The Olympia Municipal Court is excited to announce its re-launch of the Community Court program. This new recreation is focused on evidence based best practices to ensure participants get the most effective experience they can. Community are invited to watch Community Court and ask questions of the Judge and the…
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Pax Christi USA has joined with Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action to purchase five billboards that begin on August 19 for four weeks with a message from Pope Francis, declaring that the use and possession of nuclear weapons is immoral. The sign, designed by Pax Christi in the Pacific…
When Olympia Brewery at Tumwater Falls was running strong the famous slogan for its beer was “It’s the Water!” And there was truth in that. However, what few people realize is that a similar slogan, “It’s the Soil!,” applies equally to the nutritional quality and taste of food produced in…
This piece originally appeared in The JOLT News Loneliness and isolation are silent epidemics in our society, exacerbated by modern lifestyles and the pervasive influence of technology. This growing crisis calls for immediate action to foster individual well-being, social connection and stronger community. As leaders of key community organizations— Senior…
Choices Privilege and money bring choices of lifestyles and fashion and diets and 10 brands of craft beer. The hungry don’t choose gluten, organic or vegan, how far the food comes from, or how it is raised. The naked don’t choose between cotton or poly, Target or Gucci, or this…
Open Book Club: Offsite Event at The Brotherhood 119 Capitol Way N– September 3 & October 1- 7-8:30pm Come and talk about whatever you’ve been reading and hear about what others are reading in a casual bar environment (21+only) with other book appreciators. Meets every first Tuesday in the back…
Local Environmental News Water for People! – Water for Fish! – Water for Coca-Cola? Stop Private Companies from Buying Water Rights in Washington State Our Puget Sound Coho Salmon Are Failing Department of Ecology seeks comments on Water Quality Standards by July 26 Rights of Nature/Legal Standing for the Watershed…
The Olympia Brewing Company produced Olympia’s most famous export, Olympia beer, from its founding in 1896 by Leopold Schmidt till it closed its doors in 2003. Situated on the Deschutes River, the original brewhouse gave way to the more modern brewery site south of Custer Avenue built in 1906 featuring…
I am totally opposed to Crown Columbia Water Resources LCC’s application for an area-wide water permit for water banking in the Columbia River Basin. Requesting an area-wide water permit for the Columbia River Basin is a new approach to water banking. It would provide Crown Columbia the opportunity to control…
Dying before spawning sucks as reproductive failure. Sockeye and pink salmon are susceptible to prespawning mortality (PSM) in the interior Fraser and Columbia River drainages and on the southeastern-Alaska coast from too much summer heating which is worsening with climate change. It also happened in the Klamath River to Chinook and coho…
The future standards of water quality within the state are determined by the people of Washington (RCW 90.48.010). While our water quality standards are reviewed by the federal EPA, ultimately, the future standards of water quality within the state are determined by the people of Washington . You can inform…
Olympia Community Solar has enrolled over 515 Washington homeowners in their fourth annual Solarize campaign, their largest solar energy program to date. The campaign serves residents of Thurston, Mason, Lewis, Island, Whatcom, Skagit, Walla Walla county, and the City of Kenmore residents. Residents of nine counties can reserve their free…
Near the southern end of Puget Sound lies the intersection of two ancient trails. Estimated to have been in use for more than 9,000 years, the north-south Cowlitz Trail and the east-west Cowlitz-Yakama Trail were main routes for Indigenous people of the region to travel and trade. The trails…
The US Supreme Court’s July 1 decision to grant absolute immunity to a President’s official acts is indeed, as Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) wrote on X, “a sad day for America” and “our democracy.” Donald Trump and future presidents are evidently now free to follow their worst…
Over the past few election cycles, we have come to see more clearly how corporate donors influence legislators, and just how many political candidates accept corporate donations. Candidates who accept donations from corporations are expected to do their bidding in a variety of ways. These include: By creating or supporting…
Syd Locke is running for the Washington State House of Representatives in Legislative District 22. Eleanor Steinhagen – a mother, worker, 20-year Olympia resident, and supporter of the campaign – sat down with him to talk about his priorities and experience ahead of voting in the August 6th primary. Why…
Public Lands Commissioner– what does this position even do? Are you tired of driving through some rural area that you have not been to recently and finding large ugly clearcuts where once there was beautiful forest? The Department of Natural Resources is required by state law to manage these lands…
Standing for Washington, a Washington state political committee formed in March 2024 with initial support from the Rights of Nature Initiative nonprofit, launched a multi-city initiative campaign to recognize the rights of watersheds within those cities and grant them legal standing. The campaigns began in Olympia, Tumwater, and Everett, based…
The Thurston Conservation District is sponsoring all-ages garden art events through the summer. Rock Painting Party 11 am start time July 13, 2024: Sunrise Park July 20, 2024: Yauger Park Upcycled Pollinator Waterers 11 am start time July 27, 2024: Sunrise Park August 3, 2024: Yauger Park Scarecrow Making 11…
Let’s start with a dream, sometime in the future. The dam has been removed and the river is flowing. The Marine Terminal, Percival Landing and the Yacht Club are being scoured by artesian springs and wells with minimal dredging. East Bay has been cleaned up, the upper beach has been…
Concerned community members are running a ballot initiative to grant Budd Inlet and the Deschutes River watersheds legal rights. By granting legal standing to our watersheds, we acknowledge the intrinsic value of the natural world and its essential role in supporting life on Earth. By signing the petition, you are…
Women’s Wisdom – June 2 – 10 AM- 12PM – New Traditions. Join us as we connect through song and utilize our group wisdom to co-imagine a new culture of normalizing and honoring women’s life transformations. Enjoy being guided through exercises to release your voice, small group conversations, wisdom songs…
As people of faith and conscience, we cherish the beauty of Washington State and are committed to caring for the diversity of people and creatures who live here. Together, we can protect our communities and the environment by voting “No on Initiative 2117” in November.
Whole Washington, a grassroots coalition of healthcare professionals and volunteers, kicked off its series of Town Halls, “Let’s Make Healthcare Happen,” at the Olympia Center on April 25. Formed in November 2016, Whole Washington endorses, organizes and fights for federal and state-based universal, single-payer healthcare that puts people over profits.…
Reprinted with permission from AntiWar.com An Army officer working at the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has resigned in protest of the US’s “unqualified” support for the Israeli slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza. Maj. Harrison Mann posted his resignation letter on LinkedIn and said it was initially distributed within the…
In 1986, Washington State adopted WAC 173-591 – Reservation of Future Public Water Supply for Thurston County – pursuant to the Water Resources Act of 1971. It followed the year after the legislature had passed RCW 90.44 to regulate public groundwater, which included a provision that recognized the need to…
Quality Compost Production and Recycling Gary L. Kline Clean Black Lake Alliance (CBLA) is a citizen’s group seeking an ecosystem management approach to restoring the health of Thurston County’s largest lake and its associated watershed and wetlands. Among the 5 major goals of CBLA is a call for mechanical harvesting…