Margaret Clapp
Photo credit: The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound

Yelm business woman and developer Margaret Clapp
[an heir of Matthew Norton Clapp, chairman of the Weyerhaeuser Corporation] has been elected to the board of directors of The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound. The Board consists of members from Thurston, Lewis and Mason counties.

‘Our Community Foundation relies on the expertise of our boards expertise and extensive knowledge of the communities they represent,’ stated Norma Schuiteman, Foundation President and CEO, in a press release. ‘We are very fortunate to have such a professionally diverse board to guide our programs. It is an honor to work with these board members in facilitating a wide range of charitable giving throughout Thurston, Mason and Lewis counties.’

ABOUT US
“The Community Foundation of South Puget Sound serves as a catalyst for charitable giving in Thurston, Lewis and Mason counties. We are a nonprofit organization with a single purpose: to connect donors with causes they care about.”
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Photo credit: Yelm Senior Center

The Nisqually Valley News reports another sad tale, by Steven Wyble:
“Yelm Senior Center Struggles Financially”
“Former Directors Alleged $30,000 to $40,000 Embezzlement Crippled Finances”

“The center is ramping up fundraising efforts and hoping to rally support in the community, as well as trying to raise awareness of the centers benefits to attract new members.”
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– FUNDRAISER
“The Yelm Adult Community Center is holding a fundraising effort next Saturday, June 28, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Theyll offer a yard sale, bake sale and car wash, and will sell hot dogs, chips and soda.”
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– ABOUT THE YELM SENIOR CENTER
From United Way of Thurston County:
We are a non-profit agency dedicated to serving the 50 plus seniors in Yelm and Southeast Thurston County. Our center has been serving the community since 1973. We care about our seniors!

Transportation is one of the most important aspects of our overall mission and we provide access to medical care, shopping, center activities, as well as those outside the center, theatrical performances, restaurants, and many Washington cultural, historical, and geographical places of interest.

Educational programs concerning health, nutrition, retirement planning, tax assistance, and similar topics of interest are an important piece of our overall programming plan. Our low impact exercise classes vital to wellness for seniors are provided on Tuesday and Thursday as well.
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EDITOR’S NOTE:
A general observation of Yelm’s organizational leaders requires this question, all stories covered here previously:
Why is oversight lacking in the fundamental direction of this community’s key institutions?

– Yelm Senior Center former directors alleged $30,000 to $40,000 embezzlement.
– Yelm Paramount Christian Church’s Pastor Jeff Adams violates IRS statutes for 501(c)3 non-profits by using his bully pulpit and “religious” newspaper column in a political diatribe against local entities.
– Yelm City Council votes to seize a citizen’s water rights.
– Yelm City Hall having a contract to be repaid for a water study and not getting a lien against a developer who later defaulted on hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees/taxes owed the city.
– Former Yelm Cemetery Superintendent accused of misappropriating more than $62,000 in public cemetery funds
– The FDIC and the Washington Department of Financial Institutions said the Venture Bank collapse was lack of oversight by the bank’s Board of Directors, with prominent board members from Yelm.

Why do community leaders in Yelm feel they should operate differently than what the laws they are supposed to uphold allow, leaving the tax payer indebted?

“On June 2, the Board received a letter from the IRS stating that the Yelm Cooperative (YC) is now officially a Federal 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, classified as a public charity.”

“However, there is significant money available in both the public and private sector for 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations with similar missions to ours. We are already active at applying for a federal grant for the Farmers Market and another for the Yelm Food Co-op. If successful, we will be able to greatly improve the services to the community that both these programs give.”
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Editor’s Note:
As I mentioned to the Yelm Food Co-op President, the partisan political signs at the entrance to the current locate of the Yelm Farmers Market, land owned by a private citizen, are not permitted with a Federal 501(c)(3) non-profit organization’s designation.

“Foster Appeals Yelm Water Right Ruling”
“Southwest Yelm Well: Citizen Seeks Direct Review by State Supreme Court”

Steven Wyble wrote this in the Nisqually Valley News:
“Yelm resident Sara Foster has appealed a recent court ruling affirming the city of Yelms water rights.

Foster is seeking direct review to the state Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court decides not to take the case, it will go to the Court of Appeals.”

“Williams emphasized his clients problem isnt with the city of Yelm as much as with the Department of Ecology for granting the water right. The department used an exemption in the existing code, which the Supreme Court said doesnt really exist in the way Ecology was trying to use it, he said.

Williams said a case the Supreme Court decided last October, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community v. Department of Ecology, has a direct bearing on his clients case.

In the Swinomish ruling, the state Supreme Court ruled that DOE didnt have the authority to reallocate water needed to maintain instream flows.”
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Editor’s Note:
As I wrote in my Letter to the Editor published June 13, 2014:
“In Fosters case, an Amicus Brief (friend of the court) was also filed on behalf of the Carnegie Group and CELP (Center for Environmental Law & Policy), Washingtons water watchdog, protecting streams, rivers and aquifers. These groups found that Fosters lawsuit was not frivolous and had merit.”

“If I started a business and it was clearly failing, I would shut it down. The war on drugs has failed http://www.thehouseilivein.org/advocate/ — why isn’t it being shut down?

As acclaimed filmmaker Eugene Jarecki’s latest video shows, the war on drugs has failed in every way possible. Trying to wage the war on drugs has costs the U.S. $1 trillion, with another $51 billion adding to the tally each year. This has resulted in 45 million drug related arrests, with the U.S. now jailing 2.3 million prisoners — more people than anyone else on the planet. What has all this accomplished? “Rates of addiction remain unchanged, overdose deaths are at an all-time high and drugs cost less than ever before.”

While attitudes and opinions on drug reform are dramatically shifting in the U.S. and across the world, more needs to be done. I echo Eugene’s call for U.S. citizens to urge Congress to advance the Smarter Sentencing Act. This could help put an end to racial profiling, mass incarceration, shattered communities and failed policy. The Smarter Sentencing Act will save the U.S. billions of dollars, which could be spent on helping people overcome drug dependencies. It will also ease dangerous overcrowding in prisons by reducing sentences for non-violent drug offenders,” quoting Sir Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Group, in the Huffington Post.
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Courtesy: Rob Simone

Part 2 of the historic Ramtha Interview airs today at 4pm PDT
Click here

– “Solar FREAKIN’ Roadways!”
Click here for the YouTube sensation.

– “Solar Roadways”
“Solar panels that you can drive, park, and walk on. They melt snow and… cut greenhouse gases by 75-percent?!!!”
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– “‘Solar Freakin’ Roadways’ And The Wisdom Of Small Wins”
By Stephen J. Meyer, Contributor, Forbes
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Credit: NASA

The longest day of the year, known as the summer solstice occurs June 21 2014, at exactly 6:51am EDT (3:51am PDT), when the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth will reach the point of greatest inclination to the Sun.

Seasons of 2014:
Seasons of 2014:
SPRING EQUINOX March 20, 12:57 P.M. EDT
SUMMER SOLSTICE June 21, 6:51 A.M. EDT
FALL EQUINOX September 22, 10:29 P.M. EDT
WINTER SOLSTICE December 21, 6:03 P.M. EST
Read more from The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

“Ancient Tradition: Revelers Witness First Summer Sunrise”
“Revelers gathered to celebrate the 2014 summer solstice at the prehistoric monument Stonehenge, near Amesbury in southern England, on Saturday. The festival, which dates back thousands of years, celebrates the longest day of the year when the sun is at its maximum elevation,” quoting NBC News.
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ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!

Sandra Romero

FROM COUNTY COMMISSIONER ROMERO’S e-mailer:
Please join Thurston County Commissioner Sandra Romero, as she hosts her monthly informal coffee hours in Rainier and Yelm on Monday, June 23rd.

On Monday, June 23, join Commissioner Romero and her guest, President of the Washington Beekeepers Association Mark Emrich, for coffee, and learn about the plight of the honey bee and what you can do to help.

– “This Is What Your Grocery Store Would Look Like Without Bees”
Read more from Survival Backpack.us.

There is a lot happening in Thurston County and we want to hear from you!
Once a month, Commissioner Romero meets with community members for informal coffee chats. These meetings give you the opportunity to talk about issues of concern, ask her questions about the county, and share ideas. Commissioner Romero provides participants’ coffee. She is the representative of District 2, which includes Yelm, Lacey, and Rainier.

What:
Citizen meeting with 2nd district County Commissioner Sandra Romero

When:
Monday, June 23, 2014

Where:
– Rainier: 9:30am 10:30am at Rainier City Hall, 102 Rochester St W

– Yelm: 11:00am Noon Tacos Gaby, 307 Yelm Ave SE
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“Price Index For Meats, Poultry, Fish & Eggs Rockets To All-Time High”
“The seasonally-adjusted price index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs hit an all-time high in May, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS),” quoting CNSNews.com.
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