Some of you may remember Brentlee Lawrence, the five-year-old who died of fentanyl toxicity in his home outside Puyallup in March 2025. Deputies had been called to that address nearly 40 times since 2021.

I started looking into the law afterward and found something I didn’t expect. Washington makes it a felony to expose a child to meth or the chemicals used to make it (RCW 9A.42.100), but fentanyl isn’t covered. A bill to add it has passed the state Senate four years in a row and has never had a hearing in the House. This year’s version would have sent first-time offenders to treatment instead of straight to prison.

Some nearby cities like Everett, Marysville, and Lynnwood have passed their own ordinances while the state hasn’t acted. I couldn’t find one in Puyallup or Pierce County.

Curious what people here think. Is this something Puyallup or Pierce County should take up on its own, or should it be left to Olympia?

I wrote a longer piece with the data and both sides here: https://ewyattmendel.substack.com/p/a-five-year-old-a-fentanyl-death

i personally have never favored spooner farms, my family used to sell at puyallup farmer’s market and they were never friendly.
I had stopped by as my kid wanted to carve pumpkins and i wanted to make fresh pumpkin pie. (they have very few carving pumpkins that look nice, just in case anyone is curious )
Most staff was pleasant but one of the cashiers rubbed me the wrong way.

I get EBT for my kids, i had looked up online and it said spooners does accept ebt, which is what i had assumed because theyre a big farm and accepted wic at the farmers market. (100% my fault for not calling and confirming, i take fault for that obviously)
Due to the stereotypes and overall attitude some people have for EBT recipients, i hesitated to ask if they accepted EBT and planned on paying with my card.
I did end up asking after all, and the cashier responded in a matter where i felt as if i was stupid and the tone in her voice made me feel judged.

Maybe im sensitive and reaching, but i wont be returning and i think staff should have a better attitude when its literally a farm.

Rant over.

Has anyone noticed how the Clinic just isn’t what it used to be? I can’t find parking. When I brought that up, they said that they opened up the clinic to all patients and did not plan for it. They did not have enough doctors so that’s why I can’t get in to see my own Dr. My doctor seems so stressed out. I try not to be mad at them and understand what’s going on, but I also need my care. Before it just felt like a warm place where people really cared and took care of you and listened and now it’s a place where I’m treated like a number. I’ve brought up my concerns before and it seems like the administration is the problem. Everyone in the clinic seems to be working really hard. The Front Desk staff is working, the medical assistance, the nurses, and especially the doctors. My doctor does as much as they can, but it’s not possible when they’re having to see so many patients. And new patients! They also shortened the appointment time so I feel like I can’t even get my needs met or even talk about what’s going on! I’ve complained before to the clinic and nothing changes. I can’t even find parking in the parking lot because there’s so many people in patients now that I have to get there an hour before my appointment to make it on time. It seems like the clinic is a revolving door for employees. Every single time I go, there’s new staff and I’ll ask where the last person is and they’ll say that they left the clinic because somewhere else pays more. Why isn’t this place paying to keep good employees!? my care matters. I’m not just a number and I’m not a dollar sign and that’s how the Clinic is treating me. I don’t think it’s any of the doctors that are doing this. I think it’s the leadership who is completely losing the vision of this clinic. In a world where Native people are treated so poorly, this is supposed to be our safe place.

Looking for a party or event on Halloween for adults if anyone knows of any in the Puyallup Tacoma areas? Bar crawls, music, costume parties etc...

I know I can Google for general advice. Any Puyallup gardeners with gorgeous hydrangeas have some tips and tricks for fall/winter transition? Picture taken today, I haven't winterized anything yet but it's getting cooler at night. Mine barely survived last year, I'd like to do better.

Thanks!

Vote Puyallup! Go Vikings! 💜💛

Went to go play pickup soccer at Roger’s high school with a bunch of friends and got kicked off. We’ve never had a problem otherwise playing on Sunday night at around 7:30. The security let me know that they gotta close early and it would be a liability for us to play. When did soccer in the US get so private? Rogers always listed itself as a public park to play soccer on.

I was super lucky to see multiple hummingbirds flying around this overgrown flower bush all day long while on vacation at Lake Quinault this summer. It provided endless opportunities to get the ideal shot. Basically a once in a lifetime for me, literally. So glad I brought my camera and big lens. Shutter speed is very slow (for a bird in flight) at 1/500 of a second to keep ISO low during the early morning overcast. This made some cool shots where the hummingbirds wings seemingly disappear and other shots where they have frozen with some motion. I would love to fill my yard with these flowers. Please share the name if you know. Will edit and submit my best ones to fair next year.

Cleaning out my fish tank, i have a fist full of java moss that I’ve trimmed up. I’d hate to throw it away. If anybody wants some free java moss (there’s most likely Neo shrimp fry in it as well) it’s yours for free. DM me.

Hey guys! My grandpa recently passed away to pancreatic cancer and my grammy is really struggling because she is super dependent on my grandpa and never did anything without him. My mom and I are trying to find fun little groups or activities to get her out of the house and get her mind off things even if it is only for an hour or two. She doesn’t have a ton of mobility she walks mostly with a walker so she can’t do like pickleball but maybe some craft groups or sowing groups or bible study things. Anything helps thank you!

I'll see you there!

Real question what is the "Outside agenda" these two are talking about? Is the outside agenda trying to hold down our PSE rates? I saw that PSE who wants to raise our rates nearly 30%, has given each of these two $1200 and has donated over 10,000 to that Fix WA PAC. These two folks haven't said a word about our utility rates, and last session also tried to give data centers a tax break. This seems not ideal to me....

So is the agenda they want to promote......let our power company and their donors do whatever they want to us??

I spent the last few weeks looking into what’s being sold at gas stations and smoke shops around the South Sound, and one thing surprised me. There’s no state law setting a minimum age to buy kratom or 7-OH. Lots of shops card on their own, but nothing requires it. Three bills to set the age at 21 all died in Olympia this year.

7-OH is the one that worries me most. It’s a concentrated opioid-like compound, much stronger than plain kratom leaf, and the DEA only started the process to schedule it this month. Health officials in other states have also found it hidden, unlabeled, in products sold as “cat’s claw.”

I’m not arguing to take kratom away from adults. I’d just like to see an age limit and honest labels.

Curious if other parents here knew this, or if you’ve seen shops in town that don’t card.

I wrote up everything I found, with sources, here if anyone wants the details: https://ewyattmendel.substack.com/p/the-systemic-poisoning-of-our-youth?r=8wwcsh&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

• Have your kids or their friends mentioned kratom or 7-OH? I’m curious how common it is at the high schools?
• Should Washington set an age limit of 21, like it does for tobacco and vapes? Or would that just push it underground?
• Have you seen shops in town that sell it without carding?

hi! I moved to the area recently and I’m looking for a dentist but specifically the kind of dentist that isn’t going to try to charge me for dumb shit lol. Does anyone have a dentist that they really like and who is priced fairly? Preferably near South Hill but willing to drive!

Hey lil rant for the community

I attended Oktoberfest at the Puyallup fairgrounds recently. It has been a minute since I've been to a bigger size event like this, and I'm sure it's not special in this way.

The amount of AI slop from the vendors made me crawl in my skin. Shit was unsettling.

Anyone else noticed this at local events? I know I can't be the only one who hates seeing this.

I welcome any suggestions for local places/events to purchase art/tshirts/etc with art by a real human

Feels weird even putting those words together 🤣

Hello,
I have an elderly small dog who is deaf and near blind, I have been grooming her at home but I can no longer do a good job given her joint pain and my stress levels about it.

Any recommendations on where I can take her?
I am open to any service where they know how to handle elderly dogs gently, or a vet that does medication assisted grooming if that’s a thing.

Thanks

I'm thinking of starting a wellness social club for women localized to Puyallup and South Hill. It would include things like walks in local parks, private swims, movie nights, craft nights etc.

It would be strictly for women only (no children or boyfriends\husbands at events please), and LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent friendly (wear headphones to signal you're just there for vibes not conversation).

The primary purpose would be to create a safe third space with low or no cost activities that focus on wellness and joy.

I haven't completed the framework yet, I'm just putting this out to see what kind of interest there would be. Thanks!

ETA: No MLMs or soliciting allowed

Update: I've created a new subreddit, Puyallup Wellness Women, if you would like to join. You can also find it in my profile as the last post.

In case you missed it, your elected city council members last night at the budget study session voted to keep the highly expensive Puyallup Arches Project moving forward.

Aye - Deputy Mayor Johnson, CM Kastama, CM Gilliam, CM King

Nay - Mayor Witting, CM Adler, CM Smolko

As a reminder, the project would be funded by hotel-motel rental lodging taxes and the money can only be used for tourism-related purposes.

Nevertheless, Mayor Witting proposed a number of alternate uses for the funds that would be more responsible and beneficial to the community, such as investment in local trails like the Riverwalk Trail, promotion of local events, marathons, etc.

If these Trump-style vanity projects don't sit well with you, speak up!

Email your elected city council member or show up at the budget study session (agenda and details in the link below) and share citizen comment.

Ned Witting (Mayor): [nwitting@puyallupwa.gov](mailto:nwitting@puyallupwa.gov)

Dean Johnson (Deputy Mayor, District 2): [djohnson@puyallupwa.gov](mailto:djohnson@puyallupwa.gov)

Lauren Adler (District 1): [ladler@puyallupwa.gov](mailto:ladler@puyallupwa.gov)

Jim Kastama (District 1): [jkastama@puyallupwa.gov](mailto:jkastama@puyallupwa.gov)

Dennis King (District 2): [dking@puyallupwa.gov](mailto:dking@puyallupwa.gov)

Lindsay Smolko (District 3): [lsmolko@puyallupwa.gov](mailto:lsmolko@puyallupwa.gov)

Renne Gilliam (At Large): [rgilliam@puyallupwa.gov](mailto:rgilliam@puyallupwa.gov)

https://www.puyallupwa.gov/827/Agendas-Minutes-and-Videos

Has anyone seen the impacts today with 152nd being closed? I'm not seeing much on Waze. I have to drive through the area around 5pm.

Hey everyone! I am starting a BPD peer group in Pierce County. My friend had said she started her knitting group using Reddit so I thought I would give it a try. Feel free to share and the link is just an interest form! Thank you!

Kings Furniture opened in the old bofa building for like 2 months never saw a single car there....now closed and boarded up. No reviews. Tiny building for a "furniture store"

Bruh. The Seahawks didn’t even win, my dog almost broke his leg. WHY are people shooting fireworks downtown rn, is there something I’m missing?

Hello all!

I was wondering if anyone knows of any good family oriented Halloween events happening in Puyallup this month?
I think last year there was a walk downtown through the main business streets for trick or treating, is there anything else?
Trunk or treats?
Spooky events?

Thank you! 😊

Went to our favorite Mexican restaurant last night and was treated to unusually shit service and really long wait times for food. Only left $10 and got me wondering how people normally tip around here for sit down restaurants and such?