Paying Last Respects for the Unclaimed Dead of Pierce County
September 15, 2018On a remarkably clear day at the end of August I watched the cremated remains of 40 people drift into the waters of Puget Sound. The cremains belonged to people who had died in Pierce County over the previous two years and whose bodies were left unclaimed. The ceremony was organized by the Pierce County…
The Cremains of 50 Pierce County Residents Remain Unclaimed in Tacoma
August 20, 2018When someone in Pierce County passes away and no one claims their body the Medical Examiner’s office arranges for them to be cremated. It is hoped a friend or family member will be found to pass the cremains on to, but it’s not always easy to track people down and in some cases family members…
(NSFW) Our Most Popular Story of All Time Is a Minivan Covered in Dicks
August 15, 2018The worst part is, it wasn’t even a story. It was just a 20 word Instagram post that auto-shared to our Facebook page. It was originally posted Saturday, August 4th and within a week it had earned 692 likes, 710 comments, over 2,000 shares, and had been seen by more than 426,000 people. But because…
Photo Proof Tacoma Looks Damn Good at Night
June 13, 2018After the sun sets, and long after most of us are resting at home, photographer Danny Crelling is out on the streets. In part, because that’s the time he can eke out away from his day job and three young children, and in part because Tacoma by night is really fucking beautiful. Take a look…
Here’s What Tacoma Looks Like to the Students of Mt. Tahoma High School
June 10, 2018Tacoma has a population of roughly 200,000. That means roughly 200,000 different opinions of what this city actually looks like and the view of a high school student is unique among those. When Peter Johnson, founder of Detective Media and a Mt. Tahoma teacher, asked me if I’d be interested in partnering with some of…
Tacoma As a Stage: Yogini Lauren Scolari
May 30, 2018Browse through Instagram pics of Tacoma and you might just find Lauren Scolari in an impossible pose on Owen Beach. Impressed by this local “yogini” and body artist, we asked Lauren to head downtown to collaborate on images using some of our city’s iconic landmarks as a backdrop. Lauren transplanted to Tacoma from Texas five…
Tacoma and the Sea: Photos From the Life You Didn’t Know You Were Missing
May 23, 2018When was the last time you got in the water around Tacoma? I don’t mean a ferry ride to Vashon Island, I mean leaving the shoreline with a paddle in your hand or, better yet, with nothing but your own body. For most of us, it’s either been a long time or it’s never actually…
Chalk Art, McKinley Hill, & a Little Known Genetic Disorder
May 2, 2018Head over to Top of Tacoma and just outside you’ll find a message of love. We recently passed by on a drizzly day to find a vibrant work-in-progress being chalked on the sidewalk. No artist was to be found. An hour and a few beers later we returned to find Henry Barbosa knelt over his…
Washington, Oregon, and Canada Walked Into a Bar. Things Got Hairy.
April 19, 2018Hit up The Airport Tavern on South Tacoma Way on any given night and you’re likely to spot a beard or two. Happen by when the Grit City Society of Beards (Grit City SOBS) is putting on a competition and you’re in for a show. We stopped in to check out the Tacomans representing Washington…
Long Time Tacoman, Bob Piatt, Remembers Tacoma of the 1940s
April 11, 2018Tacoma has museums, photo archives at the library, and many websites dedicated to preserving its history. However, a truly invaluable way of learning about the history of a city you love is talking to someone who actually lived it. One such person in Tacoma is Bob Piatt. Bob is a charming 81 year old man…
Here’s What Mayor Woodards Has Been up to Since November
April 9, 2018When I walked into Victoria Woodards’ office on her 61st day on the job, she looked up sheepishly from her sandwich. She asked if I minded if she finished her lunch. I said no, and as she thanked me, she checked her phone, the back of which read in gold letters, “Glitter is my favorite…
Grit City Fights for Beard Champion Title Versus Oregon, The World
April 4, 2018Spend any longer than a few minutes with the guys from the Grit City Society Of Beards and you’re bound to learn a thing or two about beards. They’re passionate dudes, full of knowledge on mutton chops, whalers, whiskerinas and beyond. After photographing the crew taking home a handful of trophies at Odd Otter’s beard…