– From National Home Funeral Alliance
Keep Home Funerals ALIVE!

The home funeral and death-positive communities care for our own. Together, we have grown and cared not just for the dying and the dead, but for one another.

Please join us to celebrate our community, this fall. During the week of the ‘Day of the Dead’, we’ll be hosting live calls each night to keep us learning, growing, and connecting. Together, we’ll celebrate and honor our past, present and future.

Did you know it costs about $8,000 a year to run our non-profit? That’s what we need to keep bringing you news, stories, interviews, teleconferences each month – for free. Here’s your chance to pay it forward.

Plus! Each night, a random listener will be chosen for a special 1:1 mentoring meeting with an expert.
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– “Home funerals are legal and safe”
The NHFA empowers families to care for their own dead by providing educational opportunities and connections to resources that promote environmentally sound and culturally nurturing death practices. This is the place to find information about home funerals, including directories for where to find home funeral guides, home funeral education programs, home-funeral-friendly funeral directors, celebrants and clergy, and groups who will help families when needed. Our goal is to educate the public to their choices and provide clear information.
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BE SAFE!

– First published here in 2007:
“Halloween (or Hallowe’en) is an annual holiday observed on October 31, primarily in Ireland, Scotland, Canada and the United States. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holiday All Saints’ Day, but is today largely a secular celebration.

Common Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, carving jack-o’-lanterns, ghost tours, bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, committing pranks, telling ghost stories or other frightening tales, and watching horror films…

Origin of name

The word Halloween is first attested in the 16th century and represents a Scottish variant of the fuller All-Hallows-Even (“evening”), that is, the night before All Hallows Day. Although the phrase All Hallows is found in Old English (ealra hlgena mssedg, mass-day of all saints), All-Hallows-Even is itself not attested until 1556,” quoting Wikipedia.
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Seattle’s Pioneer Square district after Feb. 28, 2001 quake.
Photo credit: Elaine Thompson AP file, 2001

– “State has work to do to get ready for ‘the big one,’ report finds”
“After completing the region’s largest earthquake drill in June, the final report is out in what went wrong, what went right, and what needs to be done.

For nine days in June, Washington’s National Guard, the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and other state and Federal agencies, and citizen volunteers participated in Cascadia Rising, a series of exercises designed to find the flaws in the response to the worst case earthquake disaster we could expect to see in the Northwest.”

The 83-page report’s findings are wide spread. Transportation will be extremely difficult with damaged roads and bridges, and “there is an urgent need for residents to prepare.”

Older guidance was after an earthquake, individual citizens should be prepared to be on their own for three days before help can arrived. The new guidance is up to two weeks,” by Glen Farley, KING-5 TV News, Seattle.
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– What you can do!
“Emergency Kits & Emergency Preparedness Checklist”
From Yelm-based Optimum Preparedness.
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Credit: South Puget Sound Habitat

– “Looking for a fun safe place to take the kids on Halloween?”
“Trick or Treat at our West Olympia and Yelm Habitat Stores on Halloween”

“Stop by our West Olympia or Yelm Habitat Stores for some great treats, kids don’t forget to wear your costumes.”
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Yelm Habitat Store
412 East Yelm Ave
Yelm, WA 98597
Phone: 360-956-3456 X 3
Hours: Open Monday-Saturday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm

– “Experience Another World at Wat Prachum Raingsey”
“Cold rain drizzles outside but inside is an explosion of color, light, sound and scent. Hundreds of people, all decked out in their finest clothing, crowd into the small gathering space at Wat Prachum Raingsey in Yelm. Everyone is laughing, talking and greeting friends and family, each bearing food and other offerings for the ceremony.

Today marks the culmination of the 15 day ceremony of Pchum Ben. Between 300 and 500 attendees from as far away as Canada and Oregon are expected to attend. According to Wat Prachum Raingsey temple member, Tara Svay, “This time of year we offer food to the souls of our ancestors and others. We bring the food here so the monk can bless it. He has the power to send the food to them.” This process began before sunrise as food was scattered across the ground as an offering to all the unknown souls,” by Andrea Culletto, Thurston Talk.
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* NVN commenters called for fair and balanced reporting if listing Knight’s donations.
* Newspaper omits large contributors to “Independent” candidates’ campaigns.
* NVN perennial election cycle “hit piece” again targets Knight, Klein.
* NVN poll and commenters get it – NVN’s “lynch mob attitude won’t work.”
* Yelm Community Blog provides balance, lists Yelm donors to Independent candidates.


– Editor’s note:
I received a phone call on October 26 from NVN reporter Graham Perednia asking me why I contributed such a large amount to Commissioner candidates Kelsey Hulse and Jim Cooper. I responded with my reasons, and reading the NVN as I have for 28 years, I knew this question indicated the story was their perennial election cycle “hit piece” attempting to denigrate Democratic candidates.

I told Mr. Perednia this, which he omitted from his story:
If his newspaper is going to focus on my donations and that of JZ Knight’s to Democratic candidates, then to provide balance, he should list the contributions of Yelm’s high-dollar donors to the “Independent” candidates’ campaigns. Omission of details lacks fair and balance reporting [and not serving the public interest].

The Yelm newspaper does not outwardly endorse candidates, so as RSE Spokesman Mike Wright said,
“This is an old story of Republican operatives swiftboating a very liberal, politically progressive donor, and attempting to scare Democratic candidates and progressive voters. The lynch mob attitude won’t work.”

NVN commenters to their Facebook page called for fair and balanced reporting in listing contributions to others’ campaigns if the newspaper singles out Knight. Since the NVN did not do that, the following list to Independent candidates is provided as a public service:

* Top Yelm donors to “Independent” Commission candidate Gary Edwards
(includes Primary & General Election donations):
Keystone Masonry $1,000
Michelle Borman $950
Steve Borman $950
Jeanne Carlson $950
EJ Curry $950

The Schornos
Cynthia Schorno $100
Dan Schorno $250
Glenn Schorno $500
Gayla Schorno-Duerr $950
Schorno Farms $1,900
Schorno Real Estate/Yelm Real Estate $1,800
Total = $5,500

The Clapp Family
Margaret Clapp $1,900
Elizabeth Williams $1,900
Joseph Williams $1,900
Total = $5,700

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* Top Yelm donors to “Independent” Commission candidate John Hutchings
(includes Primary & General Election donations):
Keystone Masonry $1,000
Michelle Borman $1,000
Steve Borman $2,000
Joseph Williams $1,000
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_ “JZ Knight Gives Support to County Dems”
“Channeler of Ramtha Supports County Democrats With Large Financial Contributions”

“Democratic candidates for county commissioner have accepted $6,000 in campaign contributions this election cycle from Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment founder JZ Knight.

Knight also has donated $50,000 to the Thurston County Democrats and $54,000 to People for Thurston County, a local PAC, according to the Public Disclosure Commission.”

“Former Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment spokesperson and local blogger Steve Klein has contributed $1,300 to Hulse’s campaign as well. He said he supports her because of her new ideas and understanding.

‘She has a vision and passion for the environment and social issues,’ he said. ‘She is committed to support and listens to all constituents. … That is a stand I wholeheartedly support.’

Klein has also contributed $350 to Cooper’s campaign. Other Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment students have contributed money to both campaigns. However, the only two individuals to contribute more than $1,000 are Knight and Klein,” by Graham Perednia, Nisqually Valley News.
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Click here for the work of Masaru Emoto.

Click here for the Emoto Peace Project.

– From the movie synopsis:
“Few things on Earth are as miraculous and vital as seeds. Worshipped and treasured since the dawn of humankind. SEED: The Untold Story follows passionate seed keepers protecting our 12,000 year-old food legacy. In the last century, 94% of our seed varieties have disappeared. As biotech chemical companies control the majority of our seeds, farmers, scientists, lawyers, and indigenous seed keepers fight a David and Goliath battle to defend the future of our food. In a harrowing and heartening story, these reluctant heroes rekindle a lost connection to our most treasured resource and revive a culture connected to seeds. SEED features Vandana Shiva, Dr. Jane Goodall, Andrew Kimbrell, Winona Laduke and Raj Patel.”

– Showtimes in Yelm
Friday 10/28 7:00pm
Saturday 10/29 7:00pm
Sunday 10/30 12:00n
Click here to purchase tickets.

The poll results and largest majority of comments on the Nisqually Valley News (NVN) Facebook page
show the newspaper is out of line with this Question of the Week:
JZ Knight raised criticism in the past for political donations. She has again donated money to the Thurston County Democrats in this election cycle.
Do you have any objections to her financially supporting candidates? Why or why not? Some comments might be included in an upcoming Nisqually Valley News edition.
Click here for the poll.


THE MOST articulate comment yet in response to NVN’s poll question.
Used with permission by the author, Calence Ethan Emerson, posted on the newspaper’s Facebook page:
“Speaking from a 16-year background in Web Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and having run my own magazine as well as client social media accounts for years, I will tell you exactly why this question was posed here, and at its deepest root has nothing to do with JZ, nor her contributions.

If you know that what this paper has become is despicable, I invite you to step up and be that person you set out to be all those years ago as a true journalist. This paper has a duty to this community to be righteous, and a trustworthy news source, or it shouldn’t exist at all.”

Yelm Community Center
Photo credit: Yelm Chamber of Commerce

* Councilor Littlefield seated in Position 3 for the first time.
* Nisqually Tribe member makes plea to city.
* Yelm Cemetery Compliance Officer Betty Kitchen shares new direction.
* (YBA) President Cynthia Schmier: Community Center named for the Wolf Family.
* Councilor EJ Curry’s dropped with a thud – the 2017 budget is “bad”
* “Financialization is Harming Our Economy”


In Interim Mayor Foster’s absence, Mayor Pro-Tem Wood conducted the session:
1. Councilor Jennifer took her seat for the first time. [Mayor Foster had administered the Oath of Office to interim councilor Jennifer Littlefield after her October 11th appointment. That was officially sent to Thurston County and recorded.].

2. Nancy from the Nisqually Tribe spoke about issues in Yelm that need to be addressed.
She outlined how this town of her childhood has changed, bringing many challenges, i.e. growth, traffic, drugs, and more. Nancy turned to Chief Stancil to verify the drug calls to her old neighborhood on Crystal Springs Rd., who confirmed her assertions. She commented there was not one Yelm representative noted at the Paddle to Nisqually celebration earlier this summer and suggested the City of Yelm interact more with the Nisqually Tribe, highlighting over 3,000 visitors came to the Nisqually reservation and contributed to Yelm’s economy. She said there are no honors in Yelm for tribal folks that grew-up here and called this home. Bottom line: more top-of-mind awareness is due about tribal connections and that begins with city leaders. She concluded by emphasizing that afterall, “Yelm” is a tribal word, though pronounced differently.
Councilor Carmody expressed appreciation for her candor.

3. Betty Kitchen, Compliance Officer of the Yelm Cemetery gave an excellent presentation on how the Board has taken steps to move beyond the past lack of compliance and is on a new course. Invited all to come visit and walk the beautiful grounds. Introduced new brochure, more services, and newsletter.
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4. Yelm Business Assn. (YBA) President Cynthia Schmier presented a YBA Board request naming the Community Center for the Wolf Family. Schmier said the YBA had not received any response to their June 2015 proposal nor follow-up letter request to name the facility for former Mayor Kathy Wolf. Councilor Joe DePinto committed this would be placed on the council’s agenda to discuss at a Study Session, and that the city would get back to the YBA with an answer this time.
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5. Councilor EJ Curry’s dropped a statement in her councilor report that brought a long pause – she said she served on the committee that reviewed the budget and that this looks bad for 2017. That was all that was said. The public should be prepared to hear more on this in the future.

– This article is pertinent to Yelm’s budget woes –
“From Higher Education to Water Treatment, Financialization is Harming Our Economy”
“One of the standout features of our increasingly financialized economy is a systemic disinvestment in public goods such as infrastructure and education. As the finance sector hoards the wealth our economy produces, wages stagnate, corporations and the wealthy avoid contributing their rightful share in taxes, and money and power coalesces at the top, revenues at all levels of government have declined.

Correspondingly, we have witnessed a turn to austerity measures including big cuts to the budgets of the entities that provide vital public goods, from water to public education. This is no accident- it’s a feature of a rigged economic system in which austerity is the price most of us pay for the wealthiest to get even wealthier,” by Carrie Sloan, Roosevelt Forward.
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Note: We’re seeing this in Yelm with our water/sewage plant, as an example. The city of Yelm MUST come to grips in 2018 to decide how to fund an upgrade in this Public Works area, to handle the system being stretched to capacity by the growth here, Harding’s legacy (unbridled growth without infrastructure investment).