As I sit here in the office, I’ve just realized it’s only four hours until kickoff. The Rogers Rams and Emerald Ridge Jaguars football teams will battle for city bragging rights at Sparks Stadium tonight beginning at 7 p.m. Be sure to check out the Sept. 30 issue of the Puyallup Herald to see a full story on this contest.

The next court date for the records lawsuit involving three Puyallup officials has changed. The Herald received calls on Tuesday from defense attorney Milton Rowland and Councilmember John Knutsen, confirming that the next court hearing has been moved to 9 a.m., Friday, Oct. 2.

The lawsuit involving Puyallup City Councilmember John Knutsen, City Manager Gary McLean and City Attorney Cheryl Carlson will be back inside Pierce County Superior Court this Friday, Sept. 25, during a 9 a.m. hearing.

Last month, Judge Susan Serko accepted a motion from Knutsen’s attorney to revise the lawsuit, dismissing a mandamus request against McLean and Carlson in favor of a declaratory judgment request. Nothing has changed, however, about the council member’s goals: Knutsen still seeks access to a pair of records he claims the city withheld and he also wants the court to provide him unfettered records access for the remainder of his council term.

Look for more details on this week’s hearing in the Sept. 30 issue of The Herald.

A recurring feature piece that started this January in The Herald will return for the 2009-2010 school year.

The Herald is looking for local students who have demonstrated academic success, community leadership and/or unique achievements for its monthly Student Spotlight feature. Any student within the Puyallup or Sumner districts, Cascade Christian Schools or Chief Leschi School is eligible, as well as home-schooled students. To nominate a student(s), contact Neil Pierson at 253-841-2481 ext. 313 or by e-mail at neil.pierson@puyallupherald.com.

Football fans are most definitely in a frenzy!

The high school football season will begin this Thursday night as the Puyallup Vikings host the Kennedy Lancers at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.

Radio announcers Carl Lambert and Ron Crowe will call the game for KLAY radio from the pressbox. Be sure to check out the Sept. 9 issue of the Herald for a recap of this contest.

Puyallup officials received results from a professional climate survey of the city’s 300-plus employees yesterday during a special council meeting.

The Herald’s Sept. 2 issue has a short front-page article about the results and the Sept. 9 issue will contain a larger piece. The survey was conducted by Performance Programs Inc., an East Coast firm that has done similar surveys for hundreds of municipal governments and private corporations.