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
Rainier’s Street Dance is Friday, August 21st, 6-10pm
You’re invited to our annual Rainier Street Dance!
Date: Friday, August 21
Time: 6:00-10:00 PM
Location: Holiday Park, at the corner of Binghampton Street and Highway 507 in Rainier
The event is free and open to everyone, with plenty of parking available. Bring a lawn chair, invite your friend and family, and come ready to dance – or simply relax and enjoy the music.
The Randy Band will be providing the evening’s entertainment, playing a fun mix of classic rock and roll and country favorites that you’re sure to recognize. Whether you spend the evening on the dance floor or just tap your foot while enjoying the atmosphere, it’s sure to be a great time.
Food vendors will be on site if you’d like to grab a bit to eat.
We hope you’ll join us for a fun evening of music, dancing, and community! Whether you’ve been coming for years or it’s your first time, we’d love to see you there!
There’s nothing quite like a warm summer evening spent outdoors with great music, good friends. And neighbors coming together.
Proudly sponsored by Turner Automotive and Signature Service Real Estate, Rainier.
Movies in the Park: How to Train Your Dragon
The annual Yelm Lions Club tradition of Movies in the Park will return to Longmire Park this summer, with its first rendition set to begin at 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 27. The movie being shown that evening will be How to Train Your Dragon. The event is free, and the movie itself will begin at dusk.
Open to the Public
FREE to attend — all are welcome! Fun in the park & concessions open at 6:00 PM Movie starts at dusk
We are closing out Yelm Movies in the Park 2026 in the most epic way possible — with the brand new live action How to Train Your Dragon!
This stunning new film was one of the most anticipated releases of 2025 and we are so thrilled to bring it to Longmire Park for our grand finale night! Come early at 6:00 PM for concessions, fun in the park and good company before we close out the summer in the most spectacular way possible!
Whether you grew up loving Hiccup and Toothless or you’re discovering this world for the very first time this is going to be an absolutely unforgettable night under the stars!
Our beloved Lions Burger will be available along with other concessions — come hungry!
This event is FREE and open to the entire Yelm community — share this with every dragon fan you know and let’s pack Longmire Park for our grand finale!
Jeffrey Epstein in an undated photo released by the Department of Justice on Dec. 19, 2025. (DOJ). Trump confided to Jeffrey Epstein the real reason he wanted to be president: report via Raw Story.
The floodgates opened more last week with Trump-Epstein news
+ USA Today: LA judge finally put DOJ ‘on notice’ for Epstein files stalling – When a federal judge wraps up a hearing with a cautionary conversation about the time he held Department of Justice attorneys in contempt of court, things are going from bad to worse. | Opinion
Thurston County Board of Health proclaimed August as Immunization Awareness Month at a meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026. Credit: The JOLT Staff via Zoom.
Health officials warn of declining vaccination rates in Thurston County
Health officials warned that immunization levels have fallen below the threshold needed to maintain herd immunity, and declining childhood vaccination rates are increasing vulnerability to measles.
Dr. Maria Huang, a local pediatrician and a co-Chair of the Washington chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Vaccine Committee, addressed the vaccination issue at a meeting with the Thurston County Board of Health (BOH).
“We are seeing declining vaccination rates, and because of that, we are seeing epidemics of measles and pertussis that are surging,” said Huang at the meeting on Aug. 11.
She said the consequences are already being seen in clinics and hospitals. Huang said she has seen a baby die from pertussis and performed CPR on a 5-year-old who died from the flu, calling them “preventable tragedies.”
The BOH invited Huang to speak at the meeting in which a proclamation designated August as Immunization Awareness Month.
Huang’s concern was underscored by Health Officer Dr. Barbra Villona, who told the board that Thurston County’s kindergarten vaccination rates have remained below the level needed for measles herd immunity for several years.
Herd immunity, Villona explained, occurs when enough people in a community are immune to a disease, and those who are not immune are protected because the disease has fewer opportunities to spread. Because measles is highly infectious, she said about 95 percent of people need to be immunized to maintain that protection.
In Thurston County, Villona said the kindergarten immunization rate has declined over the last several years, from the 93 percent range to 92.9 percent, then 92.4 percent. She added that the most recent figure she saw was at 91.4 percent.
The board’s proclamation stated the most recent kindergarten vaccination rate was 90.6 percent.
The Port of Seattle Commission authorized initial funding today for the next significant modernization project at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) — the S Concourse Evolution (SCE) — with major construction scheduled to start in 2027. As part of the $5.5 billion Upgrade SEA capital improvement program, the estimated $2.5 billion S Concourse renovation will transform a 1973 facility into a world-class concourse that primarily serves international travelers. The project matches recent SEA modernization project standards, ensuring increasing traveler demands are met with more space, amenities, and sustainability, including reduced energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.
“Today’s authorization to move forward with the S Concourse Evolution builds on the generational investments we are making at SEA to improve the passenger experience,” said Port of Seattle Commission President Ryan Calkins. “The project will add critical seismic, structural, and building systems upgrades to improve long-term passenger circulation as well as operational efficiency.”
The project does not increase gate count on that concourse, as there is no room to expand between the main terminal and the airfield. Instead, it repurposes, in part, the customs area vacated when the International Arrivals Facility (IAF) opened in 2022. The modernization will add 150,000 square feet, including a new Upper Concourse Level, improved dual-level boarding operations for select gates, and expanded dining, retail, lounge, and passenger amenities.
A firefighter walks past burned grassland at a wildfire beneath the high tension power lines along 82nd Avenue South in Roy, Washington, on Thursday, July 6, 2023. Credit: Tony Overman toverman@theolympian.com.
‘A matter of when, not if’: Western WA not immune to wildfires, experts say
For Western Washington, it’s not a matter of if a wildfire will strike, but when.
Wildfires may seem like a disaster reserved for the drier climates east of the Cascades, where they occur more frequently. But experts say the west side of the state isn’t off the hook.
Forests on the west side of the Cascades are also fire-prone, and fire has played a long role in their history, said Dr. Brian J Harvey, a professor and forest fire ecologist at the University of Washington.
“Fire is a very integral part of these ecosystems, but the trends that we’ve been seeing in recent years have been fairly remarkable in terms of the increase in fire activity,” Harvey said.
Since 2000, the number of years has increased to 15.
The trend of increased intensity can be attributed to a variety of factors, one of which is climate change, Harvey said.
The average temperature of Washington has risen nearly 2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900, according to the USDA Northwest Climate Hub.
As warmer temperatures bring more rain instead of snow, Washington’s snowpack levels are dwindling. This year marks the fourth emergency statewide drought declaration in a row.
The less snowpack there is during the winter, the earlier it melts. And when ecosystems dry out earlier and more intensely, the potential for wildfires increases, Harvey said.
But it’s not just our changing climate shaping these events.
There’s also a backlog of combustible vegetation piling up in Washington forests due to a century of prioritizing fire suppression tactics over prescribed burns, A.K.A. extra fuel for fires to burn.
More human developments are encroaching upon forested land, turning wildfires increasingly into urban conflagrations destroying homes and other buildings.
Combine all of these elements, and you’ve got a recipe for an intense wildfire season.
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Putting together a go-bag filled with emergency supplies and essentials is another way to prepare. Ready.gov provides a list of basic supplies to take with you if you’re unsure what goods to bring.
The City of Yelm owns the two homes and the property on the corner of Mill Road SE and State Route 507, which is the planned location of a future veterans memorial park. Credit: NVN.
Yelm City Council approves construction contract for Veterans Park and Memorial Walk
Agreement with Raudenbush Earthworks LLC valued at $1,088,929
The City of Yelm is one step closer to honoring local servicemen and servicewomen who served in World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf, Iraq, Afghanistan and other conflicts by constructing and implementing a Veterans Park and Memorial Walk.
During a Yelm City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 28, Elizabeth Jones, Yelm projects and grants manager, sought authorization from Yelm City Council to approve a contract with Raudenbush Earthworks LLC valued at $1,088,929.75 for Phase 1 construction of Yelm’s Veterans Park and Memorial Walk.
“I want to say thank you to the VFW members who are here in support of this project,” Jones said. “This contract does not require any new appropriation of funds. The construction funding for Veterans Park Memorial Walk Phase 1 was previously approved by council through the adopted budget and will be paid from the Roads and Street Fund 360.”
Jones added that Yelm City Council had initially budgeted $1.6 million for Phase 1 construction of the Veterans Park and Memorial Walk in Yelm after engineers estimated a cost of $1.2 million to $1.5 million.
The project received 10 bids, and Raudenbush Earthworks LLC was found to be the lowest “responsive and responsible bidder.”
“This bid came in below the engineers estimate and approximately $511,000 below the amount budgeted for this construction,” Jones said.
Yelm City Council unanimously approved the $1,088,929.75 contract.
Amtrak said it is extending its suspension of services between Seattle and Portland, now lasting through Sunday, Aug. 16.
The company originally said the suspension would last through Aug. 10 before extending it to Friday, Aug. 14.
The extension is caused by a track obstruction stemming from a warehouse fire that occurred on Aug. 2.
Amtrak said on Wednesday that it is extending its suspension of service between Seattle and Portland to Sunday, Aug. 16.
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Amtrak said it would provide buses in place of the suspended train service, but noted that some departures were canceled due to limited bus availability.
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What’s next
Amtrak is expected to provide a new update on the situation on or before Sunday, Aug. 16.
The announcement comes about two days after the company originally extended the suspension from Monday, Aug. 10, to Friday, Aug. 14.
Amtrak cited “track obstruction” stemming from a warehouse fire that occurred on Aug. 2 as the main reason for the suspension.
I know I’ve been talking about the Yelm Loop and roundabouts coming but another nifty Yelm project that will be completed [soon] … is the Fuller Footpath. An “activated alleyway” designed to accommodate food trucks (water/power), have seating, tables, lighting and renovate this alleyway (pictured below). It will be behind City Hall and is named after Fay Fuller, the Yelm school teacher who was the first woman to summit Mt. Rainier.
I am also hoping we can utilize this space as a new permanent home for our farmers market which has bounced around to multiple locations this past decade.
The STIP highlights the City of Yelm’s critical projects around the city and serves as a document to guide transportation funding through a six year cycle, according to Colt.
“The STIP is based on the Yelm Comprehensive Plan and city long-range planning 20-year transportation plan and serves as the implementation document for transportation plans over the next six years,” Colt said.
Additionally, Colt noted the projects that aren’t included on the plan won’t be eligible for state and federal funding.
Though the STIP is a six-year plan, Colt said it’s updated annually as projects are completed around Yelm and as new priorities arise. The list of projects doesn’t need to be physically constrained, and funding sources are only identified as secured or planned.
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The list of projects included on Yelm’s 2026 STIP update include: a roundabout at Bald Hill Road SE and Morris Road SE; intersection improvements at Longmire Street NW and SR 510; intersection improvements at Mill Road SE and SR 507; Mosman Avenue SE Phase 3; reconstruction of NP Road SE; Canal Road SE and Wilkensen Road SE; reconstruction of Rhoton Road; intersection improvements at SR 510, Burnett SE and 93rd Avenue SE; a roundabout at SR 507 and Bald Hill Road SE; an extension of Walmart Boulevard SE; Yelm key hydraulic study; Vancil Road SE to Morris Road SE connecting street; and 105th Avenue extensions from Terra Court to Leah Avenue, and from Clark Road SE to Vancil Road SE.
