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
Excerpt of Frank Sinatra in the 1945 movie “The House I Live In” on being an American. Credit: YouTube.
* Editor’s note: The last Yelm Community Blog entry of 2025 is a simple message expressed by Frank Sinatra’s character in the 1945 movie “The House I Live In” on being American.
My hope is as a new year begins. that we all remember we are Americans and our differences are what make us uniquely American, no matter how certain leaders, social media and AI posts seek to divide us by implementing animus, greed, and grievance.
From The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.: The House I Live In:
This short film [11 minutes], which earned an honorary Academy Award for director Mervyn LeRoy in 1946, exhorts the message of religious tolerance and post-war hopefulness. Frank Sinatra, then the idol of teenage bobby-soxers, takes a break from a recording session and finds a group of children bullying one boy because he’s Jewish. Sinatra reminds them that Americans may worship in many different ways but they still remain Americans. The film ends with Sinatra performing the title song, penned by Abel Meeropol, best known for the song “Strange Fruit” which denounced the horror of lynchings. Named to the National Film Registry in 2007.
Over seven seasons of The West Wing, Martin Sheen played President Jed Bartlet, a politician whose integrity can seem out of place in a political environment where trust is in short supply.
Now Sheen is lending some of that magic to MS NOW, voicing a new 60-second brand commercial for the cable news channel, which rebranded from MSNBC last month.
In the spot, Sheen recites William Tyler Page’s “The American’s Creed,” as images and video of MS NOW anchors, historic moments from American history, and other heartwarming vignettes (a soldier reuniting with their family, a school election) play along with words like “Freedom,” “Equality” and “Humanity.”
“I believe in the United States of America … As a government of the people, by the people, for the people,” Sheen says. “A democracy in a republic. A sovereign nation of many sovereign states. A perfect union, one and inseparable. Established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes. I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it. To respect its flag. To support its Constitution.”
Starting January 11, 2026, a scheduled 4-cent increase in the price for plastic film carryout bags at Washington restaurants and retailers will raise their minimum cost to 12 cents per bag from the current 8 cents. The increase is part of a 2020 law meant to encourage shoppers to bring their own carryout bags. The minimum charge for a paper carryout bag will remain at 8 cents.
Washington’s single-use plastic bag ban was implemented in 2021 and prohibits thin, .5 mil disposable plastic bags. The law sets standards for thicker, 2.25 mil reusable plastic film bags and requires plastic and paper carryout bags contain a minimum 40% recycled content.
“Paper and plastic carryout bags impact the environmental at every stage of their production, transportation, and disposal,” said Peter Lyon, manager of Ecology’s Solid Waste Management Program. “Bringing your own bag is the easiest way to avoid the charge, reduce emissions, preserve resources, and prevent bags from becoming litter.”
To avoid the additional cost of carryout bags, Ecology recommends people store reusable bags in their cars, backpacks, purses, and other handy places where they can be easily retrieved when needed.
Resources designed to help businesses remind customers to bring their own bags are available on Ecology’s bag ban webpage, including printable “BYOB” signs and posters that can be hung in parking lots, on windows, and at checkout counters.
I hope you all had a great Christmas and are enjoying the holiday season.
Here is a an update on our fight against the proposal of a 5G antenna at Penn lane in the bald hill area.
Vertical Bridge, which is the company trying to build that tower,is now bringing a second attorney out of state from Idaho to try to dismiss our motion for stay. Our motion for stay aims at blocking any installation while we are in litigation.
The hearing will happen on Friday, January 2, 2025, at 9:00 a.m at 2000 Lakeridge Drive SW, Building 2; Olympia, WA 98502. We need your prayers, your focus, anything that works for you to help us on that day.
We will still be pro se which means that we will represent ourselves as we are still not represented by any attorney.
Regarding this search, we have an update, we found an attorney willing to represent us at the federal level if our LUPA case is unsuccessful. This attorney who is a land use expert has successfully prevented the installation of a cell phone tower in Pierce county recently. He was able to prevent the installation of a tower in Pierce county before the final public hearing for $15,000. In our case since our public hearing was cancelled it is more expensive as we want to go at the Federal level if need be. He believes it will cost around $20000 at a rate of $325 per hour.
Please bring the word out about our fundraiser as we need to raise at least $20000 and probably more as we will need to get help from an attorney specialized in cell phone towers as well
Finally we have our Non profit set-up which is called: BALD HILL CLEAR AND PURE SKIES
The City of Yelm is considering a proposal to annex several areas within its urban growth area. This annexation would utilize the interlocal agreement method that is authorized by state statute under RCW 35A.14.460. This method allows the city to enter into an interlocal agreement to provide for the transition of responsibilities from Thurston County to the city following annexation. However, the annexation itself will not be complete unless it is approved at a public hearing by the Yelm City Council. Credit: City of Yelm via the NVN.
Thurston County joins Yelm to craft an an interlocal agreement (ILA) for annexations!
An interlocal agreement (ILA) is now in place between the City of Yelm and Thurston County to work together on Yelm’s plan to annex some properties in unincorporated Thurston County.
The City of Yelm intends to annex a total of 312 parcels across eight zones, roughly 1,228.42 acres total, of its urban growth area to increase the city’s future housing capacity and fix the city’s irregular boundaries.
The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners voted Dec. 16 to approve the ILA on its end, following unanimous approval by the Yelm City Council on Dec. 9.
The ILA does not approve the annexation itself. Rather, it allows Thurston County to be part of the annexation process.
“It’s not a pre-annexation agreement,” said City of Yelm Planning and Building Manager Gary Cooper, explaining that the ILA determines what responsibilities the City of Yelm and Thurston County each have if the city does decide to annex.
With City of Yelm Christmas-based events officially wrapped up, Line Roy, the city’s communication and recreation coordinator, reflected on the magic surrounding the holiday season in the Nisqually Valley region.
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“We’re done with events for 2025, but we’re going to jump right into some 2026 events. We have some really cool things planned for January,” Roy said.
First, the department will partner with Standing Room Only (SRO) Theater from Tuesday, Jan. 6 through Wednesday, April 1, with a teenager musical program. Participants can register online at www.srotheater.org.
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Additionally, the department will host Puzzle Palooza at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23, at Yelm Community Center. Roy said participants will race in teams to create a puzzle the fastest.
Roy noted that from Monday, Jan. 26, through Thursday, Jan. 29, her department will partner with Washington’s 10th Congressional District for the Valentines for Veterans program. She said attendees will be able to craft heartfelt Valentine’s Day cards for veterans and first responders. You can visit Yelm City Hall from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. during those select days to write and create cards.
For the first time, on Wednesday, Jan. 28, the City of Yelm will host a Lego mosaic build from 6 p.m. to 8 at the Yelm Community Center. Roy noted that pieces created at the event will be used to construct a community-built mural called “Love Where You Live.”
Governor’s supplemental budget balances without raising taxes on Washingtonians
Watch the full press conference here. More photos available here.
OLYMPIA – Today [Dec. 23], Governor Bob Ferguson announced his supplemental operating budget proposal. The Governor’s budget does not raise taxes, eliminates tax breaks for corporations, preserves access for reproductive health care and maintains core services, like K-12 education, while making important investments in affordability, including maintaining the Working Families Tax Credit.
The Governor announced his transportation and housing budget priorities late last week.
“Despite a challenging situation, my combined budgets move our state forward in significant ways,” Governor Ferguson said. “We will continue our momentum in modernizing our ferry fleet. We will make historic investments in housing and infrastructure. We can provide hundreds of millions of dollars for tax credits for Washingtonians. We can, and must, responsibly deal with the impacts of the Trump Administration. My budgets provide a path. I look forward to working with legislators in the coming months to keep moving our state forward.”
After plugging a $16 billion budget hole last legislative session, Washington has faced more challenges, including falling revenue, rising costs, and cuts and chaos coming from the Trump Administration. Due to caseload increases and other costs, the state is facing another $1.6 billion dollar shortfall in this supplemental budget.
In addition, state agencies submitted $2 billion in budget requests they described as critically needed. Governor Ferguson’s budget funds $700 million of those requests.
For example:
$18.4 million to fund health care for Washingtonians who became ineligible for Medicaid overnight when President Trump signed H.R. 1 – the Big Betrayal Bill. These are individuals who are very ill or disabled, many of whom are at risk of losing their housing if they do not have health care coverage;
$6.6 million to protect our farms and agriculture from pests that destroy crops and impact our economy;
And $15 million for ongoing support of the University of Washington’s Center for Behavioral Health and Learning, to help those struggling with serious physical and behavioral health problems.
As a result of those $700 million in essential services, that put the problem to solve at $2.3 billion. Here’s how the budget solves for the shortfall:
Ending two tax exemptions for large corporations to save $89 million a year;
Using $123 million in unspent money from funds across state government;
$797 million in reductions to state agencies — including administrative reductions — reducing recent expansions and increases to programs, and delayed implementation of programs;
Temporarily changing how the state allocates Capital Gains Tax funds, Department of Revenue request legislation on insurance premiums taxes and shifting other non-tax resources for a savings of $300 million;
Utilizing $1 billion from the Rainy Day Fund.
Trump impacts
Part of the reason for the state’s continued shortfall is the devastating impacts from cynical and chaotic federal policy from the Trump Administration.
For example, as one of the country’s most trade-dependent states, President Trump’s tariffs hit Washington state especially hard. Earlier this year, our state finance office did a detailed analysis of the impacts of these tariffs. They concluded that the tariffs will mean significantly higher costs for Washington families, the loss of tens of thousands of Washington jobs and billions of dollars in lost state revenue.
Washington working families and businesses are already feeling the impacts.
On top of that, H.R. 1 directly impacts our state budget.
This biennium alone, the Big Betrayal Bill will cost our state at least $165 million. That includes $15.9 million to implement new work requirements for SNAP recipients.
Another $20.6 million will go toward IT costs for implementing requirements of H.R. 1.
Starting in October 2026, Washington will be required to increase our fund match for SNAP’s administrative costs from 50% to 75%. We project that will cost $45.7 million.
The Trump Administration also kicked approximately 30,000 refugees, asylees and other immigrants with lawful status off of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, knows as SNAP.
State law requires that we provide state-level food benefits to anyone who would qualify for SNAP, but do not receive benefits based solely on their lawful immigration status — my budget includes $49 million for these food benefits.
Washington is still protecting access to reproductive health care by backfilling the federal Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood after the Trump Administration made its draconian cut. That’s an estimated $15 million.
Focus on affordability
While the federal government is going backward on affordability with the adoption of the Big Betrayal Bill, Washington is moving forward.
Governor Ferguson’s budget makes important investments to make Washington more affordable, including:
$55 million to maintain the Cascade Care premium subsidy program to help lower the cost of Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, health plans for eligible Washingtonians;
Using $569 million in Climate Commitment Act (CCA) revenues to maintain the Working Families Tax Credit;
Using $30 million in CCA dollars in Washington Families Clean Energy Credits;
$30 million in CCA dollars for Washington Families Clean Energy Credits.
Information on Governor Ferguson’s budget announcements
On Dec. 18, Governor Ferguson announced $244 million in housing investments — the largest-ever supplemental budget investment in housing. Read more here. Watch the press conference here.
The following day, Governor Ferguson announced $2.1 billion for transportation infrastructure investments, including preservation and maintenance of our roads and bridges. It is the largest investment of its kind in any enacted budget of the past 20 years. Read more here. Watch the press conference here.
Ferguson also spoke with the Seattle Times about $1 billion in additional investments in Washington’s ferry fleet. Read the story here.
Editor’s note: The latest Gallup Poll has Trump’s overall approval number down to 36%, very close to Trump’s personal low of 34% in January 2021, which came after the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
When President Donald Trump marked his 100th day in office at the end of that month, he was on a seemingly unstoppable roll. After taking four years out of office to prepare, he and his team returned to power with a blitz of more than 140 executive orders. He bent the Republican-controlled Congress to his will and dismantled much of the federal bureaucracy. He brought powerful institutions, including prestigious universities and law firms, to heel, demanding that his ring be kissed and his wallet fattened. He upended the nation’s economic and diplomatic relations with the world. He hijacked Americans’ attention—he was everywhere!—while openly musing about tearing up the Constitution and serving a third term. Moreover, Democrats were in disarray—truly—and their party’s future seemed in doubt. Trump stared out from the cover of this very magazine with the accompanying quote “I run the country and the world.” Honestly, it was hard to argue with him.
‘But as 2025 draws to a close, Trump seems a whole lot smaller. His party has been battered in recent elections. His poll numbers on even his signature issues—the economy, immigration—have tumbled. He’s seemingly lost touch with what got him elected, instead focusing on projects both petty and self-aggrandizing. As Americans worry about affordability, Trump and his family have profited wildly from his time in office. Republicans have begun to openly and repeatedly defy him. Democrats have started to outmaneuver him. Today, the Jeffrey Epstein scandal once more erupted with embarrassing revelations and unanswered questions. And every now and then, Trump seems to have a hard time even staying awake.
early two years ago, Donald Trump kicked off the presidential-campaign season with a declaration: “I was never on Epstein’s Plane, or at his ‘stupid’ Island,” he posted on Truth Social in January 2024. Reports to the contrary, he insisted, were the fault of AI—and of his political rivals: “This is what the Democrats do to their Republican Opponent, who is leading them, by a lot, in the Polls.”
But this week, the documents released by Trump’s own Justice Department—including flight logs and emails—told a different story. Federal prosecutors determined in January 2020 that Trump had been a passenger on the notorious private jet owned by Jeffrey Epstein—who would later be charged with sex trafficking—far more often than they had realized.
Many of the flights on what came to be known as the Lolita Express took place “during the period we would expect to charge in a Maxwell case,” a federal prosecutor in New York told colleagues. Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell was subsequently convicted and is now serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in the sex-trafficking operation, including using the plane for “transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts.”
‘Don’s Best Friend’: How Epstein and Trump Bonded Over the Pursuit of Women
The Times interviewed more than 30 former employees of Epstein, victims of his abuse and others who crossed paths with Epstein and Trump. The Times also obtained new documents that illuminate their relationship.
For nearly a quarter-century, Mr. Trump and his representatives have offered shifting, often contradictory accounts of his relationship with Mr. Epstein, one sporadically captured by society photographers and in news clips before they fell out sometime in the mid-2000s. Closely scrutinized since Mr. Epstein died in a Manhattan jail cell during Mr. Trump’s first term, their friendship — and questions about what the president knew of Mr. Epstein’s abuses — now threatens to consume his second one.
The controversy has shaken Mr. Trump’s iron hold on his base like no other. Loyal supporters have demanded to know why the administration has not moved more quickly to unearth the convicted sex offender’s remaining secrets. In November, after resisting months of pressure to release more Epstein-related documents held by the federal government — and facing an almost unheard-of revolt among Republican lawmakers — Mr. Trump reversed himself, signing legislation that requires their release beginning this week.
Mr. Epstein had a talent for acquiring powerful friends, some of whom have become ensnared in the continuing scrutiny of his crimes. For months, Mr. Trump has labored furiously to shift himself out of the frame, dismissing questions about his relationship with Mr. Epstein as a “Democrat hoax” and imploring his supporters to ignore the matter entirely. An examination of their history by The New York Times has found no evidence implicating Mr. Trump in Mr. Epstein’s abuse and trafficking of minors.
But the two men’s relationship was both far closer and far more complex than the president now admits.
Beginning in the late 1980s, the two men forged a bond intense enough to leave others who knew them with the impression that they were each other’s closest friend, The Times found. Mr. Epstein was then a little-known financier who cultivated mystery around the scope and source of his self-made wealth. Mr. Trump, six years older, was a real estate scion who relished publicity and exaggerated his successes. Neither man drank or did drugs. They pursued women in a game of ego and dominance. Female bodies were currency.
Priya Rajarapu, a Christmas tree specialist at Oregon State University Extension, explains the characteristics of various tree species. Credit: Kai Casey / Courtesy of Oregon State University via The Seattle Times.
Christmas tree growers are trying out a new species in the Northwest
In the lumber-centric Pacific Northwest, Douglas and noble fir are the classic choices for a Christmas tree — aromatic, good for ornaments and able to last a few weeks.
But with hotter and drier summers, could there be a new species onto the scene? Enter the Nordmann and Turkish fir.
According to Priya Rajarapu, an assistant professor at the College of Forestry at Oregon State University, and the official Christmas Tree Specialist for the university’s extension service, Nordmann and Turkish fir have been gaining popularity among growers in the Pacific Northwest.
The trees, which originate from Turkey and the country of Georgia (and are nearly identical to each other), were introduced in the 2000s by researchers in the U.S., wondering if they might be more resilient, she said.
In anticipation of a hotter, drier climate, foresters across the Pacific Northwest have been trying out growing different species of trees, like redwoods or native species with seeds sourced from farther south.
To grow and sell a Christmas tree means establishing saplings in sites where rainfall is the only form of irrigation, spending years cultivating them to the right shape, and monitoring them for pests and diseases.
(For) Christmas trees, the entire tree needs to be perfect to be sold,” Rajarapu said.
The market is largely driven by consumers, she said, and Pacific Northwesterners love the noble fir “dearly” because of its aroma, strong branches, bluish color and the fact the tree doesn’t shed needles like the Douglas fir even when it goes unwatered.
However, the noble fir is “very sensitive” to high temperatures, low precipitation and the type of soil it’s planted in, she said. Stressed trees send out scents that signal to pests like spider mites, aphids and weevils that they’re vulnerable for attack. No good for the Christmas tree buyer.
Nordmann and Turkish firs are hardier and more able to withstand low precipitation and warmer weather, Rajarapu said. Growers have been planting them in sites where they’ve found Noble firs do not do well.
