Email brent.champaco@patch.com
Phone 253-217-6060
Hometown Port Orchard
Birthday Nov. 4
Bio (professional highlights, marital status, hobbies, etc)
As a field-tested journalist who has spent the past five years covering University Place and other South Sound suburbs, Patch is my digital dream gig. I began my print news career a decade ago as a Chips Quinn Scholar in the Bay Area. I eventually finished school at Washington State University, then earned my journalistic stripes providing award-winning community coverage for newspapers in Pullman, the Tri-Cities and eventually The News Tribune in Tacoma. My most recent newspaper stint allowed me to help tell some of the South Sound's most tragic and unforgettable stories, including the Tacoma Mall and Lakewood police shootings. In my new role, I get to use my years of reporting on University Place to help provide you with news coverage you won't find anywhere else. I can't wait.
In 2012, I won Patch's first SPJ award in the Pacific Northwest Excellence in Journamism Competition, taking first place in the online, sports reporting category.
On the personal side, I'm a proud Chamorro American who was taught the value of hard work and discipline. My life is my wife and two daughters. When not in the throes of journalistic passion or pulling all-nighters in pursuit of a Master's Degree at Gonzaga University, I'm watching local sports. You name it - Sounders, Hawks, Cougs, Zags, whatever - I'm on the couch yelling at the television. (Calm down, Husky fans. When you're not playing WSU or the Zags, I'm secretly rooting for you)
Your Beliefs
At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for you to inject your beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that your beliefs are on the record will cause you to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know.
Politics
How would you describe your political beliefs?
My basic political philosophy is I support anything that benefits the greater good rather a select few. I know that sounds cliche, but I can't find a better way to describe it. Often, my familial Catholic upbringing is at war with my idealistic, fight-for-social-justice teachings. Generally, I lean to the left on national issues and to the right on local issues.
Are you registered with a certain party?
No.
Religion
How religious would you consider yourself? (casual, observant, devout, non religious)
As I stated above, I was raised in a religious Catholic family. My family went to mass, and they recited novenas and rosaries on a regular basis. (Heck, in Guam, every village has its own patron saint!) Today, I still attend church, although not at the rate that used to.
Local Hot-Button Issues
What do you think are the most important issues facing the community?
Town Center. It's the community's 800-pound gorilla of local politics. The city has invested a lot of money into the project and, at least so far, hasn't delivered what many residents are expecting. However, the city is adamant that without doing anything to create more revenue, University Place will struggle financially. The city is also dealing with its own financial struggles, and it laid off employees this last budget go-around.
Another hot-button issue is the Chambers Creek Properties and Chambers Bay Golf Course. What was once Pierce County's vision for a world-class golf destination is now a nationally renowned course - it hosted the 2010 U.S. Amateur and will host the 2015 U.S. Open, one of professional golf's signature events. But the course's $20 million price tag has always had critics. Given the likely traffic and crowding that large tournaments could bring to their community, some University Place have questioned whether the course is worth the headache.
Where do you stand on each of these issues?
I can see both sides of the argument over Town Center and Chambers Bay. While Town Center has yet to deliver at the speed people want, the community needs some way to generate revenue if it wants to maintain the things that make University Place one of the most desirable communities to live in the South Sound. As for Chambers Bay, I am looking at it from a news standpoint. Having one of golf's signature events in your backyard isn't a bad news story.
The Associated Press is reporting Dale Hemman, 61, was flying the plane when it went down Friday, killing him and two people from South Carolina.
The Washington State Patrol gave the Lakewood school district issued perfect inspections for each one of its buses.
Rachel Lynch is the 6th District's winner in the competition.
No matter how you pay, your toll rates are going up by a quarter.
The 442,000 warehouse/distribution facility is located on 22 acres. It got its conditional use permit.
Here is the weekly report from the City of Lakewood.
Authorities will be looking for impaired boaters as part of a national Operation Dry Water effort.
The work is part of improvements that WSDOT will perform on the bridge the next two summers.
Watch the video to hear Danny Sink's chat with Patch following his public presentation on the USGA's plans Thursday night.
He is one of four Puget Sound students chosen for Bank of America's eight-week program. He will spend the summer at FISH Food Banks.
The connection between the Lakewood hospital and the Sound Transit bus stop will make it easier for the public to receive medical services.
The work - which will last to Monday - involves replacing an expansion joint on the 1950 bridge. Traffic will be reduced to two lanes in each direction.
The lifeguards will be on duty from noon to 8 p.m., daily unless weather conditions dictate otherwise.
As one of members who urged the Supreme Court earlier to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act, the Olympia Democrat says he's pleased with ruling.
The Gig Harbor Democrat also called on the Department of Defense to ensure same-sex couples receive the benefits of marriage equality.
The Raider Brigade was the city's "Community Connector" to JBLM. The names of all 54 soldiers who died while deployed are engraved at Lakewood City Hall.
Pierce Transit's pilot trolley program begins July 9 in Gig Harbor.
Roughly 26,500 active duty soldiers will be stationed at JBLM once the Army's changes have been completed in 2017, Congressman Deny Heck says.
Matthew Propst, who was featured on Washington's Most Wanted, was found hiding in an apartment that belonged to someone he didn't even know.
