While some college students spend their spring break socializing with friends, a young man from Tacoma spent his helping people recover from a major natural disaster.

Luan Nguyen-Tran grew up in Tacoma and graduated from Foss High School in 2011. He is a student at the University of Redlands in Southern California. The school requires students to perform a certain number of hours in community service. Nguyen-Tran met this requirement during his freshman year, but continues to volunteer his time.

Redlands students have traveled to various places to lend a hand, including the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. When Hurricane Sandy slammed into the East Coast in late October, school officials saw another chance to help. Plans were made to send students to assist Habitat for Humanity during spring break.

Nguyen-Tran saw this as a more appealing option than hitting the beach in Mexico with other college students. “For spring break I wanted to do something with meaning,” he remarked. His birthday was in March. His parents offered to pay for his travel expenses to go back east as a birthday present.

Nguyen-Tran and about 20 other Redlands students, along with a few professors, traveled to Breezy Point, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. They slept on cots at Christ Community Church. Like many structures in the region, the church suffered damage during the storm. It still does not have running water, so the students used portable toilets and brushed their teeth with bottled water. The line on the walls marking how high the floodwaters went was between four and five feet high.

There were many damaged houses, especially along the waterfront. Some were laying on their sides, testimony to the intensity of the hurricane winds. “It was crazy,” Nguyen-Tran said.

The students cleaned out homes that could be saved, in some cases removing flooring that became moldy and ruined. They cleared alleys of sand and delivered sheetrock to houses that were being renovated by Habitat for Humanity. “It was a smaller piece to the bigger picture,” he said of their efforts. “There is still a lot of work to be done.”

One student answered phones in the church office. “That may not seem like a lot, but we all did our part to make Breezy Point a better place.”

In one back yard they cleared, they found personal belongings such as a teddy bear, wedding dress and photo albums with pictures from weddings and other special occasions. The students packed these up so they could be returned to their owners. “Those things were meaningful,” Nguyen-Tran observed. “After a hurricane, for some people that is all they have left.”

It made him think of the scrapbooks his mother compiled of photos from his childhood. “I could not imagine having to dig for those in the dirt.”

Nguyen-Tran looks forward to doing similar volunteer work in the future. “The experience was unforgettable,” he said. “It is something I would like to do again.”

Nguyen-Tran recently decided to major in sociology, with a minor in business. After finishing college he would like to land a job as a high school teacher, preferably in Washington. Eventually he would like to become a school administrator or student government advisor.

Downtown On the Go and Transportation Choices Coalition held a forum last week to discuss the ins and outs of transit-oriented development as Tacoma ponders which route to support for an expansion of its Link light rail system. Then Sound Transit held an open house about the “hybrid routes,” while a citizens’ group met as well to coordinate their support for their routes of choice.

Still, no route choice has gained overwhelming support as a decision date looms.

In the hot seat at Downtown On the Go during the University of Washington-Tacoma gathering were: Puget Sound Regional Council/Growing Transit Communities Program Manager Ben Bakkenta, Sound Transit Government and Community Relations Officer Chelsea Levy and Tacoma City Councilmember David Boe, who pointed out that he was speaking as an architect and urban planner and not as a member of the council.

While much of the discussion was about the impact transit hubs and routes could bring to a community, Boe used numbers to suggest that, although 6th Avenue has some developable land, parcels would have to be cobbled together to make any larger developments financially viable.

The most obvious “developable” site would mean buying five parcels from four owners to get 12,000 square feet of frontage. That would mean, with Boe’s calculations, about $12 million to buy the land, displace the businesses and make a building large enough to even come close to financially penciling.

Calculating 32 housing units on the site, the condos would have to be about $383,000 each and mean only 52 units per acre because of the surface parking and storm water requirements. Any potential retail income on the lower level, Boe argued, would not factor into the financing since banks want hard numbers and not speculation of the current retail market rates. The construction costs would equate to a minimum of $32 per square foot while the existing 6th Avenue market is currently a nominal $15 per square foot.

“We have expectations and aspirations, but we don’t have the market,” Boe said.

He referred to the notion that Link stations would automatically bring economic development as “pixie dust” that will not work if done without urban design in mind. He used the current route as an example of his thoughts. No urban designer would recommend the current Theater District station would end at South Ninth and Commerce streets since that strip is just an “access alley” to the landmark buildings that face either Broadway on one side or Pacific Avenue on the other. The station sits between a garage entrance and a collection of garbage cans, while a much more attractive location for a stop sits less than 100 yards away at the Spanish Steps and Old City Hall.

The lack of a citywide Transportation Master Plan or much discussion about comprehensive urban design, some argue, has created an environment that has created two 11th hour “hybrid” routes about a month before Sound Transit is set to decide on which routes should be detailed. Boe has his hybrid route that would include parts of the Portland Avenue route and the Martin Luther King Jr. Way route by running light rail trains along East 25th Street to Portland Avenue and head south to East 29th Street for a total span of about 1.7 new miles of track. Another strand of this expansion would run from the Dome station and cross Pacific Avenue to Jefferson Avenue and Center Street, and then take a right onto MLK to 6th Avenue. Sound Transit’s stakeholders group of business owners, the Puyallup Tribe and other interested parties also recently endorsed a “hybrid” idea that would route tracks to Portland Avenue from the East 25th Street station and to Stadium District from the Theater District station.

Tacoma City Council members want Sound Transit to evaluate both “hybrid” routes before they decide which plans get their endorsement before the Sound Transit Commission makes a decision about the $150 million project that will still take years to review before construction starts in 2016.

All totaled, Sound Transit officials have reviewed some 24 route ideas and have pared the list down to three top choices and the two new alternatives. The other routes on the short list are: one that would run from the Theater District station to Stadium District and up to 6th Avenue and end at Union Avenue; one that would run from East 25th Street to Portland Avenue; and one that would loop up Stadium from the Theater District and down MLK to South 19th Street.

The 6th Avenue route would run along a commercial strip of bars and shops with dense housing nearby. The Portland route would largely serve the Salishan development as well as tie the Emerald Queen Casino to downtown by providing parking options for Tacoma Dome events and access to hotel rooms, an issue that has hampered success of the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. The MLK route would tie in downtown to the Hilltop’s hospital complexes in what has been called the “medical mile” between MultiCare’s facilities at one end and Franciscan Health’s operations on the others.

Tacoma Tomorrow blogger and supporter of the 6th Avenue route Chris Karnes hosted his own Link forum at Amocat last week that walked attendees through Tacoma’s decades of transit projects and discussions. He contends the projected 3 million riders a year of the route would raise property values and potential rents to make new, albeit smaller, developments financially possible.

“The ridership is there to make it work,” he said.

Next stops in the Link routing:

Tacoma City Council will hold a presentation on the routes on April 16, with a council endorsement likely in the works for April 23 or April 30.

Sound Transit’s Capital Committee will review the routes at Sound Transit’s headquarters at 1:30 p.m. on May 9.

The Sound Transit Board of Directors could make a decision or take other action at its next regular meeting on May 23.

More information can be found at http://www.soundtransit.org/tacomalinkexpansion.

A Pierce County religious complex that is outwardly welcoming to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender members is closer to becoming a reality. With the struggling First Congregational Church having sold its downtown church at 918 Division Ave. to mega-church Mars Hill last summer, the next step comes later this month when the sale proceeds fund the purchase of Hope Lutheran Church at South 72nd and Puget Sound streets in South Tacoma.

The historic Division church sold for $1.9 million last year, while Hope Lutheran’s sanctuary cost $650,000, providing funding to support the Congregationalists’ plans of inclusiveness, charity and social activism.

“We are certainly a church in transition,” Congregational Trustee Chairman Phil Blackledge said. “A lot of smaller churches are struggling to reinvent themselves and grow. We are starting a new church, but one with a long history of social activism. We are just doing it with a million dollar bankroll to make it happen.”

Church members opted to sell the 106-year-old church on Division rather than struggle to fund the $1.5 million in deferred repairs that the 40,000-square-foot building needs. It has met in space at the Knights of Pythias building at 924 Broadway since the building sold and has plans to move into the Hope Lutheran site next month. The Pythias fraternal organization, in turn, is looking for a new church tenant to take over the “church incubator” space.

Once the congregational shuffle ends, the South 72nd and Puget Sound location will be home to First Congregational and Hope Lutheran, which have pledged to be welcoming to all members, regardless of sexual orientation, as a way to reach Christians who have been turned off by the more conservative teachings found at pulpits in other churches.

First Congregational, with its 70 members, will own the building with Hope Lutheran holding services in the shared sanctuary under 50-year lease terms and partnering with each other for ministry and community service efforts. The facility will also be the home to a Korean congregation that previously leased space at the site and two other small congregations that are in talks to lease space under a concept that would create a religious complex called the First Congregational Spiritual Center.

While the churches might differ on their theology, all will follow an understanding of mutual respect of each other’s beliefs.

“Jesus embraced every disenfranchised person out there,” Blackledge said. “It’s our mission to tell the lesbian, bisexual, gay or transgender communities that we don’t teach tolerance. We teach acceptance.

“We want to welcome everyone,” Blackledge said. “Look at any heterosexual couple in church and they are holding hands. Gay couples should have the same opportunity.”

First Congregational Pastor Bill Greaver said the difference between “tolerance” and “acceptance” of LGBT people might seem nuanced, but is actually fundamental.

“I tolerate cough syrup when I have a cold,” he said. “But I don’t want it to be part of me or my daily life. We want to go beyond tolerance. We want to embrace people and have them part of our family.”

Seattle-based Mars Hill will begin holding services at the Tacoma location this fall, making it the 15th location for the congregation.

First Congregational Church will hold its first services at the new location following a church parade from the Division church to South 72nd and Puget Sound in May.

BURGLARY AT COIN SHOP

A burglar broke into a Freighthouse Square business on April 7. He used a rope to descend into American Rare Coins & Collectibles in the early morning hours. He stole thousands of dollars worth of rare coins. Some of the coins were found on the roof. Surveillance cameras captured images of the suspect.

FOUR CHARGED WITH MURDER

On April 5 Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist charged Daniel Michael Davis, Marcus Anthony Reed, Damien Raphael Davis and Ariel Ashley Abrejera with first-degree murder, first-degree robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm in connection with the death of Donald Phily at Morgan Motel on March 29. Detectives learned that Damien Davis had visited the mother of his child at the motel the previous day. He met the victim and saw electronics and drugs. He left, met with Daniel Davis and Reed and allegedly discussed robbing Phily. The group went to Daniel Davis house to pick up his gun, then went to Abrejera’s house. She drove the group to the motel.

According to court documents, Reed and Daniel Davis forced their way inside and Reed shot the victim. Daniel Davis and Reed took property from several people who were present.

The defendants were arrested between April 1 and 4. The three male suspects have several felony convictions. All four pleaded not guilty. Bail was set at $2 million for Reed, $1.5 million for Damien and Daniel Davis and $1 million for Abrejera.

The film “Al Helm: Martin Luther King in Palestine” will be shown on Tuesday evening, April 16 at 7 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Church in Tacoma, located at 1211 S. ‘I’ St. (corner of South 12th and ‘I’). This event is free and open to the public.

What's this film about? An African-American gospel choir travels to Palestine to participate in a play with Palestinian actors about Dr. King and nonviolent resistance. The Americans will be the music of the play, and the Palestinians will act the parts of Dr. and Mrs. King, Malcolm X and others. As Christians, these Americans are excited about going to the Holy Land, but they are unsure about working with Palestinians, as all they know about Palestinians is that they are supposedly terrorists. This is a story of discovering common ground and of being caught off guard by the daily indignities, humiliation and injustice that their new Palestinian friends suffer under Israeli occupation. Nonetheless, it is a story of reconciliation and the power of art and Love.

The film’s director, Connie Fields, has been nominated twice for an Oscar for Best Feature Documentary and she is a Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner among her other many awards including Best Documentary Feature, Canadian Film Board; and Best Documentary Feature, Pan-African Film Festival.

This film is not yet released, as the music rights still need to be purchased, and the producers need funds to make 1,000 copies. It is being shown in Tacoma with the hope of raising the funds that are needed to finish and distribute it. Andrea Shapiro of Jewish Voice for Peace says, “Once you've seen it, there's a good chance that you'll want to be a part of this effort.”

This special preview is sponsored by the Tacoma Chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace. For further information, write Tacoma@Jewishvoiceforpeace.org or visit http://www.JewishVoiceforPeace.org/Tacoma.

The April 13 bill at Bob's Java Jive seemed promising at first. You have surf-punk trio Kramer, the boys behind raucous Tacoma anthem “Pac Ave.” (Google it). The Deceptives are headed up from Olympia, and the Rusty Cleavers will provide a rootsy contrast to all that loud, three-chord mayhem.

Then there is a name that tweaks our South Sound sensibilities: The Tacomaphobes. You can almost picture them, some Seattle jerks ranting about the “Tacoma aroma” (gone) car theft (getting better) and our supposed penchant for getting “stabby” around these parts (no comment.)

What? It is 2013, and those stereotypes are tired, man! And have you learned nothing from our reaction to Justin Bieber’s lame laptop stunt? We decided to confront Avery De Rooy, the half of the band that sings and plays guitar. Drummer Mo Greer was spared our scorn.

TW: You know the reason I asked for this interview, right? I had to confront you on your intolerance of Tacoma.

De Rooy: Oh God, I know, I know. I’m trying to cope. I’m trying to deal in this day and age when everybody is just supposed to get along so copacetically. (But) every time I start goin’ down south, and I go around the twists and turns of the I-5 intestine and I get closer to the anus, I start to smell it. This smell starts to confront my nostrils, like wood pulp or something coming out of the Nalley Valley. I just immediately turn my car around and go back to Bellevue in most cases. 

(Switches gears) That’s a joke. I actually don’t really like Bellevue much, as far as biases go. But Tacoma is just fine with me.

TW: I was gonna ask you if there was gonna be trouble since you have to come down and play a show. 

De Rooy: (Laughs) There might be, man. I think I’m gonna take some sedatives or something before I show up. I’ll drink some kava kava in my tea.

TW: You are based in West Seattle, I think you said. 

De Rooy: Yeah, as a matter of fact we do hang out here. We rent a basement under a coffee shop out here, which is absolutely extraordinary.

TW: How did this band start?

De Rooy: I was in another band, called Sexy Beast. ... We played a show down at the Mars Bar down here in downtown Seattle, by Eastlake. This guy comes over and he gives me a big handshake and says, “God! That was awesome, that was awesome.” He’s been heavy drinkin’ and stuff. “God! I wish I was in a band like that. You know, I play drums.” I think he was kind of hinting around. Anyway, this guy introduces himself as More, a.k.a. Mo (Greer.)   So the next thing you know, we get together and we jam. And it’s just like, “God, welcome back to 1994, 1993.” It was right back into the rock music we love so much and miss so much from that era.

TW: And when was that? Because it seems like you are a fairly new band, right. 

De Rooy: Yeah, it was almost one year ago. It was about springtime last year. February, I think. 

TW: I have heard one song, so far, that I really dug – “The Corndog Man.” 

De Rooy: I wish we had more to show you. Just me, myself, I’ve recorded hundreds of songs the last few years. I’ve had that art studio going that we jam in. It’s just been D.I.Y. some recordings. But, gosh, we only have that one song (online) so far.

TW: Would you say that song is indicative of your overall style?

De Rooy: If we had to be summed up, summarized, streamlined and compressed into one zip file, you’d have to say it’s like a can of mixed nuts. You’re gonna get some Filberts, you’re gonna get some almonds. And every once in a while, you’re gonna get a macadamian. I like to sing like Tom Jones on some of the songs. I like blues music. Punk rock is my favorite, but it just goes everywhere.

TW: But you have this kinship toward rock from the early ‘90s.

De Rooy: It was like a renaissance, you know. We were getting out of the ‘80s and everything having California in the name and neon DayGlo colors on everything, and the Pee Chee folder with the iguana slammin’ the beach ball and all that stupid (stuff.) We were kind of coming into this rock ‘n roll thing; wear what you will, be who you will, come as you are. So I think we hearken back to that. I certainly do. That was my childhood. If I had to pick one era of music in my life that influenced me – and movies – it was definitely the early to mid ‘90s.