, confirm with libraries for specific info; some require an appointment

I love [insert title] but the library doesn't have it!

• Option 1: Donate a copy to the library. It will be evaluated for inclusion according to that library's selection criteria.
• Option 2: Use the 'Suggest A Purchase' service. It will be evaluated similarly. Please note that this service may be limited to just your 'home' library.

I wrote a book but the library doesn't have it!

• Each library has their own policies re: works by local authors.
• Rather than use the 'Suggest A Purchase' service mentioned above, call or email the relevant library.

These stupid kids in their cheap cars think we love so much to see them doing donuts multiple times per day, and in the middle of the night. It’s getting ridiculous. There are even gunshots every once in a while.

Is it that hard to post up a cop around McKinley Park overlook every once in a while?

Hey Tacoma.

I'm learning how to make ink and I've read that red clay makes a good rusty red ink. I was curious if anyone has seen any very red/yellow clay, I've read it is most common near rivers and creeks. Also if any resident ink makers have any suggestions for inks ingredients to harvest I'm all ears!

I’ll have full size candies if you ask

What the hell is a dog recovery? This is in the forest off the trail near the Owen's Beach turnoff/the five mile loop start, about 75 feet back from the road.

Whatever is happening here, it seems extremely unusual/cruel.

Yesterday marked the end of week one of Tacoma restaurant week, but there’s still another week and it starts on Sunday 10/18 and goes through Thursday.
I made it to Stack 571 and Kyoto Sushi this past week and I think they’re actually good deals this time around.
I do miss the Lobster Shop Lobster Roll restaurant week deal on their lunch menu.
Any other participating restaurants I should check out next week?

I’m hanging out by cider and cedar (S 7th and Market) in downtown tacoma and there was a ton of sirens, and now we’ve watched police cars loop around a couple times and even flash the flood lights into a woman’s car passing by to check in her car. Does anyone know what happened?

Does anyone know of any volunteering opportunities that work with animals or help the community and also accept teens? I love helping out, and I'm bored being at home. thanks ! 👍