* StageStruck’s Charlie and the Chocolate Dream Factory,
3 shows this weekend at The Triad Theater, Sponsored by Ice Chips®

* Rep. Heck calls on Chairman Devin Nunes to remove himself

* Everett, WA sues big-pharma in landmark opioids case

* Hanover College grads chastise V. P. Mike Pence

– Editor’s Note:
Hanover College is located approx. 50 miles upstream from Louisville, KY. on the Ohio River. This was one of the top stories in Louisville, KY. as I departed on March 30th –

– “Hanover College grads chastise fellow alum Mike Pence”
“More than 400 alumni from Hanover College — Vice President Mike Pence’s alma mater — have signed a letter to Indiana’s former governor questioning his involvement in the “xenophobia” of President Donald Trump’s administration.

Pence graduated from Hanover, a private liberal arts college nestled near the Ohio River in Indiana, in 1981. His ascent to Washington, D.C., has made him one of the institution’s most famous former students, but some alumni are concerned about the connection between their cherished school and the White House’s new denizens.

‘We write to you to ask how, as an obviously devout Christian, and after four years of the enlightening liberal arts education we all received at Hanover College, you can participate in the discrimination, racism, xenophobia, and antipathy toward the poor that we see in the actions of the Trump administration,” the alumni letter to Pence says. “How is sowing fear and confusion among neighbors a Christian value? Scapegoating others for their differences does not bring glory to God, Mr. Vice President, but it just might bring this nation to ruin,'”
From the Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.)
Read more

“In this Feb. 16, 2017, photo, Everett, WA. Mayor Ray Stephanson sits in his corner office
overlooking downtown Everett. Stephanson is suing pharmaceutical giant Purdue Pharma,
becoming the first city trying to hold the maker of OxyContin accountable for damages.”
Photo credit: AP Photo/Elaine Thompson


– “Big Pharma Channeled Opioids to Black Market”
“Purdue Pharma is being sued by the city of Everett, Washington, which has been hard-hit by deaths from opioid painkiller and heroin abuse.

The suit alleges that Purdue Pharma, which manufactures OxyContin, supplied the drug to ‘obviously suspicious pharmacies and physicians and enabl[ed] the illegal diversion of OxyContin into the black market’ in the city.

Mayor Ray Stephanson told CBS News that the city has been significantly damaged and its resources, including first responders and even crews cleaning up syringes in public parks, significantly strained as a result of the drugs flowing into their community.

The case is built around a 2016 investigation by the Los Angeles Times, which revealed OxyContin was being trafficked illegally from California to Washington, and suggested Purdue Pharma knew about it but did nothing to stop it.4 The drug maker is no stranger to litigation. CBS News reported:

‘In 2007, Purdue Pharma and its executives paid more than $630 million in legal penalties to the federal government for willfully misrepresenting the drug’s addiction risks.

The same year, it also settled with Washington and other states that claimed the company aggressively marketed OxyContin to doctors while downplaying the addiction risk. As part of that settlement, it agreed to continue internal controls to identify potential diversion or abuse,’” by Dr. Mercola.
Read more

“Congressman Denny Heck calls on Chairman Devin Nunes to remove himself from the Russian active measures investigation in the House Intelligence Committee”
“Following the actions of Chairman Nunes that undermined the ongoing Russian active measures investigation underway in the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Committee Member Congressman Denny Heck (WA-10) released the following statement:

“Due to the serious nature of the events of the past week, I join Ranking Member Schiff in stating Chairman Nunes should recuse himself from the House Intelligence Committee investigation. This whole debacle just goes to show that this investigation belongs in the hands of an independent commission. In order to get to the bottom of what happened, and to prevent it from happening again, Congress must remove this investigation from this partisan, political atmosphere. The American people deserve our serious attention to this urgent and immediate attack on our democracy.”
Read more


– Editor’s note:
This blogger whole-heartedly concurs!

– Welcome to Charlie and the Chocolate Dream Factory.
Come with the StageStruck Players to a world of pure imagination, a world of candy loving children and magic singing into a world of chocolate covered adventure!

Watch Charlie Brown and the Peanuts family stage their own version of Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory…in which Snoopy and Linus and Lucy and many others direct the young, good hearted Charlie Buckett in his desire to hold his own with all the other Wonka golden ticket winners as they ride the Wonkatanic through a fantasy land of Oompah Loompahs, Everlasting GobStoppers, and Fizzy Lifting Drinks.
This is a child’s journey into their own hearts and habits to see how many lessons they can learn in a single afternoon. Listen to the colorful tunes of “Candy Man”, “Suppertime”. “Happiness”, “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown”, among many other delicious songs.

Directed by Nancy Tribush Hillman, with a cast of charming as well as challenging children, and their overworked and overwrought parents.

– Three Performances:
April 1st at 2pm and 7pm,
April 2nd at 2pm.
All tickets $10
At the Triad Theater.
Tickets available at Gordon’s Garden Center, the Yelm Food Coop and online at www.TheTriadTheater.com.

Lolita ‘incarcerated’ at the Miami Seaquarium
Photo credit: Miami Seaquarium


– From the Orca Network
Orca Network is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization registered in Washington State, dedicated to raising awareness about the whales of the Pacific Northwest, and the importance of providing them healthy and safe habitats.

Worldwide Rallies to Retire Lolita

2017 Miracle Marches for Lolita in London, Miami, Seattle, California, Las Vegas & New Hampshire!
Please check the Facebook links below for details and how you can join a rally near you.

Solidarity Events April 1st:
Seattle, WA

Much is going on to help bring Lolita home and to inform and advocate for her and her family. Please consider a tax-deductible contribution to help Orca Network continue this work by clicking HERE. Thank you!
Read more


– About Lolita
“On August 8, 1970 nearly a hundred members of the Southern Resident Killer Whale Community were herded into Penn Cove on Whidbey Island [Puget Sound]. Five whales drowned, seven young whales were stolen from their families. Only one survives today. Her name is Lolita.”
Lolita remains almost 47 years later in a small tank, ‘incarcerated’ at the Miami Seaquarium.

– “Everyone can do a bit for spring air”
“Spring has arrived, and smoke from wood stoves should die down soon. In the down side, smoke from yard debris fires is likely to increase as rains let up and homeowners tackle the winter’s mess in earnest.

That is why we are sharing a few suggestions from the Olympia Region Clean Air Agency. Your family and neighbors may breathe easier.

First, outdoor burning is strictly off limits for residents inside Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, Yelm, Tenino, Rainier, Grand Mound and Bucoda, as well as their urban growth areas.

Burning of household trash anywhere is illegal and subject to fines of up to $14,915. Barrel fires are also prohibited because the contents don’t burn cleanly.

However, outdoor burn piles smaller than 4-feet in diameter are allowed in rural areas with a permit from Oct. 1 to until July 14. The yearly county ban on outdoor fires is in effect from July 15 through Oct. 1,” The Olympian Editorial Board.
Read more

– Yelm Community Blog celebrates 11th anniversary today.
The Yelm Community Blog began coverage quietly on March 29, 2006, eleven years ago today, with this story still pertinent today:
“5000 pupils in Yelm Community Schools”
“Yelm Community Schools announced at the March 14, 2006 Chamber of Commerce Forum that they just enrolled their 5,000th pupil, which doubled their student numbers in 25 years. What they did not say is that student enrollments could double again in as little as 5 years with new housing developments approved by the Yelm City Council.”
[Editor’s note: The Thurston Highlands development of 5,000 homes went bankrupt in 2008, so Yelm Community Schools reports 5,500 pupils enrolled today.]
Read more


Editor’s note:
The Yelm Community Blog was begun at the insistence of a supporter to my 2005 Yelm mayoral campaign, who said I had garnered so much knowledge in the year that I ran for mayor, that to just walk away would be a travesty to the community. I heard this supporter’s message and with his encouragement, began this Blog.

As always, you can e-mail this blogger at info@yelm.com.

Thank you for your continued support.

Steve Klein
Host, Yelm Community Blog

Ice Chips founders Beverly Vines Haines, Charlotte Clary,
in front of painting of Xylitol’s source, birch trees.
Photo: Yelm Community Blog


– “Thurston County: a taste for ?”
“What does Thurston County taste like? Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater Visitor and Convention Bureau (OLTVCB) wants to know.

The visitor promotion agency has teamed up with the famous grannies at Ice Chips to make a candy that represents the flavor of the region. Together, they have narrowed down the candy choices to three flavors and now seek the public’s help in selecting the winning flavor.

Potential Thurston County flavor choices include:

* Apple Fritters: Inspired by the area’s famous farm fresh fritters, the candy is fused with the fresh taste of apples reminiscent of a trip down the Thurston Bountiful Byway.
* Artesian Rain: “It’s the Water” has long described greater Olympia. Rain keeps natural beauty lush and green and artesian water feeds the area’s burgeoning craft culture. Mint is infused into the candy giving it a refreshing taste.
* Coffee Rain: Thurston County embraces the rain as much as the coffee that runs through local’s veins.

Locals are encouraged to cast their vote at this link. Voting is open until April 16, 2017,” quoting the Business Examiner.

Reserve Officer Joe Rivera and Officer Joel Turner recognized
Photo credit: Yelm Police Dept. Facebook


– Yelm Police Officer and Reserve Officer of the Year acknowledged
“At the City Council Meeting Tuesday evening [March 28] the City of Yelm recognized the Yelm Police Officer and Reserve Officer of the Year. Officer Joel Turner was recognized as our Officer of the Year and Joseph Rivera was recognized as our Reserve Officer of the Year. Congratulations to both officers for their exceptional service to the community of Yelm,” quoting Yelm Police Dept. Facebook page.
Read more


– Yelm City Council adopts Social Media Policy
“A priority of Mayor Foster and the City Council has been to increase the City’s transparency and better communicate with our citizens and community.”
Read more