Sheriff Attempting to Identify Attempted Kidnapping Suspect

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From a Thurston County Sheriff Department news release:

On August 26th, around 1230 P.M. a female resident of the 8300 block of 49th Loop SE was contacted by an adult male at her home. The male stated he had a court order signed by a Thurston County Superior Court judge for her to surrender her children to him based on allegations made against her by her husband. The woman asked to see the court order and he refused. She told him that without talking to a Deputy or her husband she would not give up her children. She then shut and locked her door. The male suspect then left in a white mini-van. The suspect made no attempt to force entry or take any other action to seize the children. A check of court orders did not find any order involving the victim, her children, or her husband at this time. The husband was contacted and he did not have any knowledge of the incident and had not been granted any court orders. The victim’s three children, ages 5, 3, and 6 months are safe.

The suspect used the name Michael Jenkins but did not show any identification. He is described as a white male adult, approximately mid to late 40’s, 5’6″, thin build, dark brown hair with a full beard and dark rimmed glasses. He was wearing a dark charcoal suit jacket and slacks. There are no Michael Jenkins employed in either the Superior Court or Child Protective Services or the Sheriff’s Office.

A Deputy Sheriff trained as a sketch artist was able to create the attached drawing of the suspect from the victim’s description. The Sheriff’s Office is requesting the public’s help in identifying this man. Also the public should not allow anyone using this type of ruse into their home. If they are other victims of similar attempts, the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office would like to know about them. Please call 360-709-3072 or Crime Stoppers at 493-2222 if you have any information.

Chief Criminal Deputy Jim Chamberlain, 360-786-5659
Detective Lt. Chris Mealy, 360-786-5508

Click here to read the notice and to view a larger image of the artist’s sketch of the suspect.

WASL Scores: Significant Improvement for Griffin, but Capital Lags District

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The WASL (Washington Assessment of Student Learning) scores and trend analysis are now available on the web site of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. While a complete analysis of the scores is beyond the scope of this article, when compared to last years’ showing, Griffin showed significant – in some cases very significant – improvement in most grade levels and subjects tested. And, the performance of Griffin students generally place them in scores higher than other districts in the State. The story at Capital High, on the other hand, is of performance which has taken a downward trend, this last year, and continues to place Capital’s overall scores below the numbers for all high schools in the Olympia School District.

Click here for the Griffin School District’s summary page.

Click here for the page from which you can navigate to trending information for specific grade levels at Griffin.

Click here for the Capital High summary page.

Click here for Capital High’s trending information.

At Griffin, students in grades 3 through 8 sit for the WASL in two or three subject areas. Students in Grades 3 and 6 are tested in reading and match. Students in grades 4 and 7 are tested in reading, writing and math. Grades 5 and 8 are tested in reading, math and science. This last year, scores in most grades and subjects reversed the dip they had taken in the 2007-2008 school year.

Fairly consistently, students at Griffin are achieving scores above the average throughout the State.

The Griffin School District is justified in being proud of its performance in this last years WASL testing. After a dip in the prior year’s test scores, the 2008-2009 scores generally bounced back, some by quite a bit.

At Capital, 10th Grade students sit for the WASL in four subject areas: reading, writing, math and science. After showing improvement in writing, science and math over the last few years, performance in last year’s WASL was off slightly. After reaching its peak, in 2005-06, Capital’s score in the reading WASL continued to decline in 2008-09. In all four subject areas, Capital lags the average for Olympia School District 10th graders.

Randy Dorn, the new Superintendent of Public Instruction, was voted into office largely on his campaign promises to reform WASL. WASL has since been replaced by the grades 3-8 Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) and the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE).

Latest Issue of “GriffinLink” Now Available Online

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The August, 2009 issue of the Griffin School District newsletter, “GriffinLink,” is now available online. Click here for your copy.

This issue features an article highlighting the many ways the public can become involved in planning, including the Budget & Finance Advisory Task Force and the Safe Schools/Caring Climate Committee.

There are messages from Superintendent Don Brannam, Principal Greg Woods, Assistant Principal Doug Andersen, and Griffin School Board Chair Brenna English.

Along with the September and October calendar of events, there’s lots of beginning-of-the-year information.

If you’ve got a student going to Griffin, this year, you won’t want to miss this issue of the GriffinLink.

Click here to visit the web site of the Griffin School District.

Griffin parents can now receive important school district alerts on Twitter. Just follow @Griffin SD FA.

Homeowners on Eld Inlet Have a New Online Community

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Gabrielle Byrne, Community Educator for People For Puget Sound, has created a new social networking web site, called “Eld Shoreline Community“. Described as “A community network for shoreline landowners on Eld Inlet – learning about, talking about and caring for our waters,” Eld Shoreline Community (ESC) is a clever and interactive way of bringing people together to steward Eld Inlet.

It’s a way for people to recognize what they have in common: ‘we care about our marine neighborhood’,” said Gabby Byrne. “It’s also a way for us to make available resources about the Inlet and about marine related events on the Inlet.” Byrne continued:

Our “bottom line” goal is getting restoration work on the ground around the Eld shoreline. We want to improve the condition of Eld Inlet and protect it from degrading over time by helping to educate folks about what healthy shoreline is and how to get it. People who live on the shoreline are uniquely blessed and have both an opportunity to enjoy and responsibility to protect the water they live on.

We have resources, including money for labor, plantings, invasive control and, in some cases, working on alternatives to bulkheads available for parts of the shoreline that have been identified as priority areas.

It’s not necessary to create an account to view a wealth of information focused on the current state of Eld Inlet and the Puget Sound, and to access resources for shoreline residents interested in improving the health of waters near their properties. Recent posts to the site include information on South Sound Dissolved Oxygen Profiles and links to a report on sea level rise and the effects of climate changes in the South Sound.

There is also a calendar of upcoming events. Just last week, People For Puget Sound had an evening event that included storytelling, sea stars, telescopes and other delights at Frye Cove Park.

Visitors to the site who set up a free account can customize their view of the site, gain access to a messaging inbox, can upload photos and post articles to the site’s blog. The site runs on Ning and there’s a network of developers presently working on social networking apps to release to Ning sites.

Eld Shoreline Community is a welcome online resource for homeowners on both sides of Eld Inlet and for all local residents interested in improving the health of Puget Sound and our valuable shorelines.

Click here to visit Eld Shoreline Community and click here to visit the web site of People for Puget Sound.

Capital Land Trust Preserves 530 Acres Near Matlock

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Capital Land Trust has announced it will be protecting more than 530 acres of forested wetlands near Matlock through a purchase agreement with the previous owner, Green Diamond Resource Company.

“This project is the culmination of five years of work and results in protection of some of the region’s most intact salmon and wildlife habitat,” Capitol Land Trust executive director Eric Erler said. This from an article by John Dodge in The Olympian.

The property includes 2 miles of Decker Creek, a tributary to the East Fork Satsop River.

The mosaic of wetlands, streams and forests provides habitat for river otter, black bear and elk, as well as spawning and rearing habitat for coho, summer and fall chinook, chum, winter steelhead and cutthroat trout.

The Griffin Neighborhood Association congratulates Capital Land Trust on this important acquisition and holds this as an example of the kind of preservation work which compelled the Association to form the Steamboat Conservation Partnership with CLT.

For more information on how you can support the Steamboat Conservation Partnership, click here.

Steamboat Island Cooperative Preschool Open House – August 15

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Access to terrific local educational opportunities is a real feature in our part of the world. The Steamboat Island Cooperative Preschool is a valuable asset to those of us living on the peninsula between Eld and Totten Inlets. If you have a child, aged 18 months to 5 years, you’ll want to learn more about preschool at SICP. On Saturday, August 15, from 10AM to noon, you can learn all about the advantages of a cooperative preschool education at an Open House.

At Steamboat Cooperative Preschool, “Our goal is to provide a balanced preschool program for the whole child, allowing for physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and creative exploration and growth.”

Open House
Saturday, August 15
10AM to noon
6240 41st Ave.

Directions: From 101 North, Take the Steamboat Island Road Exit. Turn left onto Sexton Drive NW. Take right onto Old Steamboat Island Road past Griffin Elementary School. Turn Right onto Steamboat Island Road. Take a left onto 41st Avenue. Look for the Steamboat Island Cooperative Preschool sign (rainbow and balloons) on the right. Turn right into the driveway and follow the driveway all the way back to the preschool (blue building yellow water tank out front).

For more information, click here for the SICP web site or call them at 866-1819.

St. Christopher’s Provides Assistance to Local Families in Need

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Area residents may be surprised to find out that St. Christopher’s Community Church provides a satellite for the Thurston County Food Bank. Presently, St. Christopher’s is supporting 14 local families. These are families in need, right here in our neighborhood.

The coordinator for St. Christopher’s efforts, Lindy Vincent, picks-up and delivers food from the Food Bank and also helps families with other necessities. This includes providing vouchers to purchase gas, so family members can get to work or to a job interview. St. Christopher’s provides assistance with clothing, furniture, moving families to new housing, and much more.

Summer is when donations are down and kids are home all day with no access to free or reduced-cost school lunches. Food donations are particularly welcome, right now.

Donations may be conveniently dropped at the main station of the Griffin Fire Department at 3707 Steamboat Loop NW.

Home gardeners with plentiful crops, please consider donating your excess to our local families. Fresh produce delivered directly to St. Christopher’s on Wednesdays, in particular, can be distributed to families on Thursdays. Please contact Lindy Vincent directly, at 866-6781, if you have fresh vegetables or other perishables to donate.

Local families in need can always use toilet paper, paper towels, laundry soap, shampoo, bar soap and dish soap too!

Coats, particularly as cold weather approaches, are welcome.

Donations of cash are used for gasoline and other purchases.

Right now, Lindy is looking for pots and pans, for a family receiving services.

If you can help, especially on a regular basis, please give Lindy a call at 866-6781.

Blueberry Bash – August 16

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Mark your calendars for this year’s Blueberry Bash, Sunday, August 16, 12 noon to 4 PM. This is an annual event, not to be missed, at St. Christopher’s Community Church, 7902 Steamboat Island Road NW.

In fact, this is the 32nd Annual Blueberry Bash!

Celtic/Irish music by “Cricket on the Hearth.”

Enjoy lunch – hot dogs, brats, corn-on-the-cob, real ice cream milkshakes, nachos, and their famous blueberry pies. In addition to lunch and lots of yummy treats, there will be a raffle and silent auction. This year you will see more free activities with the addition of Family Games such as a 3-legged race and an egg/balloon toss. There will also be children’s activities, including face-painting, a lollipop tree, duck pond and frog launch. Did we forget to mention music? Come and join us for a very pleasant afternoon at St. Christopher’s Blueberry Bash.

If you would like to donate items or services to the raffle or silent auction, please contact Lisa Andrew (866-4062) or Meredith Hutchins (491-3365). Local businesses are invited to contribute, too.

St. Christopher’s Community Church
August 16
12 noon to 4 PM

Please bring non-perishable food to donate to the Thurston County Food Bank.

Sign your kids up for Sunday School, too. Sunday School starts September 13.

Questions? Call 866-2111 or email saintchri@aol.com.

Click here for more information about St. Christopher’s Community Church.

Olympia World Affairs Council Providing Important Insights to Local Residents

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Since 1984, the Olympia World Affairs Council has provided a forum for many world voices and person-to-person discussions. The Council offers a series of monthly programs focusing on international political, economic, cultural and scientific affairs. It’s is non-profit and non-partisan and it is one of the organizations that makes Olympia a terrific place in which to live.

The Olympia World Affairs Council’s free programs are usually held at 7:30 P.M. on the third Thursday of the month, September through May, at the Olympia Center, 222 Columbia St. NW, Olympia.

In the upcoming months, speakers will present on topics ranging from whether a two state solution is possible, in the Middle East, to a discussion of Anthropology, Intelligence & War.

Diplomats, professors, scientists, Federal and State officials, business executives and labor leaders have presented to the Council.

Click here for the upcoming calendar of Council speakers. We’re looking forward to seeing you at one of these fascinating Council events.

County Releases Information About Potential Changes to Development Regulations – You Have 11 Days to Comment

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Thurston County Preliminary Docket of Development Code Amendments is available for review. The docket is divided into four priority levels. Lower priority subjects may not be addressed this year.

The purpose of the docket is to provide information about potential changes to development regulations that the County is considering. The Board of County Commissioners chooses the topics from a “Preliminary Docket,” maintained year-round, and places them on an Official Docket, which is forwarded to the Thurston County Planning Commission for proposal development and review. This docketing process is used to provide the public with information about and opportunities to participate in the amendment process.

Priority A Topics: Time extensions for project approvals, forest lands conversion, rural building sizes and special uses, conservation lots, incompatible use buffers, presubmission conferences, junk vehicles, wineries, accessory buildings, off road vehicles, and energy efficiency standards.

Priority B Topics: Boundary line adjustments, recreational lots, appeal period work prohibitions, property owner notification, expiration deadlines, manufactured housing, childcare centers, helipad requirements, and planned residential developments.

Priority C Topics: Agricultural structures, HVAC equipment in setbacks, front setbacks, school mitigation, density requirements, right to farm, and Grand Mound residential lot width.

Priority D Topics: Urban Growth Area code updates, wireless facility fencing, critical area fence requirements, composting roof requirements, clarify Olympia UGA commercial district, kennel waste management plans, building setbacks by active rail lines and trails, and miscellaneous clerical corrections.

Copies of the preliminary docket are available through the Permit Assistance Center at the address below, and the Thurston County web site:
www.co.thurston.wa.us/permitting/Development_Code/Development_Code_Docket.htm.

The purpose of the public review period is to receive written comments. After the public review period, an Official Docket will be adopted by the Thurston County Board of Commissioners.

Please submit written comments to Jeremy Davis, Associate Planner, Thurston County Strategic Planning, 2000 Lakeridge Dr. SW, Olympia WA 98502 or at davisj@co.thurston.wa.us . Phone: (360) 754-3355 ext. 7010. Written comments must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. July 31, 2009. Citizens with hearing impairments may call the TDD line at (360) 754-2933.

If you know someone who would like to subscribe to the GMA email listserv, please have them send an email to gma_mail@co.thurston.wa.us.

Emails about long range planning projects sent to gma_mail@co.thurston.wa.us will be forwarded to the appropriate staff member in as timely a manner as possible.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/permitting/