Photo courtesy: Yelm Chamber of Commerce.

Yelm gets into the holiday spirit with the annual
Christmas in the Park parade and celebration,
Saturday, December 1, 2012.

Saturdays event is free to the public and includes craft activities, a gingerbread house contest, photos with Santa, performance by school choirs and the community tree lighting.

The event starts at 9:30 a.m. with a parade and ends with the tree lighting at 5:30 p.m. at Yelm City Park.

Rolf Boone reports in The Olympian:
“South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity has opened a store in Yelm, its second in Thurston County that sells recycled furniture, appliances, building supplies and materials.

The store opened last month at 412 Yelm Ave. E., not far from the movie theaters, and is beginning to attract both buyers and donors, regional manager Caleb White said Thursday.”

“The nonprofit, which is known for its home-building efforts, hopes to add to the traction Friday when the store hosts an open house for local officials and Yelm-area business leaders.

About 15 to 30 people are expected to attend, White said.

The store occupies a 5,500-square-foot location that used to be a heavy-equipment rental business.”
Read more

From the South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity® web site:
“South Puget Sound HFH is a locally run affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing organization.

To donate items to the Yelm location: “What We May Accept”
Click here

South Sound Habitat for Humanity®
412 E Yelm Ave.
Yelm, WA. 98597

THE YELM COMMUNITY BLOG WELCOMES THE SOUTH SOUND HABITAT FOR HUMANITY® TO OUR AREA!

UPDATE: December 19, 2012

From Timberland Bank’s Newsletter:
“Tmberland staff members from Thurston County had an opportunity to tour the new South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity (SPSHFH) ReStore building now open in Yelm. We are pleased to have partnered with SPSHFH by contributing $5,000 toward their expansion into Yelm. Habitat for Humanity operates ReStores in many locations and can be a great resource for those looking for pre-owned furniture and building supplies. They gladly accept donations of building materials and furniture in good condition with the proceeds from the sale going toward building another Habitat home.”

OP-ED
My Family and I had been hearing from so many people about Don Juan’s Mexican Restaurant in Tenino, that we all packed in the car and drove there Sunday evening from Yelm, only to find our neighbors from across the street in the middle of their dinner. We were quite surprised & got some good tips on ordering. We also spotted a world-recognized actress who resides in the area dining there, as well.

We were seated and welcomed like royalty by Don Juan’s entire family, all involved in some aspect of the business. We were immediately treated to their special house-made fresh, warmed chips and salsa and one of the best guacamole I have ever so enjoyed.

Everyone got something different and we all shared. I had two mulitas that were outstanding. The flan for dessert was terrific.

While Yelm has wonderful Mexican fare, I recommend a drive to Tenino for Don Juan’s attentive service, excellent chips & salsa, entrees that are each special and delicious and desserts that will top off a grand meal!

Click here to check-out Don Juan’s Mexican Restaurant’s menu.

Don Juan’s Mexican Restaurant
639 East Lincoln Ave. (in the Super Market shopping center)
Tenino, Washington 98589
Phone: (360) 264-8226
Email: donjuansmexicankitchen@gmail.com
Facebook: Don Juan’s Mexican Kitchen

PLEASE TELL DON JUAN YOU READ ABOUT THEM ON THE
YELM COMMUNITY BLOG!

Centralia Police Officer Patty Finch, of Yelm
Photo courtesy: Centraliia Police Dept.

From the Centralia Police Dept. Newsletter, May 2012:

Police Officer Patty Finch
“Officer Patty Finch received this award based on her outstanding work and extraordinary achievement with Departments Special Olympics Program. For her work with all aspects of Special Olympics, including the 2012 Polar Bear Plunge in Seattle, Tip a Cop fundraisers at Applebees, Krispy Crme Doughnuts and Red Robin; planning, support, and participating in annual Law Enforcement Torch Runs, and selection from a statewide competition to repre-sent all of Washington State Law Enforcement at the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games in South Korea, Officer Patty Finch was formally commended.”
Read more

Public Safety Building housing Council Chambers, Yelm

As always, the week after Thanksgiving Weekend whilst no one is looking, the Yelm City Council is set to vote another ad valorem tax tonight on their citizens, amongst other items. A Public Hearing will be held followed by the vote.
(Ed. Note: As per usual, no one will attend and/or speak to this, so why should?):

1. From the City of Yelm Staff Report on the ad valorem tax:
Background
The phrase ad valorem is Latin for “according to value”. In the case of municipal property taxes, property owners have their property assessed on a periodic basis by a public tax assessor. The assessed value of the property is then used to compute an annual tax, which is levied on the owner by his or her municipality.
The legislative body must hold a public hearing on revenue sources for the General Fund budget and discuss any increases in property tax revenues that are being considered. The public hearing and the vote on the property tax ordinance may be done at the same meeting.
In order to set the property tax rates they must be identified in the adopting ordinance both by the dollar and percentage increase amounts and certified with the county by a November 30th deadline.
Cities with a population of less than 10,000 can increase their levy amount by one percent without a vote (highest lawful levy calculation). Normally, taxes on new construction are exempt from the lid/limit factor and may be added to the tax levy that is being requested. However, this is only if the statutory maximum levy rate times the assessed value of the city exceeds the highest lawful maximum. The city has not exceeded this for several years due to the economic recession.

2. Additionally, the City of Yelm has announced the budget, open to public discussion:
The Yelm City Council will hold a Public Hearing to consider the Final 2013 Budget on Tuesday, November 27,2012 in Council Chambers at Yelm Public Safety Building, 206 McKenzie Ave, 6:00 p.m.
(Ed. Note: As per usual, no one will attend and/or speak to this, so why should?):

3. A vote tonight will spend $43,089.00 for design services to develop a master plan for Yelm City Park,
one that will include a Community Center, which the Yelm City Council tacked on to the 1 million dollar Library Bond with an additional 1 million dollars for a community center, without public input!
(Ed. Note: The former Yelm Telephone Building is for sale less than a block away and much less expensive!)

Ed. Note: City of Yelm residents, you allow yourselves to get kicked in the gut, yet again. Your silence speaks volumes. And if all of this wasn’t enough, tonight the Yelm City Council will vote on establishing Sewer System Development Charges, another holiday gift from YOUR Yelm City Council!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM YOUR YELM CITY COUNCIL, WHERE THEY GIVE THANKS TO YOUR SILENCE, WHILE YOU CONTINUE TO FOOT THEIR INCREASES IN TAXES & BILLS, YEAR AFTER YEAR!

Lisa Pemberton reports in The Olympian:
“Fort Stevens Elementary School intervention specialist Ann Robbins was recently named Social Worker of the Year by the Washington Association of School Social Workers.”
Read more

The City of Yelm has openings on Citizen Advisory Committees as follows.
[Note: You do NOT have to live within the City of Yelm city limits to apply]

– CITY OF YELM SEEKING VOLUNTEERS FOR YELM PLANNING COMMISSION
City of Yelm is seeking applications from Yelm area residents to fill one term vacancy on the City of Yelm Planning Commission. Click headline for application.
(posted: 11/19/2012)

– CITY OF YELM SEEKING VOLUNTEERS FOR PARKS ADVISORY COMMISSION
City of Yelm is seeking applications from Yelm area residents to fill three term expirations on the Parks Advisory Commission. Click on headline for application.
(posted: 11/19/2012)

– CITY OF YELM SEEKING VOLUNTEERS FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
The City of Yelm is seeking applications from Yelm area residents to fill two term expirations on the Historic Preservation Commission. Click headline for application.
(posted: 11/19/2012)

– CITY OF YELM SEEKING VOLUNTEERS FOR YELM TREE ADVIOSRY(sic) BOARD
The City of Yelm is seeking applications from Yelm area residents to fill one term expiration and one term vacancy on the Yelm Tree Advisory Board. Click on headline for application.
(posted: 11/19/2012)

Ed. Note:
Heretofore, the City of Yelm has had great challenges in getting citizen volunteers to fill some of these positions.

The Phoenix Rising School Presents a Holiday Celebration 2012

Come celebrate with our students and parents.
A traditional Holiday Feast with all the fixings!

Wonderful Performances by students of all ages.

A chance for us all to share our thanks for our blessed community.

WHERE:
Lake Lawrence Lodge
15735 Topaz Drive SE
Yelm, WA 98597

WHEN:
Wed, Dec 19th, 5:00 – 8:00pm

COST:
$25 Per Person, Includes Dinner

TICKETS:
LIMITED DINNER TICKETS AVAILABLE UNTIL DEC 12th,
PLEASE PURCHASE TICKETS IN ADVANCE ONLINE OR AT THE PRS CAMPUS.
Tickets will not be available at the door.
KIDS 16 and under are half price and children under 5 are free.
www.ThePhoenixRisingSchool.com

A portion of all ticket sales will go toward our school programs, and the big focus of this event is to help every family meet their P.O.W.E.R. fund commitments – the $100.00 per month they are required to raise outside of tuition. Thank you in advance!

The Phoenix Rising School
13411 Cedar Grove Lane
Rainier, WA 98576
Phone: 360-446-1500
Web: thephoenixrisingschool.com
info@thephoenixrisingschool.com
Find us on Facebook

SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL WHO GIVE TO OUR SCHOOL IN 2012
“The Value of Thanks & Giving”
To Make Your 2012-2013 Contribution online, we invite you to visit ThePhoenixRisingSchool.com

A BIG Thank You to the Phoenix Rising School community. We couldn’t do it without your support 🙂
Click here for the fabulous video from the children!

About The Phoenix Rising School
The Phoenix Rising School is located on 10 acres in rural Rainier, WA and serves children 3 – 14.
Our service to our children in our community is built around our commitment to our Four Rs:
– Recognition of Oneness,
– Relevance,
– Relationships
– Reflection.
Our school features a four seasons schedule, multi-age Instruction, interdisciplinary themes, differentiated instruction and learning continuum-based assessment.
We are a 501(c)3 non profit organization.
To learn more visit www.ThePhoenixRisingSchool.com

“Ron Paul talks about the dangers of current spending levels and suggests the need to make serious changes like cutting spending, changing foreign policy, changing monetary policy and the entitlement system. Dr. Paul also states that President Obama is not admitting the truth of the seriousness of debt,” quoting FOX News.
Click here for the full interview.

Ed. note:
I could not agree more with Rep. Paul.
Where is Pastor Adams on this issue affecting our local community?
He certainly has been vocal on other issues with his letter to the editor and column comments.
Our friends and neighbors in this town are hurting economically – it’s time his words mean something:
“Time to forget differences and come together”
Did this town notice Thanksgiving, 2012 marked the largest demand of families served in local holiday food drives, EVER?!

– “More Americans Will Use Food Stamps For Thanksgiving This Year Than Ever Before”
Read more from November 21, 2012in Front Page, Government

Ingo Wagner / Reuters
Offshore wind turbines are seen in Germany’s North Sea, along with a service platform that doubles as a transformer sending electricity to the mainland. Germany and Denmark are leaders in the offshore wind industry.

– “Environmental risk of drilling in Arctic too high,
CEO of oil giant Total says”
By NBC News wire services September 26, 2012
Read more

– “DON’T WORRY, DRIVE ON: Fossil Fools & Fracking Lies”
From Monstro on Vimeo
Read more

– “Power East Coast via wind?
Doable with 144,000 offshore turbines, study says”
“Placing wind turbines off the East Coast could meet the entire demand for electricity from Florida to Maine, according to engineering experts at Stanford University.

It would require 144,000 offshore turbines standing 270 feet tall not one of which exists since proposals have stalled due to controversy and costs. But the analysis shows it’s doable and where the best locations are, says study co-author Mark Jacobson, a Stanford professor of civil and environmental engineering”

“For the analysis published in the journal Wind Energy, Jacobson’s team created a computer model with 144,000 wind turbines that produce 5 megawatts of electricity each, similar to the turbines installed off Denmark and Germany. They then plugged in historical wind speed data to come up with estimates,” by Miguel Llanos, NBC News.
Read more

– Renewable Northwest Power
“Wind power surpasses hydro for the first time ever in Northwest region”
Read more from Renewable Northwest Project, October 23, 2012

– “7 central Washington wind farm proposals on hold”
“Growth in the wind power industry in the Northwest has stalled.”
By the Associated Press in the Seattle Times.
Read more

– “Keep wind power funded”
Op-Ed in The Olympian October 8, 2012.
Read more

– “Solar home projects booming in Western Washington”
“Snohomish PUD customers have doubled it over the last three years. Seattle City Light customers doubled it one project. We’re talking about the rate of home solar projects, which are heating up in Western Washington.”

“Northwest SEED, a non-profit group that supports solar energy, is helping form energy clusters, groups of neighbors who can get discount costs from solar panel installers by creating solar neighborhoods. Programs in Seattle and Camano Island have been very popular. Another project will begin open at the end of the month.

Snohomish PUD, Seattle City Light and several other utilities are offering incentives to people who install solar panels that feed energy back into the grid.

Heres a breakdown of Snohomish PUDs incentives, quoting Gary Chittam on KING-5 TV News.
Read more

Ed. Note:
No PUD here in Yelm YET!
If Mayor Harding is replaced in Nov. 2014, perhaps yes, if a Prop One Initiative is on the ballot again!
Mr. Harding is way too aligned with PSE’s minions. Read more

This writer owns the very first all-electric Nissan LEAF car registered in the 98597 Zip Code.