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Upon reflecting on 2020, I was looking back at my coverage in #Tacoma and wanted to do a recap, for my own sake, but I guess for Twitter too.
From homelessness to housing to education to, of course, COVID-19. Here's what I've covered.
From homelessness to housing to education to, of course, COVID-19. Here's what I've covered.
On Jan. 3, 2020, people living at People's Park in Tacoma were given 72-hour notices to vacate as the city opened its first micro shelter site on Hilltop. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article238946908.html
On Jan. 28, we heard about a plan by the Tacoma Housing Authority, Tacoma Public Schools and the City of Tacoma to possibly turn the vacant Gault Middle School into mixed use and housing. (This plan would eventually fall through due to COVID-19.) https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article239618108.html
Speaking of COVID-19, my first COVID-related story published Jan. 28, after hearing a handful of Annie Wright students were living off campus after returning from a recent trip to China amid the coronavirus outbreak. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article239841663.html
But then, we moved on. We heard more about plans for a potential soccer stadium in #Tacoma. (Feb. 4) https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article239920388.html
We heard how Tacoma's housing market was (and continues to be) hot hot hot. (Feb. 14) https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article240274086.html
And of course, we were hurtling toward an important presidential election and everyone seemed to be pitching their 2 cents. (Feb. 20) https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article240437141.html
I found myself reporting on coronavirus again when interviewing Jacob Dominguez-Nelson, a PLU grad who was teaching in Wuhan and found himself in lockdown (Feb. 27). At the time, it seemed crazy - but we would soon experience it firsthand. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article240657941.html
On Feb. 29, I was called into work by my editor after hearing masks were disappearing off store shelves. I went out and looked, and sure enough, they were nearly impossible to find. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article240768471.html
For me, things really started picking up in March, as more and more announcements were being made to cancel events due to COVID, including face-to-face classes at UWT (March 6). https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article240961931.html
The next day (March 7), we had our first school closure in Tacoma. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article241004296.html
On March 12, Gov. Inslee announced closures of schools across King, Pierce and Snohomish counties (and statewide on March 13).
I feel like everyone had a moment where it really hit them that this was not going to get better anytime soon. This was mine. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/education/article241134041.html
I feel like everyone had a moment where it really hit them that this was not going to get better anytime soon. This was mine. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/education/article241134041.html
My colleagues and I found it almost impossible to keep up with everything going on. It become more important than ever to hold people accountable, like asking why thousands of unused COVID-19 test kits were sitting in storage in Tacoma. (March 31) https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article241664546.html
Downtown, as some businesses boarded up, some Tacoma artists made the best of it. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article241932066.html
Finances everywhere took a hit, including at the City of Tacoma. (April 18) https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article242036126.html
It felt like everyone was looking for solutions, even in the more... unconventional places. 
(April 21) https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article242041431.html
(April 21) https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article242041431.html
Some projects that the city had just discussed months earlier were suddenly in limbo. (April 24). https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article242190311.html
At this time, everything was virtual. We became experts at Zoom and video chats. For the first time, Tacoma schools announced virtual graduation ceremonies (April 28). https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article242321541.html
On May 14, I wrote about how the child care industry was already struggling to keep up with demand and that COVID-19 had exacerbated the problem. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/rebuild/article242678096.html
This was a common theme. Homelessness in Tacoma also suffered under the added COVID-19 pressure. Amid a pandemic, service providers and the city worked to grow shelter space, including expanding a micro shelter to Eastside Tacoma (May 29). https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article242999001.html
In early June, shortly after the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, our own @stacia_glenn reported on Manuel Ellis, whose death was ruled a homicide after he was restrained on the ground by Tacoma police in March. (June 3) https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article243251926.html
Community members, activists and Ellis' family demanded answers from city officials. (June 5) https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article243314411.html
Across the country, and in Tacoma, conversations around race, policing and implicit bias were once again ignited. On June 19, I wrote about some being uncomfortable with the presence of armed resource officers at schools. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article243660322.html
Tacoma sped up its process to implement police body cameras. (July 8) https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article244065352.html
As the summer rolled on, families awaited anxiously to hear if the new school year would reopen in-person or online. On Aug. 20, a group of parents who wanted school opened protested outside the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/education/article245096190.html
One family filed a lawsuit against the health department over the issue. (Aug. 25) https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/education/article245240535.html
In September, school started remotely, but districts like Tacoma were preparing for a safe return to in-person learning, with isolation rooms and sign-in kiosks. (Sept. 4) https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/education/article245471615.html
And then the fires started. On Sept. 8, Bonney Lake residents were told to evacuate as a fire threatened homes. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article245583935.html
That same night, another fire erupted at Wapato Hills Park in Tacoma. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article245587565.html
On Sept. 30, another project fell victim to COVID. This time, plans for housing for the vacant Gault Middle School. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article246092340.html
On Oct 1, latest news from the health department said schools should remain in remote learning as COVID-19 cases surged. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/education/article246149675.html
In a small diversion from the onslaught of discouraging news, I bring you Tacoma’s “talking” dog, Bunny. Thanks for the breath of fresh air in my reporting, Bunny. (Oct. 22) https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article246502990.html
On Oct. 30, we learned about a new COVID-19 testing pilot that would allow some schools to return to in-person learning. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article246822842.html
On Nov. 5, my colleagues @Debbie_Cockrell and @josephineTNT tried to answer the question around who has the authority to close and open schools. Answer: It’s not as black and white as it sounds. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/education/article246841502.html
On Nov. 6, tiny homes began arriving for a new micro shelter in Tacoma at 6th and Orchard. This is the second micro shelter in operation in the city. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article246969422.html
But the need for shelter in Tacoma is only growing, especially during COVID-19, as shelters are complying with social distancing restrictions. (Nov. 12) https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article247079197.html
On Nov. 20, Gault made headlines again when an advocacy group took over the building for the houseless in Tacoma. The building was vacated after police said to leave or face arrest. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article247323674.html
On Dec. 18, we learned that some Tacoma Public Schools’ youngest students will be returning to school face-to-face in the new year. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article247952550.html
Finally, one of my most recent stories feels like it brings everything full circle: potential opening of a second warming shelter in Northeast Tacoma for people who are living outside. Homelessness, once again, a recurring thread in Tacoma. https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article248185780.html
To the 2 people that have made it to the end of this thread: Overall, it’s been a long, long, year, and this thread doesn’t even include the amazing work of my peers. I don’t know what’s in store for next year, but we’ll be here to cover it.
I had to fix my thread. I fixed it.
~fin~
~fin~
