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🌉Long-Planned Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge Project Gets New Funding

⚾Mariners Promote Two Rising Stars to the Tacoma Rainiers

🪦Founder of Tacoma Waterfront Restaurants Dies at 85

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Tacoma has received a $7.6 million federal BUILD grant to help move the Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge replacement project into its next phase.

The funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation will support environmental analysis and final design work for the replacement bridge. It is not construction funding yet, but it is a major step toward replacing a bridge that has been closed to traffic since October 2023 after failing a safety inspection.

Originally built in 1927, the Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge was once used by up to 15,000 cars and trucks a day. Its closure has affected local commutes, freight movement, access between Tacoma and Fife, and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians’ access to important resources. The bridge also carries historical significance, with its name honoring the tribal fishing rights struggle that helped lead to the Boldt Decision.

The next phase of the project is expected to begin in December 2026 and continue through December 2027. For Tacoma, the grant keeps a long-needed infrastructure project moving forward — one that touches transportation, port access, tribal history, and daily life for thousands of drivers.

Tacoma Rainiers fans have a new reason to head to Cheney Stadium this summer.

The Seattle Mariners have promoted two of their top position-player prospects, outfielder Lázaro Montes and infielder/outfielder Michael Arroyo, to Triple-A Tacoma. That means two of the most closely watched young hitters in the Mariners’ system are expected to spend the rest of the summer just one step away from the big leagues.

Montes is known for his big left-handed power, while Arroyo brings versatility and a strong bat that has helped push him up the Mariners’ system. Both had been playing for Double-A Arkansas before the promotion, and both are considered among Seattle’s most promising young talents. Their arrival gives Tacoma fans a chance to see not just minor league baseball, but potential future Mariners in person before they reach Seattle.

For Cheney Stadium, it adds extra energy to the second half of the Rainiers’ season. Whether you’re a serious Mariners prospect watcher or just looking for a summer night at the ballpark, Montes and Arroyo make the Rainiers a little more interesting — and maybe a glimpse of what’s coming next at T-Mobile Park..

Budd Gould, the founder of Anthony’s Restaurants, has died at 85.

Gould built Anthony’s into one of the Pacific Northwest’s best-known seafood restaurant groups, with more than two dozen locations and an in-house seafood company. The restaurant group announced that he died peacefully July 5 with family by his side. In its announcement, the company credited Gould with building Anthony’s through “passion, heart” and a strong belief in people.

The news has a local connection for Tacoma diners. Anthony’s owns two well-known Tacoma waterfront restaurants: Anthony’s at Point Defiance, located near the Vashon ferry terminal and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, and Harbor Lights on Ruston Way. Harbor Lights has been a Tacoma waterfront fixture for more than 50 years and joined the Anthony’s family of restaurants in 2000.

For many Tacoma residents, those restaurants are part of the city’s dining landscape — places for family dinners, visiting relatives, seafood cravings, and waterfront views. Gould’s death marks the passing of the founder behind a regional restaurant company that continues to have a visible presence on Tacoma’s shoreline.

For the full story, including more background on Gould and Anthony’s Restaurants, read The News Tribune’s coverage here.

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