WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Appalling: Lakewood police guild treasurer accused of theft cashing in on the deaths of four colleagues and feathering his nest with shiny toys. (News Tribune)

Stay Classy, Westboro Baptist Church: The notoriously anti-gay church plans to picket Saturday's funeral for Charlie and Braden Powell and will be counterprotested by Occupy Seattle. (News Tribune)

Same-Sex Marriage: State House approved a same-sex marriage proposal 55 to 43. (News Tribune)

Mortgage Relief: In the biggest deal to date to fix the housing crisis, officials announced a huge foreclosure settlement with banks. (CNN)

Greece Bailout: Greece agrees to the austerity measures required to gain a new bailout hours before eurozone finance ministers are due to discuss the deal in Brussels. (BBC)

Sonic Fashion: Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon has a new fashion line. (Pitchfork)

Gary Busey: Bankrupt. (Yahoo)

Whoa: Watch the World's Largest Dodgeball Game. (Flavorwire)

Wizard Of Creepy: The 1902 adaptation of The Wizard of Oz looked extremely unsettling. (io9)

If You Have Nothing Else To Do: 25 animals who think they're people. (BuzzFeed)

Are You Ready?

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Garage On Broadway: The city-owned garage next to the McMenamins Elks Temple is not looking good. (News Tribune)

The Show Must Go On: despite budget shortfalls the Tacoma City Council will continue to fund local events and neighborhood markets. (News Tribune)

Fourth Of July In The Boonies: Pierce County Council says residents in unincorporated Pierce County can continue to blow shit up for eight days. (News Tribune)

GOP Presidential Race: Rick Santorum's hat-trick reshaping the contest that will decide who runs against President Obama in November. (CNN)

Watch Out For The Thing: Russian scientists are reporting success in their quest to drill into Lake Vostok, a huge body of liquid water buried under the Antarctic ice. (BBC)

Metallica: It has its own summer music festival. (USA Today)

Jay And Silent Bob: The cartoon. (Paste)

Today's Lesson: The history of the middle finger. (BBC)

Times Are Tough. Even for Batman. (Comicbeat)

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Welcome to 2012: Pierce and Thurston County home prices suck. (News Tribune)

Shirtless in East Pierce County: Oh, the man was carrying a hatchet and stole a Pierce County sheriff's patrol car. (News Tribune)

W.T.F.: Sound Transit may soon spend an additional $24 million to study and design a longer southern extension of light rail, reviving hope that trains will someday reach Federal Way. (News Tribune)

Prop 8 Decision Coming This Morning: California measure banned gay marriage. (NPR)

PAC Man: Obama's re-election campaign will begin using administration and campaign aides to raise funds for Priorities USA Action, a super PAC backing the president. (CNN)

Messing With Sidewalk Cappuccinos: Atmospheric patterns that normally keep Arctic cold over the poles abruptly changed in January, pushing frigid air over Europe. Shrinking polar ice caps may be to blame. (CNN)

Skydiver Felix Baumgartner: Fucking nuts. (BBC)

Zombie Report: The actor who played George A. Romero's first zombie has died ... we think. (USA Today)

Falling Mad Men Guy: The 32 best Mad Men subway poster hacks. (Best Week Ever)

Didn't See This Coming: Madonna embarks on a world tour in May. (omg!)

South Park's Cartman: He's real. (Dangerous Minds)

Beardski: Board like Chewie. (The Awesomer)

Today's Tingly Moment: They Have a Hulk

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Puyallup City Council: A moment of silence before discussing daffodils? (News Tribune)

We're Number 15!: Tacoma is overpriced, according to Forbes magazine. (Tacoma KOMO)

Olympia Coffee Roasting: They know what they're doing. (The Olympian)

Hacked While Discussing Hacking: Anonymous releases what it says is a recording of a phone call between the FBI and UK police discussing their efforts against hacking. (BBC)

National Jobless Rate: Employers added 243,000 jobs in January, higher than anticipated. Hiring numbers for 2011 were also revised, with 180,000 more jobs added than originally thought. (CNN)

Football Anger: Egyptian protesters clash with security forces for a second day in Cairo, as anger over the deaths of dozens of football fans threatens political unrest. (BBC)

Sasquatch! 2012: The lineup has been announced. (KEXP)

Rock Star TV: Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl and comedian Dana Gould are working on a TV show that would revolve around a rock band on the verge of stardom and breaking up. (The Hollywood Reporter)

It is its Density: Will Back To The Future become the latest film to get a Broadway stage production? (Deadline)

Unluckiest Person Ever?: Entire town wins lottery, except for one man. (Time)

Screw The X Games: Until you've strapped an ironing board to your back and climbed a 14er to iron the fuck out of a dress shirt, you haven't lived. (BuzzFeed)

To Cap Off A Slow News Morning

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Dale Washam: His legal frays costs the Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer a grand total - including investigation costs, legal fees and settlements - $691,990. (News Tribune)

Federal Way: The city is unhappy with Sound Transit delays and hints of de-annexing. (News Tribune)

Washington State Gun Safety Laws: A new bills asks for more gun lock testing. (News Tribune)

Brutal Crackdown Against Syria's Anti-Government Protesters: The U.N. Security Council will discuss a draft resolution this week that calls on President Bashar al-Assad to step down. (CNN)

What In The World Is Going On?: Japan has recorded a trade deficit. (CNN)

EU Summit: The eurozone crisis is set to dominate chats. (BBC)

Sundance 2012: Angry moviegoers storm out of Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie. (EW)

SAG Awards 2012: The winners list. (Hollywood Reporter)

Awesome: Saved by the Bell: The Complete Collection is coming to DVD. (TV Shows ON DVD)

How to Improve A Classical Painting?: Add a big furry cat. (Flavorwire)

Mr. Pitt from Seinfeld: Dead. (Huffington Post)

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Break Out The Chanting: Committee OKs Senate Bill 6085 on religious permits for state Capitol grounds. (News Tribune)

Let's Head To Puyallup: Pierce County law enforcement officers will poke around Lakewood bars this weekend. (News Tribune)

Final Florida Push: Republican presidential hopefuls today head into the homestretch of the critical Florida primary campaign after a fractious debate. (CNN)

US Economy: Nice fourth quarter. (BBC)

Dig Experimental Filmmaking?: Start drooling. (Handmade Cinema)

Dig Moustache Filmmaking?: You're in luck. (Live Line)

Videos: Letterman's 10 most genuine moments with his guests. (Splitsider)

Question: Will a Dwight Schrute spinoff work? (Deadline)

Hey Ferris, How's Your Bod?

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Our Weather: Everyone's talking about it. (MSNBC)

Snow Vs. Schools: Snow wins. (News Tribune)

Crystal Mountain Ski Patrol: It rules. (News Tribune)

Tacoma Police Union Local 6: Tacoma police voted Monday night to approve concessions that could save 56 jobs. (News Tribune)

Budget Cuts: Congress cuts staff, computers and staplers. (CNN)

Making Music: Lady Mary and Countess of Grantham to rock out. (Telegraph)

Mad Men Tease: Creator Matthew Weiner chats. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Sax At Sea: Cruising with Kenny G. (Time)

Video: Crap New Age guys say. (YouTube)

They Could Have Used A Snow Day: Serious children with their toys. (Mental Floss)

THE REPORT IS IN >>>

In case you couldn't get your butt out of bed this morning, or cracked your head open on the frosty sidewalks, University of Puget Sound professors Bruce Mann and Doug Goodman gave their Pierce County economic forecast to the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce this morning over breakfast.

In a nutshell:

• The Pierce County Economic Index will end 2012 at an all time high, recovering all its losses from the slump
• Job growth will be very slow, rising only half of one percent in 2012
• 2012 will be a second year of economic growth for Pierce County, but at half the 4.7 percent growth rate of 2011

The University of Puget Sound gathered the report by Mann and Goodman in a nifty release. Enjoy.

TACOMA, Wash. - The good news from the Horizons 2012 economic report for Pierce County: the county's economic rebound in 2011 was one of the strongest on record. Unemployment fell, retail spending rose, and home sales and office rentals started to edge up.

The even better news: it is predicted that by the end of 2012, Pierce County's economy will have regained all the losses from the "Great Recession," and the Pierce County Economic Index, which measures local growth, will register an all-time high.

But before we get too cheerful, University of Puget Sound economists Bruce Mann and Douglas Goodman say, understand that we cannot keep up last year's robust pace of growth.

"The economy will continue to improve throughout 2012, but the pace will slow," the economists write in the Horizons 2012 Pierce County Economic Index Report. Once firms add a little to their workforce, and consumers catch up with delayed purchases, caution sets back in.

Mann and Goodman, who have been forecasting the Pierce County economy for 24 years, presented their research this morning (Friday, Jan. 13) at the annual Horizons event at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. The event is organized by the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber. Some of the major points in this year's report include:

In 2011 the Pierce County economy grew 4.7 percent. This was stronger than expected-helped by high troop levels at nearby bases, Boeing's stepped-up production, and health industry growth.

For 2012 the county's economy is predicted to grow 2.25 percent more, giving two consecutive years of growth.

Read more...

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WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Snow: Yup, the threat lingers. (Seattle Times)

Tacoma's Finances Outside Review: Not good. Like $31 million general fund shortfall not good. (News Tribune)

Pierce County Council: Leadership vote went Republican electing Joyce McDonald of Puyallup as its new chairwoman. (News Tribune)

Republican Race: Romney won a convincing victory, but none of the contenders plans to drop out before South Carolina's Jan. 21 primary. (CNN)

Hostess: Unlike its Twinkies, it doesn't look like it will last forever. (The Wall Street Journal)

Goodfellas On TV?: AMC thinks so. (Deadline)

Wish You A Very Logical Day: Crochet Spock ear. (Craftzine)

John Lennon: He was crazy about cats. (Mental floss)

Warm Fuzzy of the Day: Woman manages agoraphobia by meeting her 325 Facebook friends. (Jezebel)

WTF?

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Mount Rainier Ranger Memorial: Traffic will be impacted. (News Tribune)

Republican Presidential Nomination: Mitt Romney is expected to win New Hampshire, but there's lots of speculation about who will take second and gain momentum for the South Carolina primary. (CNN)

Drat: Six things you'll pay more in 2012. (CNN)

Morning Business Round-up: Olympus shares surge. (BBC)

Separated At Birth: Michael Cera and Hitler's mom? (Videogum)

Kenneth G: He grew snowflakes in laboratory conditions. (boing boing)

Friendship Is Magic: The Bronies take Manhattan. (The AWL)

The Shins: The band has a new track. (AV Club)

Coachella: The lineup has been announced. (Facebook)