By Ryan Mello, Pierce County Council Chair, District 4

As the holiday season fills our spirits with its warmth, I want to take a moment to extend my heartfelt wishes to you and your loved ones. I hope you find time to rest, relax, and celebrate in a way that honors your beliefs and traditions.

In the hustle and bustle of the season, it's important to find moments of rest and reflection, and I hope you take time to recharge, surrounded by the love and laughter of those who matter most to you.

I also understand that the holidays can be a mix of emotions, simultaneously lifting our spirits up while we continue to identify solutions to best help our neighbors experiencing homelessness, housing and food insecurity, and a myriad of other issues that affect their quality of life. If you ever wish to share your thoughts, concerns, or ideas, I and the Pierce County Council are here to listen. Your voice matters, and we value the opportunity to connect with you.

Looking ahead to 2024, we are filled with optimism and excitement for what the future holds. We will have an opportunity to identify and fund new affordable housing projects with the Maureen Howard Affordable Housing Tax, making major investments in putting roofs over peoples' heads, and addressing the challenges facing our youth and young adults. Together, let's embark on a journey of growth, collaboration, and success. Your trust in me and involvement in the local legislative process has been invaluable, and I eagerly anticipate the great things we can achieve together in the coming year.

Wishing you a peaceful holiday season and a joyous New Year. May it be filled with new opportunities, meaningful connections, and moments that leave you with a heart full of gratitude.

-Ryan

[[image]] Last Minute Gifts

This year, we focused on gifts and experiences that are not only thoughtful and worth giving to someone special, but also gifts that support Northwest businesses big and small. We hope this helps you cross some names off your long gift-giving list and feel good about your choices while supporting local communities.

Learn to Blow Glass

Thanks to Dale Chihuly and many other artists Tacoma is known for its beautiful glass-blown art — and you can gift someone an experience to learn the craft. Check out Tacoma Glassblowing Studio, Area 253 Glassblowing, Puget Sound Mobile Glass Blowing, the Museum of Glass, and more for opportunities.

Soak Up the Sun

A season pass to Wild Waves Theme & Water Park in Federal Way starts at about $70 a person and allows folks to visit as often as they’d like and slide, relax in the lazy river and wave pool, enjoy rides, savor food, and more during the late spring and summer.

Go To The Zoo

The Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is always a good time — you never know what the animals will be doing when you visit. Make sure to say hello to the new polar bear sisters who recently arrived. Memberships range from $90 to $230 annually and more if you want to add Northwest Trek.

A Sweet Thought

Get a gift card so they can learn to decorate cakes, cupcakes, and more like a pro thanks to classes (in person or online) from Celebrity Cake Studio in Tacoma. If you do it at home, they send kits with everything you’ll need. Prices vary.

Tacoma’s Sweet Staple

Brown & Haley was founded in 1912 in Tacoma and is the maker behind the beloved Almond Roca Buttercrunch candy. It also offers baking kits, Mountain Bars, and a variety of other Roca flavors, like peppermint.

Farm to Glass

Buckley’s own Simple Goodness Sisters have created craft cocktail/mocktail kits and more gift-worthy products that will make holiday entertaining that much sweeter. All the ingredients for their mixers are grown on their farm. You can also gift Cocktail Farm Club subscriptions and boxes will be delivered bimonthly all year long.

Giving Back Looks Good

Guided by a “bigger than beauty” philosophy, Thrive Causemetics is looking to change the industry for good with products that not only aim to empower women, but are also vegan and cruelty-free. Founded by Stanwood-raised Karissa Bodnar in 2016, Thrive Causemetics also donates a portion of its profits to help communities.

Track and Represent a Polar Bear

Buy a bracelet at Paper Luxe in Fircrest or Gig Harbor and track the adventures of a real-life polar bear thanks to an interactive tracking map. Learn its name, how many cubs it had, and more. $16.95

Even More Gift Ideas

Alaska Airlines flight attendants were set to strike at multiple area airports this week leading up to some of the busiest flying season. The airline reports that disruptions in the flight operations are not expected as the picketing flight attendants are off duty.

Unionized Alaska flight attendants and the union, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, say they have been in negotiations for over a year. The AFA-CWA claims that flight attendant pay has fallen in comparison with the rest of the industry, and that Alaska Airlines provided “inadequate economic proposals” during negotiations. Attendants were also upset by the $1.9 billion plan to purchase Hawaiian Airlines after allegedly saying that the union’s proposals were not “economically feasible.”

The attendants will vote on a strike next with that voting open between January 8th - February 13th, 2024.

Read More

A tongue-in-cheek party invite on Facebook became a holiday toy drive in New Jersey. Drew Delgado, who uses the self-checkout at Walmart wanted to invite others to bag items for themselves for a party. The party quickly gained over 1000 RSVPs and turned into a toy drive in Lacey Township in the southern part of the state.

Since Delgado felt he was doing more work than some of the employees, he would “host a self-checkout party for all of his colleagues that walk in and out of there everyday.” With a sarcastic tagline of “Celebrating another successful year of customers picking, paying and bagging your own groceries while actual employees just stand around and check receipts,” the Walmart self-checkout employee party was born.

He was contacted by Walmart corporate who did think it was funny, but were not interested in him hosting the event in the store. Interest quickly peaked to 40,000 with 8,000 RSVPs so he called friends and fellow members at the local Lacey Elks who had a large enough parking lot to host the viral event.

“This joke has just turned into something wonderful and it’s not really about the recognition of Drew or myself or any other leadership here, or even the Elks. It’s about giving back to our community, not only during the holiday season, but during any time of the year.” Elks leader Michael Zummo said.

Read and watch the full story here

[[ image ]] Tacoma Dome Ultimate Ticket Giveaway

The Ultimate Ticket Giveaway is back! 🎉 Enter now to make your 2024 𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐘 by winning two (2) FREE tickets to every ticketed event at the Tacoma Dome in 2024. The contest will start on December 18th at 10:00am and end on December 31st at 11:59pm. Participants will be able to enter once per day! 🔗 https://www.tacomadome.org/events/ultimate-ticket-2023/

During the countdown to December 31st, we will host one-day giveaways to our already-announced shows. Check out the schedule, and make sure to turn on notifications for our page!

[[image]] One Day List

[[image]] One Day List 2

[[image]] Glass Drop Off

A NEW glass drop-off station is now open in South Tacoma! These glass drop-off sites are available for residential customers to recycle glass, household batteries, and other recyclables.

The new site is located at:

5728 Tacoma Mall Blvd.

Hours: 7:30 AM - 9 PM

Days: Monday - Sunday

For more information on other locations and what items are accepted, please visit  tacomarecycles.org/glass

After 60 years… Danny Bonaduce retires from show business

If you've been reading our newspaper lately, you know that we've been reporting on environmental concerns right here in Tacoma. If this is something you care about, and we hope you do for all our sakes, Metro Parks is working on a Climate Action Plan and they are looking for public comment. Now is your chance to tell them what you think. They are also working on a plan to make the parks more accessible to people with disabilities and there is a chance for you to have input there as well. Please see the links below to chime in on these important topics that impact all of us.

Metropolitan Parks Tacoma is seeking public comment on its Draft ADA Transition plan by Friday, February 2, 2024.

MPT is also conducting a community survey to inform MPT’s new Climate Action Plan. The survey is open through February 9 but responses received by January 5 will inform the visioning phase.

MPT’s Draft ADA Transition Plan

MPT is creating a work plan to remove accessibility barriers at our parks and facilities. These barriers were identified during a third-party assessment of interior and exterior pathways, ramps and stairs, parking spaces, signage, programming and more.

Public comment will be open until Friday, February 2, 2024.

For more information and to view the draft Plan, go to the ADA Transition Plan | Social Pinpoint https://engagepiercecounty.mysocialpinpoint.com/ada.../home

Community Survey: Climate Action Plan

This survey will help Metro Parks Taco3ma understand its strengths and vulnerabilities as it develops a new Climate Action Plan. For more information and to take the Community survey go to: Climate Action Plan | Social Pinpoint https://engagepiercecounty.mysocialpinpoint.com/climate-action-plan/home?fbclid=IwAR29Bt8TJbQNfDmM6nFV5Za5zLk4relOvQ25jmfxxybxT592PQO1lv1JzvE

Responses received by January 5, 2024 will be incorporated into the visioning phase of the project, when summaries of survey responses will be shared with the Metro Parks Tacoma Project Team and the community at the first community meeting. Responses received through February 9th will continue to inform the final Climate Action Plan.

The 1st Community Meeting is being scheduled for the evening of Thursday, January 18, 2024 at Star Center.

Over the last few years, April Baker went from being jobless and living in a friend’s Tacoma basement to owning her own business and earning the respect of the organizations she works with. In 2018, Baker started Remnant Cleaning, a janitorial company that specializes in doing the final clean for a building before it opens for business. That’s what she and her team did for Hunt Middle School before the new school opened in 2021.

That project cemented Baker’s status as a high-quality contractor on a Tacoma Public Schools (TPS) construction project. It also helped position the school district as a leader in the state when it comes to public organizations re-investing in the community they serve.

Since 2016, TPS has worked to invest the taxpayer dollars for school construction projects back into local and disadvantaged businesses. This commitment to community investment was the first of its kind in the state.

“We believe this work is essential to supporting a resilient local economy,” said Alicia Lawver, director of strategic planning for the school district. “We do this so people who live here can work here, and people who work here can live here - and live well.”

In 2016, the school district, with the help of a volunteer task force from six local organizations, developed goals for each major school construction project. The lead contractor on the project is responsible for developing a plan to try to meet the goals. Each project should have at least this percent of its budget going toward businesses in these categories:

-30% local businesses

-10% certified minority-owned business enterprises

-6% certified woman-owned business enterprises

-5% small business enterprises

In the last few years, TPS more than doubled its goals for contracting with local businesses. Out of nearly $200 million in spending from the 2020 construction bond to date, about 70% of that has gone toward businesses in Tacoma and Pierce County. More than 30% has gone to small and disadvantaged businesses.

Learn More

[[image]] Page to Stage

Giraffes Can't Dance is Friday, January 12 at 6 p.m. This hour-long show is perfect for ages 3-8.

Tickets start at $9 and are on sale now!

Come help light up Tacoma by helping them set up/breakdown the Tacoma Light Trail event on New Years Eve or at one of their Lumens concerts! They have lots of time slots and tasks that you can pick and choose from! Apply at tacomalighttrail.org

Asia Pacific Cultural Center and Low Income Housing Institute are announcing a historic groundbreaking ceremony for Patsy Surh Place.

Patsy Surh Place is a new, mixed-use construction project located in the Lincoln District Neighborhood of Tacoma. This 6-story building will provide 77 affordable housing units for seniors making 30% and 50% of Area Median Income. The building will include 47 studios and 31 one-bedroom units. On-site amenities will include a community lounge, an exterior courtyard, a multipurpose room and gallery space, and centralized laundry. Two retail bays for small businesses will be built along S. 38th St. One unit will be set aside for a live-in manager unit.

Patsy Surh O'Connell is an exceptional community leader with an unwavering commitment in promoting Asian and Pacific Islander heritage, culture, and arts throughout the region. Patsy’s passion stems from a unique desire to honor her Korean heritage and to honor her parents’ legacy. She was born in Shanghai, China to Korean parents, and lived her early life in Korea before immigrating to America as a student in 1963. She is proud to be Korean and wants other Asia Pacific people to feel the same way about who they are. She also wants to help people to know more about the Asia Pacific community. This led to her establishing the Asia Pacific Cultural Center in 1996 with a dream to create a central gathering place for people to connect through Asian Pacific art and culture. Currently Patsy serves as APCC’s President, and under her strong leadership the organization has grown and expanded to serve hundreds of thousands of people each year throughout the State of Washington.

Read & Learn More about Patsy Suhr

Remember those little Bird scooters that were littered around our city? Unfortunately for Bird, those days are over now.

Read the Official Press Release

Madin Akpo-Esambe is now part of the investment team at Tacoma Venture Fund. Akpo-Esambe is co-founder of Trava, an AI-powered travel planning tool and marketplace that helps friends and families create travel itineraries. The Tacoma Venture Fund launched in 2020 and invests in early-stage startups across the Pacific Northwest, with a particular focus on the Tacoma area.

Learn More

by Codie A. Sanchez of Contrarian Thinkin

• Only 1/3 of new hires stay for >90 days

• 150% turnover for hourly employees annually

• 100% employee turnover in warehouses (double the industry average)

But it gets even worse. Let me explain:

So, how big of a problem is losing $8B/yr? For context, Amazon’s net income:

• In 2021, was $33.36B

• In 2022, was -$2.72B

But there’s a conundrum bigger than money: Amazon could RUN OUT of people to hire in its US warehouses in 2024. At one point, employee turnover was seen as an advantage to Amazon. Bezos saw his warehouse workforce as necessary - but replaceable.He can't afford to think that way anymore.What’s causing such low satisfaction?

Sure, there are surface-level factors:

• High-pressure environments

• Tough working conditions

• Poor work-life balance

But lots of hard jobs have happy employees.There's a bigger underlying problem...The industrial mindset.

Amazon would rather have employees:

• Robotically produce output

• Have no say in operations

• Receive no benefits

• Follow instructions

• Get no promotions

Employees have NO skin in the game. There's a systemic failure bigger than Amazon...We’ve become a nation of renters, owned by an elite group of owners.We’ve handed our lives to those who tell us we must be protected – not protectors.“You will own nothing and be happy about it.”

Centralization at the crux of the issue. Our banks, corporations, stock market, governments...Everything is centralized. Centralization breeds bureaucracies. Bureaucracies care little for you.You become a cog in an endless machine. Humans were meant to be tribal groups where our activities meant something. Now we:

• Work where we can't feel our impact

• Buy from companies we know no one at

• Hardly know our neighbors

You make poor decisions when you’re not responsible for the outcome. Amazon’s problem should open our eyes.

Decentralize.

Build small.

Buy small.

I want you to feel your value as a human – as a builder of a cogless machine. This concept drives everything I do. I hope it resonates with you, too. If it does, I think you'd like my newsletter. It's called Contrarian Thinking, and it's about freeing your mind, building your bank account, and reclaiming ownership. You can get it free here → https://lnkd.in/eGmtANrR

By Stephanie Smith

The Eastside Neighborhood Advisory Committee of Tacoma (ENACT) called a special meeting at 6 pm on December 6th to address concerns expressed by residents in East Tacoma about water quality. Some have reported pink or brown discolored water. Additionally, the residents around McKinley Avenue near the Tacoma Dome have noticed the frequent presence of Tacoma Water trucks and testing. This has caused an increase in concern about the safety of the water in East Tacoma.

This interest and concern led ENACT Vice President Tara Scheidt, and President Lynnette Scheidt to organize a meeting that included speakers from Tacoma Public Utilities (TPU). The guest speakers were Dr. John Gaines the Community Relations Manager for TPU, Craig Downs the Source & Treatment Assistant Division Manager for Tacoma Water, and Scott Hallenberg the Quality Assurance Operations Manager for Tacoma Water. Here is how some of the information addressed concerns:

If there is a problem in East Tacoma, why haven’t we heard anything?

In late fall there is historically lower usage and less flow. Less flow leads to stagnation and lower chlorine levels which means more attention in certain areas from Tacoma Water. To ensure transparency and the safety of your water, you will see samples taken year-round and tests run through independent State Certified labs. If there is any contamination that would cause health issues the lab must report to the appropriate agencies at the same time as Tacoma Water.

The key point in the presentation is that the water is safe. Here are some other key points from the presentation.

Where does East Tacoma water come from?

The Green River Filtration Facility, completed in 2015, is the source of tap water for East Tacoma. The water is treated at the Green River Filtration Facility and gravity-fed through pipelines. The Green River Filtration facility filters and disinfects 150 million gallons of water daily, serving over 300,000 people.

What about the Portland Avenue Reservoir? Is it ok?

The Portland Avenue Reservoir holds about 20 million gallons and was covered in 2002. Due to the closure of Westrock and concerns about stagnation, it has been offline for several weeks due to lower demand. The lower demand is seasonal but, is also attributed to the closure of Westrock which typically used 16-17 million gallons per day.

Who keeps an eye on the water quality?

There are sample locations, online analyzers, and site-specific locations for monitoring water quality throughout the entire system. There might be more sampling locations for dead-end or low-flow areas that need more monitoring. Tacoma Water quality specialists are on staff 24/7. There are also regulatory requirements, and the reports of monitoring are available online at https://www.mytpu.org/about-tpu/tpu-publications/.

Why is the water pink or brown?

Several things can lead to discoloration including firefighting, construction/tanker trucks using a hydrant to fill, and dead-end flushing. Another source of discoloration is airborne bacteria in your bathroom that can cause a ring or discolor the water in your toilet. You can put a small amount of bleach into your toilet tank to reduce or eliminate this. For more information on possible causes of your water’s change in appearance check out this useful resource: https://www.mytpu.org/about-tpu/services/water/about-tacoma-water/water-quality/discolored-dirty-water/

How can I help protect water quality?

Report unauthorized hydrant use by construction or tanker trucks. Use of fire hydrants must be authorized by Tacoma Water and there is a rental process. Certain areas and hydrants are not permitted to be used except in case of emergencies (fire, etc.) because it would impact water quality or cause other issues within the system. So, it is a good idea that if you see anyone using a fire hydrant that is not the Fire Department or Tacoma Water take a picture or get other identifying information and notify Tacoma Public Utilities.

If you notice anything in your water that causes you concern Tacoma Water Quality Specialists are on staff 24/7 and can be reached at (253) 502-8207 or by email at waterquality@cityoftacoma.org. A phone call will usually result in a faster response.

By Stephanie Smith

[[image]] Tillicum Community Sign

“Tillicum Can!” -TWA President David Anderson

If you haven’t been to a meeting and live in Tillicum, you should probably reconsider. Make time for the 6:30 pm meeting every 2nd Tuesday of the month at American Lake Gardens Community Service Center. You’ll find the pluckiest group that cares deeply for Tillicum and everyone in it. Stranger among them, I was treated to the wonderful experience that is the Tillicum Woodbrook Neighborhood Association (TWNA) community meeting.

The President of the TWNA is David Anderson. A tall dude who fills the room with his positive personality, dad humor, and passion for his community. You can’t help but feel welcome. Here are some parts of the meeting that you might find interesting.

Tillicum Elementary News

Some of the important announcements of the night included Tillicum Elementary’s Iron Giraffe challenge. The newsletter reads, “After reading Long Walk to Water the 4th and 5th Graders are having a class competition to collect loose change with the goal of collecting $1000.” Whatever funds the kids collect will be used to help fund well-building and provide clean water in South Sudan. Following this announcement, President Anderson stated “If you have any cents(sense) at all you can contribute that to the 4th and 5th grade to build a well in South Sudan”. His pun wasn’t lost on the group. As of the writing of this article, $548 is left till they reach their goal. If you want to add some cents to the fund, contact the school directly or find the fundraiser at https://www.facebook.com/donate/238521465759008/

What qualifies as an emergency?

A hot pink flier was produced for David that had a few numbers like non-emergency and Animal Control, that would be helpful to the community and will be put in future newsletters. There was a question brought up as to what constituted an emergency. David was grateful for the non-emergency number and gave an example of a 911 call he made after seeing a cat with its head stuck in the foundation block of a house. Casanova the cat was trying to do a little more than romance a squirrel. David dialed 911 and told the operator that he wasn’t sure it was an emergency, but this was the only number he had. The operator replied that it seemed like it was an emergency for the cat. (Yes, indeed!).

So, what should you dial 911 or non-emergency for? I guess it depends on the situation. Use your best judgment. Do I leave you in suspense or tell you what happened to Casanova? Well not just yet. You can read David’s story at the end because this meeting recap isn’t done yet. 😊

So, those of you who didn’t go straight to the end and are still with me thank you. The rest of you had better catch up with me later after you achieve your instant gratification. You hedonists!

“Detective: Any updates?”

The local patrol officer was not at this meeting, but David proclaimed the next speaker a stand-in Detective with a special announcement. Temporary “Detective” Tim Johnson, a Lakewood commercial real estate agent, introduced Ronnie and Mio Wells from Growing Tots Childcare.

Mio and Ronnie are purchasing a building in Tillicum to open a Daycare/Childcare center. For Ronnie and Mio this is the return to the town that brought them together. Currently, she operates out of their home in Lakewood and this purchase brings a bigger location and more opportunity. No small blurb could bring justice to their beautiful story and dream. Stay tuned for a piece on the Wells and their return to the Tillicum community.

Community Center Updates

[[image]] Community Center

Bob Warfield, American Lake Gardens Community Service Center Board Member reminded the group they are always looking for people to serve on the board. If you want to get a hold of him for more information email foxxlair@aol.com. His updates remarked on the Transit survey and how residents would like bus 620 which travels between Lakewood and Olympia to stop in Tillicum.

The security lamps will hopefully be fixed by the next meeting due to the difficulty of finding the bulb. He’s found someone with a boom truck and thanks J. Cook for notifying him about the issue.

On June 30th, 2024, the title of the Community Center will be conveyed.

Free Refrigerator…Door?

A community member reported a refrigerator door was dragged and left in the driveway area leaning up. She thought it was her neighbor's and her neighbor thought it was hers. Finally, after mentioning it they both realized it had just been left there by someone. An individual dressed in dark clothing covering their face to avoid identification. After speaking with her neighbor, she put the abandoned fridge door in her dumpster.

Other neighbors remarked that it was likely part of a fridge that had been placed curbside with a free sign. Mystery Solved! Perhaps someone thought only the door was free?

Litter Clean up- First Saturday of the month at 10 am

Bags, vests, and pickers provided. To get involved contact the TWNA at CommunityMattersWeb@gmail.com

What does the Tillicum Community want to discuss in 2024?

Residents remarked that they’d like to hear from Code Enforcement about what residents should or shouldn’t be doing. Tree trimming, sidewalk parking, how much junk is too much junk?

-Business Spotlight- Local businesses being invited to participate in the Association.

-Trees for the community. How can they get more trees for their community?

What is Lakewood’s vision for the Tillicum community?

-Habitat for Humanity representative

-State Legislators invited to attend.

-WSDOT to discuss North Thorne Lane and some of the properties.

-Dumping in the Park. Solutions?

If you have a community meeting or happening that you want reported on email me at CommunityMeetingsRock@gmail.com and I’ll work to put you on my schedule. Be sure to include group name, next meeting date, time, location, and if it’s a recurring meeting.

Ok, ok, ok. Finally, we get to what you really were curious about. What happened to the cat? Here is what David Anderson wrote about Casanova and his squirrel-chasing adventure. Check out our NEXT STORY!

By David Anderson, published originally in the Suburban Times

“What emergency are you reporting?” asked the 9-1-1 dispatcher.

“Uh, well, it’s not necessarily an emergency but I’m hoping the fire department can help me.”

“O.K. I’ll transfer you to fire and while I do that can you tell me what’s going on?”

“There is this big black cat stuck in a decorative cement block. The block is part of the foundation of our rental house. The cat’s head is underneath the house and its body is outside the house and its neck connecting the two is through the middle hole in the block.”

[[image]] Cassanova

The cat was breathing and its tail was going up and down and the dirt around it was quite dug up indicating the futile struggle that had taken place.

The block was designed to be artistic I think but it was now, at this moment, serving as a most effective pillory – for public humiliation – only in this case the cat’s paws were through the two side holes and it’s head through the big one in the middle.

The middle one was the problem.

I think fortunately for the cat the face of humiliation was pointed the other direction.

Anyway, that’s what I was thinking while my call was being transferred, my thoughts interrupted by: “This is the fire department. We’re on our way.”

They were too. In the amount of time it takes to roll up the door and get in the truck and literally drive around the corner, Tillicum’s Engine 23 was on the scene.

A small crowd gathered as Captain Phil Hayden, Ryan Terhune and Steve Corey talked extrication options.

The first step was to prop up the main body of the cat so it wouldn’t choke further.

The second was for someone to crawl under the house and push from that side. I volunteered and wormed my way until the cat and I were face-to-face. With gloved hands I gently pushed on both its cheeks, avoiding the softly snarling teeth, but the poor thing’s head was somehow now much bigger than the hole.

“Casanova! What are you doing down there?” The exhausted cat, Casanova we now knew it as, moaned something and its owner, Denise Fabulae – who had been looking for Casanova when she suspicioned the fire truck might have something to do with it – was taken aside by Captain Hayden where a quiet conversation took place about what they were proposing to do.

Plan B, evidently, could prove fatal.

Terhune placed the prongs of the hydraulic spreader, aka ‘jaws of life’ – not available on all fire trucks I learned later but necessary for Tillicum’s truck as it patrols I-5 – into one of the side holes having first gently removed a paw. A chunk of concrete gave way and the linking concrete that formed the circle encasing the cat’s neck cracked perfectly. Just a tap of what was left with a chisel and hammer by Hayden and Casanova was but a black streak heading home across the street gone quicker than you can say “Wahoo!”

There were handshakes all around. Casanova wouldn’t pose for a picture. “Maybe later,” Fabulae said. “He’s hiding up in the attic.”

A bit humiliated probably from having chased a squirrel through a hole where the cat couldn’t go.

The firemen of West Pierce Fire and Rescue were all smiles though for their picture.

[[image]] West Pierce A Shift

“We’re just glad this was Shift A on duty. Shift B would have really messed this up.”

“Can I quote you?”

Laughter all around.

“You bet.”