In The News

Ruston police are getting some well-deserved coverage for their part in capturing the suspected Point Defiance Park arsonist. KIRO News interviewed Chief Kunkel about the good work of Officer Vic Celis last Wednesday. You can see the story on the KIRO web page here. It is the lead story for this broadcast.

Ruston Police Nab Pagoda Arsonist

Ruston police officer Vic Celis stopped a suspicious juvenile on a bicycle last Wednesday morning, April 20th at about 1:30 am for bicycle violations and after observing some suspicious behavior. The young man admitted he was headed for the boathouse and gave permission for Celis to check his backpack, which contained a gas can and matches in his pocket. He also allowed police to check his cell phone, which had a text from a friend gloating over the Pagoda fire. The 15-year old boy was booked into Reman Hall that night and Tacoma police went to work on any connection to the Pagoda fire.

The juvenile was charged at Reman Hall this afternoon in connection with the Pagoda fire, and police are looking into any connection to the burglary the previous week at the same location and other crimes at the park in recent weeks. Ruston Police Chief Jeremy Kunkel said the case was a great example to two departments working together to solve a crime that touched both communities. The News Tribune has a developing story here...

Pagoda

Kathleen Merryman has a nice article in the News Tribune today about the Pagoda and the treasure on Ruston's northern doorstep... You can read it here...

Fun At Fort Nisqually

Future of the Zoo

Pagoda In Flames

The beautiful Pagoda building at Point Defiance is burning this morning. The fire department was called at 4:25 am this morning. The News Tribune has more here... KOMO News has more pictures here...

Friday Tunnel Mishap

Last Friday, two very large coach buses filled with people tried to make their way through the Ruston tunnel. One figured it out in time to turn around near the Tacoma Narrow Credit Union parking lot. The second thought they could turn around at the entrance to the tunnel. It didn't work, creating yet another show for locals to watch. A tow truck was eventually needed to pull the bus back onto the road. (Photos courtesy of Pat Loomis)

Last Man Standing

I was almost the last Asarco employee at the Tacoma plant. But Bob Miller beat me by a couple of months and he had the privilege of packing up the last few office supplies and shipping them down south.

It's been a year of 'lasts' ~ the last Asarco employee leaves Ruston, the last local Asarco office shuts down, personally I reach my last day with Asarco, and last night the Asarco retirees held their last annual dinner after 62 years.

So many of the rough, polite, hard-working, sincere, honest men and women are gone now and those remaining are aging. It's a passing of an era. We've come to view their work with such disdain these days. We have no idea what goes into producing the copper we use every day. Instead we naively shake our heads at the evil we see as the legacy of their efforts. Yes, we can (and should) argue about the environmental impacts and how to best address them.

But I want us to remember the good these men and women did. They devoted themselves work that produced something meaningful for America and our standard of living. They were a proud breed and fought for what they believed in. They cared deeply about each other, their families and their community. Their blood, sweat and tears built this town. We owe them so much more than our sometimes superior attitude that says their work was dirty or wrong or unnecessary.

So, we held our last dinner. So many are already gone. I missed Joe Percich, Leonard Campbell, Jerry White, Ike Wilkenson, Larry Lindquist, Bob and Owen Gallagher and so many more. We closed out an important chapter in our history last night. I pray in time we will value these men for their gift to us.

Appreciate Our Parks

Point Defiance Park along with other parks in the South Sound will host a work party on Saturday, April 16th from 9 am till noon. You can give back to our local beauty, just show up ready to work for a few hours...

Great Food In Ruston!

Ruston's own Tatanka Take-Out got a nice review in the New Tribune last week. Read the review here... and stop by for a bison burger of your own at Tatanka at 4915 N. Pearl. Let's support our local businesses!