Steve Klein addresses current issues impacting Yelm and vicinity and provides a meeting place for anyone with an interest in this area to provide their ideas and opinions
“The Triad Theater’s “Good-Bye For Now” Party – Friday, Nov 22nd starting at 7pm.”
From The Triad Theater: Please come join in the Celebration as we say Good-Bye to The Wolfe Building. After EIGHT Wonderful years providing The Arts there, we’ve decided not to renew the lease and take a Well Deserved (and much needed!) Break before re-opening in a new, yet to be announced location. This celebration is open to the public. No Entry Fee. Beer and Wine available for purchase. Bring your Stories and Memories!” Read more
“Are you ready for Northwest storm season? Check out these tips”
From Dr. Rachel Wood, Thurston County Health Officer:
“Winter is right around the corner, and local history tells us that bad weather – heavy rain, high winds, or even heavy snowfall — can bring consequences that impact our daily lives.
“As the days get shorter and colder, people start to look forward to hunkering down by the fire with hot chocolate and a favorite movie. To stay safe this winter, however, we need to look forward in more ways than one. It’s important to prepare for local emergencies or power outages.”
“Regardless of your health needs, this is a great time to make sure you’re ready for another Northwest storm season. More information is available at www.ready.gov, where you can learn how to make a plan, and what resources you need to be safe in an emergency.”
“Tips to Be Thankful for: SEA Airport Holiday Travel Edition”
“Tools like Sea-Tac App help you know before you go“
From the Port of Seattle:
“From Monday, November 25 through Monday, December 2, an estimated 1,080,000 passengers will travel through the airport with the busiest days seeing up to 160,000 travelers per day – or more than two sold out games for the Seahawks. Our team at SEA is working hard to ensure you have a good airport experience that is efficient, clean, safe, and (we hope!) even enjoyable. The busiest travel days will be Wednesday, Nov 27 (projected 163,500 passengers), Sunday, Dec. 1 (150,000), Tuesday, Nov. 26 (143,500), Monday, Dec. 2 (142,500), and Friday, Nov 22 (140,000).
This advice helps you prepare for your trip and discover something new at SEA.
Five Tips to Keep You Merry and Bright
For a more efficient experience, download (or update!) the Sea-Tac App.
See checkpoint waits in real time, locate restaurants and shops to
explore, water bottle refill stations, and use the interactive map to
navigate the airport.
Give yourself the gift of time. Arrive two hours early for domestic flights and three hours for international travel.
Going
green is our favorite holiday color. Public transportation is the most
efficient options to stay out of a traffic jam. Use Sound Transit Link light rail to travel all the way to the airport and the free “Train to Plane”
shuttle cart service will chauffeur you from the station to the airport
terminal.
Be ready for security checkpoints. SEA and TSA want to help you move through security checkpoints as quickly as possible. Travelers are required to remove electronics
larger than a cell phone from carry-on luggage. Keeping food or liquids
in your carry-on luggage might prompt additional screenings.
Need more travel hacks? Visit our recently relaunched Traveler Tips webpage for our best advice to navigate SEA like a frequent flier.
Presenting Conscious by Kali at Giorda E Trunk Show
“Conscious by Kali will be showing their 2019 Fall & Holiday Collection at the upcoming Trunk show at Giorda E.
“We are excited to feature, Cashmere Ponchos with fringes, Cashmere Shawls with Lace and beautiful hand made home decor. Gifts handcrafted with renewed hope & purpose by survivors of human trafficking. A simple purchase will benefit greatly in supporting a sustainable future for each survivor.”
“Come join us at the Trunk Show to commence the Season of Giving. Nov 22 & 23, 10am to 7pm.”
Giorda E. 112 Yelm Ave E., corner of 2nd St. NE Yelm WA, 98597 Phone: 253-282-3273 Email: Eliegiorda@gmail.com
– About Conscious by Kali Conscious by Kali has been working with survivors in Nepal over the last two & half years. Their focus has been to train & mentor survivors of sex trafficking and rekindle hope for an independent life, has been a valuable experience & given great insight & tools to fulfill their mission. They are now a Non Profit & Fair Trade Certified Organization. Read more and donate.
– About Giorda E. “Giorda E. is a treasure trove where fashion is vibrant and style flourishes. Giorda famously dresses women and men to cultivate their individuality in a wide range of selections from every day elegance to absolute extravagance. Indulge in the Giorda E. experience to freshen up your wardrobe with classic styles, current trends, and accessories with flair!”
Tell Giorda E. you read about her shop on the Yelm Community Blog.
“No change? No problem: Intercity Transit plans to make bus rides free starting Jan. 1”
“One year after voters approved a sales tax increase to fund major changes at Thurston County’s public transportation agency, officials at Intercity Transit are proposing to stop collecting fares and make bus rides free starting Jan. 1.
“The change would apply to bus service and Dial-A-Lift, a door-to-door service for people with disabilities. Fares now range from $0.50 to $3 depending on who is riding and where they are going.
“Those fares net less than 2 percent of IT’s operating revenue. Meanwhile, IT’s fare collection boxes need to be replaced. The agency says it looked at switching to a card-based payment system but most cost at least $1 million to introduce,” by Abby Spegman, The Olympian. Read more
“Rural police struggle to recruit amid poor pay and public perception”
Editor’s note: “The City of Yelm is seeking applications from ‘Lateral Police Officer Candidates’ to fill future vacancies and openings,” quoting the Human Resources Dept. Read more
“Attracting recruits to work for rural police departments is getting increasingly difficult, especially as most new law enforcement officers are choosing to work in urban areas, which tend to pay better and be better staffed.”
“The federal government now considers these problems so bad that it has been getting involved,” by Shako Liu and Phil McCausland, NBC News. Read more
Editor’s note: Last week, we witnessed first-hand the impeccability of our U. S. Foreign Service personnel and Ambassadors in their public Congressional testimony. And Rep. Denny Heck (D-WA. District 10) spoke so eloquently in responding to Deputy Assistant Secretary Kent by saying, “For as long as I can remember, U. S. foreign policy has been predicated on advancing principled interests in Democratic values……[start at 3:12].” And former CBS Evening News anchor Dan Rather tweeted this, which summarizes this blogger’s views about former Ukraine Ambassador Yovanovitch’s impeccable cross-examination, “There are some moments that are destined to play in future documentaries. Marie Yovanovitch walking out of the hearing room to applause seems to be one of them.” Other key stories are below.
“Trump may find Constitution is stronger than he is”
By Jonathan Lemire and Jill Covin, Associated Press. Read more
“Pelosi says Trump committed ‘bribery’ in Ukraine scandal”
The Trump Administration Says It Has Violated Its Own Ethics Pledge
“We found multiple Trump ethics pledge violations hidden in a little-noticed government report.”
“They show inappropriate actions by government employees, lobbyists and former business clients,” by Derek Kravitz for ProPublica. Read more
“How QAnon conspiracy is moving closer to political mainstream”
“NBC News reporter Morgan Radford shows how the fringe QAnon conspiracy theory is moving closer to the mainstream via Republican candidates.” Read more
“Trump’s honesty was on trial in the Roger Stone case. The verdict was harsh.”
“Analysis: If prosecutors at Roger Stone’s trial believed Trump was telling the truth about hacked emails and WikiLeaks, it wasn’t evident in the courtroom,” by Ken Dilanian, NBC News. Read more
“It’s Getting Harder To Believe This Is All A Plot Against The President”
By Nicole Wallace, of MSNBC’s Deadline White House on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Click here
“Pompeo’s ‘deafening and disgusting’ silence is a ‘complete failure of leadership'”
“Chuck Rosenberg remarks on the silence of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in reference to attacks on the State Department” on MSNBC.Read more
FOX News Judge ‘Napolitano: A quid pro quo is ‘clearly impeachable’
“A Better, Greener Way to Travel: FlixBus Rolls into the Pacific Northwest“
“In partnership with Seattle-based MTR Western, Europe’s leading mobility provider will hit highways throughout Washington and Oregon this November
+ FlixBus partners with local charter company MTR Western, owned by Howard Wright
+ 7 round trips daily between Seattle and Portland and tickets for $9.99 + Convenient for students with on-campus stops at OU, OSU and CWU
+ Nearly 65% of FlixBus USA first-time users have never taken a long-distance bus before
“After revolutionizing long-distance bus travel across 28 countries in Europe and cementing its presence on both the East and West Coasts, FlixBus, America’s fastest-growing bus provider, is headed for the Pacific Northwest. The tech-meets-travel company will connect Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma, Portland, Eugene, Olympia, Corvallis, Coeur d’Alene, Albany, Ellensburg and Salem. Tickets are currently on sale with prices starting at $9.99. The lime green buses will hit highways in the region on November 21.
“From Seattle to Portland FlixBus will offer seven trips per direction at the start of service and will beat the travel time of legacy competitors in the region.”
The Eco-Friendliest Long-Distance Travel in the US
“FlixBus is known for its green initiatives, like offering carbon offsetting for bus trips, introducing the long-distance electrical buses in Europe and announcing plans for the first fuel cell powered long-distance buses in 2019. FlixBus also piloted America’s first ever electric buses on a long-distance line between San Francisco and Sacramento and plans to introduce these buses into its fleet by 2021.”
“FlixBus was launched in Germany in 2013 and after expanding to 28 countries across Europe, began service in the US in May 2018. Today, FlixBus serves nearly 100 destinations across the United States with networks in the Southwest, South, Northeast and now Pacific Northwest. In 2020, FlixBus will expand to Latin America and Asia. A full route map can be found here.” Read more
“Southwest pilots union warns Boeing may be rushing 737 Max return”
“Boeing may be rushing its troubled 737 Max back into service and Southwest Airlines should consider buying planes from another aircraft maker, the union president for Southwest Airlines’ pilots said in a memo to his membership.
“The letter comes as Southwest — Boeing’s biggest 737 customer, with an all-737 fleet — delayed the estimated time it will again begin flying the grounded Max jets to March 2020.”
“Boeing is raising the threat of shutting down its 737 Max assembly lines to pressure regulators into clearing the plane, which has been grounded worldwide since last March after two fatal crashes, Southwest’s pilots union chief, Jon Weaks, said in the letter to his members. Weaks said letting the plane fly again soon would in turn would force airlines to resume making payments on their Max jets, which would help Boeing absorb some costs of getting the planes back in the air.
“‘Boeing will never, and should not ever, be given the benefit of the doubt again. The combination of arrogance, ignorance and greed should and will haunt Boeing for eternity,’ Weaks wrote. ‘I strongly concur with Southwest exploring obtaining a different and perhaps non-Boeing aircraft for the best interest of all our futures,‘” by Rachel Layne, CBS News. Read more
“Thurston commissioners OK estimated $19 million plan to expand county jail”
“Thurston County commissioners unanimously agreed Wednesday to move forward with a plan, estimated to cost at least $19 million, to expand the county jail in Tumwater. The decision comes after years of discussion and ongoing crowding at the facility.
“‘Doing nothing is not an option, and anything that we do that delays this project is virtually doing nothing, in my opinion,’ Commissioner John Hutchings, who chairs the board, said as he opened the stakeholder meeting Wednesday. ‘“And I’m tired of doing nothing.’
“Commissioners approved proceeding with the design of a 40-bed addition, plus a shell for future expansion. Before a bidding process for construction gets started, the commissioners will decide whether to include the shell,” by Sara Gentzler, The Olympian. Read more
