Pierce County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census,the population was 921,130,up from 795,225 in 2010,making it the second-most populous county in Washington,behind King County,and the 60th-most populous in the United States. The county seat and largest city is Tacoma. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22,1852,by the legislature of Oregon Territory,it was named for U.S. President Franklin Pierce. Pierce County is in the Seattle metropolitan area.
Interstate 705 (I-705),also known as the Tacoma Spur,is a short Interstate Highway in Tacoma,Washington,United States. It is a spur route of I-5 that connects the freeway to Downtown Tacoma,Tacoma's waterfront,North Tacoma,and the Tacoma Dome. I-705 was completed in 1988 and is one of the newest portions of the Interstate Highway System in Washington.
State Route 16 (SR 16) is a 27.16-mile-long (43.71 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Washington,connecting Pierce and Kitsap counties. The highway,signed as east–west,begins at an interchange with Interstate 5 (I-5) in Tacoma and travels through the city as a freeway towards the Tacoma Narrows. SR 16 crosses the narrows onto the Kitsap Peninsula on the partially tolled Tacoma Narrows Bridge and continues through Gig Harbor and Port Orchard before the freeway ends in Gorst. The designation ends at an intersection with SR 3 southwest of the beginning of its freeway through Bremerton and Poulsbo. SR 16 is designated as a Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET) corridor within the National Highway System as the main thoroughfare connecting Tacoma to Naval Base Kitsap and a part of the Highways of Statewide Significance program.
State Route 509 (SR 509) is a 35.17-mile-long (56.60 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Washington,connecting Tacoma in Pierce County to Seattle in King County. The highway travels north from Interstate 705 (I-705) in Tacoma to SR 99 south of downtown Seattle. It serves cities along the Puget Sound and west of Seattle–Tacoma International Airport in south King County,including Federal Way,Des Moines,and Burien. SR 509 is part of the National Highway System and is a limited-access highway near the Port of Tacoma and from Burien to its northern terminus in Seattle.
State Route 512 (SR 512) is a suburban state-maintained freeway in Pierce County,Washington,United States. It travels 12 miles (19 km) from west to east,connecting Interstate 5 (I-5) in Lakewood to SR 7 in Parkland and SR 167 in Puyallup. The freeway travels north–south through Puyallup,concurrent with SR 161.
The 2008 gubernatorial election in Washington was held on November 4,2008. Republican Dino Rossi and incumbent Democratic Governor Christine Gregoire emerged from the August 19 primary. This made the 2008 election a rematch between the candidates from the 2004 election,the closest gubernatorial election in the state's history. In contrast to the recounts and months of legal challenges in their previous contest,Gregoire was the clear winner on November 5,earning 53 percent of the vote. With a margin of 6.45%,this election was the second-closest race of the 2008 gubernatorial election cycle,behind only the election in North Carolina.
State Route 7 (SR 7) is a state highway in Lewis and Pierce counties,located in the U.S. state of Washington. The 58.60-mile (94.31 km) long roadway begins at U.S. Route 12 (US 12) in Morton and continues north to intersect several other state highways to Tacoma,where it ends at an interchange with Interstate 5 (I-5) and I-705. The road has several names,such as Second Street in Morton,the Mountain Highway in rural areas,Pacific Avenue in Spanaway,Parkland and Tacoma and 38th Street in Tacoma. Near the end of the highway there is a short freeway that has been proposed to be extended south parallel to an already existing railroad,owned by Tacoma Rail,which serves as the median of the short freeway.
Timothy Markham Sheldon is an American farmer,businessman,and politician who served as a member of the Washington State Senate,representing the 35th District between 1997 and 2023. The district includes all of Mason County and parts of Thurston and Kitsap counties. A member of the Democratic Party,Sheldon caucused with the Republican-dominated Majority Coalition Caucus and afterwards the Republican Caucus from 2012. He previously represented Mason County as a Mason County Commissioner for District 2 from 2005 to 2017 and served as a member of the Washington House of Representatives from 1991 to 1997.
Douglass B. Sutherland,is an American politician who served as 14th commissioner of public lands of the state of Washington from 2001 to 2009. Sutherland was first elected to this statewide position in 2000,when he defeated former Governor Mike Lowry. He was re-elected in 2004,defeating challenger Mike Cooper. In 2008,Sutherland ran for a third term,but lost to Peter J. Goldmark,a rancher from Eastern Washington. He was mayor of Tacoma from 1982 to 1989.
Tacoma Dome Station is a train station and transit hub in Tacoma,Washington,United States. It is served by Amtrak trains,the S Line of Sounder commuter rail,the T Line of Link light rail,and buses on local and intercity routes. Located near the Tacoma Dome south of Downtown Tacoma,the station consists of two train platforms used by Sounder and Amtrak trains,a platform for the T Line,a bus terminal,and two parking garages. The Sounder station is integrated into Freighthouse Square,a former Milwaukee Road depot that was converted into a shopping mall,and is on the east side of the Amtrak station.
Aaron Elton Pointer is an American retired professional baseball player. He played in the major leagues for the Houston Colt .45s/Astros in 1963 and again in 1966–1967. After his baseball career,he was a National Football League official. He is also known for being the brother of the four sisters who form the Pointer Sisters singing group.
Harold Gene Moss was an American politician and businessman who was the 34th mayor of Tacoma,Washington. He was the first African American member of the city's council,its first African American mayor and the first African American member of the Pierce County Council. His wife,Bil Moss,was on the Tacoma City Council.
Pierce Transit,officially the Pierce County Public Transportation Benefit Area Corporation,is an operator of public transit in Pierce County,Washington. It operates a variety of services,including fixed-route buses,dial-a-ride transportation,vanpool and ride-matching for carpools. The agency's service area covers the urbanized portions of Pierce County,part of the Seattle metropolitan area,and includes the city of Tacoma. In 2022,the system had a ridership of 5,562,500,or about 22,200 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2023.
Bruce F. Dammeier is an American politician and engineer serving as the county executive of Pierce County,Washington. A member of the Republican Party,he previously served as a member of both chambers of the Washington State Legislature.
South Tacoma station is a commuter rail station in Tacoma,Washington,United States,served by the S Line of the Sounder commuter rail network. It is located near the Tacoma Mall along South Tacoma Way at South 56th Street and consists of a single platform and a 220-stall park-and-ride lot. Construction on the station began in early 2008 and the park-and-ride lot opened in February 2009,with service from a temporary express bus that operated until Sounder service began in October 2012.
Abner Allen "Doc" Adams was an American politician in the state of Washington. He served in the Washington House of Representatives from 1969 to 1981. A Democrat,Adams was noted as a supporter of progressive policies,including assisted suicide,marijuana legalization,and abortion. In addition to his career as a state Representative,Adams was an accomplished chiropractor who served as president of the American Chiropractic Association.
Thomas Allen Swayze Jr. was an American politician in the state of Washington. He served in the Washington House of Representatives from 1965 to 1973 for the 26th district.
Patrice A. McCarthy is an American politician serving as the 11th Washington State Auditor since 2017. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
The Northwest Seaport Alliance is a port authority based in the Puget Sound region of the United States,comprising the seaports of Seattle and Tacoma in Washington state. The combined port authority is the third largest cargo port in the United States and by container volume.
Manuel Ellis was a 33-year-old African American man who died on March 3,2020,during an arrest by police officers in Tacoma,Washington. The Pierce County Sheriff's Department initially claimed that Ellis had attacked a police car and then attacked officers,leading to the arrest. State prosecutors quoted civilian witnesses as saying that Ellis did not attack the police car or officers;they also said it was the officers who initiated the use of physical force on Ellis after a conversation. Video of the incident showed officers repeatedly punching Ellis,choking him,using a Taser,and kneeling on him. State prosecutors stated that "Ellis was not fighting back",citing witness statements and video evidence. A police radio recording showed that Ellis said he "can’t breathe". Ellis told officers "can't breathe,sir" multiple times,according to prosecutors. Ellis was hogtied,face-down,with an officer on him,for at least six minutes,and a spit hood was placed on his head in this position,stated prosecutors. Ellis died at the scene while receiving medical aid from paramedics.
