Personalities | Key Peninsula News

Ed Ricketts in the bull kelp at Point Wilson, 1930.

About Ed Ricketts: A Cannery Row Character on the KP (Maybe)

Historian Michael Kenneth Hemp moved to Wauna from Monterey, California, in 2017 to follow the trail of Ed Ricketts. more

Ted Olinger, KP News | 8/31/22

Kasyn Mason is always ready to wrestle his dad in their backyard ring.

Wrestling Dreams Come True as Local Man Turns Passion into Profit

North West Pro Wrestling owner trying to return his promotion to pre-pandemic glory. more

Eddie Macsalka, KP News | 8/31/22

What stroll through the vineyard is complete without wine?

Two Fox Winery Open for Business in Home

The former Trillium Creek Winery in Home has new owners. Tedra and Kyle Hett grew up in Kansas and moved to Tacoma in 2014. They met in the eighth grade and have been together for more than half … more

Sara Thompson, KP News | 7/27/22

Gavin Hendrickson, 16, feels for wheels.

Local Youth Does Local Good

Many people around the world picked up a hobby while in pandemic lockdown; anything from home improvement projects to a sudden interest in knitting. But future Peninsula High School junior Gavin … more

Grace Nesbit, KP News | 7/27/22

An emerging Sasquatch looks over the shoulder of Dan Whited at work.

Owls and Eagles and Bears — and Sasquatch, of course — Help to Brighten the Garden

Anyone exploring the byways of the Key Peninsula has seen them, and maybe even been startled. Wooden bear cubs clinging to a tree, an enormous eagle perched atop a roof peak, a life-sized Sasquatch … more

Ted Olinger, KP News | 7/27/22

Longtime KP UPS Driver Retires, Reflects and Builds

Greg Matson of Tacoma, 67, retired from the United Parcel Service June 10 after 43 years, 37 spent driving. Seventeen of those years were delivering packages on the Key Peninsula. more

Ted Olinger, KP News | 6/29/22

The traffic island at SR-302 and KP Highway became a colorful oasis.

The Beautification of the Key Peninsula in Full Bloom

When driving along the Key Peninsula Highway through Key Center, pay attention to the litter-free roadside and notice the hanging baskets, large flower-filled pots and weeded beds along the road. The … more

Carolyn Wiley, KP News | 6/29/22

Sara Thompson thanks Rotary Club members June 17 for their donations to her favorite nonprofits.

Local Leader Wins Rotary Star Award for Years of KP Volunteering

The collective Rotary Clubs of Gig Harbor conferred the Rotary Star Award on Sara Thompson during a ceremony May 20 at Canterwood Golf and Country Club in Gig Harbor. more

Staff Report | 6/29/22

Local Man is Saving Animals in Ukraine

Approximately 5 million people had fled Ukraine and another 8 million were internally displaced as of May 15 after their country was invaded by the Russian Federation Feb. 24. Many who ran tried to … more

Ted Olinger, KP News | 6/2/22

Tom Bates: In His Own Words

This is World War III. There is no doubt. What happens in Ukraine will have an effect on the rest of the world for generations to come. I feel it is a defining moment for the human race. more

Tom Bates | 6/1/22

Tiedeman Road Name Corrected

If you live on or drive by Tiedman Road, you may have noticed that the spelling on the road signs was recently changed to Tiedeman. Pierce County updated the signs the week of April 18 to reflect the … more

Joseph Pentheroudakis, KP News | 6/1/22

Evergreen Elementary’s Bette McCord Retires

Bette (“Betty”) McCord has been one of the first faces students, parents, community providers, volunteers and visitors have seen when they enter Evergreen Elementary School for over three … more

Krisa Bruemmer, KP News | 6/1/22

Dr. Roes Celebrated and Honored in Bronze

Community leaders, colleagues, former staff, friends and family gathered at the Key Peninsula Civic Center April 23 in gratitude for the humble, kind-hearted country doctor who practiced medicine as … more

Lisa Bryan, KP News | 6/1/22

Erden Eruç hoists the Philippine pennant on arrival, delivered by the local kayak club

KP Man Completes First Solo Row from U.S. to Asia

Solo circumnavigator Erden Eruç of Wauna, 60, made landfall at Legazpi City in the Philippines March 24, becoming the first person to row from North America to Asia after launching from … more

Ted Olinger, KP News | 4/26/22

The Adventurer’s North Star

Nancy Board is an extraordinarily self-reliant woman focused on wellbeing. She loves her life and the man she shares it with in Wauna, and maintains an abiding faith that somehow, someway, everything … more

Lisa Bryan, KP News | 4/26/22

“We don’t call them hogs; we call them big pigs.”

Local Farm Animal Rescue Organization Saves Lives

Since its inception in 2017, Heartwood Haven, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and registered charity on the Key Peninsula, has rescued more than 1,400 farm animals suffering from cruelty and neglect, including … more

Krisa Bruemmer, KP News | 4/26/22

Portraits for Ukraine

Chris Bronstad is painting for Ukraine. The retired Key Peninsula Middle School teacher and local artist, who lives in Vaughn, spent the last few years concentrating on his award-winning artwork. … more

Ted Olinger, KP News | 4/26/22

Flower Stand Woes and Rewards

Most people who drive the section of Key Peninsula Highway between Home and Whiteman Road get a lift from seeing the white picket fence, the blossom-filled yard and the little flower stand on the … more

Carolyn Wiley, KP News | 4/26/22

Laura Harbaugh with husband Stanton, baby Hendrix and their dog Nuggen on the beach at Olman Point.

KP Businesswoman Makes Her Passion Her Work

Laura Harbaugh always wanted to be an artist. Her father worked as professional photographer and her mother worked for the county as a conservationist, racing to protect heritage farmland in the … more

Lisa Bryan, KP News | 3/31/22

Eruç hoists the Philippine pennant on arrival, delivered by the local kayak club.

Latest Tracker Updates: Westbound Rower Around the World

Follow KP resident's heroic one-person-powered voyage more

Ted Olinger, KP News | 3/27/22