SR 410 interchange project moves forward in Sumner

Sumner recently secured $300,000 in state funds to move forward with its SR 410 interchange/Traffic Avenue improvement project. This puts the city in a good place to ask the Puget Sound Regional Council for a $1.65 million grant, which will cover the bulk of the environmental review and project design costs. The city hopes to have plans done and be shovel-ready by 2018, when the city will asks for more grants to start construction. Read more about #SumTraffic here.

Voting begins on East Pierce levy lift

East Pierce Fire & Rescue has put a levy lift lift measure on the April 26 special election ballot. If approved, the measure will reset the EMS levy from 44.3 cents per $1,000 in assessed property value to the full level of 50 cents. The department estimates the measure can help bring in around $620,000 in revenue. Read more about the levy lift and how it can affect you here.

Should Pierce County lift ban on marijuana? Advisory vote asks unincorporated residents

Come July 1, 2016, Pierce County’s ban on marijuana businesses in unincorporated areas will expire. But before that, the council put an advisory vote on the April 26 ballot, asking unincorporated residents whether lifting the ban is a good idea or not. Close to 17 retail businesses are waiting for the ban to lift in order to open in unincorporated Pierce County, as well as an unknown number of marijuana producers and processors. Read more about the ban, why it’s being lifted and how it can affect unincorporated residents here.

Nothing could keep me from the caucus | The Road to Voting, Part 3

Reporter Ana Karen came down with strep right before the Washington Democratic Caucus over Easter weekend, but that didn’t stop her from attending (don’t worry – doctor’s cleared her before she went). This is Part 3 of the three-part series, “The Road to Voting,” detailing how Ana Karen became an official U.S. citizen to vote in the upcoming election. Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 here.

Combating sexual assault | 57 Seconds

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and for this edition of 57 Seconds, Senator Joe Fain talks about the new legislation regarding the state’s backlog of sexual assault kits. Read more about how the state and counties are trying to protect survivors of sexual assault here.