Steve Klein addresses current issues impacting Yelm and vicinity and provides a meeting place for anyone with an interest in this area to provide their ideas and opinions
Happy Halloween – Be Safe, watch for our children out at dusk!
First published here in 2007:
“Halloween (or Hallowe’en) is an annual holiday observed on October 31, primarily in Ireland, Scotland, Canada and the United States. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holiday All Saints’ Day, but is today largely a secular celebration.
“Common Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes and attending costume parties, carving jack-o’-lanterns, ghost tours, bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, committing pranks, telling ghost stories or other frightening tales, and watching horror films…
Origin of name “The word Halloween is first attested in the 16th century and represents a Scottish variant of the fuller All-Hallows-Even (“evening”), that is, the night before All Hallows Day. Although the phrase All Hallows is found in Old English (ealra hlgena mssedg, mass-day of all saints), All-Hallows-Even is itself not attested until 1556,” quoting Wikipedia. Read more
Blood banks are facing critical shortages of life-saving blood and blood products. Your donation can help save lives. The shortages are particularly severe for types O and Rh negative blood, and for platelets.
Blood donations significantly dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic. Local and regional blood banks are still feeling the effects, as many regular donors are donating less often. Rising rates of influenza, the common cold, and other respiratory diseases are also keeping people from donating.
With fewer donations, blood banks worry they will not be able to meet the need for blood and blood products, like plasma, during a large emergency or natural disaster. Trauma patients, transplant recipients, and those undergoing cancer treatment also depend on the generosity of blood donors.
Donating blood is easy. Appointments can be scheduled at your convenience and take about an hour. Learn more details, including eligibility requirements, by visiting Northwest Blood Coalition members’ websites:
Donald Trump briefly took the stand in his own defense before the judge presiding over his civil fraud trial levied the fine for violating a gag order that bars Mr. Trump from attacking court staff.
Outside Donald J. Trump’s civil fraud trial, the former president made comments to reporters that the judge found were an attack on a court employee.
Calling all ghosts and ghouls! Yelm City Hall, Yelm Public Safety Building, and Yelm Public Services are TRICK OR TREAT central! Stop by these three spots from 1-5 on Halloween. No tricks, just treats!
An application submitted by Tahoma Terra Holdings LLC, P.O. Box 73790 Puyallup, WA 98373 for the above referenced project was received by the City of Yelm on 5/22/2023. The City has determined the application to be complete on 10/24/2023. The application and any related documents are available for public review during normal business hours at the City of Yelm, 901 Rhoton Rd. NW, Yelm WA 98597. For additional information, please contact the Planning and Building Division at (360) 400-5003.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The applicant is proposing a mixed-use commercial/residential project comprised of two separate tax parcels, totaling 13.72 acres. The project includes the construction of 102-unit apartment complex with recreation amenities, a 769-unit self-storage facility, a coffee shop with drive-thru and an office building on parcel 78640000010, and two commercial/retail buildings on parcel 78640000012.
ENVIRONMENTAL and OTHER DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED WITH THE APPLICATION: Site Plan, Traffic Impact Analysis, Wetland Buffer, Drainage Design. This project is an amendment to the final phase of the 2005 Tahoma Terra Master Planned Community. No preliminary determination of consistency with City development regulations have been made. At minimum, this project will be subject to the following plans and regulations: City of Yelm Comprehensive Plan, Unified Development Code Title 18 YMC, and the Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington. The City of Yelm invites your comments early in the review of this proposal. Comments should be directed to Andrew Kollar with Planning and Building Division, 901 Rhoton Rd. NW, Yelm WA 98597, (360) 400- 5001, or via email at andrewk@yelmwa.gov.
THE 15-DAY PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD ENDS AT 5:00 P.M. November 14, 2023
This notice has been provided to appropriate local and state agencies, and property owners within 300 feet of the project site. These recipients will also receive the following items when available or if applicable: Environmental Threshold Determination, Notice of Public Hearing and Notice of Final Decision. If the proposed project requires a City Council decision, it will be mailed to all those who participate in the public hearing and to anyone else requesting the decision in writing. Additionally, there will be a 14-day public comment period if an environmental determination is issued. Opportunities for appeal occur within twenty-one (21) days after the date the notice of decision is issued. City Council decision can be appealed through Superior Court.
Issued By: Seattle/Tacoma – WA, US, National Weather Service
Affected Area: Portions of northwest and west central Washington
Description
…FROST ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 9 AM PDT FRIDAY…
…FREEZE WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING…
WHAT…For the Frost Advisory, temperatures as low as 32 will result in frost formation. For the Freeze Watch, sub-freezing temperatures as low as 27 possible.
WHERE…Portions of northwest and west central Washington.
WHEN…For the Frost Advisory, from midnight tonight to 9 AM PDT Friday. For the Freeze Watch, from late Friday night through Saturday morning.
IMPACTS…Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS…The greatest chances of frost formation will be areas away from water sources.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold. To prevent freezing and possible bursting of outdoor water pipes they should be wrapped, drained, or allowed to drip slowly. Those that have in-ground sprinkler systems should drain them and cover above- ground pipes to protect them from freezing.
Jonathan Thomas has been busy over the last year and a half knocking on doors and making in-roads with community organizations to determine and meet community needs in Bucoda, and now he has his sights set on Yelm.
Thomas is the neighborhood revitalization manager for the South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity. The neighborhood revitalization program is an initiative that seeks to help communities flourish by empowering residents to meet each other’s needs through shared value and community partnerships.
South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity purchased over 2 acres at 407 Longmire Ave. in Yelm in March of 2020 using the Housing Finance Commission’s Land Acquisition Program. The organization currently plans to build 22 homes in Yelm hopefully by 2025, though that goal may be extended.
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Thomas said the critical home repair program ties right into neighborhood revitalization. Also, if there’s a strong, empowered community for the homes that Habitat plans to build in Yelm, that’s all for the good of everyone involved.
At the Transportation Policy Board meeting on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, TRPC Executive Director Marc Daily presented the process for the 2025 update of the Regional Transportation Plan.Credit: The JOLT News.
Thurston Regional Planning Council to integrate equity and climate change in the 2025 Regional Transportation Plan update process
The Thurston region was designated as a Transportation Management Area through reaching over 300,000 people in the 2020 census. He said this change in status has several implications for the Regional Transportation Plan update process.
The Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) has begun work on updating the region’s long-range transportation plan, which guides transportation investments and policies for the next 20-25 years.
At the council’s Transportation Policy Board (TPB) meeting on Wednesday, October 11, TRPC Executive Director Marc Daily presented the process for the 2025 update of the Regional Transportation Plan, which is updated every five years to incorporate changing conditions, new projects, and updated goals and policies.
Daily said TRPC plans to work on the update over the next year and a half. “Some of the big [updates] are really ensuring that diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and environmental justice are underpinned kind of throughout the plan,” he said.
Daily noted these areas have gained more emphasis since the last update. TRPC will be looking through the entire plan to help address how they can better include considerations around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging into the planning process.
When the plan was last updated in 2020, Daily said work on climate adaptation and mitigation was already underway. He cited that they have completed the climate mitigation plan and begun its implementation. “The current plan already has a fair amount about climate change, but we will bolster that more.”
According to Daily, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed many assumptions around transportation over the past three years. He noted that the pandemic put the region on a different trajectory than planned. He said TRPC will ensure that the updated plan accurately reflects the changes in travel behaviors and patterns during the crisis.
“Today I’m 54 years old but I still go back and think about 30 years ago, how I felt when I was in that place. It still has an effect on me today,” said one formerly incarcerated person in a DOC-published video.
The Washington state Department of Corrections (DOC) committed this year to reduce the use of solitary confinement by 90% over the next five years. The agency has just published its plan to accomplish that vision with a goal to reduce recidivism. By adopting strategies to “build better neighbors,” the agency intends to reduce the odds that released individuals reoffend and return to prison.
“This plan will serve as a roadmap as we develop a nation-leading standard for the use of solitary confinement,” said DOC Secretary Cheryl Strange. “We believe these reforms will create a safer environment for both staff and the incarcerated. It will also reduce recidivism by setting up individuals for a greater chance of success when they are released.”
Most incarcerated people will walk free one day. But nearly half of those released will come right back to prison. The United States spends $52 billion on corrections each year, only to lead the world in recidivism. Solitary confinement is statistically associated with hostility, self-harm, and even mortality. At present, 400 people inside Washington prisons sit in solitary confinement on a given day.
“The research is clear on solitary confinement,” says Strange. “It causes long-lasting harm. While it can be an effective way to deter violence, spending prolonged periods of time in isolation has devastating effects on an individual’s mental and physical health long after they leave our facilities.”
The new plan quadruples meaningful out-of-cell time for incarcerated individuals in restrictive housing, and establishes new programming and staffing ratios to support alternatives to isolation. The plan does allow for solitary confinement to be used in exigent circumstances.
“We have some extremely violent individuals in our care and custody, and in some cases there is no safe alternative for housing them other than in conditions constituting solitary confinement,” said Strange. “In most cases though, we think we can avoid having to resort to using it.”
Biden-Harris Administration Designates 31 Tech Hubs Across America
From Gov. Jay Inslee:
“The announcement of two new tech hubs within Washington state is a remarkable win for our state’s world-leading timber and aerospace industries. The CHIPS and Science Act is helping us build our competitive edge and we appreciate the support of our congressional delegation in ensuring President Biden’s Investing in America Act includes investments in Washington state.” – Governor Jay Inslee
WASHINGTON, DC — The Biden-Harris administration, through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), today announced the designation of 31 Tech Hubs in regions across the country. This is the first phase of the new Tech Hubs program, which is an economic development initiative designed to drive regional innovation and job creation by strengthening a region’s capacity to manufacture, commercialize, and deploy technology that will advance American competitiveness. The program invests directly in burgeoning, high-potential U.S. regions and aims to transform them into globally competitive innovation centers.
Tech Hubs was authorized by the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, a key part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which he signed into law in August 2022.
These Tech Hubs are located across 32 states and Puerto Rico and represent a cross-section of urban and rural regions. Designation is an endorsement of the region’s plans to supercharge their respective technological industries to create jobs, strengthen U.S. competitiveness, and protect national security. The Tech Hubs announced today focus on industries ranging from autonomous systems, quantum computing, biotechnology, precision medicine, clean energy advancement, semiconductor manufacturing, and more, and highlight how the Biden Harris Administration is investing in innovation and economic growth in every region of the United States.
EDA also awarded 29 Strategy Development Grants (SDG) to help communities significantly increase local coordination and planning activities. Such development could make selected grantees more competitive for future Tech Hubs funding opportunities.
“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is rooted in policies that will empower the United States to out-innovate and out-compete the rest of the world. Our Tech Hubs Program is fundamental to that mission and will supercharge innovation across the nation by spurring cutting-edge technological investments and creating 21st century job opportunities in people’s backyards,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “Each of these consortia will help us ensure the industries of the future—and their good-paying jobs—start, grow, and remain in the United States.”
