Christmas Tree & Tower Lighting Friday, entertainment on Saturday

+ NVN: Yelm Gears Up for Christmas in the Park Event

From the City of Yelm:

Christmas in the Park is a free community event.

Schedule of Events

Friday 12/2
Yelm Community Center & Yelm City Park
5-8 pm Santa Pictures
6 pm Tree & Tower Lighting by 2022 Masters of Merriment
6-8 pm Snow and Glow Dance Party
6-8 pm Cocoa Trail

Saturday 12/3
10 am Essay contest winners announced
10:30-4 Kids and Family Friendly Activities in the Park
10:30-4 Live entertainment from Yelm Community Schools Bands & Choirs

Friday night starts with a tree lighting and pictures with Santa sponsored by the City and coordinated by the City of Yelm staff.

On Saturday, citizens flock to Yelm City Park to listen to our local choir and band students who entertain with holiday tunes, while businesses and organizations host free, family friendly activities for kids to enjoy. If your business or organization would like to participate in Yelm’s 2022 Christmas in the Park, register here. 

Some new events that are making their debut in 2022 are the Snow and Glow Dance Party, and the Cocoa Trail.

This event is a partnership between the City of Yelm, Yelm Chamber of Commerce, and Yelm Community Schools.

Proposed Thurston County airport seen to harm wildlife, displace residents and businesses

Hundreds protest proposed new ‘Central Thurston’ airport

From The JOLT News:

The proposed new Thurston County airport would harm wildlife and displace thousands of residents and businesses, two experts warned.

Cindy Schexnider, a retired Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist, and Robbi Currey, a real estate appraiser, spoke before hundreds of Thurston County residents who gathered on November 14 to protest the state’s consideration of the location to build a major new commercial airport.

Most of the approximately 275 attendees stayed for the full two-hour meeting of the “Stop the Thurston Airport” citizen’s advocacy group at the Grace Community Covenant Church in Olympia.

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Schexnider said a Thurston County airport would directly impact wetlands and waterways in three watersheds: Anderson Inlet, Deschutes River, and Nisqually River.

The three watersheds support over two dozen fish species, including pink salmon, sockeye, chum, and coho. Schexnider, citing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said around 12 federally threatened or endangered species could be impacted by the development of the green site.

The watersheds also serve as filters that improve the quality of drinking water, reduce erosion, as well as temper floods and droughts, according to Schexnider.

Read more

+ The Olympian Editorial Board: What are we willing to sacrifice for a second airport? Would we accept a clogged Sea-Tac?

Though unrelated, this is an interesting report on the current Olympia Airport:

+ Thurston Talk: A Birds-Eye View of the Olympia Regional Airport

+ State Legislator Jim McCune: McCune pledges to fight ‘reckless’ airport plan in the Senate

Local Places Make ‘Most Affordable’ West Coast Cities List

From South Sound Business:

Tacoma and Olympia are among the most affordable West Coast cities to live in, according to a new study from Livability.com.

The list, which culled data from Movoto by OJO, took into account each city’s median sold price for homes and the broader metropolitan area’s median household income to determine an affordability score. An exclusive study conducted by Livability.com in partnership with Ipsos informed the list. 

In total, four Washington cities made the list: Tacoma, Olympia, Spokane, and Vancouver.

Congratulations to Jane Walker, AVP/Yelm Branch Manager who celebrates her 10-year anniversary with OlyFed!

• Editor’s note: Congratulations to Jane. She is a vital part of the fabric of our community. I also acknowledge Jane for her service to Yelm and vicinity!

From OlyFed:

Hired in November 2012, Jane began her career with OlyFed as a Branch Manager at the Tumwater branch. In November 2014, she moved to the Yelm Highway branch as Branch Manager before transferring to Branch Manager at the Yelm branch in August of 2015.

Jane is a great example of what it means to be an OlyFedder. She has been honored with several accolades for her commitment to lifelong learning and outstanding customer service, and is very involved in the community. She serves as Treasurer on the Yelm Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, is active in the Yelm Real Estate Network and with the Yelm Rotary Student of the Month program.

Jane has been a resident of the Yelm community for over two decades. In her free time, she enjoys painting and beekeeping! She has triplet grandbabies, all girls, and a dog named Dook who she adores.

“Jane is committed to excellence in everything she does. It’s just part of what makes her an amazing leader,” Josh Deck, President and CEO said. “She is regularly recognized for her kindheartedness and thoughtful encouragement by both her colleagues and our customers.”

Let’s transform the world through radical generosity

GivingTuesday reimagines a world built upon shared humanity and generosity.

About Giving Tuesday:

“GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Since then, it has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

“Join the movement and give – each Tuesday and every day – whether it’s some of your time, a donation, or the power of your voice in your local community.

“It’s a simple idea:  whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts and everyone has something to give.“

How to Participate in GivingTuesday, United States

Click here, scroll down.

Washington Center for the Performing Arts reopens

From The Jolt News:

The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, which has gone through a major refurbishing and updating of all theatrical equipment, has finally opened its curtains to the public.

Washington Center’s executive director Jill Barnes gave tours to donors and other members of the public on Saturday, November 12, and then appeared at the Olympia City Council meeting on Tuesday, November 15, to update the council members on the center. 

“With tremendous support from Olympia, we were able to complete this $8.8 million campaign this summer,” Barnes told the councilmembers.

The city renovated the exterior of the building in 2014.

The 2014 work “… brought to light that the interior and the backstage equipment needed a bit of updating,” Barnes remarked, “so we began to work on a capital campaign to update all areas of the Washington Center.”

The Washington Center embarked on the interior renovation in the middle of the pandemic – working on the backstage first and completing work in the theatrical space, lobby, and other areas.

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One last thing

If you missed the chance to contribute to The Center’s capital campaign, there’s still an opportunity to Sponsor a Seat in the theatre. For $300, your name or the name of someone you want to honor will be engraved on a brass plaque and installed on a right armrest.

Read more of the story.

+ South Sound Business: Newly Renovated Washington Center for the Performing Arts Celebrates Reopening

From Merriam-Webster: Click here for the story: Word of the Year 2022: ‘Gaslighting,’

From FOX News:

Merriam-Webster names ‘gaslighting’ as its word of 2022

Merriam-Webster said lookups for the word “gaslighting” [“a deliberate conspiracy to mislead”] on its website increased 1,740% in 2022

It means downright deceitful. Manipulating. Misleading. Merriam-Webster has named its word of 2022 – “gaslighting.”

The official definition for “gaslighting,” according to Merriam-Webster, is the psychological manipulation of a person, usually over an extended period of time, that “causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one’s emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator.”

Merriam-Webster said searches for the definition of the word on its website was up 1,740% in 2022 over the year before.

Read more

Donald Trump once lost $900 million in just 2 years [2009 and 2010], one of his accountants said

• Donald Trump reported a $900 million loss over 2009 and 2010, one of his accountants testified, per Bloomberg.
• Donald Bender also said the Trump Organization reported yearly losses from 2009 to 2018, per ABC.
• Trump himself is not a defendant in the tax-fraud case against his eponymous company.

Former President Donald Trump reported a $900 million operating loss in just two years, one of his accountants told a jury at the tax-fraud trial against the Trump Organization, per Bloomberg.

Donald Bender, who worked on the company’s taxes for 35 years, testified Tuesday [Nov. 22] that Trump had almost $700 million in losses on his personal tax returns in 2009 and $200 million in 2010, the publication reported. Bender was the first defense witness to testify in the trial.

He also said that the Trump Organization reported losses each year between 2009 and 2018, per ABC.

Read more from the full story.

+ Raw Story: They’ve ‘just switched Trump off in their brain’: Former adviser says situation has changed since the midterms – the impact that the former president had on GOP fortunes in the midterms seems to be the final straw with many conservatives.

Derek Sanders declares victory in Thurston County Sheriff’s race, starts preparing for role

From The Olympian:

• Editor’s note: The Election Certification date is Nov. 29th

Deputy Derek Sanders declared victory over incumbent John Snaza in the Thurston County Sheriff race as his lead solidified as ballot tallies were wrapping up.

On Wednesday, results indicated Sanders earned 55.3% (64,826) of the vote while Snaza claimed 44.2% (51,839) of the vote. With turnout at 64.4%, there were about 600 ballots left to be counted, according to the Thurston County Auditor’s Office, not nearly enough to turn the tide in Snaza’s favor..

Sanders declared victory last week in social media posts. On Monday, he issued a statement thanking voters.

“I am honored by the trust the voters of Thurston County have placed in me as their next Sheriff,” Sanders said. “The celebration was brief, however, as many pressing issues must be urgently addressed.”

Sanders said he plans to introduce his new command staff to the public in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, he has been meeting with them to develop “strategic goals.” He said he handpicked staff who he believes demonstrate selfless leadership.

Read more of the full story.

One year later, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law investments begin to pay off in Washington state

President Joe Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law one year ago, the single largest investment in public transit, passenger rail, clean water, affordable internet, or electrical grid resiliency in national history. It’s also the single largest investment in the national highway system since the Eisenhower administration. The legislation was signed one year ago, and now $3.7 billion in federal funds are on the way to Washington state to expand and rebuild critical infrastructure.

More than 1 million Washington households may benefit from the legislation’s affordable internet program. A new $161 million fund is already helping Washington communities remove lead pipes and replace service lines. The state network of electric vehicle charging stations got a boost with $70 million will be invested over the next five years to increase their numbers.

Washington state has 416 bridges and 5,469 miles of roadway in poor condition. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will provide $5.3 billion in guaranteed formula money over the next five years to address aging infrastructure. The state has already received $2.2 billion in formula and discretionary grant awards from the legislation, and is putting that to work.

Major projects supported by the legislation include:

• Repairs to the Grays Harbor north jetty, a critical navigation channel
• Terminal replacement at the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport
• Post-wildfire habitat revitalization and sagebrush conservation in Douglas County
• Replacement of an obsolete ferry with a hybrid-electric model to serve the Lummi Island community
• Repairs to the Salmon Bay Bridge to extend its lifespan by 50 years

Read more