Model Tested: 2014 Buick LaCrosse Premium Engine: 3.6-liter V-6, 304-horsepower 264 lb-ft torque Transmission: 6-speed automatic, front-wheel-drive EPA Ratings: 18-mpg city/ 28-mpg highway Base Price: $38,810 As Tested: $45,595 Performance: Powerful V-6 engine, good acceleration Smooth automatic transmission Very good highway fuel economy … read more

Mountain Lions (Puma Concolor) Here kitty, kitty. Not really, but mountain lions are actually closely related to domestic cats. But when hungry, they can also prey on and eat domestic cats, so keep your cats safely indoors, at least during the hours of … read more

Just before you arrive at Scenic Beach State Park in Seabeck, a narrow, dirt-and-gravel road winds through the heavily wooded shoreline until it delivers you to the door of Jill and Mike Spieker’s beachfront home. The elegant, two-story house is graced by a … read more

To the discriminating musician, the sound of a well-tuned piano is, well, music to the ears. And behind every well-tuned piano is a gifted tuner who uses part art and part skill to understand the instrument’s idiosyncrasies and make it sound its best. … read more

Jefferson Beach photographer, writer and gardener Debbie Teashon personifies the term “rainy side gardener,” which happens also to be the name of her popular website. Teashon lived in Marysville on the east side of Puget Sound and had a successful photography career, along … read more

Jewelry designer Kristina “Tina” Bright has an easy smile, a vivacious personality and a talent for creating beautiful things: graceful, hand-tooled silver earrings; necklaces that sparkle and beg to be worn; bracelets adorned with a delightful, eclectic mix of crystal and beads. “I’ve … read more

At the Northwest Automotive Press Association’s (NWAPA) Run To The Sun event last summer, the participating manufacturers pitched their vehicles to the journalists present, with a brief Q&A after each presentation. When Kia came up, I asked if, considering the success of Hyundai’s … read more

At one time everyone in America could walk down to the neighborhood café and enjoy a relaxing meal, or just a cup o’ joe. In West Bremerton, thanks to Heidi and Lowell Yoxsimer, you can do this again. Stepping into Hi-Lo’s 15th Street … read more

Universal design (UD) is more than 36-inch-wide doorways, wheelchair ramps and grab bars. It is a method of designing and building spaces so that they are accessible and safe for people of all physical and cognitive abilities. Often mistakenly referred to as aging-in-place, … read more