Did you know Wells Fargo donates homes to soldiers with help from the Military Warriors Support Foundation? It's true. In fact, it happened again Monday when former Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier Spc. Marcos Garcia shoved a key into his new Federal Way home. Garcia, who was severely injured in a mortar attack in April of 2007 while deployed in Iraq and was awarded the Purple Heart, now lives in a mortgage-free home thanks to the two organizations.

That's awesome.

Read up on the program. ...

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SATURDAY, JAN. 11 2014 >>>

1. More weed has been smoked, more babies have been conceived, and more fun has been had in the Volkswagen Bus than perhaps any vehicle ever made. When people see the Bus, it's almost impossible not to smile. It brings them back to a simpler time of no-worries partying. Lemay - America's Car Museum's cool and groovy "Vee Dub: Bohemian Beauties" exhibit opens today. Beginning at 10 a.m., you may gawk at classic bohemian beauties and, no doubt, hear an endless stream of VW stories from fellow museumgoers.

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Dear Brawny Man,

We just want you to know that we have switched to your brand. We were Bounty fans for the longest time. Being in the media business, we are all about speed. The faster we can deliver the news, the better (thanks for the stress stupid Internet). Sometimes when we race to across the room to post a story, we accidently knock over the Walkie Talkie Weather Guy's sippy cup. Because Bounty is the quicker picker-upper, we rode its roll of towels. ...

That is, until we saw the Wounded Warrior Project emblem below your plaid-wearing, paper towel-hocking face on your packaging. You and your parent company, Georgia Pacific, have supported WWP since 2012. Your concept of donating a $1 for every Like on your Facebook page was both generous and brilliant. In 2012, you raise more than $500,000 for WWP. Last year, you exceeded your $6000,000 goal, raising $613,566 for WWP, which included $250,000 from GP above and beyond the Likes.

Brawny has given more than $1.4 million to WWP over the last two years to help our nation's heroes and their families through their difficult transitions.

You're awesome Brawny Man.

A quick call to Georgia Pacific revealed the program has been put on hold for 2014, according to Rich in GP's call center, although he did say it could come back in the future.

Georgia Pacific says the Wounded Warrior Project support will continue in 2014.

Thanks again Brawny Man. We will come calling when spilled juice is running off our computer desks an onto our linoleum floor.

Love,

Northwest Military News Team

SUNDAY, DEC. 29 2013 >>>

1. "The first thing I saw was my drums, although I didn't recognize them," said Tacoma musician Dean Tsapralis, also known as "Dean the Dreamweaver," after he opened his storage unit door in September. Tsapralis' life-long collection of musical instruments from around the world, along with many personal belongings, was below 9 feet of mud and water. "I was devastated," said Tsapralis. For the past three months he has worked hard to salvage what he can. This process and the consequent loss of work have left him both physically and financially drained. As Tacoma does, a benefit concert will be held at Benefit Central, also known as The Swiss, beginning at 3 p.m. featuring Dakota Bob, Tatoosh, Jerry Miller, Tim Hall, Steve Cooley, Spin Cycle and a 9 p.m. open jam.

2. The film Inside Llewyn Davis showcases a week in the life of its titular character. Llewyn (Oscar Isaac) is a down-and-out folk singer struggling to find fame and fortune, or maybe just earn a living, in 1961 New York. Despite enjoying a small degree of success early in his career, things aren't going well for Llewyn when we meet him. Mike (sung by Marcus Mumford), Llewyn's musical partner, committed suicide some time before the film's opening. Llewyn, unable to find solo success, is reduced to playing sleazy juke joints and couch-surfing amongst a rotating roster of friends and vague acquaintances. Catch the film at 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:25, 6:45 and 9:05 p.m. at The Grand Cinema.

3. Make Sunday the day you check out Zoolights or Fantasy Lights - both South Sound institutions. Zoolights, the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium's holiday light show and extravaganza, offers a stroll through more than half a million lights, crafted whimsically throughout the zoo from 5-9 p.m. Take a driving tour of Fantasy Lights in Spanaway Park, where carloads of travelers can see more than 300 stunning displays of lights and imaginative animation over a two-mile stretch of Spanaway Lake Park from 5:30-9 p.m.

4. Let's be honest. You love The Spar. You love drinking beer. And you love rockin' blues. Do yourself a favor and check out the twangy and bluesy rock of Billy Stoops & the Rectifiers at 7 p.m. in The Spar. You love Stoops in Junkyard Jane. You love him every Thursday at the Stonegate. You just love him.

5. At 8 p.m. the Tacoma Comedy Club hosts Jay Hollingsworth's True Comedy Show. Immediately following each comedian's act, Hollingsworth will probe comics Duane Goad, Rodger Lizaola and Aaron Kirb ywith questions to reveal what's true and what's fiction in their material.

LINK: Sunday, Dec. 29 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

The 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division's early morning Holiday Run ended with the presentation of what one individual called the perfect Christmas gift.

More than 4,000 soldiers plus a number of city of Puyallup fire fighters and police officers participated in a 4-mile Holiday Run at a 9-minute pace on Joint Base Lewis-McChord - North this morning.

"This is perfect, the perfect Christmas gift," said Connie Dotson moments after receiving two checks worth more than $12,000 from the Puyallup chapter of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) and 2nd Brigade.

Dotson oversees the Lancer Soldier & Family Fund.

>>> Col. Louis Ziesman, commander, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, talks about the Hearts Behind the Shield cookbook, part of the brigade's initiative to raise funds for a memorial. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

"We promise to raise more money; there will be more," pledged Eric Kantor, a leader in the Captain Meriwether Lewis Puyallup-Sumner Subchapter of the AUSA.

The organization turned over a check worth $2,240.

As to the brigade's $10,000 contribution toward establishing a memorial, Zeisman touted the unit's Hearts Behind the Shield cookbook.

"This is a wonderful collection of recipes from the soldiers who come from all parts of the country," he said.

"I have to tell you - the hot crab cake dip is great!"

He said that more than 1,700 copies of the book had been sold. 

>>> Col. Louis Zeisman, commander, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, and Maj. Gen. Stephen Lanza, commander, 7th Infantry Division, led 4,000 soldiers on a 4-mile Holiday Run this morning at JBLM. Photo credit: J.M. Simpson

Maj. Gen. Stephen Lanza, commander, 7th Infantry Division, ran alongside Zeisman.

"The Army is the most trusted institution in the nation, and I am most proud of this unit."

The money marks the brigade's first step toward the raising of $40,000 needed to construct a memorial honoring its fallen soldiers.

"This gift means a great deal; it is very important that this brigade - which is the only brigade that does not have a memorial - establish one," Dotson pointed out.

Operation Homefront is dedicated to providing emergency assistance to servicemembers and their families 365 days a year and right now that includes providing them with a holiday meal.

The annual Holiday Meals for the Military event creates 7,500 meal kits, which include all the grocery items necessary for a holiday meal for four people - including a $30 Wal-Mart gift card for the purchase of perishable items - and then distributes them to lower and mid-grade ranking military families, E-1 thru E-6, at 22 military installations, including Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which will run the program between Dec. 13-20.

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THURSDAY, DEC. 12 2013 >>>

1. Ho, ho, hold up  -  where's your ugly holiday sweater? Don't show up to Tacoma Runners Ugly Sweater Run tonight without one, because some sort of ugliness  -  be it a deck-the-halls display or a simple Santa face - is mandatory. The event will kick off with a 6:30 p.m. check-in at Slappy's Garage - North End Tavern. The Christmasy 3-mile run will wind through Tacoma's northend, with the runners returning to Slappy's to toss back a bunch of drinkies. You've finally got a use for that reindeer sweater grandma knitted you, so Febreeze off the mothball odor and come run around the Proctor District to spread some Christmas cheer.

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SUNDAY, DEC. 1 2013 >>>

1. We've given trumpeter Rich Wetzel a lot of love over the years, not only because he's a groovy guy, but also because he's always playing a gig worth mentioning. Tonight is no exception as his Groovin' Higher Jazz Orchestra brings its annual jazzy holiday to a bar - Stonegate Pizza and Rum Bar this year, from 5-8 p.m. The high-note trumpeter promises three sets of jumpin' holiday tunes - "Winter Wonderland," "White Christmas," "Do You Hear What I Hear,"  "Let It Show," "The Christmas Song" and many more - as well as special holiday drinks egg nog, Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer and hot buttered rum.

2. Look, there's a decent chance you need a Christmas tree. Or, at the very least, you know someone who needs a Christmas tree. But acquiring said Christmas tree doesn't have to cost you at least $65 for anything that doesn't look ghetto, and more importantly it doesn't need to be a huge pain in the ass. Head on down to the rarely-used Tollefson Plaza and check out Two Five Trees. Today, in celebration of the Zip Cars in downtown Tacoma, Two Five Trees encourages you to walk or take transit to the Polar Plaza and the Two Five Trees elves with tie your Two Five Tree to the roof of a Zip Car and give you a lift home. The free rides will operate from noon to 6 p.m. Grab a cup of hot cocoa and chill.

3. At 1 p.m., storyteller Judy Cullen will join forces with Kevin Lee, a voice actor from Minnesota, and Shandon Loring, a Nevada storyteller. Together, the three will deliver a rendition of a Christmas classic in a way never before seen or experienced. Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Three performers in vastly different zip codes. One show. One digital platform. Inside the Knights of Pythias Hall in downtown Tacoma.

4. They're still going strong, and still swarming The Swiss to do good, get loaded, raffle stuff off and enjoy the spirit of the season. The Friends of the Holidays benefit from 1-8:30 p.m. at The Swiss, and the T-town institution shouldn't disappoint: The Rectifiers, Little Bill Trio, Twang Junkies, Dean Reichert, Nolan Garrett, Boneyard Preachers and Tahoma Souls Alive will all be doing their part for underprivileged families this year. Look, these times are tough for everyone, but if you can have a fun night out while also making someone else's life a little better, We call that Yahtzee. 

5. JLK is a band from Montreal. Babysitter is a band from Victoria, B.C. Together, they have joined forces to become: JLK & Babysitter. Well, OK, so their combined moniker may be somewhat lacking, but the sheer inventiveness of their music is liable to blindside you. Sounding at once timeless and utterly original, JLK & Babysitter reach back and draw both from the sparse blues of the 1910s and the sound experiments and free jazz that burst out of the '60s and '70s. The result of this mash-up is frequently disquieting while remaining strangely hypnotic. Catch the band with Happy Noose and Clayface at 10 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Sunday, Dec. 1 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TURKEY DAY, NOV. 28 2013 >>>

1. With the family Ultimate Frisbee season behind us, you may have thought your opportunity to bond with your family on the basis of poor athleticism and a bad team name was over. Not so. The annual Norpoint Turkey Trot takes flight Thursday morning. Jog, trot - hell, even go on stilts - to the Center at Norpoint and run your tail feathers off. The event is stuffed with holiday activities and features a 5k chip-timed run, a 2-mile non-timed run/walk and a Kids' Trot for ages 3 to 10. The sponsoring body, Metro Parks Tacoma, asks you bring your entire family, turkey costumes and $45 on the day of race. Better run, turkeys.

2. Homelessness, hunger and despair are a daily and painful reality for thousands of men, women and children in Pierce County. The Rescue Mission, in operation now for more than 100 years, has been serving the Tacoma-area homeless community by providing meals, shelter, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, education and job-training skills and other programs. Help this long-standing organization give folks in need a hand up at Thanksgiving. Check rescue-mission.org and The Rescue Mission's Facebook page for the latest updates on what's needed for the holiday meal. As of this mid-November, kitchen staffers are looking for turkeys, hams and roast beef as well as these extras: flats of mushrooms, any fresh produce, canned fruits and vegetables, potatoes, cream of mushroom soup, cream of chicken soup, fruit pies and stuffing mix. Looking to lend a hand? Check out the volunteer information on the site. Help is needed year round.

3. Matthew McConaughey plays Ron Woodroof, a grimy, shady, homophobic, substance-abusing horndog in 1985 Texas who learns he's HIV-positive and procures unapproved means of treatment in the film Dallas Buyers Club, which screens at 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:30 and 7 p.m. at The Grand Cinema. McConaughey's masterful job of portraying one of the more deeply flawed anti-heroes in recent screen history reminds us why he became a movie star in the first place. We start out loathing this guy and learn to love him. Jared Leto disappears into the role of a transgender drug addict and Jennifer Garner is Ron's empathetic doctor.

4. Holiday lights from the comfort and warmth of your own car? Need to keep the kiddos in awe of holiday wonder while not lugging out the stroller? Put away the umbrellas and rain boots, because here's an easy-peasy way to see some stunning light and holiday wonderland displays right in our own backyard. Take a driving tour of Fantasy Lights in Spanaway Park, where carloads of travelers can see more than 300 stunning displays of lights and whimsical and imaginative animation over a two-mile stretch of Spanaway Lake. The light turn on from 5:30-9 p.m. Tune in to a special holiday radio station for a little holiday music to add to the mood.

5. It's not Thanksgiving without a trip to a casino. Wally & The Beaves will rock the Muckleshoot Casino at 5:30 p.m., and the Emerald Queen Casino hosts Asia Fest featuring Ho Le Thu, Don Ho, Huong Thuy, Trinh Lam, Nguyen Ngoc Ngan, Mai Tien Dung, Bao Thy at 7 p.m.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Thursday, Nov. 28 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, NOV. 23 2013 >>>

1. Franciscan Polar Plaza is on its third year of setting up an ice-skating rink decked out in wintery goodness at Tollefson Plaza, just across from Tacoma Art Museum. Similar to last year, the Weekly Volcano will host live bands at Polar Plaza every Saturday from 7-9 p.m. Bands will perform on what we like to call the Electric Salchow Stage. Yes, it's named after a figure skating jump Brian Boitano might perform to the music of Five for Fighting on the Today show. We can name it whatever we want. Anyhoo, the Kareem Kandi Band will provide an awesome soundtrack of jazz standards, funky beats and a few holiday tunes for butterfly jumps, cherry-flips, layback spins - but mostly moves such as the unstable skating, the fall, the skid and the mixed-gender collision.

2. Hundreds of soupniks with big hearts will make the trek to Charles Wright Academy from 1-3:30 p.m. for one of the year's most heartwarming events: Empty Bowls, a Emergency Food Network fundraising event combining art, community, giving and tasty soups. Local and regional artisans will donate more than 1,400 one-of-a-kind bowls made from hand-tooled carved wood, colorful glass and hand-thrown clay. Bowls begin at $10. They make awesome gifts. Once selections are made and paid for, with all proceeds going to EFN, attendees make their way to eat free soup, donated by Pacific Grill, The Swiss, Adriatic Grill, Infinite Soups, AmeRAWcan Bistro, The French Hen, The Hub, Masa, Alina Soups and Chambers Bay. Warning: a line forms an hour before the doors open.

3. Doing its part to keep Tacoma's Thanksgiving celebrants from choking on family-friendly pabulum, the Tacoma Mob Riders will own the street again Saturday, this month disguising its bicycle booze cruise as a giant turkey. You might have seen one of the Mob's past rides through the streets of Tacoma, dressed as leprechauns, Easter bunnies, ghosts, moms, trees - what ever the nearest holiday called for - kicking the kickstand for a quick drink - bar after bar. Saturday's ride has been given the title "Turkicanus Bicyclette," which will launch at 7 p.m. at 2nd Cycle on Hilltop Tacoma. Gobble, gobble, wobble.

4. Rapper Mickey Avalon isn't the first musician to champion the motto, "Live fast, die young & look good in your grave" (as is printed proudly at the very top of Avalon's website). He's probably not even the most recent. But chances are Avalon is the only member of the esteemed, previously described crowd of self-destructive entertainers scheduled to play Jazzbones at 8 p.m. Reportedly a member of the Los Angeles-based graffiti crew CBS (Can't Be Stopped / City Bomb Squad), a one-time heroin addict and male prostitute, and a collaborator with former MTV VJ Simon Rex, it seems Avalon has experienced no shortage of excitement, drama, close calls and failures during his journey. These days he's experiencing a few of the positives life has to offer, most applicable to this space success within the world of music. A former member of rap group Dyslexic Speedreaders, and with a penchant for penning lyrics about the grittier side of life, Avalon's T-town gig should go off like gangbusters.

5. McCoy's Tavern will host one helluva party beginning at 9 p.m. The stars of the night, buttrockers Hellbelly (think a more melodic Helmet), will release their much-awaited CD release, Life of the Party, on Olympia's Vital Records. The Hardway and Full Moon Radio will be in the house, too.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Saturday, Nov. 23 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area