Just a quick heads up if you're a fan of both roller derby and Instagram - darth_saydious of the JBLM Bettie Brigade posts the latest action from the flat track.

Side note: The JBLM Bettie Brigade's Belle Ringer Bootcamp is designed to help you prepare for the WFTDA skills test and get ready to try out to be a Bettie for the 2014 season. No skating experience required. You do need to be associated with the military and carry personal medical insurance. For $80, you'll receive 20 hours of on-skates instruction. An orientation and introduction will commence at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 25 at the Lacey Derby Center, 5700 Lacey Blvd. The two-hour Sunday sessions begin at noon Jan. 26. For details, visit bettiebrigade.com.

Joint Base Lewis-McChord recently announced that CDM Constructors Inc., of Bellevue, was awarded a $77,476,628 firm-fixed price contract to design and build a Class A wastewater treatment plant for the growing installation.

"We are ecstatic about winning the job," said Robert Davis of CDM Smith, Inc., a company that conducts about $1 billion worth of work worldwide annually and oversees CDM Constructors in the Puget Sound. "We do a lot of Department of Defense work, specifically design and construction, but wastewater treatment plants are a specialty of ours."

The existing wastewater treatment plant is located near Solo Point off of DuPont-Steilacoom Road, about 1.5 miles south of the JBLM North gate, and is an older plant. The new plant, according to Davis, will be a Class A facility that can treat 10 million gallons of water per day.

"The size the new plant is for a projected base population of 100,000 in 2030," Davis shared.

As of now, the project is slated to receive an official notice to proceed in February from office of the Army Corps of Engineers in Seattle, which is the contracting activity. The initial months of the project will focus on planning and design, so the work will begin in the office. Ground breaking for the work itself is expected to occur this summer.

"On paper, the duration of the project is 1095 days from start to finish, so it will take approximately three years," said Davis, adding that all construction will be conducted at Solo Point, which is owned by JBLM.

The new site will be adjacent to the existing site, but since it will be a completely new treatment plant, CDM anticipates that there will be no disruption in service for those living and working on JBLM. 

The Pierce County prosecutor charged a Puyallup man with second-degree murder Tuesday in the stabbing death of Sgt. 1st class Shawn A. Woods, who intervened in a domestic violence assault Sunday.

Woods, 38, was a member of Troop A, 8th Squadron, 1st Calvary Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis McChord.

Read more...

Lakewood resident, military spouse and mother of three Jamie Johnson represented Joint Base Lewis-McChord at the 2014 Mrs. Washington America Pageant Jan. 18 in Bellevue.

Johnson's chosen platform was veteran Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) awareness and support. She also wanted to show her pride in being a military spouse and was thrilled to represent the military community in the event.

Read more...

While the South Sound cheered on the Seahawks to victory (OK, maybe not exactly game time), two U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III aircraft out of McChord Field airlifted a Rwandan mechanized battalion, per request of the French government and African Union authorities continued airlifting a Rwandan mechanized battalion.

According to a report filed from Headquarters U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Force Africa, the joint operation with personnel from the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force was in support of an African Union effort to confront destabilizing forces and violence within Central African Republic.

"The African Union has decided to stand up a mission in the Central African Republic to decrease the violence that has been occurring over the last several months," Lt. Col. Allen Pepper, senior officer in Central African Republic, U.S. Army Africa said. "A part of that is getting enough troops on the ground to execute that mission."

Each airlift mission stages out of Entebbe, Uganda and consists of transporting soldiers and equipment from Kigali, Rwanda to Bangui, Central Africa Republic.

Read the full story here.

Below are snapshots of Team McChord's efforts to airlift the Rwandan soldiers on an airfield in the Central African Republic Jan. 19.

>>> A C-17 Globemaster III based out of McChord Air Force Base, Wash., is parked, engines running, on an airfield in the Central African Republic to drop off Rwandan soldiers Jan. 19, 2014. U.S. forces will transport a total number of 850 Rwandan soldiers and more than 1000 tons of equipment into the Central African Republic to aid French and African Union operations against militants during this three week-long operation. Photo credit: Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane

>>> Rwandan soldiers and their equipment are flown from Rwanda to the Central Africa Republic on a C-17 Globemaster III based out of McChord Air Force Base. Photo credit: Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane

>>> Rwandan soldiers form up after a C-17 Globemaster III based out of McChord Air Force Base, Wash. dropped them off in the Central African Republic Jan. 19. Photo credit: Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane

>>> Rwandan soldiers wait in line at the Kigali airport to have their weapons inspected by Staff Sgt. Curtis McWoodson, 627th Security Forces Squadron Phoenix Raven, before getting on a C-17 Globemaster III based out of McChord Air Force Base. Photo credit: Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane

>>> Senior Airman Paul Gonzalez, 627th Security Forces Squadron Phoenix Raven, scans the airfield for any threats while the C-17 Globemaster III is parked in Rwanda, Jan. 19, 2014. Photo credit: Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane

>>> Tech. Sgt. Tim Raymon and Airman 1st Class Kyle Switzer, 62nd Airlift Wing loadmasters, review their load plan before flying into Rwanda to pick up Rwandan soldiers and equipment. Photo credit: Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane

Holy hoo-ah - Saturday's JBLM Bettie Brigade's Bare Bones bout against Tumwater's M.I.A. Derby Girls was intense. The Lacey Derby Center was packed to watch the two teams battle it out on the flat track. The elbows were flying, derby girls were checked into the crowd and the announcer was dropping expletives left and right. And the action wasn't only limited to the track. The JBLM Bratz - the Bettie Brigade junior varsity - were darting between the crowds in anticipation of their halftime bout, which featured hits just as brutal as the varsity.

Final: M.I.A. Derby Girls 191, JBLM Bettie Brigade 178

But what those numbers don't reflect was the last-minute (literally) drama of the bout, with the Lacey hall erupting in jeers and boos during the final jam. No holds were barred, or beared or bared, for that matter. The action was feisty.

Below are a few photos we snapped during Saturday's bout.

LINK: More photos from JBLM Bettie Brigade's Bare Bones bout

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 1.20.14 >>>

An assault by suicide bombers and gunmen against a NATO base in southern Afghanistan today killed one servicemember.

After a night of vicious streets battles, anti-government protesters and police clashed anew today in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

A coalition servicemember was killed today when insurgents dressed in military uniforms launched a complex attack on a military base in southern Afghanistan, employing a car bomb and multiple attackers with suicide vests.

The Obama administration announced last week that it had revised its arms sales policy, emphasizing "restraint" to ensure that arms don't fall into the wrong hands or aren't turned on civilians by governments.

The Taiwanese Air Force unveiled an air-to-ground stand-off weapon developed for the F-CK-1 Indigenous Defense Fighter.

A senior Marine officer whose career was stalled for two years amid a high-profile scandal involving scout snipers in his unit has finally been promoted and assigned to a top-level school.

The 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team is at the National Training Center. Let's look at photos.

The Seattle Seahawks are bringing their game-changing defense - and the "12th Man" - to the Big Apple for the Super Bowl.

Good News: Technology is not driving us apart after all.

According to Google, Washington state residents want "a say" in life.

Why strap a boring Rolex to your wrist when you could proudly wear a spacecraft?

Director J.J. Abrams said he has a completed script for the next Star Wars film and will begin shooting in May in England.

Now there's a rumor that the little Seinfeld reunion was for a Super Bowl commercial.

Gary Burghoff (Radar from MASH) is now on Twitter, with plenty of stories to tell.

You'd think that, by this point, people would start being a little more discerning with their passwords. You would be wrong.

LOB

Ready for some football this weekend? The USO Northwest is ... and its also ready to host a Seattle Seahawks viewing party for Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers, airmen and families who want to watch the local team take on the San Francisco 49ers for the NFC Championship.

"We have a great relationship with the Seattle Seahawks, you could say we're each other's 12th Man. The USO Northwest is proud to cheer them on in this playoff game and we look forward to sharing our 12th Man spirit with those who come to our viewing party," said Meaghan Cox, USONW Communications and IT lead.

Admission is free and there will be food and drinks available throughout the game at no cost. The Seahawks and 49ers rivalry will be showcased on all three large televisions and there will also be a raffle each quarter, giving away prizes like iTunes gift cards, Halo Reach games for XBOX 360 and other DVDs.

The party will start 30 minutes before kick off at 3 p.m. Sunday in The Shali Center, which is in Building 1183, next to the passenger terminal, on McChord Field.

The U.S. Army 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) - also known as Night Stalkers -  is a special operations force specializing in helicopter aviation support for general purpose forces and special operations forces. Its missions have included attack, assault, and reconnaissance, and are usually conducted at night, at high speeds, low altitudes, and on short notice.

Besides all that bad ass operations, the 160th SOAR - with the 4th Battalion, 160th SOAR at Joint Base Lewis-McChord - soar around the streets in the Starwood Motors Nightstalker custom Jeep. OK, maybe not all the Night Stalkers drive one, but the pilots of the 160th SOAR inspired the design.

Read the full story here.

GRAB A CUP & READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 1.14.14 >>>

Congressional appropriators on Monday evening unveiled a massive federal spending bill that includes a full 2014 Pentagon appropriations measure that would provide nearly $93 billion to buy new weapons.

The $571 billion Defense appropriations bill would reverse cuts to retirement pay for medically retired veterans and survivor benefits that passed in last month's budget deal.

The House Armed Services Committee on Monday released hundreds of pages of transcripts of previously classified testimony about the September 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.

The Enlisted Voluntary Early Separation Program and Enlisted Involuntary Early Separation Program have some important changes that took effect Jan. 1.

A physician who was a former Army Special Forces combat medic designed a fellowship program, which he hopes will improve the survival chances of battlefield casualties.

Decisive action training environment preps Army lieutenants for future operations.

The US capital's politics are a mess, the Pentagon is muddled and observers might be excused for thinking that naval development is stalled, but think again.

Arrowhead Brigade sweeps over National Training Center.

A full-fledged OutKast reunion is on tap for this year, not just at Coachella.

The Newsroom was renewed for a final season.

What does this mean?: Jerry Seinfeld and Jason Alexander were spotted in front of Tom's Restaurant.

Today's list: A roundup of lesser-known vintage video games, like The Goonies II and The Blues Brothers.

No, here's today's list: 10 famous album covers recreated in Lego.

We apologize, here's really today's list: Seven strange but awesome gadgets from CES 2014.