Today there are seven full high schools and a number of vocational, alternative and private high schools serving area students. It was great to see the alumni of Tumwater High School celebrate their school’s 50th anniversary last weekend with a number of community events. “Instead of just the typical cake and punch get-together, our alumni wanted to honor their high school memories by hosting events that would bring the entire community together to remember and celebrate 50 years of excellence,” said Tumwater High principal Scott Seaman.
What a terrific idea. Louisa Ward Shimamoto’s father, Bill Ward, helped open the school as its history teacher and basketball and golf coach. She volunteered to chair the anniversary committee in his honor. Shimamoto said, “He passed away two years ago, and in his honor I wanted to fulfill his dream and ‘bring all his kids and fellow faculty home,’ as he would say.” What a great tribute and terrific community celebration.
Thumbs Down: Law enforcement officials and Animal Services staff members recently seized multiple farm animals and household pets from a home north of Olympia because the four horses, three dogs and a pot-bellied pig were being held in “horrific” conditions.
The good news is, many of the animals were showing immediate improvements after their caregivers began feeding and caring for them. Photos showed two Great Danes terribly emaciated.
Animal Services officer Erika Johnson stated the obvious when she said, “The dogs are critically thin.” The horses were loaded in trailers, taken by Hooved Animal Rescue of Thurston County and placed in foster homes. The stallion was “on death’s door,” Hooved Animal Rescue vice president Teresa King said after the seizure. The pot-bellied pig has a severe fracture below the hip joint, which could lead to more serious issues. It had been kicked by a horse and hadn’t received medical attention, authorities said. People who abuse animals must be held accountable for their crimes.
Thumbs Up:With Yelm Highway construction delays, exasperated Lacey residents are looking for alternative routes to work in Olympia.
With the opening of the Mullen Road extension project, one popular east/west link has been along 37th Avenue, also known as Herman Road from College Street to Wiggins Road. But 37th Avenue has been a nightmare to drive on. The roadway has been patched so frequently that it had become a series of rough patches that jostled vehicles and their passengers. There are no shoulders and ditches line both sides of the road. We’ve seen school bus drivers piloting their yellow vehicles right down the middle of the road to avoid getting bounced into a ditch. The city’s response to the hazardous driving conditions was to put up a “rough road” sign and advise motorists to cut their speed to 25 miles per hour. That drew criticism from members of the Lacey City Council, as the eastern portion of Herman Road is in that city. One week ago paving crews hit Herman Road on the Olympia side of the Chehalis Western Trail. Today that once bouncy roadway is smooth as silk.
The speed limit is back up to 35 miles per hour and motorists should be delighted with the much improved condition of the roadway. A big thumbs up to the City of Olympia for making this much-needed safety improvement.
Thumbs Down: Jenny Thorsell, former executive director of the Lacey Chamber of Commerce, has been sentenced to 45 days of electronic home monitoring, after pleading guilty to stealing nearly $18,000 from the chamber over a three-year period. Why is it white-collar criminals always seem to draw light jail sentences. As part of a plea agreement, Thorsell, 43, pleaded guilty to first-degree theft under an Alford plea. In an Alford plea, a defendant does not admit guilt but concedes he or she could have been convicted if the case had gone to trial. Thorsell must pay the chamber $17,188.56 in restitution. In return for Thorsell’s plea, prosecutors agreed to recommend the 45-day electronic home monitoring sentence. What message does that send to other would-be thieves? We agree that full restitution is in order, but does 45-days of house arrest fit the crime when Thorsell abused the trust of chamber members over a prolonged period of time? Thorsell also must seek counseling for her gambling addiction, according to the terms of her plea agreement.
