Numbers released this week show Pierce County unemployment at 8.1% is still higher than both of its neighbors, King and Thurston. In fact, King County has dropped to a low of 4.4% and Pierce has dropped 1.2% over March 2013. Lewis and Grays Harbor counties remain with double digit unemployment.

For those of us in Pierce County, buy local and help bring up the jobs numbers in your community. The Bethel and Franklin Pierce School District could help the area tremendously if the state would just deliver a boost to their funding that the State Supreme Court says they should. Right now, according to Tom Seigel, the increase being considered by the legislature is still less than last year’s rate of inflation.