🌱 What Tacoma drivers and residents need to know after a deadly fire
Tacoma, Washington Patch AM: a 5 min readHey there, Tacoma! Let's get started with what's happening in and around town. Read on and stay in the loop. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
- What Tacoma drivers and residents need to know after a deadly fire
- How new zoning plans could leave Tacoma’s creeks running dry
- Tacoma mourns Lt. Col. Ray Levias, a devoted veteran and father.
Also on today's calendar: Future Aviator Pilots and 7 more events.
Today's riddle: What's a good time to go to the dentist? 🤔 (Answer below!)
- Thursday: Partly sunny and very warm, with a high of 80 and low of 53 degrees.
- Friday: Cooler with a shower, temps: high: 65, low: 47.
- Saturday: Cloudy, with a high of 65 and low of 44 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. Top stories: Tacoma fire kills 1, slain teen's estate sues for wrongful death (thenewstribune.com) — Tacoma readers should know one person died in a late-night apartment fire on North Yakima Avenue, and a lawsuit has been filed over a 2025 elevator shooting in a Tacoma complex. Drivers also face a newly configured SR 509 and Alexander Avenue East intersection opening June 1, aimed at easing congestion near the Port of Tacoma. 
2. Is zoning turning urban creeks into dry ditches? (pierceprairiepost.com) — Tacoma-area residents can weigh in on zoning and creek protection as Pierce County’s Parkland-Spanaway-Midland plan update kicks off, with meetings usually held at South East Tacoma Community Center. The piece explains how groundwater limits, drought, and development pressures are drying local creeks and urges better long-term water planning.
3. In Loving Memory Of Lt. Col. Ray Levias (seattlemedium.com) — Tacoma residents are mourning Lt. Col. Ray Levias, a retired Air Force officer who passed away at his Tacoma home on May 18 at age 77. Raised in Seattle and a longtime military leader and mentor, he is remembered for his service, devotion to family, and community impact, with visitation in Kent and services in Seattle scheduled in mid-June.
4. Backyard pocket forests can pack 350 trees into 6 parking spaces — and cities are betting on them (thecooldown.com) — A Tacoma homeowner turned a yard overrun by invasive knotweed into a dense “pocket forest,” rallying neighbors for a backyard planting party that keeps growing. The story explains how tightly packed native trees can cool neighborhoods, manage stormwater, and build community stewardship, while noting that pocket forests are best seen as local resilience projects rather than miracle climate fixes.
5. Puyallup Tribe carves gifts for visiting FIFA World Cup countries (fox13seattle.com) — Tacoma residents are invited June 12 to a public FIFA World Cup opening celebration on Puyallup Tribal land, featuring a community parade, traditional Welcoming Ceremony, and fireworks. Puyallup carvers have spent three years crafting about 40 handmade wooden paddles and other gifts to honor visiting international delegates and build lasting connections with local Indigenous communities.
📸 Around Tacoma
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🗓
Upcoming Events in
Tacoma
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
-
Trae Crowder →
Tacoma
7:00 pm
Friday May 29
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
-
Storywalk at Alderwood Park: Kamala and Maya's Big Idea
Kobetich Branch Library, 212 Browns Point Boulevard NE, Tacoma -
West Side Wakeup
Northwest Medical Arts PLLC, 5350 Orchard St W Ste 202, University Place
8:30 am -
Storywalk Scavenger Hunt
Kobetich Branch Library, 212 Browns Point Boulevard NE, Tacoma -
Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Cuisine Scavenger Hu
Tacoma Public Library- Main Branch, 1102 Tacoma Avenue South, Tacoma
10:00 am -
Drop-in Tech Help at Main
Tacoma Public Library- Main Branch, 1102 Tacoma Avenue South, Tacoma
10:00 am -
Сказки на русском/Russian Storytime
Kobetich Branch Library, 212 Browns Point Boulevard NE, Tacoma
11:00 am -
2026 US Open Karaoke Championship Washington Finals →
11:00 am -
Future Aviator Pilots →
The Museum of Flight, 9404 E Marginal Wy S, Seattle
10:00 am -
Annual University Place Garden Tour →
4009 Curran Ln W, University Place
9:00 am
Friday May 29
Saturday May 30
Saturday June 6
Saturday June 13
📣 Tacoma Shout Outs!
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🗓 Events Nearby
-
Wake Up & Ribbon Cutting at HOTWORX- Shaw Rd
HOTWORX, 727 Shaw Rd E Suite B, Puyallup
9:00 am -
Play to Learn
Swasey Branch Library, 7001 Sixth Avenue, Tacoma
10:00 am -
Community Compass
Moore Branch Library, 215 South 56th Street, Tacoma
10:00 am -
Playdate: Baby →
Tacoma Public Library Kobetich Branch, 212 Browns Point Blvd NE, Tacoma
11:15 am
Thursday May 28
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Tacoma PatchAM possible:
- Unity of South Sound — (253) 301-0385
Unity - An Inclusive Welcoming Spiritual Community - Serenity Health & Supported Living — (404) 388-2333
Senior Adult Family Home Accepting Clients Now!!
Click here to show your appreciation! 💚
Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.
💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- Tacoma Nonprofit Leader Named Among WGU’s 2026 Distinguished Graduates —WGU Read on Patch
- Tacoma’s Sanjina Kumari Named HARMAN New Face of Tech Scholar by 1,000 Dreams Fund —Isabel Ali Read on Patch
- Update: Pet Reunited
A dog who went missing in Tacoma, WA, has been safely reunited with their family after 1 hours, 3 minutes. Message from Finder: "Found this guy… (Nextdoor S 23rd/G Street) - Our sweet senior kitty got out and has not returned.
Please let me know if you have seen her, we are hurting bad and trying everything to bring her back :( (Nextdoor North Slope)
- Ross Stores posted a job opening for Early Morning Stock Associate in Tacoma. Apply here.
- PSG Global Solutions posted a job opening for WFH Enrollment Processor (Must Be Located In WA, ID, OR, Or Utah in Tacoma. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Tacoma here.
Ok Tacoma! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: 2:30 (tooth hurty) (Thank you Pat A. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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