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 Yelm City Council votes to no longer record study sessions
The public will no longer be able to watch Yelm City Council study sessions after the fact to learn more about city business.  After 14 years, the City of Yelm will no longer record or post …
Roy family farm giving back to communities around world with Christmas tree sales
For Randy and Chris Gagner, selling Christmas trees isn’t just about supporting the Roy and surrounding communities. While the Gagner Family Farm has built a strong clientele of families who …
Easthaven Villa Assisted Living presents Joysong Victorian Carolers
The Joysong Victorian Carolers will provide musical enjoyment alike by sharing their vocal talents with a selection of traditional Christmas songs in an upcoming presentation at 6 p.m., Wednesday, …
Yelm community impressed with centennial documentary at premiere
As dozens of Yelm residents shuffled out of the five Yelm Cinemas theaters showing the Yelm Centennial Documentary Monday, Dec. 9, Mayor Joe DePinto found local filmmaker Jared Potter and gave him …
Roy City Council shaves off nearly half of deficit with 2025 budget adoption
The Roy City Council will enter the 2025 fiscal year with a deficit yet again in its general fund budget, but council members made cuts to reduce the margin by nearly half before adopting it Monday, …
City to prioritize Yelm Loop, Southern Loop and infrastructure upgrades in future
The City of Yelm will continue to prioritize completing the Yelm Loop and Southern Loop projects, along with creating additional infrastructure throughout the city, such as backroads and sidewalks in …
What's Happening: Levy Forum, Composting workshop, Basketball, Toy Drive
Thursday, Dec. 12 Southworth Elementary levy forum YCS 1st Coalition will host a public forum about the school district’s upcoming Educational Programs & Operations levy at …
Thurston County releases long-awaited report into Commissioner Emily Clouse
The conduct of Thurston County Commissioner Emily Clouse was “more likely than not, inconsistent with and contrary to the behavioral requirements and expectations of professionalism” …
Roy man bringing community together with third annual Santa Parade
The third annual Santa Claus parade in Roy was very close to being cancelled. James Whitney, who has organized the event and dressed up as Santa Claus in town each year since 2022, was dealt a tough …
Yelm family fundraising to send son to 'D1 Nation All American Bowl'
Isaiah Pua gets it done in the classroom and on the field. The 11-year-old Yelm Middle School sixth grader maintains a 4.0 GPA and is a force to be reckoned with on the football field. His …
YCS 1st Coalition raises $45,640 in efforts to support passing February levy
By Jacob Dimond jake@yelmonline.com YCS 1st Coalition launched last month with a clear mission statement to raise local awareness on the importance of passing the upcoming Yelm Community …
Santa Claus taking tour of Yelm, Pierce County neighborhoods
Santa Claus is coming to town, trading his sleigh for a ride through Yelm neighborhoods aboard a City of Yelm truck Thursday, Dec. 19 from 5 to 8 p.m. The truck will be decked out in twinkling …

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State & Regional News
 Centralia City Council to consider construction for five Yelm bridges needing repairs
The process to improve five Yelm bridges owned by the City of Centralia across the Centralia Canal is moving forward and backward at the same time. After the Centralia City Council approved …
Thurston County announces new leadership appointments
Thurston County announced the appointment of three key leadership positions within the organization. Summer Miller was formally appointed as the budget and fiscal manager in the commissioners office; …
MGP writes state schools superintendent seeking to expand CTE education
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, has written to the Washington state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to encourage the office to expand career and technical education (CTE) …
Tenino awarded Community Outdoor Athletic Facility Grant
The City of Tenino announced it received the Community Outdoor Athletic Facility Grant award for the sum of $589,700. The city will utilize the funds for its ballfield renovation project, as there …
MGP declares victory over Joe Kent in Third District, builds on margins from 2022 race
U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Skamania, declared victory in her reelection bid for Congress Thursday evening. She did so following a projection by The Columbian. As of Friday morning, the …
ELECTION 2024: Leaders emerging in general election races
While many races in the 2024 general election remain close as of Tuesday, leaders are emerging in the contests at the local and state levels. Initial results from the 2024 general election …
Fire and Ice: Charity basketball game raises nearly $7K for Shop With A Cop
The North Thurston High School basketball court was brimming last week with the kind of intensity found in a game with a state championship berth on the line. But something far more important …
Thurston County enters interlocal agreement for Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project
The Deschutes Estuary Restoration Project will enter its next phase thanks to the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners. The county commissioners voted 3-1 to approve a 25-year …
Thurston County extends contract with City of Tenino for law enforcement services
Thurston County Sheriff’s Office will continue providing law enforcement services to the City of Tenino exclusively for priority calls between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. daily from 2025 …

More State & Regional News

Life
Kids and family walk through a tunnel of lights during the Christmas in the Park tree-lighting ceremony at Yelm City Park on Friday, Dec. 6.

Yelm tree lighting thrills young and old

Photos by Ridley Hudson/For The Nisqually Valley News
An overjoyed community member dressed as an elf waits for the Yelm Christmas parade to start on Dec. 7.

Downpour no match for Christmas spirit at Yelm parade

Photos by Dylan Reubenking/Nisqually Valley News
Santa Claus greets the community at the Rainier Christmas tree-lighting ceremony at Holiday Park on Dec. 5

Rainier community celebrates holidays with Christmas tree lighting

Photos by Dylan Reubenking/The Nisqually Valley News
The Roy Christmas Parade took place on Sunday, Dec. 9, on Warren Street in the small city.

Roy Santa Parade delights crowds

Photos by Jacob Dylan/The Nisqually Valley News

Yelm Lions ringing Salvation Army bell this holiday season

For the 59th year, the Yelm Lions will be ringing the Salvation Army bell at the Yelm Safeway beginning Monday, Dec. 15, and continuing   through Dec. 24. According to a press release from …
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  • Nisqually Valley News Bites Ep. 3: Yelm Mayor Joe DePinto talks journey to office, upcoming projects
  • Nisqually Valley News Bites Ep. 2: Steve Harshfield talks Standing Room Only Theater
  • Nisqually Valley News launches first podcast episode

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Business
Kailey Slevin, a Yelm High School junior and owner of Slevin Sweets, prepares an order in her kitchen.
By Dylan Reubenking dylan@yelmonline.com Yelm’s newest business is owned and operated by a junior at Yelm High School. Kailey Slevin recently launched Slevin Sweets, a …
Megan Wollitz recently moved from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Yelm to open Aurora Aesthetics & Wellness, a sister business to Borealis Medspa in Alaska.
Tucked away inside a small office in the Hairworx Salon is Yelm’s newest medical spa, Aurora Aesthetics and Wellness. Led by nurse practitioner Megan Wollitz, the business opened last week …
One Net Yelm, a nonprofit organization that aims to support causes in the greater Yelm area, is partnering with seven local businesses to spread joy this holiday season with its second annual toy …
Brigade Burgers and Brews opened in Roy last month and can be found at 208 McNaught Road S.
Brigade Burgers and Brews, located at 208 McNaught Road S. in Roy, has brought traditional burgers and Midwest and East Coast flavors to the Nisqually Valley since late October after rebranding from …
Bill Fishburn recalls sitting around a table when he was a manufacturing supervisor at Intel Corporation in DuPont in the late 1990s and daydreaming with his fellow team leaders about what would …

The Nisqually Valley News - December 12, 2024

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Sports

Mountaineers blow out another C2BL opponent with 64-15 win over Ducks

Peyton Sheaffer barrels through two defenders for a layup against Toutle Lake on Dec. 12.
Ben Sheaffer, Rainier High School boys basketball head coach, wanted the 2024-25 Mountaineers to become a player-led team. Not only is he seeing that transition four games in, but Rainier is reaching …
Yelm senior Samantha Blank attempts to pin her opponent in the Prairie Open wrestling tournament on Saturday, Dec. 7 at Yelm High School.

Yelm girls wrestling hosts and wins first ever Prairie Open tournament

Ben Hawk’s first home competition as Yelm High School’s head girls wrestling coach was a successful event, as YHS’s girls wrestling program placed first out of 14 teams in the …
The TSD high school girls flag football team huddles in its first offensive series of the season on Dec. 4.

TSD girls flag football off to 2-0 start after blowout victories over Olympia, Bethel

Total Sports Development’s girls high school flag football program is off to a blazing hot start in the 2024-25 season as the team defeated the Olympia Bears, 30-0, with the mercy rule in …

RHS to honor state champion girls cross country team Dec. 12

Rainier High School is set to honor the state champion girls cross country team at halftime of the Mountaineers boys basketball game against Toutle Lake Thursday, Dec. 12. The girls, who took home …
Yelm girls basketball senior Austin Hitchner smiles during practice on Monday, Dec. 9.

Yelm High School girls basketball seeks district playoff appearance in 2024-25

Yelm High School’s first- year head girls basketball coach Steve Miskimens has his sights set on guiding the 2024-25 Tornados to a district playoff appearance this season — though …
Yelm boys basketball guards listen to instructions from a coach for a shooting drill during practice on Monday, Dec. 9.

YHS boys basketball seeks to balance mix of youth and veterans in 2024-25

Yelm High School’s 2024-25 boys basketball team will feature a young but talented group of Tornados athletes, with a team goal of reaching its fullest potential as a unit this season. Head …
James Meldrum shoots an open 3-pointer from the corner against Mossyrock on Dec. 6.

Mountaineers use massive first half to rout Vikings 64-14 in C2BL opener

By its Merriam-Webster definition, the word “dominant” entails something that is commanding, controlling or prevailing over all others. None of those words can aptly describe the …

Mountaineers’ lockdown defense shines in gritty win over Seton Catholic

Jazzlyn Shumate fights for a loose ball against Seton Catholic on Dec. 5.

The Rainier Mountaineers and the Seton Catholic Cougars halftime scoring total mirrored that of the “Thursday Night Football” contest Thursday, Dec. 5, but the Rainier girls used a big …

First-time starters propel Mountaineers to season-opening win over Mountain View

Kaysen Bravo lines up a 3-pointer from the wing against Mountain View on Dec. 3.

The Rainier High School girls basketball team entered the 2024-25 campaign with a bevy of questions about its depth amid injuries and key departures. Two of those questions were answered in the …

Yelm girls flag football returning for second season, first under TSD leadership

TSD high school flag football quarterback Austin Hitchner winds up to deliver a pass during practice on Friday, Nov. 29.

One year after navigating the challenges of creating and supporting a new Yelm girls flag football team, the program is navigating new challenges as it looks to find the funds needed to operate. …

Opinion
State Senate Republican Leader John Braun, R-Centralia, talks about his focuses in the upcoming legislative session during a visit to The Chronicle in Centralia on Thursday, Dec 14.

Find more space for juvenile offenders, but stop putting them with adults

A lot can be said about the governor’s proposal to address overcrowding at Green Hill School in Chehalis by repurposing a vacant wing of the state prison near Aberdeen. Here’s the …

It’s time for state lawmakers to push ‘pause’ on spending

It wasn’t long ago that Washington state lawmakers were awash in a multi-billion-dollar budget surplus thanks to a surprisingly strong rebound from the pandemic lockdown and a flood of federal …
Sen. John Braun of Centralia serves the 20th Legislative District, which spans parts of four counties from Yelm to Vancouver. He became Senate Republican leader in 2020.

John Braun: Legislators can learn from Pierce County’s bipartisan effort on homelessness

Of all the public policy issues legislators wrestle with, the issue of chronic homelessness is easily among the most frustrating. It’s frustrating to think of all the billions of tax …
Don C. Brunell

What about our big one?

When President Biden warned FEMA does not have enough money to finish the hurricane season let alone the entire year, it was surprising. Suddenly, we discovered federal disaster relief money may be …

Tribes must be at the table when natural resources policies are written

Tribes in western Washington have asked the state to restructure the Fish and Wildlife Commission, which is standing in the way of true co-management. The 1974 Boldt decision in U.S. v. …

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Obituaries
In loving memory of Barbara Jean Burnham (Reichel)
Barbara Jean Burnham (Reichel), 90, died peacefully on Nov. 30, 2024, at her home in Rainier, Washington.    Barbara was a resident of the Rainier and Yelm area most of her life. …
In loving memory of Glorya Mason Neitzel: June 29, 1935 - Nov. 21, 2023
A year has gone by since Glorya Gayle Mason Neitzel passed away at home, near Yelm, Washington, early on the morning of Nov. 21, 2023. Glorya was born on June 29, 1935, to Charles (Charley) and …
In loving memory of Annette Ivey: 12/17/1943 - 10/1/2024
Annette Ivey, a beloved mother, grandmother, sister and friend, lost her short battle with lung cancer on the morning of Oct. 1, 2024. She was born to Glen and Esther Beymer in Klamath Falls, Oregon, …
In Loving Memory Of Duane Gore: 1939 ~ 2024
Duane Harold Gore passed away peacefully at home on Sept. 16, 2024, surrounded by his family.  He was born to Harold and Bernice Gore in Port Angeles, Washington, on May 11, 1939. He is …
In Loving Memory Of Leslie "Earl" Bachus: June 1, 1957 ~ Aug. 5, 2024
Leslie “Earl” Bachus, 67, passed away on August 5, 2024, at his home in Tenino, Washington. He was born in Arkansas on June 1, 1957, to Lois Wixson and John Bachus. He was a beloved …

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