Nisqually Valley News, Yelm, WA (2025)

07/12/2025

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson vowed Wednesday to use state dollars to plug a hole Republicans left by barring Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood services in their sweeping tax cut and spending bill.

“The one thing we have to do is make sure that individuals in our state have access to the critical, critical services provided by Planned Parenthood,” Ferguson said in a press conference outside one of the organization’s clinics in Seattle.

The moratorium took effect when President Donald Trump signed his so-called “big, beautiful bill” into law Friday. The provision lasts one year.

This week, a federal judge in Massachusetts temporarily directed the Trump administration to continue the flow of funding to Planned Parenthood, which on top of abortions provides access to birth control and screenings for cancer and sexually transmitted infections at health centers across the country.

Federal Medicaid funding can’t pay for abortions except in cases where the pregnancy endangers the mother or is the product of r**e or in**st.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson vowed Wednesday to use state dollars to plug a hole Republicans left by barring Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood services in their sweeping tax cut and spending …

07/12/2025

In an effort to promote data transparency and accountability, the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, along with Measures for Justice, a national nonprofit, unveiled a new data tool that the office says will provide the public direct access to accurate and regularly updated criminal justice data.

The tool, known as Commons, was previewed during a joint presentation at South Puget Sound Community College in Lacey on Tuesday, June 24.

Jon Tunheim, Thurston County’s elected prosecuting attorney, began by saying the criminal justice system has been “notoriously bad at data” during his three decades in the field. He explained further.

“We are a system where there’s a strong philosophical belief that justice is individualized, that there are so many individualized factors that need to be considered when you’re doing cases,” Tunheim said.

“And so, the data doesn’t really play a role in that. In fact, there are decisions out of our courts of appeals that say it’s error for a trial judge or a sentencing judge to look at data and take data into account in terms of making a sentencing decision or other decision in a particular case. And so it’s just not been part of our culture, for, you know, the history of the system.”

For obvious reasons, Tunheim said, there’s been an increasing interest in how to take a better look at the justice system, particularly the outcomes from that system. The prosecuting attorney said that a data-driven approach can provide a drone-like perspective that “allows us to kind of go up and see the landscape better and look at the system from a different point of view.”

In an effort to promote data transparency and accountability, the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, along with Measures for Justice, a national nonprofit, unveiled a new data tool …

07/12/2025

"There’s something about the smell of grilled onions and sizzling hot dogs wafting through a ballpark that feels like pure summer.

It’s July, the sun hangs stubbornly in the sky long past 8 p.m., and the crowd at T-Mobile Park hums with hope and possibility. The rhythmic pop of balls hitting gloves echoes through batting practice. Vendors call out, “Ice cold beer here!” Kids wave oversized foam fingers, their faces sticky with cotton candy or ice cream.

Baseball, for me, has always been about more than a game. It’s about sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers who become momentary friends, high-fiving after a double down the line, and collectively groaning when a fly ball dies at the warning track. It’s about memories tied to a certain shade of green — the perfect, manicured grass under the stadium lights — and a scoreboard flickering with possibility.

In Seattle, it’s also about the Mariners.

We’ve followed this team long enough to know that being a Mariners fan is both an exercise in patience and an act of unrelenting faith. There’s a special grit required to love a franchise that has broken hearts more times than it has mended them. But there’s unique beauty in that kind of loyalty.

Do you remember 1995? I do, like it was yesterday — the year Edgar Martinez laced “The Double” down the left field line, scoring Joey Cora and Ken Griffey Jr. to beat the Yankees. Grown men wept in the stands that night, clutching strangers as if they were lifelong friends. That wasn’t just a baseball moment. That was a Seattle moment — a spark that kept the Mariners in town, preserved our ballpark dreams, and gave us a piece of sports history to call our own."

There’s something about the smell of grilled onions and sizzling hot dogs wafting through a ballpark that feels like pure summer. It’s July, the sun hangs stubbornly in the sky long …

07/11/2025

"We are writing to express our profound concerns regarding the recent administrative pay increases at Yelm Community Schools, especially in light of the simultaneous cuts to student-facing activities such as band and choir concerts, National Honors Society, counselor positions, social worker duties and class advisers who plan and prepare events such as homecoming and prom.

This decision sends a disheartening message to students, faculty and the wider community about the priorities of our central office administration.

Our educational institution exists primarily to serve its students. Programs, resources and activities that directly benefit students’ academic, social and emotional development should be at the forefront of our financial planning. The recent cuts to these vital services, which include funding for band and choir concerts, critical counselor positions and essential social worker duties, directly undermine the quality of education and the overall student experience.

At the same time, our school board voted to provide pay raises above and beyond cost of living adjustments (known as IPD) for administrators, creating a stark contrast that is difficult to reconcile."

We are writing to express our profound concerns regarding the recent administrative pay increases at Yelm Community Schools, especially in light of the simultaneous cuts to student-facing activities …

07/11/2025

A new 16-bed crisis triage and stabilization facility is coming to Thurston County, thanks in part to a $4.95 million grant from the Washington state Department of Commerce, a recent news release from the department stated.

A partnership with the service provider, ConnectionsWA, will help the state meet its obligations under the Trueblood Contempt Settlement Agreement.

This landmark decision from 2018 primarily seeks to address unconstitutional delays in competency evaluation and restoration services for people detained in jails. However, investments in crisis triage and stabilization facilities are also part of the state’s implementation plan. The facilities serve a critical role in assisting people experiencing a behavioral health crisis. They provide an alternative to jails and emergency rooms with access to counseling, medication, peer support and other resources.

A new 16-bed crisis triage and stabilization facility is coming to Thurston County, thanks in part to a $4.95 million grant from the Washington state Department of Commerce, a recent news release …

07/11/2025

A rural central Washington hospital is warning of devastating consequences from the Medicaid cuts the Republican-led Congress passed last week.

For years, Astria Health has worked to find a path forward for its hospital in Toppen*sh on the Yakama Reservation. But the drastic downsizing of federal Medicaid funding threatens the hospital’s future, which could force it to change services, consolidate with Astria’s hospital about 20 miles away in Sunnyside or explore an acquisition or merger.

If the Toppen*sh hospital closes, the communities it serves would become a medical desert, hospital officials caution.

“We have stretched resources as far as they can go,” Astria President and CEO Brian Gibbons said in a statement. “But no health system — especially one serving multiple underserved communities — can continue reallocating funds without consequences.”

The hospital’s plight is emblematic of how huge cuts to Medicaid included in the megabill President Donald Trump signed Friday could prove ruinous for the finances of both the state and its hospitals, especially in rural areas, as well as for the low-income residents who rely on the program for health care coverage, advocates say.

A rural central Washington hospital is warning of devastating consequences from the Medicaid cuts the Republican-led Congress passed last week. For years, Astria Health has worked to find …

07/11/2025

Following an undercover investigation, Washington state Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) officers on Monday July 7, executed a search warrant at 3135 184th Ave. SE in Tenino, known locally as “Tad’s in Tenino” or “Tads’ Man Cave.”

Harold “Tad” Weber and Chris Aldridge were suspected of several violations of state law including selling liquor without a license, unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, allowing consumption of cannabis in a public place and creating a public nuisance, according to a news release from the Liquor and Cannabis Board.

“The unlawful activity at Tad’s has been an ongoing issue for years, generating several complaints from citizens, law enforcement and local government,” the LCB stated in a news release. “LCB officers previously conducted undercover investigations and executed search warrants on the property for operating without a liquor license in 2016 and 2017. Both warrant services substantiated that Harold ‘Tad’ Weber was operating an unlicensed liquor business from his residence, in violation of Washington State liquor laws."

In June 2025, Aldridge posted on social media advertisements for an event titled “The Annual Tad Hatter 4th of July Music Festival: 2025.” The event was July 4-6, at the same Tenino address. Tickets were advertised for sale for $50, according to the LCB.

“On July 4, 2025, the LCB conducted an undercover operation after reviewing Mr. Weber’s and Mr. Aldridge’s social media posts which included photos from prior events and advertisements for the upcoming event,” the LCB stated in the release. “Officers witnessed a well-organized outdoor bar setup, including individuals acting as bartenders behind a counter, with stacked cups, bar mixing tools, ice chests and visible bottles of spirits and cases of beer stacked behind the bar area. Photos also showed a stage set up for live music. Also depicted were vendor tents offering items for sale, including suspected cannabis.”

Undercover LCB enforcement officers were able to purchase alcohol from multiple locations at the site, according to the release. An on-site vendor also sold cannabis and psilocybin mushrooms. Weber and event-promoter Aldridge were both present at the event, according to the LCB.

Following an undercover investigation, Washington state Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) officers on Monday July 7, executed a search warrant at 3135 184 th Ave. SE in Tenino, known locally as …

07/11/2025

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is inviting new applicants to join the ranks of over 1,200 certified master hunters across the state, a news release from the WDFW stated.

“Through our Master Hunter Permit Program, WDFW enlists skilled volunteers who are passionate about wildlife conservation and supporting both the department and the public,” said David Whipple, WDFW hunter education section manager. “Applicants must demonstrate a high level of hunting knowledge, skills, and abilities, and be deeply committed to lawful and ethical hunting practices.”

Interested individuals can submit applications now through Aug. 15, and must complete all program certification requirements by May 15, 2026. A $69 application fee is required to apply to the program. For information on master hunter eligibility requirements and how to apply, visit shorturl.at/aLLzZ .

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is inviting new applicants to join the ranks of over 1,200 certified master hunters across the state, a news release from the WDFW stated. …

07/11/2025

In what appears to be a first-of-its-kind lawsuit, big oil companies – including ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP and Shell – are facing a climate change wrongful death lawsuit from the family of a Seattle woman.

The lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court on May 28, alleges the oil companies knowingly fueled climate change and misled the public about the risks and consequences that the suit claims contributed to the record-high temperatures that blanketed western Washington in the final week of June 2021.

Julie Leon died of hyperthermia on June 28, 2021, Seattle’s hottest day on record, when temperatures soared to 108 degrees.

“On that day, Julie was overcome by heat while driving through Seattle with her windows rolled down. She managed to safely pull off the highway and onto a residential street before losing consciousness. Roughly two hours later, a good Samaritan discovered her, unresponsive and hot to the touch. First responders administered over a dozen rounds of CPR and other lifesaving measures but could not revive her,” the legal filing reads.

The lawsuit contends the extreme heat that killed Leon was directly linked to fossil fuel-driven alteration of the climate.

“Indeed, scientists have determined that an event as severe as the Heat Dome would have been ‘virtually impossible’ without anthropogenic warming,” according to the filing.

In what appears to be a first-of-its-kind lawsuit, big oil companies – including ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP and Shell – are facing a climate change wrongful death lawsuit from the family of …

07/11/2025

"Most of us want honest debate, compromise and bipartisanship — not party favors for special interests and political parties. But Washington, D.C., is way out of balance when only one party has control, and we all suffer for it.

Congress had an opportunity to level the playing field for everyday people and small businesses — by cutting red tape, building national health and unleashing low-cost energy. Instead, the majority made the terrain more uneven for hardworking families.

I repeatedly joined the Blue Dogs to offer our help crafting a fiscally-responsible proposal that provides tax relief for middle class families in Southwest Washington — but unfortunately the speaker showed no appetite for bipartisanship.

Under this bill, everyday families will come out in the negative, while Wall Street reaps the real benefits. The top 0.1 percent of taxpayers would receive an average handout of $118,630 a year — while the bottom 20 percent lose $560 a year.

Plus, it’s one of the largest explosions of our deficit ever from a single bill. A $4 trillion debt increase might just seem like another number on paper to politicians in D.C. — but that amounts to $31,000 in spending for every U.S. household. It’s unsustainable to pass that burden of debt on to our kids."

Editor’s note: Following is the full statement of U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, following the U.S. House passage of the budget reconciliation bill best known as the Big …

07/11/2025

"In a shocking 8-1 ruling, the Washington Supreme Court has given its official blessing to a secretive process that allows the offers and counteroffers leading to more than a billion dollars in taxpayer-funded compensation to remain secret until after the state budget is signed into law. By failing to uphold the clear intent of Washington’s robust public records law, expect more labor unrest, not less, as a result of this ruling.

For example, Washington state employees walked off the job last year to protest the compensation offers from then-Gov. Jay Inslee. According to KOMO News: “WFSE negotiators said they want to express their frustration with where the labor talks have gone. They called the wage offer proposed by the state … ‘disrespectful’ and are demanding livable pay rates.”

The problem is, except for a handful of people involved in the secret compensation talks, no one knew what the actual details were.

Since 2004, state negotiations with union executives about how much taxpayers compensate government employees have been secret, even though these talks with the governor’s office involve more than a billion dollars in public spending per biennium. Before 2004, compensation decisions were made transparently with public hearings. They were part of the normal legislative budget process. That’s as it should be.

In a 2024 video, WFSE leaders told public employees that they can’t share details of the pay talks until a tentative agreement has been reached, implying that they are being forbidden from doing so. Ashley Fueston, council vice president, said, “The way that our bargaining structure works here in the state of Washington, we aren’t allowed to share the details of what’s happening within bargaining.”'

In a shocking 8-1 ruling , the Washington Supreme Court has given its official blessing to a secretive process that allows the offers and counteroffers leading to more than a billion dollars in …

07/11/2025

"Many people are unhappy about the recent hike in the state fuel tax, especially since the average prices for gas and diesel were already much higher here than in every state except California and Hawaii.

But while that 6-cent jump is big compared to the other gas-tax increases our state has seen over the past century, the main drivers behind Washington’s inflated fuel prices continue to be the cap-and-tax law and the low-carbon fuel standard, both approved by majority Democrats in 2021.

Despite the cost they represent to families, especially those with lower incomes, no one has offered solid proof that either of these policies has made a real dent in greenhouse-gas emissions.

Meanwhile, the billions of dollars being raked in through cap-and-tax don’t seem to be going entirely where the law requires. And the financial harm from the low-carbon fuel standard is projected to get a lot worse, and sooner, because of a law passed this year.

Let’s take the fuel standard first. It isn’t known as well, probably because it hasn’t been challenged through a voter initiative like the cap-and-tax law was this past year – but make no mistake, it will cost you plenty at the pump.

This law forces the fuel industry to change the formulation of gas and diesel sold in Washington to reduce its “carbon intensity,” on the grounds that doing so might reduce greenhouse-gas emissions."

Many people are unhappy about the recent hike in the state fuel tax, especially since the average prices for gas and diesel were already much higher here than in every state except California and …

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