🌱 Omicron Concerns + City Seeks Park Commissioners

Hey, neighbors! Hope you had a wonderful holiday weekend, I know I did: I'll be eating Thanksgiving leftovers for at least a week.

Anyways, on to the digest! The biggest story right now in Washington (and really America at large) is the looming concern about a new COVID-19 variant. If you're unaware, it's called omicron and it was first discovered last week in South Africa, where it has been linked to a large number of cases. It hasn't been confirmed in the U.S. yet, but it has made its way into Canada and Washington leaders say it's only a matter of time until it appears here. Included in today's digest is a story I wrote after watching the Washington State Department of Health's omicron briefing Monday. You can find the whole write-up below, but the main takeaway is: don't panic. Washington has been preparing for the arrival of new variants for a while now. We also don't know how transmissible the new variant is just yet, and there's no indication that this variant causes more severe symptoms, so all we can do is continue to follow safety guidelines, and hope for the best.

So, without further ado, here are today's stories:

First, today's weather:

Periods of rain. High: 52 Low: 51.

Here are the top stories today in Gig Harbor:

1. Washington DOH: 'Just A Matter Of Time' Until Omicron Is Here (Seattle Patch)
2. City Of Gig Harbor: Volunteers Needed: Parks Commission (Press Release Desk)
3. Senske Services Acquires Custom Insect & Weed Control (NBC Right Now)
4. City Of Gig Harbor: Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission Online Open House (Press Release Desk )
5. Benjamin Charles Higgins | In Memoriam (wenatcheeworld.com)

Today's Gig Harbor Daily is brought to you by our friends at Ring, the home security company. Ring does a lot more than doorbells: check out their full suite of smart home products at Ring.com. And thank you Ring for helping to make local news happen in Gig Harbor!

Today in Gig Harbor:

• COM - GHHS/TURF #1- HSC - Gig Harbor High (5:00 PM)
• GHHS - Main Gym - GH Boys Basketball Game vs SKHS (JV/C@5:15, V@7:00) (5:15 PM)

From my notebook:

• Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce: "It's beginning to look a lot like 🎄 Today is the last day to drop a new unwrapped gift to one of our 13 @santascastle_jblm donation sites located throughout Gig Harbor. All donations will go to children of JBLM families🎅 We are looking..." (Facebook)
• Tom Taylor Family YMCA: "Bring your kids to the Y over winter break for fun, games, and physical activity in a safe environment! Kids will spend time with friends and caring staff engaged in fun and inclusive activities to stay active over the long break. Camper..." (Facebook)

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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Tuesday off right! I'll see you around. 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.

— 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? Reach out anytime to charles.woodman@patch.com.