A heavy rainstorm Wednesday evening caused several hours of excitement downtown, when the deluge flushed gravel from a nearby construction site over the Link light rail track at S. 9th St. and Commerce and derailed the train.

Crews were on scene Wednesday evening, manually shoveling heaps of gravel from the tracks, towing the train forward foot-by-foot with the aide of a wooden wedge, and cheering when a loud clunk signaled train hitting track.

This year's Walk Tacoma series kicks off Wednesday with a celebration of National Walking Day.

Join fitness trainer Paige Van Der Vliet of Tacoma Living Fit, for a power walk, and Metro Parks' Erik Hanberg and Melissa McGinnis for a historical walk in Wright Park.

The walk begins at the lion statues at the South end of Wright Park at noon and will run about 1.5 miles in length.

Booths will provide information on walking events, cardiovascular health and event sponsors Downtown on the Go and the American Heart Association from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“Our joint goal is for residents and employees to add walking into their daily routine, whether it is at a lunch break, parking a little further away for added exercise, or walking to and from work,” said Downtown On the Go Manager Kristina Walker in an official announcement.

Downtown on the Go and the American Heart Association are making a connection to encourage community members to adopt an active lifestyle and for companies to encourage employees to incorporate physical activity each day.

A long-reviled fence between the Washington State History Museum and Union Station has finally come down.

It's not every day that we receive a special request to break some good news via "where are we" post (check out our Facebook and Twitter pages for more in the "where are we" series), nor is it every day that we're inspired to answer an email tip with "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Yes, it's true: the fence is down, leaving easy access from Pacific Avenue to the pedestrian bridge, the Museum of Glass and Dock Street, thanks in large part to Tacoma City Councilman David Boe. Fellow councilman Marty Campbell also worked on the project.

So what are you waiting for, Tacoma? Go on down and take a stroll.