New Airport Plans + Moratorium Delay + Things To Do In Gig Harbor

Good morning, Gig Harbor and TGIF! Thanks for sticking with us as we wrap up our first week of these daily dispatch articles. Hopefully they've been a useful tool for finding new stories in your community, and I'm excited to keep working on making them better and better!

Unfortunately, today's biggest news for Gig Harbor (and all of Washington) is that COVID-19 is now more prevalent in the Evergreen State than ever before, and death rates are on the rise. Despite some earlier indications that case counts had started to plateau or possibly even decline, that hasn't panned out yet, so state health leaders continue to urge caution and ask that everyone continue social distancing, frequently washing their hands, and wearing masks in public spaces.

More locally, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department is raising concerns about the number of COVID cases in children and young adults. According to a recent update on the health department's blog, over the past two weeks 11 percent of the county's new COVID-19 cases were in children under 10, and 24 percent of all cases were in people under 20.

You can find that update, and more, in the stories below:

Are you a local business owner or marketer in Gig Harbor? Our premium local sponsorships will keep you at the top of inboxes around town every morning. Contact us here for the lowdown.

First, today's weather:

Partly cloudy throughout the day. High: 76 Low: 52.

Here are the top stories in Gig Harbor today:

1. Gig Harbor kindergartners are ready for the school year, with masks — and unicorns (The Gateway)
2. Lawmakers want feedback on where to place a second commercial airport (Washington State Wire)
3. 8 FUN THINGS TO DO IN GIG HARBOR (KAKE)
4. Inslee Extends Eviction Moratorium 'Bridge' Through October (Patch)
5. Boys & Girls Club director: ‘We’ve got to protect our children’ from COVID-19. (TPCHD)

Today's Gig Harbor Daily is brought to you by our friends at Verizon. They're building the fastest 5G network in the country. To learn how 5G is going to change life for you and your community — and to get access to this amazing technology — click here. And thank you Verizon for sponsoring this community resource in Gig Harbor!

Today in Gig Harbor:

• PHS- Football vs Timberline (Future Seahawk Night) (7:00 PM)

Gig Harbor Patch Notebook

• Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One: "** HAVE JUST A MINUTE?** Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One has engaged the services of Dynamix Consulting Group, a consulting firm specializing in assisting local governments and public safety agencies, to facilitate Community Risk Assessment: Standards of Cover."
• Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce: "Join us Thursday, October 14th from 11:30am - 1:00pm for Membership Briefs Luncheon at Canterwood Golf & Country Club. "

From our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• Add your business here

Events:

• Absolute Beginner Japanese for 8-12 year olds (September 28)
• Add your event

Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Friday. If you're into these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to read along. You can send them this link to subscribe. I'm also always happy to take feedback, so let me know if there's something I'm missing you'd like to see!

— Charles Woodman

About me: Charles started as Field Editor for Patch in May 2020, covering western Washington. He is based in Seattle. In the past, he has written for various TV news stations in Seattle, Reno, Nevada and Fairbanks, Alaska. He has also worked as a music critic, weatherman, and soccer referee.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Gig Harbor Daily? I'm all ears. You can reach me at GigHarbor@Patch.com.