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
An important safety tool for Washington drivers and road crews will soon enter a new phase with a steeper penalty for its first infraction. After more than a year of trying to change driver behavior, the Work Zone Speed Camera Program’s first infraction will result in a fine.
Last year, the Legislature voted to change the fine for a first-time infraction from $0 to $125, beginning July 1. Penalties for second and all subsequent infractions remain $248.
The increase comes after the cameras have been used more than 900 times at about 50 job sites since the program began April 16, 2025. So far, 85,000 work zone speed camera infractions have been issued statewide. 77,000 of those were first-time infractions.
Program goals
Cameras are rotated through different work zones to encourage people to slow down, not to make money. The program recently expanded into eastern Washington and continues adding more cameras, with 15 planned for operation by 2027.
Enforcement began on Interstate 5 near Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Early research shows that ongoing use of the work zone speed cameras reduces speeds.
A Washington State Patrol trooper reviews images and data for every potential infraction and determines whether a violation occurred. A notice of infraction is mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner within 30 days. Those who receive an infraction can acknowledge it, review it, contest it or pay the fine on the program’s website.
The cameras only record speeding vehicles when work crews are present at a job site. Work zones can be active during the day or at night, so drivers should always consider it active.
Thurston County announced it received 30 achievement awards for innovative county government initiatives from the National Association of Counties (NACo).
NACo, an independent organization, evaluates local government innovation and public service excellence across 18 categories for the award.
The county’s major wins were from the Public Health & Social Services (PHSS) Department, which received 10 awards, and the Auditor’s Office, which earned five awards.
PHSS was recognized for providing immediate health and safety benefits, including real-time tracking of local spikes in respiratory illness to help provide faster alerts, youth vaping prevention, supportive lactation services, and a gun lock-up safety campaign that provides free locks to the public.
The Auditor’s Office was recognized for safeguarding ballot integrity and providing frontline access to the voting process for the county’s more than 200,000 registered voters.
Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall said in a statement that the win represents the county’s commitment to public service and democracy.
“From translating passport form instruction, to creating a secure public observation corridor at our ballot processing center, to pioneering integrated election security, we are delivering the kind of radical transparency and absolute integrity the public deserves. This recognition belongs entirely to a dedicated team of professionals, who show up every day to build public trust,” Hall said.
The county was also recognized for health programs, infrastructure upgrades and improvements to roads and public safety.
“As our state and county face challenging budget realities, this (board) has been clear about prioritizing people and maintaining mandatory public services,” said Thurston County Board of County Commissioner Chair Tye Menser in a statement.
The county’s awards are available at the NACo website.
As we gear up to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, you won’t want to miss all the exciting events happening! You will find all your favorites returning, like Lacey’s Firework Spectacular, as well as new and unique events happening to celebrate this milestone. Here are the 2026 July Fourth Fireworks and other activities near Olympia celebrating America’s 250th birthday.
Planning on having a fireworks show at home? Be sure to check out the Washington State Patrol’s guidelines and information resources on which Thurston County cities have firework bans and/or restrictions.
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[Editor’s note: For a selection of several options – Click here to read all of the are listings.]
Tenino Famy Fun Day, America 250 Celebration and Quarry Pool Opening [Find the full list of events at the City of Tenino website.]
Governor’s Mansion Celebrates America 250: Stitching History Quilt Show[July 1 and 8]
In an effort to revitalize Yelm’s downtown corridor region, the city has renovated and repaved Third Street in preparation of re-working Washington Avenue, McKenzie Avenue, Fourth Street and Mosman Avenue into one-way couplets.
According to Cody Colt, Yelm Public Works director, the recently repaved Third Street was one of Yelm’s lowest rated roads and featured numerous potholes and other traffic obstructions.
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Colt noted the one-way couplets will be “a very expensive project,” and one that the city will wait to begin construction on until Yelm receives federal funding.
“The one-way couplets project will redo Washington, McKenzie, 3rd Street, Fourth Street and Mosman,” Colt said. “It turns Washington and McKenzie both into one-way couplets, and then turns Fourth Street into a one-way that will connect all the way to Mosman.”
Colt added the one-way couplets will revitalize the area and incorporate additional on-street parking and other amenities to help the flow of that region — as it’s known for hosting numerous events throughout the year.
People shop the shelves at the Ritenour Co-Care Food Pantry just outside of St. Louis last week. The nonprofit has seen rising need as grocery prices soar and thousands of Missourians lose federal food assistance. Photo courtesy of Ritenour Co-Care Food Pantry via From The States.
More Americans are hungry in the face of federal cuts, rising grocery prices
Families are facing rising grocery prices at the same time that many of the most vulnerable are losing access to the nation’s largest food assistance program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. More than 4 million Americans lost SNAP benefits between February 2025 and this February, according to analyses of the most recent federal data. The numbers are expected to increase as states whittle the rolls further as required by the broad tax and spending law President Donald Trump signed last summer, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
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Since the fall, states and counties that administer SNAP have been notifying residents who rely on food stamps that they must meet new work requirements or lose their food assistance. The federal tax and spending law ended exemptions to work requirements for older adults, homeless people, veterans and some rural residents, among others. The changes will put more pressure on states, likely leading to further benefit cuts as they reevaluate eligibility and begin paying for more program costs. The new rules also will further stress the already-stretched charitable food system.
Gina Plata-Nino, SNAP director at the Food Research & Action Center, a nonprofit working to combat hunger, noted that children, older adults and people with disabilities are most reliant on the program. The left-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimated the average benefit per person this year would be $188 per month, or $6.17 per day.
“And a majority of them are making less than $1,100 a month,” she said. “So when you lose your SNAP benefit, it really does exacerbate your situation of having to choose between shelter, food, and other basic needs.”
Rising need for food
National data on hunger is limited since the Trump administration terminated the annual Household Food Security report last year. But other measures indicate that more people are missing regular meals.
In May, the federal Reserve Bank of New York found a “remarkable” increase in food insecurity across the country, with more people struggling than during the peak of the pandemic. Its national surveys last October and this February found more households dipped into savings accounts, relied on food donations or had trouble finding enough food to eat or had kids who missed meals.
Democrats and anti-hunger advocates have been urging Congress to rescind SNAP cuts for months. Current negotiations over reauthorizing the federal farm bill, which includes SNAP, have put the issue front and center in Congress. The House has passed a version of that legislation that won’t reverse the cuts.
Republicans have downplayed the effect of the changes and defended the SNAP cuts, arguing they are aimed at rooting out fraud and abuse.
“This map shows previously completed Stage 1 and the proposed path of SR 510 (Stage 2) between Cullens Road and 170th Street Southeast/SR 507.” Credit: WSDOT
Despite the project delays and lingering negativity around the long-anticipated project, Cody Colt, Yelm Public Works director, told the Nisqually Valley News on Sunday, June 21, that the Yelm Loop is the closest it’s even been to going to construction.
Specifically, the Yelm Loop’s bid was published on Monday, May 11, and according to Colt, bids will officially open on Wednesday, July 1. He’ll travel to WSDOT headquarters in Olympia to watch the bid opening next month.
“They’ll be doing that July 1. With a timeline for construction starting, I would imagine, a couple of weeks after that,” Colt said. “The really crazy thing when it comes to the loop is it’s going to be huge. It’s not our project, but it’s cool to track it because it’s important to Yelm.”
Colt noted there’s going to be “a huge group” of construction companies that dig into the project and ultimately file a bid. He anticipates the Yelm Loop project being valued between $50 million and $70 million.
He added WSDOT will make sure each of the companies are certified and ultimately take the lowest responsive bidder.
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According to Colt, WSDOT will first begin constructing the project near Walmart with the addition of two roundabouts. Specifically, one roundabout will be installed at the intersection of 103rd St. SE. and Walmart Boulevard SE, and another will be constructed at the intersection of State Route 507 SE.
From there, Colt said construction will continue on Cullens Road and eventually through to Wilkensen Road.
“It’s an 18-month construction timeline. I would assume, because it’s the state government, you’re talking about a two-year construction timeline,” Colt said. “We should be done in late 2028. Everything should be done. The entire loop should be done in two years.”
[On June 25, 2026], Washington signed a historic carbon market linkage agreement with California and Québec, setting the stage for large-scale greenhouse gas reductions and long-term investment in clean energy across the jurisdictions.
Governor Bob Ferguson was joined by Delegate David Ruiz of the Government of Québec, Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, Climate Jobs Washington Executive Director Cassie Bordelon, Climate Solutions Washington Legislative Director Leah Missik and Washington State Department of Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller, who signed the linkage agreement at an event in Seattle. Video of the event is available here, and photos are available here (additional photos to be added later in the day).
The agreement is a major milestone for Washington in joining the largest subnational carbon market in the world. This unprecedented climate partnership means businesses in all three jurisdictions can make more predictable, long-term investments in reducing greenhouse gases. With greater investment, the cost of emission-reducing technologies will go down, leading to even higher rates of adoption and local economic benefits like job growth.
“This is a historic milestone in our climate partnership,” Governor Ferguson said. “At a moment when the federal government is abandoning science-driven policy and climate leadership, Washington state is moving forward. This agreement shows it’s possible to work together across borders to address the climate crisis. Our collaboration will reduce emissions and capitalize on the growing demand for clean energy.”
“This Agreement strengthens a climate partnership that is already renowned worldwide,” said Pascale Déry, Québec’s Minister of the Environment, the Fight Against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks. “It will bring even greater stability, predictability, and economic efficiency to our joint carbon market. The proceeds generated by the market flow back into Quebec’s economy, helping to protect our communities from the impacts of climate change while also helping residents reduce their home energy costs. Our carbon market is truly a pillar of Québec’s climate and energy transition.”
“Signing this agreement is an important milestone as each government works through our own processes to enable linkage – a move that can help boost climate outcomes, enhance compliance flexibility and deliver even greater benefits to our residents,” said Lauren Sanchez, Chair of the California Air Resources Board.
While completing a linkage agreement is a major milestone, it is just one part of each jurisdiction’s linkage process. In Washington, the Climate Commitment Act establishes that the linkage agreement is the step that authorizes Washington’s Cap-and-Invest Program to accept allowances and offset credits from California and Québec, completing the linkage process. California and Québec must complete additional steps, including adopting regulations to accept compliance instruments from Washington, before a linked market can take effect. Officials expect to operate a linked market in 2027.
Washington’s Cap-and-Invest Program
Created by the Climate Commitment Act (CCA) in 2021, Cap-and-Invest aims to reduce carbon pollution and achieve the greenhouse gas limits set in state law. Similar to California and Québec’s program, Cap-and-Invest sets a limit, or cap, on overall carbon emissions in the state and requires businesses to obtain allowances equal to their covered greenhouse gas emissions. These allowances can be obtained through quarterly auctions hosted by Ecology, or bought and sold on a secondary market (just like stocks and bonds).
In a linked market, allowances issued by California and Québec could be used by Washington businesses to cover their emissions, and vice versa. The three jurisdictions would host joint allowance auctions and share a common allowance price. Market participants could also trade allowances across jurisdictions.
Gas prices in Washington are among the highest in the country. The state’s gas tax will rise by 1.1 cents on July 1. Photo by Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard via yahoo!news.
Washington’s gas tax is going up, but state transportation revenue is falling short
Excerpt from the Washington State Standard via yahoo!news:
Washington state’s gas tax, already among the highest in the nation, is going up next week.
The state’s per-gallon fuel tax of 55.4 cents will climb 1.1 cents on July 1. The 2% bump is the first of the annual inflationary adjustments required by a 2025 law. With the increase, Washington’s gas tax will be 56.5 cents, trailing only California and Pennsylvania, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration figures updated earlier this year.
The per-gallon tax on diesel will get a 2% boost, rising from 58.4 cents to 59.5 cents. The state taxes are on top of federal fuel taxes, which are 18.4 cents for gasoline and 24.4 cents for diesel.
Even with the changes, revenues for the state’s two-year transportation budget are expected to be millions of dollars lower than previously forecast as demand for gas declines, fee collections drop, and there is continuing uncertainty around how much federal transportation funding for states will be available.
“This downward trend, coupled with rising costs across the board, will add to the pressures on the transportation budget as we head into the next biennium,” K.D. Chapman-See, director of the Office of Financial Management and Gov. Bob Ferguson’s lead budget writer, cautioned this week.
The July 1 tax increases are products of the multibillion-dollar transportation package passed in the 2025 legislative session and signed by Ferguson. Anchoring that deal was a 6-cent increase in the gas tax and 9-cent bump in the diesel tax.
Gas prices in Washington are among the highest in the country, averaging about $5.32 for a gallon of regular unleaded on Tuesday, according to AAA.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is piloting new camera-based technology for Global Entry at six major airports, including San Francisco, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, New York JFK, Philadelphia and Seattle.
The system uses mounted cameras to verify travelers’ identities as they walk toward passport control, eliminating the need to stop at a kiosk or pose for a photo.
This approach aims to speed up the arrival process for pre-vetted Global Entry members while maintaining security standards.
Participation in Global Entry and its biometric features remains optional for those with privacy concerns.
What to consider
The camera capture process may occur without travelers noticing, as photos are taken while approaching passport control.
It is unclear how long the pilot program will last or when it might expand to other airports.
Global Entry membership includes additional benefits such as expedited security screening at airports.
What you’ll miss from the article
A detailed explanation of how the new camera technology changes the Global Entry experience and tips for securing a Global Entry appointment.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
