WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Singer-bassist Alan Gorrie of Average White Band is 64.

>>> SOUTH SOUND SPECIFIC

Northern Pacific Railroad Company and Tacoma Land Company originally intended for the Stadium High School building to be one of the finest luxury hotels on the Pacific Coast. In 1890 they purchased a nine-acre tract of land on the bluff overlooking Commencement Bay; architectural firm Hewitt and Hewitt of Philadelphia designed it in a French Renaissance architectural style. Construction of the hotel began in 1891, but two years later was halted due to a national financial depression. A special election to turn the building into a school passed in 1904, and the project was completed a few years later at a cost of approximately $500,000. Stadium High School opened at the spot in 1906.

>>> TODAY'S WORD

tokonoma \'to-ke-"no-me\ noun [Jp] (1871)

A niche or alcove in the wall of a Japanese house for the display of a decorative object

Usage example: "In my tokonoma is a display of commemorative bongs from around the world I have collected over the years," Paris Hilton might have giggled, shocking no one.

>>> STORY PICK OF THE DAY

CBC NEWS REPORTS: "People in Red Deer, Alta., want the city to move, rather than kill, beavers that have attacked at least six dogs in an off-leash park. Six beaver attacks in the last two weeks have been confirmed at Three Mile Bend, an off-leash park in the central Alberta city. A husky died of its injuries, while other dogs are recovering from their tangles with the rodents."

"Indeed a worthy topic but did you really think I'd be drawn to the idea of torturing my endlessly whipsawed synapses for endless minutes trying to conjure something remotely amusing or wry to say about beavers attacking dogs in Canada," Weekly Volcano scribe Michael Swan said aloud to no one in particular. "Bullying is not a funny subject."

>>> NEWS TO US

China is now the world's biggest energy consumer, kicking the United State off the top spot it held for more than a century.

The Tea Party has actually agreed on something firing founding member Mark Williams after a blog post they say is racist.

Tiny hotel rooms are awesome.

Morning Spew posts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on this blog. Sometimes, it even posts in the morning.

Hey kids! Do you like to party? Then join us Wednesday, July 28 at our Best of Tacoma Premiere Party at Masa.