Know more about the Thurston County Fair 2024 in The JOLT calendar.

Thurston County Fair opens today

The five-day fair’s tagline is “Buzz on Down” to the 2024 Thurston County Fair and is expected to attract around 25,000 attendees.

Excerpt from The JOLT News:

The Thurston Board of County Commissioners has officially proclaimed July 31 through August 4, 2024, as “Thurston County Fair Weekend,” encouraging all residents to participate in and recognize the annual event.

“As you all know, our fair is a beloved event in our community. It is an agricultural showcase and celebrates the hard work of artists, gardeners, performers, and of course, youth,” said Thurston County Fair Manager Thomasina Cooper.

The five-day fair’s tagline is “Buzz on Down” to the 2024 Thurston County Fair and is expected to attract around 25,000 attendees.

“Our fair is a beloved event in our community. It is an agricultural showcase and celebrates the hard work of artists, gardeners, performers, and, of course, youth who work with various animals on their 4-H and FFA projects,” said Cooper.

The fair features carnival rides, games, baking contests, shopping, learning, and the commissioners’ “pancake breakfast” which will feature buckwheat pancakes made entirely within Thurston County in collaboration with WSU Extension.

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Daily Schedule

The fair’s activities are spread out over an entire day throughout the week. The daily schedule below shows specific activities and events.

• July 31 (Wednesday): Entertainment, Demonstration and Animal Show
• August 1 (Thursday): Entertainment, Demonstration and Animal Show
• August 2 (Friday): Entertainment , Demonstration and Animal Show
• August 3 (Saturday): Entertainment, Demonstration and Animal Show
• August 4 (Sunday): Entertainment, Demonstration and Animal Show

Know more about the Thurston County Fair 2024 in The JOLT calendar.

• Editor’s note: Registered voters residing in the Yelm city limits and to the west of town are not in Congressional District 3.

Gluesenkamp Perez Highlights Mid-Year 2024 Progress for Southwest Washington

Excerpt from the Office of Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez:

Click here for the 2024 Mid-Year Report.

This month, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) marked her first year and a half in Congress, highlighting her progress on bipartisan legislation and constituent service work for Southwest Washington.

“Halfway through this year, I’m incredibly grateful for the folks I’ve had the opportunity to meet with and hear from, and I’m excited about the progress we’re making for Southwest Washington. I’ve passed bipartisan legislation to cut wasteful spending and support small businesses, brought our tax dollars home for community investments, and delivered results for constituents having trouble with federal agencies,” said Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez. “As an independent voice for Southwest Washington, I look forward to working with Republicans to keep up this urgent momentum – including to lower costs for hardworking families, support our first responders and veterans, fight the flow of fentanyl, and strengthen our rural and agricultural communities.”

At the end of last year, Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez released her 2023 Year-End Report to provide a comprehensive update on her first year in Congress.

Click here for the 2024 Mid-Year Report.

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* Editor’s note: Registered voters residing in the Yelm City Limits and to the west of town are not in Congressional District 3, and ineligible to vote for Kent.

Donald Trump endorses Joe Kent for Third District ahead of August primary

Exceprt from The Chronicle (Centralia):

For the second election cycle in a row, former president and 2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has backed congressional candidate Joe Kent in his race to represent the Third Congressional District in the nation’s capital.

In a Truth Social post Sunday afternoon, Trump said Kent is a “Great American Hero” who “paid a very big price in fighting for our country.” In the endorsement, Trump notes that he carried the Third District in both the 2016 and 2020 elections and said he looks forward to “easily winning a third time.”

“Joe is a Gold Star Husband, who bravely served our country as a Special Forces Combat Veteran,” Trump wrote. “His opponents cannot compete with Joe in any way, shape or form! In Congress, Joe will work tirelessly to Grow the Economy, Stop Inflation, Uphold the Rule of Law, Secure our Border, Support our Military/Vets, and protect our always-under-siege Second Amendment.”

In a Facebook post, Kent said he was “honored” to receive the endorsement.

“Thank you, Mr. President, you had our back & we have yours!” Kent wrote.

The endorsement marks the second time Trump has backed Kent. Ahead of the 2022 election, Trump endorsed Kent as he challenged former Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, who voted to impeach Trump while in office.

After falling in the 2022 election, Kent quickly announced that he would again seek to represent Southwest Washington in Congress.

Free legal services for homeless veterans

Resolving legal issues can help remove barriers to housing.

Excerpt from Northwest Military:

For veterans experiencing homelessness, legal issues can be stressful and challenging to handle, especially when they stand in the way of access to stable housing.

These often costly barriers can include everything from having a driver’s license revoked, making it difficult to travel or receive housing assistance, to seeking an upgrade to a military discharge to be eligible for benefits.

At VA we want to help veterans overcome these issues so they can become safely and permanently housed. Our Legal Services for Homeless Veterans and Veterans At-Risk for Homelessness (LSV-H) grant program is paving the way.

About the program

The grant program supplies funding to partners around the country which then provide free legal services to eligible veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

At no cost, they can help with issues such as:

• Housing including eviction defense or landlord-tenant and foreclosure cases.
• Family law including child support, child custody, divorce, estate planning and family reconciliation.
• Income support including access to public benefits.
• Criminal defense for issues related to homelessness, such as outstanding warrants, fines, driver’s license revocation, citations, or expunging or sealing a criminal record.
• Protective orders and other legal matters related to domestic or intimate partner violence.
• Upgrade to military discharge.
• Access to health care.
• Employment law.

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Learn about VA programs

• If you are a veteran who is homeless or at risk for homelessness, call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-4AID-VET (877-424-3838).
• Visit the VA Homeless Programs website to learn about housing initiatives and other programs for veterans exiting homelessness. 
• Check out the Ending Veteran Homelessness podcast to learn more about what VA is doing about veteran homelessness. 
• Learn how to get involved with housing homeless veterans.
• Subscribe to the Homeless Programs Office newsletter to receive monthly updates about programs and supportive services for veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness. 
• For more information about the programs offered by VA’s Legal Services for Veterans, including the LSV-H program and our pro bono Medical Legal Partnerships, visit LSV.

• Editor’s note: Yelm is forecast to receive another week or more of 85+ degree weather beginning August 1st.

4 hottest days ever observed raise fears of a planet nearing ‘tipping points’

Since last July, Earth’s average temperature has been at least 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels.

Excerpt from The Washington Post:

As global temperatures spiked to their highest levels in recorded history on Monday [July 22], ambulances were screaming through the streets of Tokyo, carrying scores of people who had collapsed amid an unrelenting heat wave. A monster typhoon was emerging from the scorching waters of the Pacific Ocean, which were several degrees warmer than normal. Thousands of vacationers fled the idyllic mountain town of Jasper, Canada ahead of a fast-moving wall of wildfire flames.

By the end of the week — which saw the four hottest days ever observed by scientists — dozens had been killed in the raging floodwaters and massive mudslides triggered by Typhoon Gaemi. Half of Jasper was reduced to ash. And about 3.6 billion people around the planet had endured temperatures that would have been exceedingly rare in a world without burning fossil fuels and other human activities, according to an analysis by scientists at the group Climate Central.

These extraordinary global temperatures marked the culmination of an unprecedented global hot streak that has stunned even researchers who spent their whole careers studying climate change.

Since last July, Earth’s average temperature has consistently exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels — a short-term breach of a threshold that scientists say cannot be crossed if the world hopes to avoid the worst consequences of planetary warming.

Construction on Morris Road SE set to cause delays, starts Monday

Yelm area commuters: expect delays starting Monday, August 5 for three weeks

Excerpt from The JOLT News:

Commuters in Thurston County should prepare for traffic delays on Morris Road SE between 148th Avenue SE and 133rd Avenue SE starting Monday, August 5, through Wednesday, August 28. 

The location is in rural Thurston County, approximately two miles south of Yelm and about four miles east of Rainier. 

Thurston County Public Works will be conducting roadwork to prep and pave this section of Morris Road SE. 

The construction will be ongoing every Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except on August 14-15 when work hours will be from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Motorists should expect minimal delays during this period with single-lane closures. 

Reader boards will be placed along Morris Road SE to keep the public informed, and flaggers will manage traffic during lane closures. 

Commuters are advised to allow for additional travel time or seek alternate routes. 

For more information on the lane closures, please contact Nick Bemis, Thurston County Public Works Road Operations Supervisor, at 360-867-2388 or via email. 

From Yelm Mayor Joe DePinto on Facebook

I hope folks can attend this townhall/open house next month. There will be lots of projects that you can get updates, ask questions about, and give feedback on. Topics will include the Yelm Loop, roundabouts, the 640 acres, and a few others!

Ecology upgrades Washington air quality map in time for wildfire smoke season

From the Office of Gov. Jay Inslee:

With the 2024 wildfire season underway, the Washington Department of Ecology is launching an enhanced air quality monitoring map to help Washingtonians track air pollution and take steps to protect their health and the health of their families. A new feature shows local air quality information for 16 communities where Ecology is working to expand air monitoring and improve air quality under the Climate Commitment Act. The fine particles in smoke can get into your eyes and lungs, causing or exacerbating health issues.

There are, however, steps you can take to guard against the effects of smoky air and keep indoor air clean. Examples include not burning candles or using air fresheners, and not sweeping or vacuuming unless your vacuum has a HEPA filter. For more information, visit the Department of Health’s website.

Trump’s campaign focuses on retribution, not policy and positive themes

+ Reuters: Trump recounts attempt on his life, then abandons unity theme in marathon convention speech

+ MSNBC: An emboldened Trump is threatening to sue those who indicted him

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+ Trump: “Christians, get out and vote, just this time. You have to get out and vote. You won’t have to do it anymore. Four years, it will be fixed, it will be fine. You won’t have to vote anymore… In four years, you won’t have to vote again.”

+ MSNBC: Why Trump’s attacks on Kamala Harris will be much nastier than usual – The racism and sexism directed at the vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee are only going to get worse the closer we get to the election.

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+ NJ.com: Fox News hit Pete Buttigieg with a gotcha question on Trump vs. Harris. It didn’t go well for them

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+ Daily Kos: Harris Campaign’s Lightning Response: Using Trump’s Own Words Against Him

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+ Peggy Noonan in The Wall Street Journal: A Trumpian Triumph in Milwaukee A movement that was a joke nine years ago is a party now. Its members are certain they will win

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+ Daily Kos: A picture worth 1000 words: Trump 2016 vs Trump 2024

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+ MSNBC: Judge Cannon’s latest ruling proves the judiciary has become MAGAfied

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+ CNN via MSN: Former AG Bill Barr personally involved in decision to publicize details of 2020 mail-in ballot probe, DOJ watchdog finds

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+ Fortune via MSN: Donald Trump told the Fed not to cut rates before the election—but Wall Street is convinced he won’t get his way

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+ Newsweek: Donald Trump Now Facing Memory Lapse Concerns: Professor

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+ Alternet via MSN: George Conway: Trump’s now the only one ‘the issue of cognitive decline’ applies to

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+ Daily Kos: I truly believe all those Trump lovers who cheered should be drug or mental tested. It was bizarre

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+ MSNBC: The group that brought you Project 2025 says this year’s election is already illegitimate

+ Daily Kos: Trump allies sow the seeds for election violence

+ Daily Kos: Trump’s “Secretary of Retribution” Enemies List Exposed

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+ Truthout: Trump’s Alternative to Project 2025, “Agenda 47,” Is Also Extreme and Anti-LGBTQ – Trump is trying to woo moderate voters, but his policy platform is also a far right attack on queerness in public life.

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+ The New York Times Editorial Board: DONALD TRUMP IS UNFIT TO LEAD!

+ MSNBC: ‘Donald Trump Is Unfit To Lead’: NYT editorial board pens 5,000 word essay warning voters

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+ MSNBC: A vote for Trump is a vote for Social Security & Medicare cuts

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+ MSNBC’s The Reidout: Rep. Ted Lieu urges media to dig deeper into Trump-Epstein ties

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+ Alternet: Anti-Trump GOP group posts video of him praising Project 2025 authors after his latest denial

Joe Biden’s historic Presidency – graciously passing the torch to the next generation

+ The Seattle Times: Rep. Adam Smith questioned Biden’s ability to run after fundraiser in Washington state [last May]

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+ The White House: The Biden-Harris Record – When President Biden and Vice President Harris took office, our country faced unprecedented crises – a raging pandemic, economic crisis, climate crisis, and racial injustice. The President and Vice President ran for office on the promise to move quickly to tackle these crises head-on and deliver results for working families. That’s what the Biden-Harris Administration has done.

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Kamala Harris had an impactful first week as precedential candidate

+ KamalaHQ: NEW: We just launched the first video of our campaign. “We choose freedom.”

+ MSNBC: Beyoncé’s ‘Freedom’ becomes the soundtrack to Kamala Harris’ historic campaign – Harris’ campaign used the song at her first campaign rally and in its first ad contrasting Trump’s vision for the country with hers.

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+ MSNBC’s The Weekend: Vice President Harris’ campaign cash: How her team stacked $200M in donations

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+ The Wall Street Journal: Harris Erases Trump’s Lead, WSJ Poll Finds – Two candidates are effectively tied after Biden’s exit shakes up race

+ FOX News: Pollster finds ‘astounding change’ in Democratic electorate since Harris’ ascension

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+ Kamala Harris for President 2020 ad still pertinent

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+ MSNBC: ‘I know Donald Trump’s type’: Harris goes after Trump in first speech at campaign headquarters

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+ CBS Sunday Morning: Kamala Harris’ turn to make history

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+ Joyce White Vance: Here’s just one reason voters adore Kamala Harris: She laughs. We don’t laugh enough in this country anymore. Make America Laugh Again!

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+ The Washington Post: The world has changed, and Trump needs a mulligan – The former president is back to firing off random, late-night rage posts from his social media account.

A week earlier, after the failed assassination attempt, Trump was supposedly a “changed” man, uniting the country. But now, he poured on the insults.

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A 12-minute riff in her stump speech contains everything that needs to be said about Trump.

Describing her years as a prosecutor, Harris says she “took on perpetrators of all kinds: Predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say: I know Donald Trump’s type.”

She goes on: “As attorney general of California, I took on one of our country’s largest for-profit colleges that was scamming students. Donald Trump ran a for-profit college that scammed students. As a prosecutor, I specialized in cases involving sexual abuse. Well, Trump was found liable for committing sexual abuse. As attorney general of California, I took on the big Wall Street banks and held them accountable for fraud. Donald Trump was just found guilty of fraud on 34 counts.”