Clearly Western Washington has finally broken through the "glass ceiling" and voted their minds for candidates to represent them based on talent, rather than gender bias, as demonstrated by these four ladies who were winners in their respective races in the State's top two Primary August 19th. They move on to the November election ballot.
[Ed. Note: They all list a preference for the Democratic Party.]

Find out more about their campaigns by clicking on their names below to access their websites:
LD 2 State Representative Candidate JeanMarie Christenson
8th Congressional District Candidate Darcy Burner
2nd LD State Senator Marilyn Rasmussen
Governor Chris Gregoire

CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE WOMEN FOR STEPPING FORWARD IN BEING WILLING TO SERVE!

"The historic tall ships Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain will arrive in Olympia with cannons blazing as part of Olympia Harbor Days Aug. 29-31, it was announced today [Aug. 22].

The Official Ship of the State of Washington and her companion ship will add an extra day in the state capital Sept. 1 for additional public tours and sailings that celebrate the region’s maritime heritage.

The ships are scheduled to arrive at Percival Landing, 222 Columbia St. N.W., Aug. 29 at about 6 p.m.

Crew in period costume will welcome visitors aboard the ships for walk-on tours: Aug. 30, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Aug. 31, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sept. 1, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A $3 donation per person is requested.

The ships also will take passengers on five Battle Sails -- three-hour excursions featuring booming cannon and close-quarters maneuvers between the two vessels.

Those sails are scheduled Aug. 30, 2-5 p.m. and 6-9 p.m.; Aug. 31, 6-9 p.m.; and Sept. 1, 2-5 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. Tickets are $60 for adults. For reservations call 800-200-5239 or go to www.historicalseaport.org," quoting The Olympian.

You are invited to an Introduction to Permaculture Design talk at the
Blue Bottle this Wednesday, Aug 27th starting at 7:00 PM

This talk introduces the Permaculture Design method which individual people and Eco-Villages around the world are using to become more sovereign and self-sufficient at home and in their local community.
A full certification program in Permaculture Design is beginning Sat. Aug 30th here in the Yelm area. Course participants will have participate in design team practicums and learn to develop proven strategies, technologies and patterns for sovereign living. Upon completion of the course, graduates will be invited to participate in a permaculture design society Dancing Spirits Permaculture which will sponsor workshops in applied permaculture.


Bruce Weiskotten for
Dancing Spirits Permaculture

for further information call Bruce (360) 400-1350 or Satora (360) 446-0052

The term master refers to self-mastery. Permaculture means a sustainable culture of sovereign individuals cultivating their own food, medicine, building materials, energy resources and more ecologically and locally. Design is the process by which we co-create with God.

The Master Permaculture Design training program is a 72 credit hour course wherein the students learn how to develop their own models for Sovereignty.

Come and learn how to:
- Read the landscape to better understand your land’s potential
- Transmute the ground of your being
- Work with nature’s secrets rather than fighting back the jungle
- Recognize & make use of nutrients, water, potential energy & other freely available resources
- Create perennial harvest systems
- Reduce risks (disease, climatic extremes, fire, pest management,…)
- Maximize your sustainable yields
- Learn Darwin’s criteria of what makes a species the fittest to survive

"What permaculturists are doing is the most important activity that any group is doing on the planet. For a truly sustainable future, we need options – experimenting in all kinds of ways. Permaculturists are one of the critical gangs that are doing that."
-- David Suzuki

Introductory Evening with Bruce on Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 7.00 pm at the Blue Bottle in Yelm
For information call Satora (360) 446-0052

Judges review the materials and select the class of honorees....

Other honorees are: Cyndi Wikstrom, general manager of Tacoma's Click! Network; Kim Farnes, executive director of Communities in Schools of Orting, Rita Hutcheson fire chief of South East Thurston Fire and EMS; and Jill Kenly, director of Fund Development for Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity.

The annual class of business and community women is selected by previous honorees gathered by the Business Examiner. A special publication honoring the 2008 Women of Influence, including articles profiling each honoree, will be distributed in the Sept. 15 issue of the Business Examiner.

Women of Influence is presented by KeyBank - Key4Women. More than 375 business and community members are expected to celebrate Women of Influence alumni, honorees and nominees at an event Sept. 24 at the Sharon McGavick Student and Conference Center at CPTC," quoting this August 18 Business Examiner story.

CONGRATULATIONS TO CHIEF HUTCHESON AND WE THANK HER FOR ALL OF HER FINE WORK IN OUR COMMUNITY!

This writer wrote to Yelm's Community Development Director Grant Beck on August 13, 2008 saying,

"I hear you have said to others recently that you have no intention to reject the Thurston Highlands Draft EIS for not following the SEPA rules.

Out of a total of 52 comments submitted to your office, most were by members of the community and almost all of those unanimously demanded that the draft be rejected for several reasons:

- this DEIS was over twice the length given as a maximum by SEPA rules

- this DEIS was not in clear and concise language

- many of the public asked for an extended comment period for some of these reasons

The city’s own promulgated version of the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) states:

“Environmental impact statements shall be concise and written in plain language.
EISs shall not be excessively detailed or overly technical.
EISs shall explain plainly the meaning of technical terms not generally understood by the general public.
The text of an EIS (WAC 197-11-430(3))…shall not exceed seventy-five pages;
except for proposals of unusual scope or complexity, where the EIS shall not exceed one hundred fifty pages.” ...

The purpose and intent of the State Environmental Policy Act rules are largely devoted to encouraging community participation and comment for obvious reasons...
This public input is of vital importance and must be construed in the spirit of the SEPA rules. To date, there has been no response from your office on the comments submitted by the community...

Do you or do you not intend to follow the expressed wishes of the community and reject this Draft EIS, and have it reissued according to lawful SEPA premises?

A week later, I received no response, so I called Mr. Beck and left a voicemail message giving him yet another opportunity to respond. As of 10 days later, I have heard nothing.

However, Mayor Harding's and Mr. Beck's comments in yesterday's Nisqually Valley News say it all!

"Mayor Ron Harding said the document is lengthy because the city wanted to ensure it covered all aspects of the project.
Yelm's Director of Community Development Grant Beck said there actually isn't an overall size limitation to the document.
'It could be a million pages long,' Beck said," quoting the NVN.

No size limitation, Mr. Beck?
The State of Washington Administrative Code (WAC) about SEPA quoted above says your conjecture is not so!
Your silence in not responding to the 52 commenters or to my written and oral requests for comment clearly indicate that you have no intention to reject the Thurston Highlands Draft EIS for not following the SEPA rules.
Your flagrant disregard for the city's own version of the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and lack of responsiveness to this community demonstrates your continued thumb-nosing at your constituents, to whom you were appointed to serve!

Did Mayor Harding read the public comments on the City of Yelm's own website about this Draft EIS?
JZ Knight attorney Keith Moxon's comments there clearly delineate in fine detail the incompleteness of the Thurston Highlands Draft EIS in failing to address so many issues.
Click here.
Olympia Engineer Ed Wiltsie's comments further show DEIS gaps:
Click here.
Bill Hashim, a local resident & state ecologist for over 25 years highlights more discrepancies and omissions in the DEIS:
Click here.
These are not some insignificant statements, rather well-researched and documented reports from knowledgeable and experienced professionals all pointing to a sorely deficient DEIS.

The silence from the Community Development Director bespeaks volumes!

That silence is matched by the community-at-large, as well. While I acknowledge those that took the time to send in their comments, only 52 comments were filed from the greater Yelm community of over 10,000 people; that's less than 1/2 of one percent.

The silence from the community on issues that will affect this town for generations bespeaks volumes, too!

The Mayor, City Council, Planning Commission and many in City Hall just wish I would be quiet and go away.
I will still bring up these issues for our community, nevertheless!

To our appreciated customers and friends,

Sadly, we have to announce the closure of our bakery, Sebastian's Best, by the end of August '08. Unfortunately, we are not able to meet and support our financial needs with Sebastian's Best and, after crunching all the numbers several times under different scenarios, we've accepted this reality. We even considered opening just a couple of afternoons a week, but could find little profit other than our enjoyment of being here with you.

Sebastian is searching for baking space to rent for 1 day a week to continue some wholesale business and perhaps special orders for you. Please feel free to call with any suggestions or leads. Also, perhaps you know someone who'd like to make a different business with this established kitchen. We are happy to talk to any interested parties - we think it'd be the perfect space for a caterer or special order business like pizza delivery or Dinners to Go.

If we don't find someone interested in taking over the kitchen, we will be selling off equipment and odds and ends (buckets, spatulas, etc.) over the month of September. Please request a list of items if you or someone you know is interested.

We have so enjoyed being here and serving you. Thank you!

--Sebastian, Amy and Elena Schefer

THE YELM COMMUNITY BLOG THANKS THE SCHEFER'S FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS COMMUNITY & WISH THEM WELL IN THEIR FUTURE ENDEAVORS.

In the last year, the City has said good-by to friends at Annie's Bistro/Two Friend's Cafe, Arnold's Country Inn, & QFC.

INTRODUCING YELM'S TRULY MOTIVATED TRANSITIONAL LIVING

"Truly Motivated Transitional Living is a non-profit organization in Yelm, Washington offering affordable clean and sober housing to men & women in recovery from drugs and alcohol.

Joseph & Carmin both have hard fought experiences in the rooms of recovery, with over six years of sobriety each. Their similar stories disclose hopelessness, emptiness, jails and institutions, to recovery and new hope. Page 100 of Alcoholics Anonymous states “both you and the new man must walk day by day in the path of spiritual progress. If you persist remarkable things will happen”. Joseph and Carmin have set out to create a community where people in recovery can walk that walk.In 2005, Truly Motivated Transitional Living opened to address a significant community need for transitional living facilities. Situated in the quiet community of Yelm, Washington, it is well positioned to serve the South Puget Sound region. Three homes comfortably house up to 24 residents in a rural, park-like setting, offering the serenity of country living. A clean and sober environment offers encouragement and accountability. Nutritious food, on-site 12-step meetings and support services rebuild mind, body, and soul. It is our desire that residents find new hope, self respect, and dignity in addition to sustained sobriety. Residents may stay with the Truly Motivated family as long as they wish, gaining the confidence to go from here into a victorious life. A women’s facility is planned for 2008," quoting their website.

The Yelm Starbucks is selling raffle tickets for one dollar each for a Starbucks Gift Basket through Saturday, August 23rd. All proceeds will benefit Truly Motivated Transitional Living. This writer discovered this organization for the first time through the Starbucks raffle & asked about them.

Quoting Joe, "I want to thank Starbucks for their partnership and in particular, this store. They've just been great."

How You Can Help

"We help find lost dogs their way home and also foster and adopt unwanted dogs;
hope to see you there (with your dog!)."

Elizabeth from Yelm Animal Alliance

In Olympia August 2, 7:30pm
Capital Mall 14
625 BLACK LAKE BLVD. SW
OLYMPIA, WA 98502
360-943-0769
Buy tickets here!

Greetings One and All!
We hope you are enjoying the Lovely summer sun this week!
The following is information about a very special Evening in the Blue.

On Aug. 30th, the Blue Bottle will be hosting the Musical Trio, Just for Fun:
Sonia Peñas, Din Wilkie, Greg Roth.
The evening begins at 7:30 pm with dinner and live music.
Tickets are $25 and must be purchased by Thursday Aug 21st.

This evening is intimate, with limited seating, so hurry down to the Blue Bottle to ensure your "Just for Fun" evening!
Experience an evening of fine wine, fabulous food, and exceptional music!

Thank You all!
The Blue Bottle
309 Yelm Ave E
Yelm, WA. 98597
360-458-4611
Blue Bottle By Day,
Blue Note By Night

STEALING AMERICA: Vote by Vote brings together behind-the-scenes perspectives from the U.S. presidential election of 2004 – plus startling stories from key races in 1996, 2000, 2002 and 2006. Unbiased and nonpartisan, the film sheds light on a decade of vote counts that don't match votes cast – uncounted ballots, vote switching, under-votes and many other examples of election totals that warrant serious investigation.

Throughout STEALING AMERICA, we hear from voters who experienced a wide range of problems, including those whose votes flipped from one candidate to another and those whose polls didn't have enough machines to serve the number of voters. Investigative journalists describe how their reportage on election fraud was sidelined. First-person citizen testimonies speak of waiting in line nine hours to vote. We hear how polling experts’ requests for essential information – such as precinct voting data necessary to examine irregularities – had been rejected, while ballots were being systematically destroyed, making audits impossible.

In an effort to create the least biased and most balanced picture of this contentious issue, filmmaker Dorothy Fadiman has called upon experts from across the political spectrum.

STEALING AMERICA unveils patterns of anomalies at every level of the electoral process. Controversial partnerships perpetuate a secretive environment, as relevant facts and figures remain hidden from view. As a result, most Americans have no real sense of the threat to free and fair elections. As seemingly unrelated pieces of the puzzle come together, a chilling picture emerges of widespread, artfully crafted "glitches" that, in the final tallies, have the capacity to alter election results."

THIS FILM IS COMING TO PUGET SOUND
Sept 5th thru 11th at the Varsity 3
4329 University Way NE
Seattle, WA

Olympia Regional Airport records near-record heat three days in a row

- On August 14, the official National Weather Service station for Thurston County at Olympia Regional Airport reported a high of 91, just short of the 1967 record of 93 degrees.

- On August 15, the 93 degree high was one degree short of the 1967 high of 94 degrees.

- On August 16, the 92 degree high was 4 degrees short of the 1967 96 degree record, however the morning low of 60 degrees broke a record for this day as the highest, low temperature recorded for any August 16th, surpassing the 59 degrees set in 1999.

Yelm records record heat three days in a row - Puget Sound's hottest!
This area recorded some of the hottest temperatures in Puget Sound, surpassing Olympia, Tacoma and Sea-Tac Airport temperatures:

- On August 14, the previous Yelm high temperature of 91 recorded in 1992 was surpassed by the 92 degrees recorded here.
"The area set a high for an Aug. 14 on Thursday, with 90 degrees recorded at Sea-Tac Airport. That broke the mark of 88 in 2005. It was 88 degrees at McChord Air Force Base," quoting the Tacoma News Tribune. Yelm's 92 surpassed all of those stations.

- On August 15, the previous Yelm high of 87 for that date was surpassed by the 94 degrees, which is also the warmest temperature recorded in Yelm this month.

- On August 16, the 92 degrees broke the record set in 1985 of 86 degrees.

From Weather.com.

Click here for Yelm August record temperatures.

KING-5 TV in Seattle reports, "Lightning adds to sweltering weekend".

NEWS FROM YELM'S CO-OP

A Lottery terminal has been installed in the Yelm Food Co-op.
Your ticket purchases help support the store through the commissions paid to us as a Lottery vendor. And the Co-op will also share larger winnings for tickets purchased in the store with special vendor bonuses, up to $50,000 for a Mega-Millions winner!
Hope to see you winning with us soon!

The Yelm Co-op Staff
========================================

Dear Yelm Food Co-op Owner/Member,

Our next Annual General Owner/Member Meeting will be held Sunday, Sept 14th from 1.30pm – 3.30 pm at the Yelm Senior Center of 103rd Street.

As owners of the Yelm Food Co-op, this is your chance to meet with the management of your store, to discuss the future, to bring in suggestions and to vote on issues that we feel require your approval.

The agenda will include reports from the Board President and Treasurer and from the Store Manager. We will discuss efforts at receiving funding, the Owner/Member loan program, the Working Member program and its challenges, the AlpineAire program and its benefits to us, the upcoming booth at the RSE food court and other developments.

Please make this a priority. This is YOUR store and the management team would like to have your input on how to progress, your ideas on what you would like to see in YOUR store, suggestions on how to improve YOUR store and to learn how you can support us in this combined effort.

See you there!!

The Yelm Food Co-op Board

And non-members are welcome as well.

Contact: Christine Hartman 360.264.5190

Tenino WA.
A fundraising concert will be held in Tenino Park on Sunday, August 17th immediately following the Quarryman’s Auto show from 2-7pm featuring Mud Bay Blues Band, with guest George Barner, Randy Linder and the duo Croonella, and the Planetary People Reggae band. The concert is being sponsored by the Tenino Park Task Force Fundraising Committee, the Heernet Foundation, Friends of Tenino, local business and supporters to raise matching money for a land acquisition grant to purchase 12 acres of land
currently owned by Weyerhaeuser above the quarry pool. Weyerhaeuser has postponed their planned harvest for one year to give the Tenino groups and the Heernett Foundaion an opportunity to raise the funds to expand the park and protect the quarry.
“We feel this is a perfect match for the auto show to have a rock and roll concert to raise funds for this shared community project. It gives folks the opportunity to see importance of those trees above the quarry pool firsthand,” explained concert organizer Christine Hartman of Tenino.

Admission for the concert will be $10 dollars with food vending available during the show. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs, help save the trees, and be a part of this community effort in Tenino.

While builders are suing in some communities to reinstate their construction loans so they can finish projects, the homes they’ve finished in recent months are taking a long time to sell. Data from the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development indicate that the amount of time required to sell a newly constructed home has nearly doubled between 2006 and the present. In 2006 it was 4.3 months. By 2007 it had climbed to 6.2 months. As of this June it was 8.4 months. quoting MSNBC.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH NEW DEVELOPMENTS HERE -- LIKE TAHOMA TERRA & THURSTON HIGHLANDS STILL UNBUILT???
WHO IS GOING TO QUALIFY TO BUY ALL THESE PROPOSED HOMES?
WHO IS GOING TO LOAN THE MONEY TO BUILD THEM?

The Olympian weighed in on this subject with this August 4th report titled:

"Home sellers turn to incentives to draw buyers
Cooler market prompts bonuses to take a look"

"A new Honda scooter, a trip to a Caribbean destination and a chance to win free gasoline are just some of the incentives that South Sound real-estate agents are using to entice prospective buyers in a slower housing market.

Some agents, though, are split on whether such incentives and other marketing efforts are worthwhile. Re/Max Four Seasons broker and owner Dean Stohl says the best approach for home sellers in this cooler housing climate is to think carefully about the sale.

'The most important 'non-gimmick' are sellers pricing the property competitively and making sure it is in 'tip-top' condition before putting it on the market,' he said.

Still, some agents are rolling out increasingly creative hooks to land that next sale because sales have cooled since the piping-hot years of 2005 and 2006.

In 2006, more than 4,000 houses sold in Thurston County. Through June of this year, sales have fallen more than 20 percent compared with the same period in 2007, Northwest Multiple Listing Service data show.

Tamera Strawn of Riley Jackson Real Estate is working with a Tacoma builder giving away Honda scooters for sales at The Overlook, a new 138-lot development at the top of Tumwater Hill, she said.

'We're just looking for something new and out of the box,' Strawn said about the promotion,"