and many Kitsap candidates have already submitted their names for the numerous local seats… the BI Metro Park and Recreation District and the BI Parks &… One of Washington’s largest skill-building centers saw a massive funding increase this legislative session CHOKEPOINTS 9:32 AM | Updated: 10:24 am A screenshot of the bald eagle stopping on SR 512 in Puyallup BY CHRIS SULLIVAN This is a first for me—a bald eagle chokepoint I noticed a sudden backup on State Route 512 (SR 512) in downtown Puyallup While checking the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) cameras I found a bald eagle just sitting in the right lane and at least it was camping in the right lane and not the left causing approximately a two-mile backup to South Hill The bird did not seem concerned at all about the traffic heading by A Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper stopped behind it to ensure its protection Perhaps it had just eaten a big meal and couldn’t fly The eagle was unfortunately unavailable for comment Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X Follow @https://twitter.com/newsguysully — Two police officers shot and killed a suspected carjacker who was armed with a knife Saturday afternoon The Puyallup Police Department said the shooting happened around 12:40 p.m but the incident began when the suspect carjacked a vehicle around 12:25 p.m The initial carjacking happened in the 10400 block of Pacific Ave S in unincorporated Pierce County The suspect crashed the first stolen car and proceeded to carjack another near S 56th St & Pacific Ave around Tacoma police then initiated a pursuit which eventually ended in Puyallup Puyallup police set up spike strips to stop the suspect as they entered the city limits The vehicle eventually stopped on Valley Ave the officers shot and killed the carjacking suspect This is a developing story and we are working to learn more by Jackie Kent PUYALLUP, Wash. — The Puyallup Food Bank is in dire need of support in order to feed local families through the spring The CEO confirmed shelf supply has hit an all-time low and staff push for donations beyond the annual Washington State Fair food drive Thursday to help people who struggle to put food on the table This comes at a time when the food bank doesn’t get as many donations as it would over the winter holidays The Puyallup Food Bank set a goal of taking in 10,000 pounds of food from the rainy donation drive stores of food like beans and canned fruit are critically low CEO Shawn Manley explained demand is at an all-time high due to cost-of living and other factors "We don't want to see anybody go hungry and we know that there are people who are struggling to make ends meet right now," Manley told KOMO News "We've seen a decrease in a lot of our wholesalers and retailers." Their service has spiked from helping 12 families per day to about 60 families, giving away approximately 5,000 pounds of food for each daily drive-up service. That means this organization is forced to cut back on food distributions to dozens of churches and food pantries across Pierce They report the need for non-perishable food has never been greater "We're seeing people with disabilities who can't work or maybe can only work a little bit They can't make it on today's wages," Manley added Manley explains what they offer is more than food donations but for customers to feel like part of a community It's easy to see when watching volunteer Big Dave in action "What we're about here is that they're validated and we're not afraid to just love and enjoy people," volunteer David Sattler said He added that helping other through the food bank has changed his life an experience that fully relies on support from the public Manley adds the food bank maintains great relationships with vendors but that those donations are also down slightly the food bank gave away 4.7 million pounds of food last year and expect to be a half-million pounds short of that in 2025 The food bank continues to take non-perishable items like soup Monetary donations are also welcome with a $20 donation paying for 100 meals To contribute or volunteer, contact the Puyallup Food Bank at (253) 350-9303 or email ceo@pfb.org by Michelle Esteban — "I think we need to and can do better when it comes to public policy around juvenile crime in Washington." Puyallup Police Chief Scott Engle posted that comment after praising his department for making arrests in three shooting incidents in three weeks and all three incidents involved juvenile suspects Engle called the stretch of shooting crimes unusual for the city "A shooting incident is very unusual in our community let alone three in three weeks," Engle said The first shooting involved an attempted robbery when an arranged sale brokered through social media went bad Police report the victim fled around near the 500 block of 47th Avenue SE and was shot by the suspects and another bullet hit a car at a nearby stoplight and police say the intended target was a juvenile passenger on the coach A third shooting happened at the Glenbrooke Apartments in the 700 block of 43rd Avenue SE Police say it was a result of an illegal firearm transaction turned robbery and at the time suffered a "serious" injury Puyallup police determined the shootings are connected and at least one suspect was involved in two of the shootings One resident who's lived in the Glenbrooke Apartments since 2008 told KOMO News she was getting ready for bed when the shooting happened She said when she hears gunfire in the complex she intentionally stays put and never looks out the window or investigates for fear of getting caught in the crossfire She said the shooting happened in front of the complex's office She and her neighbors have a private Facebook group where they report any gunfire "It's so normal to hear that kind of stuff around here were those gunshots?'" She asked us not to identify her but said she thinks the problem is "systemic" and points to the economy and the high cost of living as underlying issues RELATED: Pierce Transit bus struck by gunfire in downtown Puyallup and other agencies served a search warrant on an apartment in the South Hill area of Puyallup and four juveniles were arrested and booked into Remann Hall on a variety of potential charges ranging from investigation of assault first degree to robbery in the first Degree A fifth was arrested during a traffic stop Chief Engle used the incidents to point to what he called a "very concerning behavior in juvenile crime." "...And we need to pause and assess if we are addressing juvenile crime in the best possible method from our current laws to our court system I think we need to and can do better when it comes to public policy around juvenile crime in Washington." Chief Engle said "When we had three shootings in three weeks throughout 12 that caused me to pause Juvenile crime is something that is affecting all communities in Washington state I think many people are very aware that juveniles are progressing in their level of violence." Chief Engle pointed to the law that passed in 2021 with House Bill 1140 as part of police reform bills in the legislature that year He said the law requires that police connect juveniles to a lawyer before interrogating them for criminal investigations his detectives could not interview the suspected juveniles He said they have to contact an attorney first and connect the juvenile with an attorney Engle said in his officer's experience often an attorney will advise the juvenile to not comment "...That's happened in the last couple of years for reform in Washington public defenders told KOMO News there is nothing that precludes officers from speaking with witnesses and the measure protests youth from abusive police practices and from giving false confessions or incriminating themselves The chief believes the law is well intended but could benefit from tweaks to the statute and wants to begin a dialogue with change agents his detectives were able to affect five juvenile arrests He agreed it worked in their favor this time The chief added that he is proud of the work that the department has put forth in these three serious cases and called it "a job well done." PUYALLUP RESERVATION — The Puyallup Tribe announced plans to open a new shipping terminal in Tacoma that it says would be the first tribally owned deep-water port in the country able to accommodate some of the world’s largest shipping lines Puyallup and the Northwest Seaport Alliance signed an agreement Monday solidifying the tribe’s plans to build a new pier on the Blair Waterway at the Port of Tacoma The tribe plans to build the pier on about 22 acres of tribal property adjacent to the port’s existing East Blair Terminal 1 The tribe will fund the construction of the new terminal and be responsible for ongoing maintenance and repairs; the terminals will be jointly marketed and operated The new terminal is expected to be completed in three to five years and cost about $200 million The Seaport Alliance is a partnership of the ports of Seattle and Tacoma The Puyallup Tribe is one of the largest employers in Pierce County and offers services for the community including a cancer care center and an opioid treatment clinic that are open to all for the Puyallup Tribe to become the economic powerhouse it is today — there was a time when all the tribe owned was the cemetery Chairman Bill Sterud recalled from his first year on tribal council in 1978 The partnership with the Seaport Alliance will include a tribal employment and development program Operating income generated by the tribe and adjacent Seaport terminal will be divided between the tribe and the Seaport Alliance Port of Tacoma Commission President John McCarthy recalled his time as a young commissioner a young Bill Sterud and a young John McCarthy sitting at the same table,” McCarthy said McCarthy returned to the commission eight years ago and Sterud and the tribe were still advancing the cause “Both the Northwest Seaport Alliance and Puyallup Tribe are bringing our individual strengths and assets to this partnership where we will be able to grow together to establish a world-class facility that will set us apart in the global marketplace,” McCarthy said The terminal is anticipated to open the door for a program with Chief Leschi High School and a South Sound maritime skills center to provide pathways for younger tribal members The main imports to the current pier on the East Blair Waterway are cars and heavy equipment that are driven off vessels and transported across North America The Puyallup terminal will feature similar capabilities, and will allow ships to connect to electric shore power while being unloaded. Connected ships can turn off their engines while docked and reduce air pollution The port will work alongside the tribe to finalize the design Tacoma’s port economy sprouted up around the tribe while long excluding the Puyallup from the economic benefits “We’ve had to do some things out of the ordinary,” Sterud said at the water’s edge earlier this year describing the Puyallup Tribe’s long fight to restore and position the tribal nation as a leader Past the Puyallup Tribe’s waterfront restaurants and seaplane terminal on Ruston Way sit some old relics of Commencement Bay’s past like equipment from the Dickman Lumber Mill were among the last remnants to be removed have been shown to reduce growth and immune function in young salmon in addition to posing a threat to human health through exposure to vapors or direct contact Heavy metals like arsenic and lead from the former Asarco smelter’s stacks coated a region spanning 1,000 square miles of the Puget Sound basin, according to the state Viewed from the concrete onramp from Ruston white clouds billowed from various industries on the acres of pavement near the bay this shoreline was just a bunch of smokestacks and who knows what they also dumped into the water “It makes me wonder what my ancestors thought about it,” he said like their homes were taken and their land was stolen.” government took the tribe’s land and divided it into allotments among tribal families Taxation, leases, misunderstandings of property laws and blatant injustice would lead to almost the entire reservation leaving tribal ownership, according to the Puyallup Tribe Historic Preservation Department Some people were killed in crimes never solved according to a history shared by the tribe banks would assign “guardians” to Puyallup land owners and would then sell the lands there were only about 10 families who still owned their assigned allotments in part or in whole “The state of Washington decided that we couldn’t fish (by the terms outlined in the Medicine Creek Treaty) anymore so anybody that went out to (fish) would get arrested,” Sterud said “Total destruction of the reservation is what they wanted There were some pretty powerful tribal leaders back then that started the battle.” Puyallup tribal members staked out armed fish camps defending their right to fish on the river named for their people They staged an armed takeover of the Cascadia Diagnostic Center and succeeded in getting it deeded to the tribe First the tribal offices stood on that ground and today one of the tribe’s casinos is there Supreme Court ruling would affirm that the tribe owns all former riverbed lands from the mouth of the Puyallup River to the Puyallup city limits The tribe would then serve eviction notices notifying dozens of landowners that they were trespassing on tribal property “We had to sort of wake up the powers that be,” Sterud said The Land Claims Settlement of 1990, an act of Congress and provided the promise of jobs and training as well as some funds to establish and operate businesses claiming ownership of land that had long been occupied by non-Indians The Puyallup Tribe of Indians has a long history of working and living on the water “Many people talk about prosperity only in terms of dollars,” he said Prosperity means we can sustain what we’ve built for all time.” The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times Stay secure and make sure you have the best reading experience possible by upgrading your browser The area is considered one of Puyallup’s historic treasures and the WDFW is devastated that some of its oldest trees have been vandalized PUYALLUP — Vandals targeting a fish hatchery in Puyallup reportedly damaged multiple trees with axes and chainsaws over the past year The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police is investigating who's responsible for the destruction and threatening to close the public trails The Puyallup Fish Hatchery sits on 120 forested acres and welcomes visitors year-round during daylight hours It partners with local schools for 4th-grade STEM education and the WDFW is devastated that some of its oldest trees have been intentionally damaged a 200-year-old Douglas Fir had to be knocked down in March after a vandal reportedly used a chainsaw to cut partly through its trunk making it a hazard for those walking or biking the trails another tree was chopped and snapped apart Crews had to remove this tree and another one it rested on nearby The WDFW says while the old trees are priceless within the community Hatchery Operations Manager Jason Smith warns if this destruction continues the Clarks Creek Loop trail system could close to the public the agency plans to install trail cameras to help with enforcement and ward off vandals “It’s really disheartening because the vast majority of the people here respect the property and take care of it and it really sets things in motion,” Smith added Anyone with information about the vandalism is urged to call WDFW Enforcement at 877-933-9847, use the online reporting form HERE — Police are investigating yet another early-morning mall break-in Puyallup police report the thieves got away after stealing jewelry from a kiosk inside the South Hill Mall and police said detectives are looking at this case from all angles Lee Smith has been running Urbanity clothing stores in Bellevue and Tukwila for a combined 15 years He said it wasn't until crime ramped up over the past two years that he started locking up his merchandise to prevent shoplifting at both locations he explained even these lengthy measures aren't always enough "We had a $1,000 hoodie stolen a couple of months ago we’ve had plenty of runouts," Smith stated about a recent incident at the Southcenter Mall in Tukwila He was frustrated to learn of yet another small business targeted by crooks at Puyallup's South Hill Mall Police confirmed multiple suspects forced their way into the locked mall around 6:30 a.m where they fired rounds into display cases and got away with an undisclosed amount of jewelry Smith believes this latest case could be connected to a series of mall break-ins across Puget Sound in recent months Sneak City Owner Anastasia Hall detailed a similar theft targeting her Lynnwood business in January Someone shot through the front doors of the Alderwood Mall then through the high-end sneakers store entrance to get away with pricey merchandise [the suspect] needs to be caught so that no other store in the area is dealing with the stuff that we are," Hall told KOMO News The suspects fled South Hill and were last seen near the regal movie theatre The South Hill Mall's corporate communications director told KOMO News that officials are reviewing their security practices to see if anything could have been done to prevent this latest break-in This website is unavailable in your location It appears you are attempting to access this website from a country outside of the United States therefore access cannot be granted at this time The move is set to boost the current berth (pier) capacity for leading shipping lines allowing the Seattle/Tacoma gateway to gain market share and promote regional economic activity According to the conditions of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) the Tribe and the NWSA propose to build a new pier close to one on the East Blair Waterway and jointly sell and operate both facilities The Tribe proposes to construct a new pier on roughly 22 acres of tribal land close to the current East Blair Terminal 1 (EB1) The primary imports at EB1 are automobiles and heavy equipment that are driven off vessels and then prepared for transit and sale across North America READ: NWSA container volumes spike 33 per cent in November The new Tribal pier will have equivalent capabilities to the present pier including on-dock rail and will use carbon reduction technologies to reduce both localised pollution and global warming consequences The NWSA will offer technical support to ensure consistency and efficiency between the piers A two-berth facility with ample cargo handling acreage will support existing customers expand job opportunities and help attract new business Increased capacity of East Blair 1 and Puyallup Tribal Terminal will enable new cargo services to call the Tacoma Harbor driving more job opportunities on the waterfront as well as across the supply chain READ: NWSA ends 2024 with near 20 per cent volume growth Port of Tacoma Commission President and The Northwest Seaport Alliance Co-Chair we can leverage our collective strengths to enhance our competitiveness and further solidify our position as a leading gateway for global trade.” further stated: “No Tribe has ever had this historic an opportunity to partner with a port and we are excited to enter this business relationship with the Northwest Seaport Alliance and continue to expand the Puyallup Tribe’s ventures on our homelands.” NWSA recently reported that its total container volume (international and domestic) for January reached 264,869 TEUs, growing 25.4 per cent compared to January 2024 DP World is set to implement OneStop Modal and the OneStop Vehicle Booking System (VBS) The US House of Representatives has voted to overturn the Environmental Protection Agency‘s (EPA) 2023 global schedule reliability surged to 57.5 per cent Container throughput at the Port of Melbourne totalled 267,000 TEUs in March 2025 Cover image: ©Associated Press The death toll has risen to at least 70 MYNORTHWEST NEWS 3:01 PM | Updated: 3:07 pm Two horses were escorted through downtown Puyallup to the Washington State Fairgrounds Saturday after a third horse suffered a medical emergency BY TOM BROCK A couple of horses that clip-clopped their way through downtown Puyallup were not an early edition of the Washington State Fair’s Rodeo Parade A family transporting three horses from Monroe to a farm in Yelm says one of them had some kind of accident in the trailer Saturday and couldn’t move They pulled into a parking lot on Pioneer Way and flagged down an officer Someone called the fairgrounds and asked if they could bring the two other horses there a Central Pierce Fire and Rescue crew and one of the owners could be seen walking Atlas’s two stablemates Some Puyallup residents may have thought the Washington State Fair Rodeo Parade was happening a few months early when these two horses were escorted by police and firefighters through town to reach the fairgrounds Saturday Boris and Kenney were enjoying a nice lunch courtesy of the Washington State Fair Police posted a description of the unusual incident on X who helped with the rescue of a horse suffering a medical emergency and its two stablemates on Saturday The post the officers reported “it was quite the sight to see and there were lots of smiles along the way.” And it was a first for at least one of the officers on patrol: One of the police officers involved in this today is brand new to our agency We told him it was a ‘Puyallup thing.’  Thank you to the Washington State Fair for jumping into action to help today along with Central Pierce Fire & Rescue Kenney and Boris are enjoying lunch at the fair as we speak Our thoughts and prayers are with Atlas and the family hoping for a full and speedy recovery!” MANY THINGS GROW in gardens — some might even say everything: food To that list of valuable services and benefits If Camille Paulsen had a (garden) dating profile it might read: “Optimistic and undaunted gardener seeks same resilient and willing to tend and grow through winter chill “My mother loved the ornamental aspect of gardening while my father and grandmother both grew loads of fruits and vegetables,” she recalls “I dabbled in gardening when I lived in the South but could never truly enjoy being in my garden in the summertime.” Extreme heat oppressive humidity and bugs have a way of dampening a young gardener’s enthusiasm purchasing a hillside home overlooking the Puyallup River Valley with an astonishing view of Mount Rainier Paulsen quickly embraced year-round gardening in mild Pacific Northwest conditions But it was the forced removal of a magnificent Douglas fir in the family’s front yard in 2015 that catalyzed her urge to dig deeper Paulsen set about transforming a ho-hum lawn with a huge bare spot into a welcoming oasis “I began joining local horticultural organizations visiting gardens and soaking up as much plant knowledge as I could,” she says and the more interesting and colorful my garden became.” VOLUNTEERS ARE THE lifeblood of garden organizations that rely on members donating their time and resources to support educational programing and maintain public gardens. As her personal garden flourished, Paulsen made a point of giving back to those groups that helped her grow, beginning with the Northwest Perennial Alliance in 2017 which invites members to tour private gardens throughout the Puget Sound region from May through September “Visiting gardens is a terrific way to deepen connections within the gardening community.” a serene 22-acre woodland in Federal Way that also is HFF’s primary display garden IF GARDENS TEACH US the language of growth and generosity and she has a heart for cultivating connections “I love being around people who share my passion,” she says Connecting people to horticultural organizations events and fellow gardeners — Paulsen thinks of it as “cross-pollinating” — helps ensure a vibrant and thriving garden community Paulsen’s passion for visiting gardens in the Pacific Northwest around the country and abroad is unbounded “I find inspiration in every garden I visit no matter the size or the style,” she says “And I meet a lot of wonderful people along the way!” She also enjoys sharing her exquisite garden with others Most of her visitors are from the Puget Sound area though quite a few come from farther afield a Japanese maple enthusiast from North Carolina the horticulture staff of a botanical garden or a fledgling gardener in the neighborhood “The joy of spending time in a garden together is universal.” (Photo courtesy of Puyallup Police Department) BY MYNORTHWEST STAFF thieves forcibly entered the South Hill Mall in Puyallup by shooting through a glass door to gain access before looting a jewelry kiosk But it wasn’t the only reported Puyallup crime incident and some in the community are on edge The violent theft occurred around 6:30 a.m. Monday. Once inside the mall, the group of thieves fired rounds into the Piercing Pagoda kiosk display before escaping with an unknown amount of jewelry, according to KOMO News The Puyallup Police Department (PPD) is investigating Related: Brutal Seattle murder case dismissed as suspect incompetent to stand trial A woman told KIRO 7 that a 74-year-old man was following her and her niece after they left Deseret Industries Thrift Store in Puyallup “I got in the car and just as I got in and closed the door, she locked it. And I heard someone trying to open it,” she explained to KIRO 7 She now said she’s “terrified to walk out of my front door,” as the man she accused of attempted kidnapping was not arrested for the alleged offense The Pierce County Prosecutors Office explained to KIRO 7 that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove attempted kidnapping “He tried very hard to lock eye contact with me noting she purchased a taser and is now in the market for a firearm for personal protection More WA crime: Twice-deported illegal immigrant arrested for murder in Auburn However, the suspect was eventually arrested. He matched the description of a suspect in an assault with sexual motivation incident at the South Hill Walmart on Feb He’s been charged with fourth-degree assault with sexual motivation Follow @http://twitter.com/Mynorthwest Kenmore Air and the Puyallup Tribe are expanding their seasonal seaplane flight service that runs from May 15 through September 15 Kenmore Air began flying local scenic flights in a 1955 de Havilland DHC-3 Turbine Otter from Tacoma’s Ruston Way in Pierce County The seaplane base is located on tribal land Operations at the South Sound base later expanded to seasonal travel to the San Juan Islands north of Seattle the new daily flight will take travelers to British Columbia The aircraft will depart Tacoma at 2:45 p.m PDT and head to Friday Harbor for a short stopover The entire journey will take approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes and prices start at $199 per person one way “We are thrilled to expand our partnership with the Puyallup Tribe offering an exciting new route for travelers looking for a quick and scenic escape to Victoria,” David Gudgel “This partnership continues to demonstrate our commitment to providing South Sound residents with the fastest and most beautiful way to travel to Victoria—all without the long drives or ferry rides typically associated with such a journey which can consume a good portion of vacation time.” May 15 also marks the return of Kenmore Air’s seasonal seaplane service between Tacoma and the San Juan Islands For the people who would like a shorter scenic flight those also launch from the Tacoma location The aircraft sport a Native American inspired livery to honor the sovereign nation of more than 5,000 members The tribe name is pronounced “pew-AWL-up,” and means “generous people” or “welcoming people.” The tribe is the largest employer in Pierce County.  The partnership with Kenmore is another success for the Tribe’s economic development wing CEO of Puyallup Tribal Enterprises and tribal financial officer “Kenmore has been a terrific partner from the start,” Wadhwani said The Tacoma Ruston Way Terminal is located next to the tribe-owned Woven restaurant The eatery opened last summer and offers outdoor dining Ruston Way also features a 2.5-mile walking path along the waterfront with historical markers and sculptures Kenmore Air was founded in the Puget Sound in 1946 and is the largest seaplane airline in the U.S. flying more than 90,000 passengers annually in de Havilland Beaver and Otter aircraft In addition to providing scheduled flights to over 45 water-based destinations throughout the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia Kenmore Air Express uses Cessna Caravan for scheduled service between King County International Airport-Boeing Field (KBFI) and the San Juans FLYING has compiled a list of the 15 most popular items our readers purchased in December: They take a poll of the gathered media at Tacoma Dome during championship Saturday to decide the all-tournament team It’s usually a fairly easy question to come up with the five most impactful players of the tournament But what happens when the best team truly embodies what it means to be a team Gonzaga Prep has had its hands full at this tournament needing back-to-back overtimes to dispatch second-seeded Auburn 53-50 on Thursday and again in Friday’s 62-50 semifinal win over third-seeded Glacier Peak But the Bullpups aren’t built to be flashy or blow anyone out as coach Matty McIntyre has said repeatedly this season – and frankly throughout his 15 seasons has head coach – are defense They followed that formula to a state championship but they all scored between six and 16 points and top-seeded Gonzaga Prep edged the eighth-seeded Puyallup Vikings 57-55 in the State 4A championship game at Tacoma Dome on Saturday They won three games at the tournament by a combined 17 points but we have a team,” Gonzaga Prep coach Matty McIntyre said “It’s amazing what you can do when you’ve got a team Puyallup’s Drew Jones (20 points) tied it at 55-55 inside 30 seconds with a contested jumper and the Bullpups had the ball at halfcourt with 16 seconds left who drove to the baseline and hit a floater over 6-foot-8 Will Nasinec with 2.2 seconds left and I’m just lucky that they trusted me to take it.” Puyallup threw a 75-foot pass to Nasinec in the frontcourt and called time with 1.9 seconds to go whose jumper from the corner was strong and the Bullpups held on Howell was named to the first team and Ryan Carney was named second team the Greater Spokane League defensive player of the year and Brogan has been our workhorse all year,” McIntyre said “Brogan guarded the best player all season so we knew he’d be up for the task one more time Brogan made him work for every single thing It was a familiar foe – G-Prep (26-2) edged Puyallup (23-8) 56-54 in a protected opening round game on March 1 That loss sent the Vikings into desperation mode winning back-to-back elimination games before beating West Valley (Yakima) 60-53 in the other semifinal The game might have been at a “neutral site,” but with Tacoma Dome just 8.1 miles from downtown Puyallup it felt very much like a home game for the Vikings despite a good crowd from Spokane that made the trip Hudson Floyd (12 points) scored seven quick points to stake Gonzaga Prep to an early 11-6 lead but G-Prep’s Carter Nilson (16 points) answered in kind “It’s a different person every night and that’s something we pride ourselves on,” Carney said “It’s not just one person – we can all do our own thing and we can get it done as the whole team.” then got open underneath for a lay-in to make it a two-point game The Bullpups continued to spread the scoring around though and led 33-30 at the half The teams spent the third quarter dancing between two- Howell made 1 of 2 at the line with 0.4 seconds left and G-Prep led 46-43 after three but Jones answered to make it 49-48 and a lay-up by Lawson Looker tied it at 50-50 with 4 minutes We just were trying to stay calm and collective and talk to each other ‘Let’s get a stop here,’ one stop at a time Try to get our buckets and just stick together.” then he found Nilson on a backdoor cut to put the Bullpups up 55-50 with 2:26 left G-Prep missed three straight shots but kept grabbing the offensive rebound and taking time off the clock and they led 55-53 with 52.1 seconds remaining “Don’t judge us during warmups,” McIntyre concluded “We’re more than what we look and we’re not going to intimidate anybody when we run out on the floor But the love these kids have for each other … there’s something unspoken that makes them as good as they are and eventually made them a state champion.” Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible Get the day’s top sports headlines and breaking news delivered to your inbox by subscribing here TDS Telecommunications continues expanding its high-speed all-fiber internet network into more Spokane-area neighborhoods © Copyright 2025, The Spokesman-Review | Community Guidelines | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Copyright Policy Detectives in Pierce County solve the cold case murder of Tracy Whitney whose body was found in the Puyallup River in August of 1988 Pierce County detectives have solved a cold case murder – an 18-year-old girl whose body washed up on the banks of the Puyallup River 36 years ago Investigators used DNA technology to identify her suspected killer was last seen at a Burger King in Federal Way on August 28 In the weeks and years following her death the investigation into how it happened and who was responsible went nowhere Detectives interviewed potential suspects and obtained DNA Eventually each suspect was slowly and methodically eliminated as possible persons of interest “Despite numerous efforts and leads, the investigation stalled and over time, with the case having no forward movement, not being able to progress, it eventually grew cold,” Detective Sergeant Lindsay Kirkegaard said in a video released by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department a DNA profile of the suspect was uploaded to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) a national database created and maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Advances in DNA technology and hard work by a retired sheriff’s detective helped identify a suspect in the 1988 murder of 18-year-old Tracy Whitney (Photos: Pierce County Sheriff’s Dept.) Due to the technological limitations of that time period the DNA submission did not result in the identification of a suspect after the passage of more than three decades now-retired Detective Sergeant Lynelle Anderson looked into the case as a possible candidate for a grant application through the Washington State Attorney General’s Office Anderson re-submitted Tracy’s swabs to take advantage of newer more-advanced technology available at the Washington State Crime Lab The new DNA profile that was obtained was uploaded a second time into CODIS the retired detective tried another approach Virginia that provides DNA services for law enforcement organizations results starting coming in that showed the DNA could be traced to family lines all the way back to the 18th Century Investigators constructed a genetic family tree and the results came back to John Guillot Jr eight months before the DNA confirmation results arrived so there was no DNA to compare to the suspect DNA profile,” Kirkegaard said in the video released by the sheriff’s office She reached out to the Washington State Patrol and found out they could confirm Guillot’s identity by using other family members’ DNA as a comparison With assistance from the medical examiner’s office they obtained his DNA and then compared it to the male DNA obtained from Tracy’s body The results showed the killer’s DNA found on her body was not from John Guillot III but that John Guillot III was a biological child of the murder suspect “Throughout the investigation any evidence in the case nothing suggested Tracy was familiar to John in any way,” Kirkegaard said “This led detectives to believe that this case was a stranger abduction no formal charges could be filed against him The case was then closed as ‘Death of the Offender.’” Tracy’s younger sister and father are speaking out after learning after all these years who was responsible for her rape and murder They spoke about how much loved Tracy and what a tremendous loss her death has been “Tracy was a good big sister,” said Robin Whitney “She has been really missed throughout my lifetime It has been really hard growing up without a sister But I’m just happy that we finally found who did this and she can rest peacefully.” Her father says everyone who knew Tracy admired and respected her (Photo: Pierce County Sheriff’s Dept.) “I just want people to know that Tracy was a good kid,” said Tracy’s dad “She was a young lady that all the little kids looked up to in the neighborhood The best way I can describe her is what her best friend’s mother said Detective Kirkegaard emphasizes how important it is for investigations to continue in cold cases like Tracy’s “One of the hardest things for families in these types of cases is the unknowing “Even though there is no arrest that can be made in this case it’s still very important that we do what we can to try to give the family some of those answers and hopefully just help with some of the healing process.” investigators had little to go on in their search for the killer What they knew for sure – is she disappeared on a warm August evening in 1988 and less than 24 hours later the perseverance of cold case detectives and DNA technology has helped her family answer some of the many questions they’ve been asking for so long “Cold cases are extremely important to our community,” Kirkegaard said “I joined the Cold Case Unit so that I could help families get answers to the questions that just seem impossible to hold people accountable when it’s needed “Although there was no arrest made in this particular case I hope that the family can find some peace in knowing that Tracy’s case is finally solved.”