VIDEO: University Place Officially Celebrates Its New Police Department

Officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday in which officials and the public got to tour the space at the Civic Building at Town Center.

Asian Buffet To Fill Former Blockbuster Site

The city says it has issued a building permit for the Fortune Place Buffet, but an opening date hasn't been announced.

POLL: Would the South Sound Support the NBA's Return To The Northwest?

Several media outlets are reporting that Seattle has been working behind the scenes to make a push for an NBA franchise, three years removed losing its own team. Patch asks you, South Sound, whether you'd support it.

University Place Schools Getting New Tennis Courts, Covered Bleachers at Viking Stadium

Officials say tight management and a good labor environment for projects covered by an $86 million bond will allow for the improvements, hopefully by the start of next school year.

Police Station Open House Scheduled for Thursday

The date was moved due to the January snow storm. The new police department is located on the second level of the Civic Building at Town Center.

City Council to Discuss Placement of Civic Building Flag Pole

University Place staff will present three options at Monday's meeting: placing the pole on the roof the of the building, in front of it and to its side.

VIEWFINDER: Joint Base Lewis-McChord Celebrates First Combined College Graduation

It was the first time the base has celebrated both Army and Air Force personnel since it merged what was then-Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base. Today's event took place at Clover Park Technical College in Lakewood.

Some Social Security Tax Tips For University Place Residents

Tax time is right around the corner.

VIEWFINDER: Mixed Martial Arts Helps Soldiers Prepare For Close-Quarters Combat

The 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, University Place's Community Connector, tells Patch the training helps soldiers improve hand-to=hand combat skills through ground and striking scenarios.

POLL: Magazine Names Chambers Bay Best Municipal Golf Course in the Country

LINKS Magazine chose the University Place golf course - site of the 2015 U.S. Open - over such courses as New York's Bethpage State Park Black.

Pierce County's New Ice Skating Rink Welcomes Hundreds on First Day

Sprinker Recreation Center opened the rink after an eight-month renovation.

VIEWFINDER: Pierce County Holds Cupcake Workshop in University Place

The county held a Creative Cupcake Workshop at the Environmental Services Building at Chambers Creek Properties.

Joint Base Lewis-McChord Gets a Technological Oasis With New Warrior Zone

On Friday, JBLM service members and their families got their first look at the base's new recreation center, which features everything large, flat-screen televisions to video games to a spacious sports bar. "It's the biggest and best," center the Army has

Sprinker Ice Rink Reopens This Saturday

The Spanaway facility underwent an eight-month, $6.5 million renovation. The public can skate following a 10:30 a.m., ribbon-cutting with Zamboni.

Former Police Chief Rusty Wilder Says He's Pleased With University Place's Direction

As Patch first reported earlier this week, Wilder is taking on a new assignment with the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, working with some of its countywide "strategic initiatives," he said.

MILITARY: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's Statement on Seal Team 6 Rescue

Members of the same group that carried out the successful night raid on Osama bin Laden last year.

UPDATE: Pierce County Hopes Anyone Affected By Storms Will Report Damage

Federal aid may be available if enough businesses and residents in Pierce County were damaged.

University Place Police Chief Takes New Assignment

The city is working with the Pierce County Sheriff's Department to find a replacement for Chief Rusty Wilder, who was appointed to the position in 2010.

ROADS UPDATE: Pierce County Dispatches Crews Today

At 6 a.m. Public Works road crews dispatched 42 two-person crews that are focusing on road clearing county-wide

MILITARY: Ferndale Man One of Six Marines Killed in Afghanistan

Capt. Daniel B. Bartle was 27 years old. The group was assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363, Marine Aircraft Group 24, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Kaneohe Bay, HI.

ROADS UPDATE: Crews Making Good Progress, but Freezing Temperatures Loom

University Place officials are also bracing for potential flooding when the snow melts.

Social Security Resolutions for University Place

There are about 8,000 people in University Place who receive Social Security benefits, a 4-percent increase from the year prior.

UPDATE: City Crews Still Grappling with Trees, Limbs

Public Works Director Gary Cooper says given University Place's limited resources, its crew will focus on busier arterial streets.

UPDATE: JBLM Curtails Operations Friday

On Thursday, the base designates Wilson Gymnasium, McChord Fitness Center as warming centers for service members and their families.

TWITPIC: WSDOT Trucks Out in Full Force

A map shows that it's not hard for drivers to spot a Washington Department of Transportation truck helping to keep roads and highways clear.

IT'S NASTY OUT THERE: Winter Storm Expected to Blanket Puget Sound Tonight

The National Weather Service predicts 6 to 14 inches of snow through Wednesday evening.

JBLM Soldier Dies of Injuries Sustained in Afghanistan

Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin B. Wise died Sunday after sustaining injuries in Afghanistan, where enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms-fire.

UPDATE: Open House for New University Place Police Department Is Postponed

The contracted department's headquarters are now in the Civic Building at Town Center. The open house runs from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., Jan. 19.

Cold Air = Stage 2 Burn Ban

High pressure remains over the region, with stagnant conditions that caused air quality to degrade significantly last night in parts of Pierce and Snohomish counties, triggering the need for a Stage 2 burn ban.

Pierce County Needs Volunteers For Annual Homeless Census

The annual survey - which is in its sixteenth year - is scheduled for Jan. 26-27.

Soldier and Family Assistance Center Construction Nearing Milestone at Joint Base Lewis-McChord

On Tuesday, crews will set the final beam in the future building, which is being built next the 408-soldier Warrior Transition Building barracks built last year.

Lockdown at Joint Base Lewis-McChord Lifted

The lockdown ended at 5:45 p.m., today.

Joyce McDonald Is New Chairwoman of the Pierce County Council

The Republican-led council also selected Democrat Rick Talbert as vice chairman.

RANGER MEMORIAL: Service Draws Hundreds to Pacific Lutheran University

A procession started at Mountainview Funeral Home in Lakewood.

UPDATE: West Pierce Has Busy Morning in Lakewood

The agency first responded this morning to a report of a car that crashed into the Moon Rise Cafe, which is closed until further notice. Then, it responded to another crash, this time involving a car and a Pierce Transit bus.

POLL: Lockdown at Joint Base Lewis-McChord Affecting Morale, Soldiers Say

The March Forward! group claims the soldiers in the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment are being subjected to abusive treatment by their chain of command.

Pierce County District Court Moving

The changes, Pierce County says, will help help save taxpayer money by operating more efficiently.

Four NCOs Inducted into JBLM Sergeant Audie Murphy Club

The club's members must exemplify leadership characterized by personal concern for the needs, training, development, and welfare of soldiers and concern for their families.

Flemming: We Have to Get People Back to Work

The University Place lawmaker is running for U.S. Congress.

City Receives Award For Excellence in Financial Reporting

University Place won the award for its 2010 comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR).