Councilmember Derek M. Young

Naloxone is easy to administer and overdose is impossible. Failing to make it OTC, on the hand, is killing people at pace.

Panel backs moving opioid antidote Narcan over the counter U.S. health advisers say the overdose-reversal drug naloxone should be made available over the counter.

Our community lost an incredible man, dear friend, and unofficial Mayor of the Key Peninsula. I'm not sure there's a person on the peninsulas whose life wasn't touched by his tireless work. He'll be missed.

Community champion Hugh McMillan dies at 96 - Gig Harbor Now For 45 years, Hugh McMillan's unrelenting service made an impact on the local schools, fire department, Lions Club and many other areas.

In many rural communities, it's hard for our elders to age in place when they can no longer keep up with their properties. We partnered with the Mustard Seed on the Key Peninsula to change that.

A new assisted living facility lets rural Pierce County residents age in their community The new assisted living facility uses an alternative model. It creates a non-restrictive environment, where residents have autonomy and independence.

This TNT editorial is correct. While I understand it takes a while to build the workforce and capital infrastructure, this is a problem decades in the making at every level of government. We need more urgency.

Turning our jails into substitute behavioral health hospitals was unconstitutional and immoral.

Congress should eliminate the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy. Most people incarcerated in local jails are awaiting trial and should not have their rights removed pre-conviction. This change would help maintain continuity of care and pay for treatment while waiting for release.

Congress should also eliminate the 16-bed limit on community-based mental health facilities. While well-intentioned and designed to avoid the old institutional model, it drives up administrative costs and has never replaced the old system's capacity.

The State should continue to invest in behavioral health treatment, not just for short-term stays but also for more extended residential facilities. People recovering from psychotic crises and substance misuse need time to heal and regain executive function. Housing is critical during this time of recovery.

While local governments can't appropriate behavioral health tax funding for capital, making revenue available for operating costs could lure service providers into opening in Pierce County.

WA must finally address mental health delays in jails. The cruelty is staggering | Opinion This isn’t about coddling suspected criminals — far from it. | From The News Tribune Editorial Board

Another contract signed to build high-speed broadband service in rural Pierce County, this time on the Key Peninsula. I had hoped to see this finished before I left, but glad it's finally done.

High-speed internet is coming to part of rural Pierce County. Here’s the $5 million plan The new internet service will serve over 500 homes in rural Pierce County.

Pierce County misses out on more state funding for behavioral health facilities because we don't have local matching funds available. It's not going to get better without local investment.

$20.4 million in state grants will expand behavioral health care access for people in crisis - Washington State Department of Commerce Commerce awards capital funding for acquisition, renovation and new construction of crisis stabilization facilities in Benton, King, Skagit and Whatcom counties OLYMPIA, WA – The Washington State Department of Commerce today announced another $20.4 million investment in community-based facilities ...

Pierce County is working to bring highspeed internet throughout our county and testing your broadband is one way for us to gain more knowledge about connectivity throughout the county.

We need your help in letting the FCC know whether or not your area has highspeed internet. Help us by:

✔️ Visiting broadbandmap.fcc.gov/home
✔️ Find your address
✔️ Compare Federal Communications Commission data to your experience
✔️ Click ‘Location Challenge’ to fix errors

To learn about what Pierce County is doing to boost broadband go to www.piercecountywa.gov/boostingbroadband.

This was the only time I watched a verdict in person. When I first heard how long people were languishing in our jail waiting for competency evaluations and services, I thought it must be a mistake. It's wrong, and I'm proud that we defended our people.

Mentally ill people are languishing in jail. Pierce judge blames state, issues fines

Quick work by the FBI and US Attorney Brown’s office.

Federal agents: Two Puyallup men arrested and charged for Christmas substation attacks The men were arrested on New Year’s Eve, following a search warrant and investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies, according to a news release

Today I'm handing things off to Councilmember Denson. It's been a great ride and I'm grateful for the chance to serve. Over the next several weeks I'll have more on the policy challenges that remain.

Gratitude After eight years on the Pierce County County Council and 16 years on the Gig Harbor City Council, today I’m stepping away from elected…

If your property experienced damage related to the extreme winter weather in December 2022, contact Pierce County Department of Emergency Management to provide your information at 253-798-6363.

It can help determine if the County is eligible for state assistance with recovery.

➡️ Residents are not filing claims by providing this information.
➡️ This process is not a guarantee residents will receive financial assistance from the state.

Learn more on our website: PierceCountyWa.Gov/DisasterRecovery.

This piece by Annie Lowrey is a smart description of why this economy is so weird and the normal policy levers won't work.

The Economy’s Fundamental Problem Has Changed For years, Americans couldn’t afford to buy things. Now there aren’t enough things to buy.

Our detectives are asking Pierce County residents and business owners to review surveillance video for suspicious activity this past weekend near power facilities in Pierce County.

On Christmas Day (12/25), four substations were vandalized, causing thousands of customers to lose power:

5:00 am | 22312 46th Ave E | Spanaway
5:00 am | 8820 224th St E | Graham
2:39 am | 10915 144th St E | South Hill
7:21 pm | 14320 Kapowsin Hwy E | Kapowsin

If you have surveillance video at your home or business, please review it and let us know if you find anything that could help our detectives identify the suspect(s) responsible. Please note that the above times are approximate and you may have applicable footage shortly before and after the listed time.

Please send us a message if you have video or information. You can also submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers:

P3 Tips app
tpcrimestoppers.com
1-800-222-TIPS

More coverage on the shoreline plan update.

This new ban affects 52 miles of Pierce County shoreline in an effort to protect salmon With the additional 52 miles, over 120 miles of shoreline are protected in Pierce County.

Burglaries to Substations Cause Power Outages
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Today at 05:26 am we received a call of a burglary to the Tacoma Public Utilities Substation at 22312 46th Ave E.

Deputies arrived on scene and saw there was forced entry into the fenced area. Nothing had been taken from the substation, but the suspect vandalized the equipment causing a power outage in the area.

Deputies were notified of a second burglary to the TPU substation at 8820 224th St E which also had forced entry with damage to the equipment. Nothing was taken from this site either.

At 11:25 we were notified by Puget Sound Energy that they too had a power outage this morning at 02:39 am. Deputies are currently on scene at this facility where the fenced area was broken into and the equipment vandalized (Power has been restored to this facility).

At this time deputies are conducting the initial investigation. We do not have any suspects in custody. It is unknown if there are any motives or if this was a coordinated attack on the power systems.

In total, three sites were vandalized, two TPU and one PSE, with more than 14K customers effected.

‘It’s a mess.’ As the ice storm hit Tacoma, homeless residents were left out in the cold

A couple months ago we found that our already overburdened jail had people waiting months for competency evaluations and services. We filed a motion for intervention and were awarded damages.

This system has to change. These people deserve treatment, not incarceration.

Wait times for mental health services in WA jails worsen as fines spiral People in jail in need of mental health services can wait weeks or months for care, violating deadlines required by a federal court settlement.

I don’t even know how to give directions without Patterson’s.

Patterson's Market facing eviction - Gig Harbor Now Patterson's Market, a Gig Harbor institution, is being evicted by its landlord after 43 years in business.

We may see cold temperatures and lowland snow tonight and Tuesday. Visit www.Weather.gov/sew for the latest forecast.

Our crews will patrol main roads, and plow and apply salt as conditions warrant tonight and into Tuesday.

During winter weather, remember to drive cautiously, take your time, and leave plenty of space between vehicles. Please give road crews room to work.

🌐 Stay informed:
• Report road, river, and pond issues at www.PierceCountyWa.gov/Works or (253) 798-6000.
• Get Pierce County updates at www.PierceCountyWa.gov/WinterWeather.
• View a map of roadway issues at www.PierceCountyWa.gov/RoadAlerts.
• Stay up to date with the forecast at www.Weather.gov/sew.
• Learn how to put together an emergency kit at www.PierceCountyWa.gov/Prepare.
• Sign up for Pierce County ALERT at www.PierceCountyWa.gov/Alert.

Please join us in thanking Auditor Julie Anderson and her team for years of service to Pierce County!

The Pierce County Council recognized Auditor Anderson for her valued contributions and exceptional service to Pierce County and her continued commitment to the credibility, transparency, and inclusiveness of local government, Tuesday, Dec. 14! During her tenure, Auditor Anderson has consistently been recognized as a leader by her peers in the Washington State Association of Auditors, earning the Heavy Hitter Award for Legislative Affairs, the President’s Award for Outstanding Service, and being elected to various positions on the Executive Board multiple times, including President of the organization. You can watch the presentation and hear from Auditor Anderson here: https://bit.ly/3Yy6GIm. It begins at about 12:06.

Pierce County Auditor's Office | Washington State Association of Counties - WSAC

TaTeasha Davis has been appointed by Gov. Inslee to fill the vacancy in Pierce County Superior Court created by Judge James. R. Orlando’s retirement.

Judge Davis moved to Washington state in 2005 after earning her Juris Doctorate from Washburn University School of Law. Once passing the Washington State Bar Exam, she practiced bankruptcy law at a firm in Seattle before opening a solo practice to expand her focus to family law and personal injury.

She then moved to the South Puget Sound to be the in-house attorney for the Pierce County YWCA. Once she left the YWCA, she was a senior family law attorney at Bighorse & Associated, PLLC. In 2020, Judge Davis was appointed by Gov. Inslee to the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board. She is also currently a board member for Associated Ministries and Pierce County YWCA.

She will take over Pierce County Superior Court Department 1 starting on Jan. 17, 2023.

Learn more about Judge Davis: https://bit.ly/JudgeDavisAppointment.

Discovery Elementary to get classroom doors - Gig Harbor Now Discovery Elementary was built with an open concept, popular in the 1980s, but parents and staff raised concerns more recently.

Big news for the Pierce County Council tonight. After hearing public comment, the Council voted to continue discussions on a countywide one-tenth of one percent sales tax increase for affordable housing until Tuesday, March 7, 2023.

The motion to continue was made by Councilmember Dave Morell. Pierce County Councilmember Ryan Mello said he was pleased a date to work toward was set in the motion to continue. You can read more here: https://bit.ly/3FNWDra

Our Criminal Sentencing Task Force is presenting recommendations to a joint meeting of the Law & Justice, Human Services, Reentry & Rehabilitation, Public Safety committees. You can follow along here.

This is the culmination of four years of work. The task force included judges, prosecutors, public defenders, law enforcement, representation for victims and the incarcerated. I represented counties.

JT Senate Law & Justice w/Human Services, Reentry & Rehabilitation and House Public Safety Committee - TVW Work Session: Comprehensive Sentencing Reform: Final Report of the Washington State Criminal Sentencing Task Force.