Legal fireworks may be discharged within the city limits of Yelm as follows

Excerpt from City of Yelm Police Department Facebook post:

Legal fireworks may be discharged within the city limits of Yelm on the following dates and times. Discharge of any firework outside of these dates/times is illegal. Please be respectful of your neighbors and celebrate our nation’s Independence Day! Please remember that it is unlawful to discharge fireworks within a city park.

June 28th: noon to 11 pm

June 29th – July 3rd: 9 am to 11 pm

July 4th – 9:00 am to Midnight

July 5th: 9:00 am to 11:00 pm

December 31st: 6 pm to 1am January 1st

Per Yelm Municipal Code Chapter 5.32 Fireworks, effective June 27, 2024

Yelm City Council unanimously approves transportation plan, updates facilities charge

Excerpt from the NVN:

The Yelm City Council gave the community a glimpse into the future of local transportation and infrastructure projects as it unanimously approved a six-year transportation improvement plan (STIP) during a Tuesday, June 10, meeting.

Yelm Public Works Director Cody Colt appeared at the podium during the meeting and informed the council that the city is required by state law to identify a six-year list of planned transportation projects. The list doesn’t have to be fiscally constrained, but rather just a simple listing of scheduled projects.

“I would imagine in the next year or two, you’re going to see a lot of projects drop off because they’ll start construction and/or finish, like the roundabout, the bypass — some of those things that are on that six-year transportation plan,” Colt said.

The 10 projects listed in the council agenda packet in relation to the 2026-2031 STIP include:

• Bald Hill Road Southeast at Morris Road Southeast — intersection improvements
• Coates Avenue Northwest-Killion Road Northwest to Cullens Road Southeast
• Longmire Street/state Route 510 (Yelm Ave West) — intersection improvements
• Mill Road Southeast at state Route 507 — intersection improvements
• Mosman Avenue Southeast Phase 3 — Second Street Southeast to Fourth Street Southeast
• NP Road Northeast/Canal Road Southeast/Wilkensen Road Southeast reconstruction
• First Street North to state Route 510 Yelm Loop Phase 2
• Rhoton Road Northwest reconstruction — Railway to Yelm Loop Phase 2 (state Route 510)
• State Route 507/Bald Hill Southeast roundabout
• State Route 510/Burnett Road Southeast/93rd Street Southeast — realignment and intersection improvements
• Walmart Boulevard Southeast Extension (Yelm Loop Phase 3A) — State Route 507 to Bald Hill Road Southeast

Click here to read the full story.

• Editor’s note: The forecast for Yelm and vicinity today is for a high of 90 degrees, and again next week. Intense summer heat is arriving in June, unusually early for our area. Read why below.

+ KING-5 TV News, NBC Seattle: Rising summer heat increases risk of child deaths in hot cars – Experts say vehicle temperatures can rise 20 degrees in just 10 minutes, even on mild days, putting children at serious risk.

+ Truthout: After Massive Cuts to Forest Service, US Enters Fire Season Woefully Unprepared – The results could be catastrophic, especially in states that have experienced unprecedented fires in recent years.

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June is the new July: Why intense summer heat is arriving earlier

The heat waves moving in recent days across Canada, the U.S. and northern Europe are part of a dangerous new climate pattern.

Excerpt from The Washington Post, accessible text via MSN:

In a typical year between 1979 and 2000, the average Northern Hemisphere temperature would break the 21 degrees Celsius (69.8 degrees Fahrenheit) threshold — indicative of the hottest period — starting around July 10 and continuing for about five weeks, according to data from the University of Maine’s Climate Change Institute.

But last year, the hottest on record, the Northern Hemisphere’s average temperature held above 21 Celsius from June 13 until Sept. 5.

This year is not quite on the same historic pace — but it is still weeks ahead of the normal summer from a few decades ago. As of last week, the latest for which data was available, the average Northern Hemisphere temperature already stood at 20.91 Celsius (69.6 Fahrenheit).

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at or above 32.2 Celsius (90 Fahrenheit) have covered wider swaths of land than normal so far this year.

The amount of land area in the Northern Hemisphere covered by high temperatures of this magnitude was above average on 163 out of 171 days from January to mid-June.

During periods in mid-January, mid-March, late April, mid-May and early June, the area affected by these levels of high heat was greater than any previous year since 1980, coinciding with prolonged early-season heat waves in South Asia.

• Editor’s note: The gulag prison and concentration camps return to America from an ugly past, thanks to Trump! Very sad that this is what America has become.
• CBS News: [At age 75] Cuban man who lived in U.S. for nearly 60 years dies in ICE custody in Miami, agency confirms [Editor’s note: This man was not a criminal Trump touted for deportation!]
• The Independent: At least 11 people have died in ICE detention under Trump, as administration on pace for deadliest year in decades
• Salon: “I mean, people die”: Homan waves off death of 75-year-old in ICE custody

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Trump Admin Shares Meme of ICE Alligators Outside Florida Prison

Excerpt from Newsweek:

The Department of Homeland Security has shared an apparently AI-generated meme depicting alligators as ICE agents outside of a Florida detention center.

“Alligator Alcatraz” is a new migrant detention center being developed on a remote airstrip in the Everglades. The facility aims to house up to 5,000 detainees and uses the area’s natural isolation and wildlife as part of its security measures.

“Coming soon!” DHS said in a post on X.

Why It Matters

The remote facility is expected to cost Florida approximately $450 million annually to operate. The proposal comes as President Donald Trump‘s administration looks to conduct what it describes as the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history.

Critics say that the center’s remote location and rapid deployment raise ethical and legal questions about the treatment of migrants, transparency, and due process. Supporters say the project is a cost-efficient step to handle increased immigration enforcement.

What To Know

The image shared by DHS shows alligators wearing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) baseball caps outside the fences of the detention center.

America’s editorial cartoonists with their take on key new stories last week

Nisqually warn that Trump’s proposed budget threatens salmon recovery — and treaty rights

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray pledges to block the $1.3 billion in cuts to NOAA, which would eliminate funding for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund.

Excerpt from The Olympian via The Chronicle (Centralia):

From 400 feet of placid, cool water, research biologist Jed Moore raises a long net containing a sample of zooplankton, the tiny marine animals salmon feed on.

The Nisqually Department of Natural Resources monitors local zooplankton populations to understand the food webs supporting Puget Sound salmon. This means Moore is on the water every two weeks, in bleak February weather or the heat of mid-summer, collecting samples like these.

“We’re up to maybe 10 or 15 years of data now on this project, and in a system like the Puget Sound, or marine ecosystems that go through cycles, you need that kind of long-term monitoring,” Moore said.

However, a significant portion of funding for salmon recovery is at risk of going away completely. President Trump’s proposed budget includes over $1.3 billion in cuts to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which would eliminate all funding for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund.

“The focus of PCSRF, to let us do this kind of long-term monitoring, is critical,” Moore said.

NOAA manages PCSRF which provides money for salmon conservation in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho and Alaska. Since 2000, the fund has poured over $1.8 billion total into state and tribal endeavors to protect salmon populations.

Salmon experts at the Nisqually Department of Natural Resources said they are concerned about how funding cuts might reverse recent gains in salmon recovery, the product of decades of research, engineering and advocacy.

+ Truthout: “My Patients Will Die”: Doctors Slam GOP Budget Bill as Senate Rushes to Vote – Protests against Medicaid cuts continued on June 25, which led to the arrests of 60 activists at the Senate.

+ The Olympian: ‘Morally wrong.’ WA governor slams proposed Medicaid cuts in Tri-Cities visit – Rural hospitals in Prosser, Othello, Sunnyside, Moses Lake and Hermiston face the greatest risk of closing or cutting services under the proposed cuts.

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Governor Ferguson again urges Congress to abandon budget that will fundamentally disrupt Washington’s health care system

Proposed Medicaid cuts would disproportionately harm Central and Eastern Washington residents, especially children

From the Office of Gov. Bob Ferguson:

At a press conference Thursday at Kennewick’s Regency Canyon Lakes Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Governor Bob Ferguson joined health care workers and advocates to urge Congress to abandon proposed cuts to safety net services, including Medicaid. Nearly 2 million Washingtonians — roughly 1 in 5 — are enrolled in Apple Health, the state’s Medicaid program.

Republicans in Congress are proposing $1.1 trillion in cuts over the next 10 years, including the largest cut to Medicaid in history, totaling $700 billion. The bill threatens health care access in Washington, especially in rural areas, and could cause Washington state to lose an estimated $1 billion in hospital reimbursements by 2031.

Medicaid is a critical partnership between federal and state governments. Washington spends $21 billion on Medicaid annually. Each year, approximately $8 billion of that is paid for by the state, and $13 billion if paid for by the federal government.

These proposals would result in significant cuts in Washington. The House proposal calls for $2 billion in cuts over four years, and the Senate proposal calls for $3 billion. 

“President Trump and Republicans in Congress are threatening our health care in order to give tax breaks to billionaires,” Governor Ferguson said. “If Congress fails to do the right thing and abandon this harmful proposal, our social safety net in Washington will be gutted. These Medicaid cuts would be catastrophic to our state’s health care system and the 2 million Washingtonians who depend on it.” 

Britton Winterrose joined Governor Ferguson and other speakers at Thursday’s event. Winterrose is the father of a 5-year-old girl named Leda, who was born with a rare form of congenital central sleep apnea. Leda requires oxygen to sleep. Without it, she stops breathing in her sleep.

“Without Medicaid, my daughter’s next nap could be her last,” Winterrose said. “The only reason we can sleep at all is because Medicaid has provided the durable medical equipment and supplies needed to support her.”

Children will be particularly impacted by the proposed Medicaid cuts. Statewide, 800,000 children rely on Medicaid for their health care coverage. In at least two-thirds of Washington’s 39 counties, more than half of all children are covered by Medicaid. In Central Washington, 70 percent of all children are enrolled in Medicaid. In some counties, that number is even greater. For example, approximately 80 percent of kids in Yakima County and approximately 90 percent of kids in Adams County are on Medicaid.

Moreover, 70 percent of all births in rural Washington are covered by the program. Medicaid enrollees account for nearly half — 45 percent — of all births statewide.

Other vulnerable populations will also be significantly impacted. More than 105,000 Washingtonians depend on Medicaid for long-term care, and the program covers 3 in 5 nursing home residents and 3 in 8 people with disabilities. Medicaid is also the largest payer for opioid use disorder treatment in the state.

These proposed cuts to Medicaid will not only impact enrollees in the program. The budget under consideration in the U.S. Senate would decimate federal funding for Medicaid over the next five years — fundamentally altering the state’s health care system and how Washington administers Apple Health. This administrative burden is expected to cost the state tens of millions of dollars, at a time when the state faces significant budget challenges.

+ The Points Guy: 6 big changes: Delta talks retrofits, new aircraft and maybe another hub

+ Airways Magazine: Delta Expands in Seattle with New Routes, Two Lounges

+ Delta News Hub: Delta doubles down on Seattle with new global routes and two new lounges – Delta reinforces its commitment to Seattle with the launch of new nonstop service to Barcelona and Rome and the debut of two premier experiences—a Delta One Lounge and Delta Sky Club— in one 24,000-square-foot-space inspired by the Emerald City.

+ Delta News Hub: Delta named best U.S. airline by The Points Guy for 7 years in a row – The Delta team has once again been named the best U.S. airline in The Points Guy’s annual ranking, based on an extensive analysis of 2024 data on operational reliability, customer experience, cost and reach, and loyalty.

+ Editor’s note: Delta has re-positioned the flagship aircraft in their fleet, the Airbus A-350, to the Seattle hub for their trans-Pacific flights.

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Delta’s stunning new Seattle business-class lounge is its most unique one yet

Excerpt from The Points Guy:

Delta just unveiled its latest big play designed to woo travelers to choose it over any of its competitors: the all-new Delta One Lounge at SEA (along with two new long-haul routes featuring its top-of-the-line premium products).

The new Delta One Lounge opens Thursday [June 26], and it’s even joined by a new membership-based Sky Club (that’s opening Wednesday, June 25)…This multilevel structure was built adjacent to Gate A11.

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Delta adds 2 new long-haul routes from Seattle, ups ante against rival Alaska

Excerpt from The Points Guy:

The airline will commence service from Seattle to Barcelona and Rome next summer. Four-times weekly flights from SEA to Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO) will begin May 6, while service from SEA to Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN) will take off one day later on a three-times weekly basis.

Both routes will operate on an Airbus A330-900neo aircraft — one of Delta’s newest and most premium international planes.

• Editor’s note: A reminder to city of Yelm registered voters.
• This is the 3rd in a series of factual stories on J. W. Foster’s lack of leadership as a councilor and mayor of Yelm, ahead of the August Primary.
• Rather than just casting your ballot for Foster due to name recognition, be an informed voter.
• Mayor J. W. Foster violated his oath of office to serve in the public’s interest by not following the Yelm Municipal Code (YMC) and the union’s demands to put City Administrator Michael Graham on Administrative leave and to conduct a thorough, independent investigation for which city staff could be confident, in the wake of sexual harassment allegations.
• The toxic work environment created led to many good staff members leaving city employment.
• Foster did little to mitigate the issues and kept Graham working until the end of his term [December 31, 2021], when Graham resigned from the city as Yelm’s new Mayor DePinto was set to be sworn in.
• Mr. Foster is invited to respond to this blog post at any time, though he never has previously.
• Click here to read more.

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The following was published on this blog September 18, 2021, for an historical perspective:

Union asks Mayor Foster investigate allegations against City Admin. Grayum

+ Mayor Foster and the Yelm City Council received a formal, written request Friday afternoon [September 17, 2021] from Hannah Hollander, Staff Representative for the Washington State Council of County and City Employees (Council 2, AFSCME, AFL-CIO), requesting the mayor initiate “a third-party investigation into several claims of sexual harassment and discrimination by an employee in executive leadership.”

+ Ms. Hollander identified that employee as City Administrator Michael Grayum.

+ Hollander added, “This is a very serious situation and we sincerely hope to have your support in prioritizing this request.”

+ Ms. Hollander also wrote a letter specifically to Mayor Foster and said: “The Union hereby requests that the City of Yelm conduct a through and legitimate investigation by utilizing an outside consultant. Due to the seriousness of the allegations, and that not enough was done to address the situation, we feel the need to let more people at the City know what has been going on so that the complaints can be thoroughly and promptly investigated and that we can be assured that prompt and effective action is being taken to eliminate further sexual harassment and discrimination in the workplace.”

+ The letter to Mayor Foster noted the Union is “now hearing reports that several women feel they were being discriminated against by Mr. Grayum, that they felt they were being harassed and working under a Hostile Work Environment.

• Editor’s note: The Union clearly wants this situation to be fully publicized, so that Mayor Foster takes appropriate and immediate action, rather continuing his perfunctory attention to such a serious matter.

Click here for page one of the Union’s letter to Mayor Foster,

Click here for page two.

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• Mayor Foster should convene an emergency city council session as soon as possible, since the council does not meet again until September 28th. Mr. Grayum needs to be placed on Administrative Leave immediately and until a third party investigation has been completed. Foster will need to appoint an interim city administrator. This requires full transparency to maintain public confidence in the city’s functions with the impending mayoral change at year’s end. No Executive Sessions behind closed doors! Full disclosure is required, as nothing less is acceptable for public trust!
• With the Staff Representative for the Washington State Council of County and City Employees sending this request, this IS indeed very serious, and demands full accountability.
• This may be the most challenging situation Foster will have to address as mayor, and one that has the potential to leave a lasting impact on his legacy, based on how he addresses this situation.

BOTTOM LINE:

+ A previous executive leader (Finance Director Joe Wolfe) was placed on Administrative Leave when City Administrator Michael Grayum informed the city council on May 14, 2019, that he had become the acting Finance Director, with no reason to the public then provided, as reported on this blog. The independent investigation was inconclusive. Wolfe was suggested to leave city employment prior to the investigation being completed.

+ Losing the daily responsibilities of the city administrator during an investigation is detrimental to city operations.

+ The Mayor and city council should consider hiring a public relations firm to handle a coming media barrage. The last major crisis for the city occurred in 2004, when the council banned the public from mentioning the words “Big Box Stores” or Wal-Mart” in their meetings, bringing worldwide media attention and the ACLU to town. Mayor Adam Rivas did not have the experience necessary to properly handle the media, which became a public relations disaster.

+ This is a very vulnerable time for city management, with recent realignments of departments and an excessive turnover in staff, as reported on this blog May 11, 2021.

+ Snopes: Yes, Trump posted a ‘Bomb Iran’ Beach Boys parody video – “Time to turn Iran into a parking lot,” the lyrics of the video said.

+ Click here for Trump’s video parody, turn up the volume. This is not befitting the Office of the President of the United States.

+ Editor’s note: This is pathetic and does not Make America Great Again! Trump thinks this portrays strength when in reality this demonstrates how weak he truly is, behaving like a 13 year old as he was about to attend the NATO Summit!

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Trump posts threatening B-2 ‘bomb Iran’ parody video with 6 chilling lyrics

Excerpt from the Irish Star via MSN:

After hitting a new approval rating low, President Donald Trump posted [June 24] a ‘parody’ video that cheerfully sings, ‘bomb bomb bomb Iran,’ to a Beach Boys tune.

The video shows the American B-52s flying around. Days ago, the US sent B-52s to Iran in joint strikes with Israel to blast uranium enrichment sites Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz. As the planes in the video drop explosives, the lyrics and melody are cheerful.

The horrific lyrics, besides ‘bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran,’ also say, ‘went to a mosque, gonna throw some rocks.’ It also adds on to Trump’s previous threats to assassinate Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s despot. The lyrics add, ‘tell the Ayatollah: gonna put you in a box.’

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The rest of the song, sung originally by Vince Vance & The Valiants, a ‘novelty’ pop/rock/country act out of New Orleans, also threatens to ‘turn Iran into a parking lot.’ The song came out in the 1980s.

Granted, the song was written during the time that 52 American citizens were held hostage in Iran for 444 days, in 1979, following the storming of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by Iranian revolutionaries.