Earlier tonight, I was driving home along Harrison Ave around 9pm when I passed a woman with her thumb out. She was very skinny, barefoot, wavering in her walk, and wearing too-large cargo pants tied up with a scarf....
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Olympia Port Commissioners should have listened to the guy’s wife. The Port (and the Olympian) celebrated last year, when Bart Lematta bought the 67-year-old Evergreen ferry after it had been seized for nonpayment from the previous owner. At the time of the sale Lematta said, “My wife thinks I’m nuts…
One of the difficulties in discussing Critical Race Theory is that the term has become entwined with the ideas in Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility. Endless disclaimers that Critical Race Theory (CRT) is about systemic rather than individual racism seem specious to those who conflate the idea with the so-called “anti-racism training” ...
The League of Women Voters of Thurston County (LWVTC), in collaboration with Thurston Community Media (TCMedia), invites voters to view candidate forums featuring candidates for: Port of Olympia Commissioners, Districts 2 and 3 Olympia City Council, Positions 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7 Lacey City Council, Position 7 Tumwater City…
Santa Claus is gunning for Joe Biden. The stock market is falling today, in part a reaction to GOP threats to shut down the government: it’s all part of their plan....
Look at us We are of earth and water Look at them It is the same Look at us We are suffering all these years Look at them They are connected Look at us We are in pain Look at them Surprised at our anger Look at us We are…
Almost all of the old growth forests that once populated the south end of Puget Sound have been logged. The South Puget Sound lowlands are now covered mostly by commercial and residential developments, agricultural fields, and industrial forestlands.
Three stories were told about housing and homelessness as candidates vied for votes in Olympia’s primary election. All three stories will be part of the general election. Three different narratives The first story comes from incumbent Council members Jim Cooper, Lisa Parshley and Yen Huynh. They say the solution to…
Back-to-school—the comforting seasonal phrase that conjures images of kids with backpacks, pencils and lunchboxes. We trot it out every year as a reminder that some things can be relied on to help us maintain a sense of continuity. Like so many other things, going back to school has taken on…
We ran out of license plates!...Another loss for a public voice...Housing the homeless in under-used hotels...Once–decent jobs are being chipped away...Show me your papers!
When the City of Olympia purchased park land at LBA Woods in 2016, it quickly moved forward with a plan to set aside ten non-forested acres fronting Boulevard Road to develop as affordable multifamily housing.
Public outcry may have prompted delay In February 2021, when members of the public learned that purchasers of the large dairy farm once owned by the Doehlman family wanted to build a warehouse/distribution center, the outcry was immediate. The proposal for the parcel, located at 13333 Case Road SW in…
WIP still has funds from our “Readers Review” grant. Each month we publish a list of books (see right column). If you’d like to be considered to review one of them, email us and put BOOK REVIEW in the subject line. We will buy the book (or reimburse you if…
Local Good Governance is a new Thurston County coalition formed to make the advocacy work of environmental and affordable housing nonprofits more efficient and their voices stronger. The coalition is the brainchild of a small working group of League of Women Voters Thurston County (LWVTC) with support from Thurston Climate Action…
Black Lake District residents have submitted a petition to the Thurston County Commissioners asking for the dissolution of the current Black Lake Flood Control District (BLFCD). More than 200 residents from across Thurston County submitted a supporting petition requesting that the County create a Lakes Management District in place of the BLFCD.
Many people who qualify as homeless do not live on the street or solicit donations with a cardboard sign. They have full or part-time jobs, live in cars or tents, or lodge with others in dwellings designed as single family units. Among them are over 40,000 school-aged children in Washington...
Another unarmed black man was killed at the hands of police last month. Marchers took to the streets, fists in air. The mother and father of the victim cried on TV. And countless other parents of black and brown bodies shuddered at the thought of this crime visiting upon their sons’ heads someday...
At a US Special Forces camp near Kandahar, Afghanistan, on December 5, 2001, the Taliban offered an unconditional surrender. They would disband and disarm: a military force would no longer exist. George W. Bush ignored the offer …and continued attacking the Taliban until the end of his term. If only in…
On Tuesday June 29, temperatures in Eastern Washington farm communities including Ephrata, Wenatchee and Yakima rose above their highest recorded levels, reaching 116 degrees in Ephrata and 113 in the other towns. Farmworkers in those communities and across the state endured the brutal heat with little protection or respite....
(In 4/4) Listen —a sharp snare cracks A simple rock fill strides down On the toms boom, daboom—boom. Right foot plows the kick—exactly. There’s wild prancing singing up front But built on this groove. Do you ever wonder, How long in the pocket Can one stay? It’s a mystery, Only…
In the last column, I reviewed the movie Imperium based on the experiences of undercover FBI agent Mike German who infiltrated white supremacist organizations, as related in his book Thinking Like a Terrorist published in 2008. Here we shall see how the author approaches the problem of terrorism, in contradiction…
Requirements for this $150/month position are: A commitment to overseeing the distribution of WIP to over 30 locations in Thurston and Mason County every month as soon as the paper is delivered from the printer Reliable transportation to deliver issues in Olympia and beyond Coordination between team members to ensure…
An August article about Olympia’s Hearing Examiner, highlighted his role in a case where citizens were appealing a new zoning ordinance adopted by the City. The HEX had rejected the group’s appeal, leaving the ordinance intact. The article pointed out that when the citizen group took their case to the…
A Place to Reflect • GarageBand for iPad • Black Hills Audubon Annual Picnic • Variety Show Auditions • Become a Gleaner • "Walls Tell Stories" Walking Tours • Join Orca Board of Directors...
In 1994, students in the master’s in public administration program at The Evergreen State College tried to characterize the future (our current) historical epoch. Few would argue their forecast, twenty-five years later, was inaccurate.
Olympia council members decided this June to review their Hearing Examiner contract with an eye toward opening another RFQ “to get a gauge on the market.” This could lead to appointment of a new hearing examiner.
Not Russia, China, North Korea, nor even for that matter Israel or Palestine, is able to focus the American mind the way Cuba does. Simultaneously, the official American right and the official American left (with a few honorable exceptions among the latter), have overcome the self-righteous character of their respective…