Merry Christmas 2025!

By Marianne Lincoln On December 23, I try to get out an see the Christmas lights around the area. I’m not sure if it is my imagination, but it didn’t seem like there were quite as significant a number of displays as in years past. I decided I would look at other neighborhoods than I…

Dupont, my testimony to everyone who disturbs an historic place

By Marianne Lincoln The following is the full written testimony I submitted to the Hearing’s Examiner for the City of Dupont as it considers the Pioneer Aggregates South Parcel Expansion Project. With 68 years of knowing Dupont and its history, I had several options of how to approach this topic. Don Russell, 96, left me…

Happiness?

Editorial by Marianne Lincoln Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, isn’t that what ‘we the people’ want? We often talk about having a happy life, doing what makes us happy. But I prefer to look at it differently. I actually do not believe there is a real thing called happiness. My life has not…

Pierce County’s Non-Significance

One of the hallmarks of the past eight years under County Executive Bruce Dammeier was the prolific use of the DNS, Determination of Non-Significance. It is a term used in land development after an environmental review form is filled out and a plan for development is submitted. In the past eight years, I cannot recall…

Stop building cul-de-sacs in unincorporated county

EDITORIAL OPINION Years ago, when the Spanaway Community Association was starting and the Growth Management Act was in its infancy, Pierce County explained to us that the housing developments with cul-de-sacs were useful to slow crime. The county was allowing, mostly even, asking developers to build all these little pocket communities on large parcels. Each…

Get together – Get it done!

By Marianne Lincoln I may be losing track now of how many times I have helped a group form and accomplish a major milestone for their community. However, I can still pinpoint where it started and who to blame (in a good way). My father was into airplanes. I mean, really into airplanes. So by…

Editorial: Listening to Constituents

By Claudia Riiff Finseth Apparently, I am not done with the subject of public comments at our Pierce County government’s public meetings. Blame it on Arlie DeJarnett, my high school civics teacher. Mr. DeJarnett was also a Representative to the Washington State Legislature. He knew his stuff. Day in and day out, the people we…

Editorial

[Please read the article – Not This Time – before these comments from Cindy Beckett to understand what is going on.] By Cindy Beckett I keep saying this ad nauseum……I don’t care who it is – the Tacoma rescue bunch, the executive and his lying planning dept, or the so-called lead for HUD in WA…

Going bald temporarily

By Marianne Lincoln While attending a recent Parkland Spanaway Kiwanis meeting at the Paradise Lanes, I inquired whether I should tell my story to my readers. The answer was a resounding yes. It is difficult to think of yourself as a fixture in the community, but anymore, I am recognized at most meetings I attend….

Revving a local economy

By Marianne Lincoln Have you thought much about what it takes to make your local community successful? People in the community who are employed, with money in their pockets, shop at local stores, gas stations and restaurants. That, in turn, raises tax money to go back into the community. Quite simple, actually. So to make…