*** SELECT NEWS OF REGIONAL INTEREST ***

+ The Olympian: First cases of post-vaccine COVID-19 confirmed in WA state. 2 deaths being investigated

+ Jolt News: Vaccinations and positive cases both increasing in Thurston County

+ Seattle P-I: Bill to ban private prisons in Washington state heads to Inslee’s desk – aimed at closing the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma.

+ KING-5 TV: WA. Dept. of Health ditching Phase Finder as vaccine eligibility requirement starting March 31

+ JOLT News: Auditor works with community to strike racially restrictive covenants

+ JOLT News: Thurston Commissioners to hold public hearing on proposed Medic One tax levy ballot measure

+ Euro News: Inactivity kills millions, but movement is the ‘miracle pill’ that could save people and planet

+ Bloomberg: Republican Governors Ignore Biden’s Latest Plea on Mask Mandates – Biden’s Covid adviser to governors: You’re ‘playing with fire’

*** THE NEWS CLOSES IN ON TRUMP ***

Business Insider: 2 Capitol police officers who were on duty during the January 6 siege sued Trump for inciting riot

The New York Times: Matt Gaetz [R-FL.] Is Said to Be Investigated Over Possible Sexual Relationship With a Girl, 17

MSNBC’s The Beat with Ari Melber: Two grand juries are reportedly investigating Trump’s election actions in Georgia

McClatchy News: Trump launches ’45th President of the United States’ website

FOX News: Frustrated Trump demands to know if Special Counsel Durham is still ‘living’ – Durham assigned by former AG Barr to dig into the origins of the FBI’s “Crossfire Hurricane” Russia probe

Bloomberg: Trump’s Appeal in Defamation Case Dismissed by New York Court – Summer Zervos’ defamation suit against Trump can proceed

Politico: Court voids Trump campaign’s non-disclosure agreement, is unenforceable

MSNBC’s Deadline White House: Why the ‘Trump party’ is trying to rewrite the events of the Capitol riot

• Ed. Note: On March 23, the Yelm city council conducted a public hearing about the proposed biodryer and septage receiving station, the next step in a comprehensive plan to overhaul Yelm’s Water Reclamation Facility. Public Works Director Cody Colt and his colleagues delivered an exceptional presentation that fully addressed public concerns.
• How biodryers work. Biodrying is the process of rapidly heating biodegradable material to reduce moisture and reduce its overall weight. As in composting, biological heat is available through the aerobic degradation of organic matter. In biodrying, that heat is used to evaporate surface and bound water connected to mixed sludge. One advantage of the process is that it doesn’t require supplementary fossil fuels and consumes minimal electricity, making it more environmentally friendly than some other methods.
• What are Class A biosolids? The biodryer’s end products are Class A biosolids, a category of dewatered and heated sewage that meets guidelines for land application. Read more from the City of Yelm.
• The city council was told, “Class A are exceptional quality biosolids available for public use.”
• Mayor Foster said he and the Yelm city council would not do anything to harm the environment here.

From the City of Yelm on Biodryer & Biosolids

“The installation of a Bioforcetech (BFT) biodryer and septage receiving station is the next step in a comprehensive plan to overhaul Yelm’s Water Reclamation Facility and this new technology will help us advance our commitment to sustainability. In the initial phases, the Public Works Department replaced the Reclaimed Water Pump Station and updated the SCADA computer system to enhance the system’s reliability. The biodryer will create the capacity for the city to manage its own septage, eliminating the need to transport waste-activated sludge to a facility in Shelton where it is turned into biochar at an annual cost of approximately $300,000. With the biodryer, we will process the waste activated sludge into a fertilizer to be used on all of our parks, Yelm Community Schools fields and eventually will become available to the public for use on their yards or gardens.” Read more 

‘Preserve the Commons’ on Yelm’s Proposed Biodryer Installation

Click here

• Editor’s note: With more state legislatures considering bills similar to Georgia’s to restrict voting access in Black precincts, this country is on the verge of minority rule, which is a true autocracy. Unless there is a federal bill mandating equal voter access nationwide, this country will no longer resemble a democracy, because majority rule by voters can be overturned by Republican state legislatures enacting such laws. Think about that for a moment – minority rule is anathema to our democracy!
• This interview of Martin Luther King, Jr. on NBC’s Meet the Press (1965) about voting rights restrictions is as pertinent today as 56 years ago!

NBC News: Florida Republicans consider ban on giving voters water

Newsweek: Raphael Warnock Urges Americans to ‘Stand Up’ to Georgia Voting Law Change

The New Yorker Magazine: Inside the Koch-Backed Effort to Block the Largest Election-Reform Bill in Half a Century

*** SELECT NEWS OF REGIONAL INTEREST ***

+ JOLT News: Legislature seeks to ban open carry of weapons on the state Capitol Campus during protests or marches

+ WSDOT: Washington state’s studded tire removal deadline is nearly here – April 1st or a fine

+ The Olympian: Olympia Farmers Market moves back to four-days-a-week schedule on April 1

+ Experience Olympia and Beyond: 5 Local Gems for Your Spring Staycation, including Yelm’s Graffiti Wall

+ South Sound Business: Thurston Investment Network seeks to support, empower, and strengthen the local economy.

+ Airliner Watch: Southwest Airlines places 100 firm orders for Boeing 737 MAX 7

+ The Daily Kos: We’re drowning in single-use plastics. A problem this big requires large-scale action

*** CORONAVIRUS NEWS FROM MONDAY ***

Reuters: Biden to announce 90% of U.S. adults eligible for vaccine by April 19

CNBC: U.S. Covid cases rising again as restrictions ease despite benefits from increased vaccinations

The Daily Kos: Reopening too soon: In the race between the virus and vaccinations, the virus is winning

The UNZ Review: Are You Ready To Be an Outcast for Refusing the COVID Vaccine?

NBC News: CDC director warns of ‘impending doom’ as Covid cases rise

The News Tribune (Tacoma): All veterans, spouses can now get their COVID-19 vaccine from the VA

CNBC: CDC will extend national eviction ban through June 30

The Washington Post: WHO Wuhan report leaves question of coronavirus origins unresolved

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of WA., Republican Leader of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce: Issued a formal request “information, assistance, and needed-leadership from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)to advance an independent, scientific investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Associated Press: Passenger vehicle travel rebounding to pre-pandemic levels

*** SELECT TRUMP NEWS FROM MONDAY ***

The Daily Kos: Researchers put a number to the lives lost due to Trump’s mishandling of the pandemic: 400,000

The Washington Post: Trump officials say coronavirus response was worse than known

Common Dreams: Birx Says Most Covid Deaths in US Were Preventable, So Ted Lieu Asks: Why Didn’t You Challenge Trump?

Salon: Across the Country, Republican Legislatures Are Keeping Trump’s Agenda Alive

The Daily Beast: Dominion Builds Legal Behemoth To Drain Trumpland of Billions

The Daily Kos: My Pillow Guy Mike Lindell: “Donald Trump Will Be Back In Office In August.” Click here for the video

The Washington Post: Trump is losing the war over his legacy

Yelm’s Community Blog is 15 years old today!

– THANK YOU to readers of the Yelm Community Blog, now accessible
at YelmCommunity.org, YelmNews.com, and Yelm.com.

– Always free access, always without paid advertisements!

• Editor’s note: The Yelm Community Blog was begun at the invitation of a supporter to my 2005 Yelm mayoral campaign, who said I had garnered so much knowledge during that election year, that to just walk away would be a travesty to the community. I heard this supporter’s message and with his encouragement, began the Yelm Community Blog on March 29, 2006, as a free service to the public and as a live archive of important stories of local and historical significance. Click here for the first blog entry 15 years ago.
• With the diminishing budgets of our newspapers, blogs have become part of the fabric in reporting important stories and events of local interest. This has been reflected in the increasing volume of site visitors, re-tweets and Twitter followers for this blog. So I thank you for your continued interest and support!
• As always, you can e-mail me at info@yelm.com.

Thank you for your continued support.

Steve Klein
Host, Yelm Community Blog

• Editor’s note: The gun violence situation has required Congressional action mandating background checks and a waiting period to receive a weapon after purchase, at the very least.

The New York Times: “More guns mean more deaths. Republican members of Congress often claim otherwise. After the Boulder shootings, John Thune of South Dakota, the Senate’s second-ranking Republican, dismissed calls for restricting gun availability, saying, ‘There’s not a big appetite among our members to do things that would appear to be addressing it, but actually don’t do anything to fix the problem’” But there is overwhelming evidence that this country has a unique problem with gun violence, mostly because it has unique gun availability.”

The Daily Kos: Roberts and Kavanaugh side with liberals to call police shooting a Fourth Amendment “siezure”

*** SELECT NEWS OF REGIONAL INTEREST ***

+ The News Tribune (Tacoma): Sex offender identified as suspect in Friday’s Yelm stabbing of sheriff’s deputy

+ The Olympian: Thurston County’s weekly COVID-19 cases total grows to 4-week high

+ The Olympian: Thurston’s cash-strapped 911 service wants voters to support a proposed levy increase

+ The Points Guy: Health officials monitoring dozens in US for Ebola. Washington state is monitoring at least 23 travelers.

*** CORONAVIRUS NEWS ***

CBS News 60 Minutes: What happened in Wuhan? Why questions still linger on the origin of the coronavirus

AARP: 10 Things the Fully Vaccinated Should (and Shouldn’t) Do

KING-5 TV: Concerns of ‘fourth wave’ loom as millions more wait for vaccine eligibility in Washington

CNBC: Covid cases are rising and hospitalizations have plateaued even as vaccinations increase

CNN: Former CDC director believes virus came from lab in China

The Washington Post: Birx tells CNN most U.S. covid deaths ‘could have been mitigated’ after first 100,000

*** SELECT TRUMP NEWS ***

MSNBC: How Jennifer Weisselberg could cause Donald Trump’s downfall

The Daily Kos: FOX News Is Going to Have a Hard Time Overcoming the OVERWHELMING Evidence in the Dominion Lawsuit

Newsweek: Trump Will Talk to Supporters ‘Directly’ in Months on Own Social Network, Says Corey Lewandowski

MSNBC: Was a Trump critic’s 1st Amendment violated by Yale? We’re about to find out. A Yale psychiatrist warned of Trump’s mental health — then she was fired. Something doesn’t add up.

MSNBC: How QAnon helps its followers find conspiracy in chaos – There’s always a new clue to be found in Q’s world. apophenia is “the tendency to be overwhelmed by meaningful coincidences.”

Thurston County Sheriff deputy shoots suspect after being stabbed in neck

From KCPQ-13 FOX News, Seattle:

A sheriff’s deputy in Washington state underwent surgery for a stab wound to her neck late Friday after an altercation with a suspect, according to a report.

The suspect was airlifted for medical treatment of his own, after the deputy fired shots at him in response to the alleged stabbing attack, Q13 FOX of Seattle reported.

The incident happened in Yelm, a city in Thurston County, about 32 miles south of Tacoma. The weapon used in the stabbing was not described.

The deputy had been called to the scene on a report that a visitor was refusing to leave a home, the report said. The stabbing occurred soon after the deputy arrived. Read more

From the Mason County Sheriff’s Office:

On 03/26/21 at approximately 8:00pm, a Thurston County Sheriff’s Deputy was dispatched to a disturbance at a residence in the 16900 block of Holly St SE in Yelm, WA. According to the 911 caller, a man at the home was making threats. The deputy arrived on scene, and within two minutes of her arrival, the deputy advised Dispatch that shots had been fired and she had been stabbed. Officers from the Yelm Police Department and other TCSO Deputies arrived and began rendering aid to both the Deputy and the suspect. The Deputy, a female in her mid- thirties, was transported to St Peters Hospital where she is in serious but stable condition. The suspect, a white male in his early 40’s, was transported to Harborview Medical Center in serious condition.

This incident will be investigated by the Region 3 Critical Incident Investigation Team (CIIT), which is comprised of investigators from the Grays Harbor, Lewis, Pacific, Mason and Thurston County Sheriff’s Office’s, as well as the Washington State Patrol. The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office will have no part in this particular investigation. The Region 3 CIIT, is currently led by the Mason County Sheriff’s Office.

Due to our involvement in this incident, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office is unable to provide any additional information. Further media inquiries will be handled by Mason County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jason Dracobly, jdracobly@co.mason.wa.us, in accordance with WAC 139-12.

Click here for more from KOMO-4 ABC TV, Seattle.

*** SELECT REGIONAL NEWS FROM FRIDAY ***

+ The Olympian: Bail set at $100,000 for Thurston man accused of domestic violence, animal cruelty

+ JOLT News: 2020 Community Leadership Award Honorees Recognized, including Yelm’s Mayor Foster

+ The Olympian: Looking for local berries, meats or produce? Finding it in Washington just got easier

+ The Olympian: Portland burger chain eyes Olympia

+ The Los Angeles Times: This is what happens when ICE asks Google for your user information

*** TRUMP IN THE NEWS ***

Truthout: Dominion Voting Systems Sues Fox News for $1.6 Billion for spreading Trump’s lies

The New York Times: E.P.A. to Review Attacks on Science Under Trump

The Daily Kos: Surprise! Russia cancels Kentucky aluminum plant after Moscow Mitch fails to throw election

The Washington Post: A better pandemic response might have saved hundreds of thousands of lives — and Trump’s presidency

Truthout: Threat of Authoritarianism Is No Longer on the Horizon: It’s Arrived in the GOP

Law & Crime: N.Y. Attorney General and Manhattan DA Form ‘Rare’ Alliance for Investigation into Steve Bannon

Yelm Loop completion now projected for Fall 2025

WSDOT communications consultant Doug Adamson wrote in an e-mail reported by the Nisqually Valley News (NVN), “WSDOT is required under state and federal regulations to evaluate this project’s effects on the environment and neighboring communities. Historic and cultural resource reviews are required on all WSDOT projects that include ground-disturbing activities or effects to historical or culturally sensitive areas. We were aware of recorded sites within the corridor before we started this process, and it was no surprise to find one site eligible for the national register.” He added they cannot share much more information at this time because of the high sensitivity of this process and out of respect to their partners.

• Editor’s note: Yelm’s Wal-Mart opened in 2007, yet Yelm’s Traffic Mitigation Plan for Wal-Mart required the bypass to be completed by 2013. However, the bypass was unfunded in then-Gov. Gregoire’s budget until the 2021-2023 biennium. To this day, there is still no Bypass to mitigate Wal-Mart’s traffic and may not be until 2025.
• Click here for the complete story previously covered on this blog.

From the WSDOT SR 51g.0 Yelm Loop website:

Next steps: WSDOT is in the process of a federally required environmental assessment phase that will continue into fall 2021. The in-depth process will involve an update of the Environmental Assessment which will be completed in 2021. Efforts will produce a detailed environmental document called a Supplemental Environmental Assessment.

The End Result 
In this project, crews will build the 3 remaining miles of SR 510 between Cullens Road and 170th Street Southeast. The new connection, like the previously built Phase 1, is proposed to be a two-lane highway with bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

Timeline

• Environmental reevaluation – Winter 2019 – Fall 2021
• Project advertised for competitive bidding – Early 2023
• Construction – Summer 2023
• Project completion – Early Fall 2025

*** SELECT REGIONAL NEWS FROM THURSDAY ***

+ NVN: Yelm Receives $1.2 Million Federal Grant to Start Planning Draft Habitat Conservation Plan

+ KING-5 TV: Washington adopts 3-foot distance rule in schools in line with CDC guidance

+ South Sound Business: Registration Open for Thurston County COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics March 26, 28

+ The Points Guy: From battling ‘frenemy’ Delta to Oneworld to Virgin America, outgoing Alaska Air CEO [Brad Tilden] leaves his mark News

+ The News-Tribune (Tacoma): Drug possession bills emerge to address wide-reaching state Supreme Court ruling

+ KING-5 TV: Sea-Tac Airport gets busier as travelers credit vaccines and spring break as reasons to fly

+ KING-5 TV: Everyone 16 and older in Washington will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccine by May 1

+ KING-5 TV: As ‘vaccine chasers’ seek leftover COVID-19 shots, Washington health officials urge patience