Police Chief Todd Stancil’s last day was June 27th

From Mayor Joe DePinto:

Thank you Police Chief Todd Stancil for giving 27 years of service to the City of Yelm.

There was a wonderful potluck retirement party at City Hall earlier today for Chief Stancil where he shared his last call to dispatch with family, friends, and colleagues.

We are fortunate for his impact on our community and I’m thankful for his time as Chief as well as Interim City Administrator.

• Editor’s note: Congratulations and a sincere “thank you” for your service to our community, Chief Stancil. Your integrity, professional stature, and respect for all constituents set your apart. We have been enriched by someone of your caliber in this city’s leadership during tumultuous times. Wishing you well in your future endeavors. – Steve Klein, Blog Host

Retro Rainier Independence Day, July 2nd

From The Olympian:

Join the community in celebrating the First Annual Retro Rainier. This is an Independence Day celebration that will be held at Wilkowski Park – Rochester St E, Rainier, WA 98576. There will be food and crafts vendors and a car show. The event will go from 2-8 p.m. Admission is free.

From Retro Rainier:

Welcome to Rainier’s fastest-growing Independence Day Celebration! We are kicking off the First Annual Retro Rainier, a Patriotic Celebration at Wilkowski Park right here in beautiful Rainier. This Free Family event has a little something for everyone. Besides scheduled games and activities for the young and old, you can expect to see a variety of vendors, a classic car show, crafters, and delicious food options. Join the community in kicking off the 4th of July weekend with friends old and new! Don’t forget to show up in your most patriotic outfit, you just might win best dressed.

Inslee Asks Voters to Reject 3rd District Candidates Joe Kent, Vicki Kraft

• Editor’s note: Joe Kent recently held a public forum in Yelm, covered here previously. Congressional District 3 covers precincts around Yelm, yet not within the city limits. Kent is running to “Primary” current Republican office holder Jamie Herrera-Beutler (R-Vancouver), who voted to impeach President Trump for violating his oath to the Constitution of the United States.

By Brennan Kauffman, The Daily News (Longview):

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is urging Republican voters in Southwest Washington to reject Joe Kent and state Rep. Vicki Kraft in the upcoming Congressional primary because of their statements and actions questioning the outcome of the 2020 election.

In an interview with The Daily News on Thursday, the Democratic governor singled out the two Republican candidates by name as a “clear and present danger to democracy.” Kent, R-Yacolt, and Kraft, R-Vancouver, are two of the eight candidates running to unseat incumbent Rep. Jamie Herrera Beutler from Washington’s 3rd Congressional District.

The two candidates have questioned the election results at both the national level and for Washington state specifically throughout their campaign appearances and have pushed to relitigate the state’s 2020 election count.

“We have candidates running for the U.S. Congress who are part of a continuing insurgency to ignore our election results. We are calling on all good Republicans and independents to come to the aid of democracy and reject these candidates who refuse to accept the results of the last election,” Inslee said.

No widespread voter fraud has been found in Washington, especially on the scale needed to flip the result for a reliably Democratic state. Joe Biden received roughly 800,000 more votes from Washingtonians than Donald Trump did during the 2020 election.

Read more

+ The New York Times: Biden insists that he plans to run again in 2024. He and top aides are stung by some Democrats’ skepticism that he should.

• Editor’s note: I concur with this letter below.

Unenrolled voter wants to see field of Democratic choices in ’24

From The Boston Globe:

Re “Even Democrats now agree: Biden is too old for his job” by Jeff Jacoby (Opinion, June 22): President Biden’s age matters to this unenrolled voter. I’m 70, and I have certainly lost a step or two — that’s life. It seems obvious that Biden has lost a few more. But the party insists on honoring its more senior members and worrying about whose turn it is when it comes to fielding major candidates.

Since I may never be able to vote for a Republican again, given their actions over the last two years, I have formed strong impressions of the potential of the Democrat Party. They will not win in 2024 with Biden seeking reelection, and this country is not ready for a third-party candidate. Kamala Harris is not going to carry the 2024 ticket either — she’s not quite ready yet for prime time. I think an Amy Klobuchar-Pete Buttigieg slate would be perfect.

It could be hard to pry incumbent from perch

President Harry Truman noted that a sitting president controlled levers of power and persuasion sufficient to name himself as the nominee for reelection if he desired. Times have changed, of course, and cancel culture reigns, so the Truman wisdom may be as fungible as Joe Biden’s malapropisms. Nevertheless, big blue Democratic bosses will have to exercise Machiavellian realpolitik to pry the president’s fingers from the party favors.

Paul Bloustein

Cincinnati

Key perspectives

+ The Bulwark: Roe’s End and the Phony Doctrine of ‘Potential Life’ – Why you can’t trust the Supreme Court’s promise that contraception and gay marriage won’t be next.

+ NBC News: There’s another War Between the States coming over abortion – Before the Civil War, Northern and Southern states did battle over fugitive slaves. Once again, something legal in one state is illegal in a state next door.

+ Truthout: “Crisis of Our Democracy”: AOC Calls for Supreme Court Justices to Be Impeached – on the basis that their votes to overturn Roe v. Wade violated pledges they made under oath in their confirmation hearings.

+ The New York Times: The initial response by Biden and other party leaders to the overturning of Roe struck many Democrats as painfully inadequate.

+ The New York Times: Mitch McConnell told The Times that the fall of Roe was the culmination of his mission to reshape the Supreme Court.

Rainier auto-mechanic Joe Keeslar passed today!

Joe Keeslar, who has been an iconic auto-mechanic serving the area for over 30 years, passed away this morning outside of Mexico City. His wife Keyra was at his side. He was in Mexico undergoing treatment for his illnesses.

Joe moved to Yelm from Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1990, subsequently establishing JK Autoworks in Rainier, WA.

Further details on a Life Celebration are to be determined.

• Editor’s note: Joe was one being who uplifted everyone with whom he came in contact. I never heard one word other than joy from or about this man. What an amazing legacy he leaves. His light, laughter and love will be greatly missed. Blessings to his family during this period of grieving and loss.

Yelm Rotary Club’s 10 Weeks of Summer Food program begins this week

From the Yelm Rotary Club:

Tuesday, June 28th starts the @YelmRotaryClub’s 10 Weeks of Summer Food program.

We will be at the front gate of Clearwood from 10-12 with bags of food for school age kids who normally qualify for low-cost of free lunches during the school year.

If you have a friend or neighbor who would qualify but can’t make it on that day, feel free to pick up for them.

Community members celebrate raising of Pride flag at the state capitol

From the Office of Gov. Jay Inslee:

Dozens gathered at the state Capitol this week to raise an LGBTQ+ pride flag in celebration of Pride Month. The event was organized by the Washington State LGBTQ Commission. Washington is among the first states to raise this new version of the flag which represents inclusion of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), and trans and intersex communities.  

State leaders have striven to adopt policies that protect the rights and safety of people in the LGBTQ+ community. In recent years, legislators have approved bills to prohibit anti-LGBTQ bullying, ban conversion therapy, and ensure health insurance coverage for gender-affirming treatment.  

This week’s celebration comes at a time of rising anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and physical assaults in Washington state and around the country. Gov. Jay Inslee, legislators, and community leaders all expressed their commitment to ensuring Washington remains a state that protects the equality, dignity, and safety of LGBTQ+ individuals. 

“Raising this flag has a purpose,” Inslee said. “It’s a purpose of continued commitment, not just celebration, because we have to understand that there still are voices of intolerance. There are still those that feel threatened, and there are those who do not wish to let others be who they will be.”

Dollar General Store set to transform Rainier

+ The Olympian: A new Dollar General Store is under construction in Rainier at at the corner of Myers Street Southeast and State Route 507.