Photo credit: Pizzeria LaGitana, Yelm

– From Pizzeria LaGitana, the Yelm Business Assn. (YBA), and the City of Yelm.
Yelm’s First Jazz Fest
Saturday, August 5 at 2:45 PM – 9 PM
Yelm City Park

We invite you to join us at Yelm Park for the 1st “Jazz in the Park” Festival. Prepare to enjoy a relaxing evening, taking in the breathtaking view of Mount Rainier while serenaded by live jazz bands. FREE admission!

Bring your family and friends, picnic basket and blankets, or maybe enjoy the food supplies offered on site. Regardless of what you bring with you, be prepared to be transported to a vacation state of mind. A beer and wine garden will also be featured, and for our guests visiting from out of town, the local Prairie Hotel is an upscale accommodation option. We look forward to seeing you there!

2:45 – 3:45 – The Choro Group
4:00 – 5:00 – Vince & La Von (Red&Ruby)
5:15 – 6:15 – Jessica Blinn
6:30 – 7:30 – Anjali (Itamare Band)
7:45 – 8:45 – The Hot Club of Space
Read more


– “Nisqually Valley Happenings for the Week of Aug. 6”
“Editor’s Best Bet: Yelm Jazz Festival, 3-9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5

“‘The Jazz Festival is an idea long overdue,’ said Yelm Mayor JW Foster. ‘We are pleased to partner with local businesses to bring this kind of family entertainment to our city. Yelm is a wonderful place to visit and we’re happy to share what we have with others, while creating entertainment opportunities for our own residents at the same time. It’s going to be an enjoyable evening — a perfect way to end a summer day on the prairie,'” quoting the Nisqually Valley News.
Read more


– “Jazz in the Park Concert Debuts in Yelm”
“Get those picnic blankets ready, Yelm.”
“On August 5, Yelm City Park will host the first ever Jazz in the Park event from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. featuring local musicians, a beer and wine garden, and food options ranging from bring-your-own picnic baskets to food trucks.”

“The Yelm Business Association got involved and sponsors began to line up,” quoiting Heidi Smith, ThurstonTalk.
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Photo credit: National Weather Service (NWS), Seattle

– Olympia’s all-time record high of 104 degrees (most recently Jul. 29, 2009) could be tied or broken Thursday.

Issuing Office: Seattle/Tacoma
Source: National.Weather.Service

3:35am PDT, Sun Jul 30

… EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING… THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH, WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING. * TEMPERATURE… UNUSUALLY HOT WEATHER IS FORECAST BEGINNING TUESDAY AND CONTINUING THROUGH FRIDAY. RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL OCCUR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WITH HIGHS ON THURSDAY WITHIN 5 DEGREES OF ALL TIME RECORD HIGHS.

HIGHS ON THURSDAY WITHIN 5 DEGREES OF ALL TIME RECORD HIGHS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH MEANS THAT A PROLONGED PERIOD OF HOT TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED. THE HOT TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE A DANGEROUS SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE POSSIBLE. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS, STAY OUT OF THE SUN, AND CHECK UP ON RELATIVES AND NEIGHBORS. YOUNG CHILDREN AND PETS SHOULD NEVER BE LEFT UNATTENDED IN VEHICLES UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE DURING WARM OR HOT WEATHER WHEN CAR INTERIORS CAN REACH LETHAL TEMPERATURES IN A MATTER OF MINUTES.
Read more


– “Rare 100-Degree Heat Possible in Seattle”
“A blistering heat wave will sear the Pacific Northwest, threatening some all-time record highs in parts of Oregon and Washington, pushing Seattle toward a rare triple-digit high.”

In records dating to 1894, Seattle has only had three days of 100-degree plus heat, all in July:

July 29, 2009: 103 degrees
July 20, 1994: 100 degrees
July 16, 1941: 100 degrees

By Jonathan Belles, Weather.com.
Read more

© National Association of Town Watch.
National Night Out™ is a registered trademark of NATW

– National Night Out Against Crime in the City of Yelm – August 1st
On Tuesday, August 1st, neighborhoods throughout the City of Yelm are encouraged to come together to join forces with thousands for communities nationwide for the 34th Annual National Night Out Against Crime Event, at the Yelm Community Center, from 6-8pm.

National Night Out is designed to:
(1) Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness;
(2) Generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime efforts;
(3) Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and
(4) Send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

– Event in Yelm
National Night Out Against Crime at the Yelm Community Center August 1st!
“The 34th Annual National Night Event will take place nationwide and include more than 38,000 million people in over 16,000 communities. The Yelm Police Department will host their second annual event from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Yelm Community Center on Tuesday, August 1st. There will be food, snacks and water available for attendees in addition to fun items for kids and informational material for adults. In addition to Yelm Officers and new Police Vehicles being there we will also have SE Thurston Fire and their big red fire truck and Thurston County Sheriff’s Office and their Tactical Response Vehicle (TRV). Residents are encouraged to stop by at any time and talk with officers, deputies and firefighters and ask questions or just have a hot dog (Provided by Mr. Doug’s Restaurant),” quoting the Yelm Police Department.
Read more


– About National Night Out™
National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. National Night Out enhances the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.

Millions of neighbors take part in National Night Out across thousands of communities from all fifty states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities, and military bases worldwide on the first Tuesday in August (Texas celebrates on the first Tuesday in October).
Read more

Deschutes Falls Park
Photo credit: Steve Bloom, The Olympian


– Editor’s note:
I visited the gorgeous and magical Deschutes Falls Park many times in the early 1990’s after moving here from the Bay Area in 1988, so really looking forward to re-visiting.


– “Deschutes Falls Park ‘a hidden gem again’”
“The 155-acre site at 25005 Bald Hill Road, more than 15 miles southeast of Yelm, has been closed to the public since it was purchased by Thurston County about 25 years ago. But in about six weeks, it will reopen as the area’s newest recreational treasure,” by Lisa Pemberton, The Olympian, published in sister newspaper The Seattle Times.
Read more


Click here for Thurston County’s Deschutes Falls website, to be updated once the park has re-opened.

“The UFO fest in Yelm”
“This weekend the city of Yelm WA will host a UFO fest and we talked to the way out woman in charge!
Click here to listen to this awesome 4 minute interview.

1. “An Inconvenient Truth Sequel” debuts today, nationwide Aug. 4th –
Unfortunately Yelm is not scheduled to run this movie, though Olympia is

4. Rep. Denny Heck: “Time to get to work” after Health Care changes failure.

“The Senate’s repeated efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act appear to be over, but the need for a bipartisan approach to health care still endures”

“I have added my signature to a letter to Speaker Ryan with four concrete steps we can take now to improve the individual market and make it more affordable for those who depend on them. I will support these proposals at every opportunity.

My constituents in the South Sound sent me to Congress to pass good legislation, block bad legislation, AND fix the laws that aren’t perfect. The ACA falls in that third category.”
Read more from Congressman Denny Heck’s letter to his District 10 constituents.


– “I can’t wait to get back to the South Sound. But before I go, I wanted to update you on the latest from the U.S. Capitol.”
Read more from Congressman Denny Heck’s letter to his District 10 constituents.

* City Admin. Michael Grayum announced the following to councilors July 25:
+ Financial Director Noah Crocker will be taking another position,
+ City Admin. Michael Grayum will also become the acting Finance Director.
* This blogger reported 2 years ago the revolving door of Finance Directors was an issue,
* If Crocker was forced out, timing was unfortunate as budget process was to have begun.
* If not, Yelm needs to conduct an exit interview on why Noah left, make public.
* No secret that Crocker worked here for a long time without proper dept. staffing.
* Councilors need to DEMAND a full audit of the city’s budget by an outside firm.


– This Blogger wrote this Sept. 22, 2015 about the city’s new Finance Director:
“With the loss of former City Administrator Shelly Badger and Mayor Harding assuming many of those functions (unpaid according to him), yet not posting the City Administrator position to seek a replacement, the hiring of Noah Crocker as Finance Director, who brings a sterling reputation to Yelm from Olympia, will provide some needed stability to financial matters, what with the leaking dike of frequent personnel changes at City Hall. Hopefully, Mr. Crocker will have a long tenure in Yelm, though the staff changes in this position after hiring previous qualified replacements gives one cause to reflect otherwise.”


– THANK YOU to Finance Director Noah Crocker for your service to Yelm!
While Crocker was hired under a different, then-beleaguered mayor 2 years ago, he brought sorely needed talents to a city hall operating without a city administrator. Crocker has seen many changes and I am sure, many unforeseen pressures he has had to shoulder that caused much stress. Working under former Mayor Harding’s dictatorial management style and with no city administrator, to then going through the last year of further changes in Harding’s resignation and subsequent appointment of an interim mayor, the hiring of a city administrator, no proper staffing in his department for quite a lengthy period, plus the millions of dollars in financing required to upgrade and maintain Public Works, yet with no current funding source, Crocker certainly saw a kaleidoscope in city hall these last 2 years. He leaves here enriched from his experiences and challenges and I wish Noah well in his future endeavors.


– Bottom line:
Yelm is in a crisis with what is financially required at Public Works, and now has a way-too stretched-thin city administrator carrying the load of another full-time job as acting Finance Director. City leaders need to be transparent with the public on the reasons for Crocker’s departure, the replacement hiring process, where this town stands financially, and that requires all due haste! Clearly many councilors were unaware at the loss of Yelm’s Finance Director, nor that City Administrator Grayum was now the acting Finance Director. With the interim mayor’s stated mission of transparency, I hope the public hears more about this turn of events at the council’s Study Session Tuesday, August 1, 2017.

– Kudos to Nisqually Valley News (NVN) reporter Andrew Kollar for taking-on the Public Works issue:

“Yelm Water Reclamation Facility Back Running”
“Down Six Weeks: Deferred Maintenance to Blame for High Ammonia Levels”
“After six weeks of frustration, wading through wastewater and hard work done by the Yelm Water Reclamation Facility staff and public officials, the facility is now able to distribute reclaimed water to its customers as of Wednesday [July 26].”
* What This Meant for Customers
* How the Facility Works
* What Went Wrong
* The Reason Behind the Deferred Maintenance
“Since the facility was built, required upgrades have not been made along the way partly in an effort to cut spending and partly because the facility was run by consultants instead of a treatment plant manager with expertise in maintaining the facility.

The city now has multiple problems to fix at one time. Cost was the leading factor behind the lack of maintenance, said Yelm Mayor JW Foster. He cited the deferment of maintenance was an easy way for the previous city government to cut spending during the recession of 2008.”

* Immediate Phase One Improvement Plan
* Expected Cost


[Editor’s note:
Time and time again, then-councilor Foster voted to defer maintenance costs on Public Works projects and rarely asked any questions about the long-term effects of doing such. Current estimated expenses are greatly increased than if done properly years ago. Deferring maintenance after the 2008 economic downturn was one way former Mayor Ron Harding kept from raising taxes prior to his 2009 re-election, and then again in 2013. And Harding’s councilors were complicit by their silence and their votes. Employee morale issues and spending cuts to departments’ staffing led to city hall employees unionizing. Deferred maintenance costs have led to a projected $15-$24 million expense to modernize Public Works. Newly elected councilors in 2015 Molly Carmody, Tad Stillwell, and Joe DePinto have all raised this issue, and Councilor Carmody recently expressed her frustration at a Council Study Session this has not been communicated with the public. All of this is now set against a framework with the budget process set to begin and the Finance Director is leaving.
Now these decisions lay at Foster’s feet!
Tough words?
Yes!
Though someone has to say them…
This city can not solve the Public Works issues by employing the same mindset that created the problems to begin with!]
Read more

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power


– Editor’s note:
While Yelm Cinemas has a long track-record of ticket sales for screening movies such as this, once again their distributor did not place Yelm on the list to show this film. Click here for tickets for August 4th and after at Century Theater, Westfield Capital Mall, which also features Luxury Lounger Recliners.


– “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth To Power (2017)- Official Trailer – Paramount Pictures”
“Watch the new trailer for An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, the sequel to An Inconvenient Truth. In theatres July 28, 2017 [for limited release, nationwide August 4, 2017].”
Click here from Paramount Pictures on YouTube.


– “Al Gore: I’d hoped Trump would ‘come to his senses’ on Paris climate pact”
“Former Vice President Al Gore, who is out with a new sequel to ‘An Inconvenient Truth,’ tells TODAY’s Willie Geist that President Trump’s decisions have torn down America’s standing in the world: “The months ahead will be a test for the American people.” He says he has confidence that special counsel Robert Mueller will get to the bottom of Russian meddling in the 2016 election. More on this story here,” from TODAY on NBC.