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Olympia’s Community Livability and Public Safety gave a go-signal to the Council of Neighborhood Associations to work on updating the 10-year-old MOU with the city in its meeting on Wednesday, May 11.   
The Community Livability and Public Safety Committee has recommended updating the 10-year-old memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Olympia City Council and the Council of the Neighborhood …
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The scales of justice represent the balance between fairness and injustice.
A Shelton man was arrested after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend in her Tumwater apartment over suspicions of cheating. Tumwater police arrested the suspect, 24, after his girlfriend reported …
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Olympia Planning Commissioners get updates on House Fund presented by Housing projects manager Darian Lightfoot at the meeting held Monday, May 16.
Housing programs manager Darian Lightfoot expressed confidence that the Olympia Home Fund will meet its goal of funding 300 supportive home units in five years. Lightfoot was at the Olympia …
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Seated around the conference table are, l-r, Port Commissioners Amy Evans, Bob Iyall, Joe Downing, executive director Sam Gibboney, Thomas Architecture Studios’ Amos Callender and Ron Thomas.
Thomas Architecture Studios, the firm overseeing development plans for Destination Waterfront, is eager to see green grass growing soon on some of Port of Olympia’s downtown waterfront …
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Mary Beth Harrington, CVA
Today, May 17th is International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. The purpose of this day is to coordinate international events that raise awareness of LGBT rights violations and …
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Rainbow gay pride symbol.Colorful flag on LGBT community bar for homosexual and transgener people in Amsterdam.European freedom,equality and tolerance concept.
Olympia School District Board of Directors president Maria Flores challenged the city’s schools to commit to maintaining safe, healthy and welcoming environments for all members of the …
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Elaine Briggs
The Hearing Examiner for the City of Lacey recently issued a recommendation to allow construction of the Meridian Market Gas Station project in northeast Lacey despite resident concerns. The City …
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The scales of justice represent the balance between fairness and injustice.
An Olympia man is being accused of damaging several vehicles and threatening to shoot up Rosie’s Place after he was denied service on May 8 for previous bad behavior. Olympia police found …
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Tumwater Fire Chief Brian Hurley, shown at a Tumwater City Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021.
The Tumwater City Council declared May 15-21 as Emergency Medical Service Week at its meeting Tuesday, May 3. “I encourage all people to join in this observance to recognize those who give …
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Olympia School District plans to add student reps to the board
Olympia School District (OSD) director Hilary Seidel introduced a policy amendment to seat one student representative from each OSD high school on the board of directors. “This is the policy …
Hazard pay ordinance still in effect for some grocers
Olympia City Council member Dontae Payne said the hazard pay ordinance, which requires large grocery stores in the city to pay workers an additional $4 an hour, is still in effect. Payne responded …
Site Plan Committee reviews office conversion and subdivision proposal
The Olympia Site Plan Committee is reviewing two applications for development projects – one is to use the existing building and the other is a proposal to subdivide 1.4 acres into nine lots …
Olympia to receive about $400K from housing fund
The City of Olympia expects to receive around $400,000 from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which will fund projects that focus on rehabilitation and maintenance of low-income …
Olympia City authorizes police to acquire body cameras
Olympia’s City Council has authorized the Olympia Police Department (OPD) to acquire and use body-worn cameras and car video systems in compliance with Washington State’s RCW 10.109.2021, …
Olympia City Council starts preparing for mid-year retreat
Olympia city officials began outlining the agenda for the city council’s mid-year retreat, tentatively scheduled on June 18 at the council chamber. During a meeting on Monday, May 9, City …
Lowest-paying jobs in Olympia
The U.S. may be one of the wealthiest countries in the world but there’s a growing trend of financial inequality, with middle-class households feeling the most impact. In fact, the number of adults …
Women’s business conference is this Thursday – online again
  The Washington Center for Women in Business (WCWB) will hold its INSPIRE Virtual Women’s Business Conference this Thursday, May 12, “identifying strategies for women to support …
Olympia utilities committee approves discount water rate for urban agriculture
The Olympia Utilities Advisory Committee (UAC) has directed its staff to develop a discounted rate for irrigation water used for urban agriculture. Water Resources Department director Eric …
Olympia seeks to divert compostable materials
Public Works Waste ReSources Director Gary Franks recommended to the Olympia Utility Advisory Committee (UAC) that members include some elements House Bill 1799 concerning organic material management …
Olympia to install 10 new solar-powered “pay-by-plate” kiosks
Olympia will start installing 10 new solar-powered pay-by-plate parking kiosks to modernize the process of payment for customers, Parking Services Field Representative Chelsea Baker said. In a …
OSD’s physical, emotional and social services to improve through HB 1664, says school district official
The Olympia School District will improve physical, social, and emotional services through increased state funding required in House Bill 1664, passed in the recently concluded legislative …
Life
Thurston's Birds

Prairie Birds – Part 2

Last Saturday, following my own advice from last week’s column, a friend and I journeyed out to the prairies to see what we could see. It rained off and on (what a shock!) but it was a …

Is gardening a fine art?

Flower gardens have moments of perfection – sometimes even weeks of it – but no garden is perfect throughout the growing season. What blooms in spring fades quickly by the end of May. …

Tumwater council approves Barclift Park and Tumwater Hill park restroom improvements

The Tumwater council in its session on Tuesday, May 3, authorized mayor Debbie Sullivan to sign a public works contract with KBH Construction Co., of Olympia, $215,900 for restroom improvement …

Fecal pollution restricts shellfish harvest in Mason, Pierce, Snohomish, and Thurston counties

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has completed the annual water quality evaluation of the state’s commercial shellfish growing areas. Unfortunately, high fecal …

Identifying Birds

I have written several times that it is not necessary to be able to identify bird species to enjoy watching and listening to them and having them as our neighbors. Yet, for some of you, identifying …

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Olympia headlines

Olympia man accused of biting, restraining mother

An Olympia man was arrested on April 30 after a woman reported that her son bit her on the arm and restrained her. The mother told police that she saw her son drinking beer and told him to stop …

Olympia man allegedly steals car, crashes, walks away

An Olympia man has been charged after allegedly stealing a car, crashing it, fleeing the scene of the collision and later giving police a fake name. Christopher Daniel Berry, 32, was arrested on …

Olympia, Tumwater to hold public event on the Regional Fire Authority plan May 19

The cities of Olympia and Tumwater will co-host an online event on May 19 at 6 p.m. to provide opportunities for a public discussion about the Regional Authority (RFA) plan. In an RFA committee …

Olympia supports Capital City Pride’s “Resilience & Brilliance” project

Olympia’s Parking and Business Improvement Area (PBIA) board members unanimously voted to support Capital City Pride’s (Pride) project “Resilience and Brilliance”, happening …

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Lacey headlines

Lacey mom accused of yanking, choking 10-year-old son

A Lacey mom was booked for assault after allegedly yanking her 10-year-old son to the ground and choking him for being noisy while playing video games with friends. The suspect, 39, was arrested …

Lacey’s Historian of the Year dedicates award to past, future historians

The City of Lacey named former Lacey Historical Commissioner Seth Huff as Historian of the Year for 2022. In his acceptance speech during the May 5city council meeting, Huff paid tribute to …

Is yours one of the 40,000 vehicles on Martin Way each day?

Community members are invited to provide input and feedback on plans for the Martin Way Corridor in an online public meeting on Thursday, May 12, 5:30 p.m. As part of the Martin Way Corridor Study …

Lacey updates water shortage response plan

The Lacey Water Resources Department (WRD) recently updated their Water Shortage Response Plan (WSRP) for better communication and readability. Lacey Water Resource Specialist Linsey Fields said …

Tumwater headlines

Community members oppose location of planned Tumwater maintenance facility

Plans to build a new Operations and Maintenance Facility for Tumwater have come under scrutiny as residents oppose the long-planned project. “We want the city to call time-out and pause this …

Tumwater man arrested over alleged theft

A Tumwater man was arrested after allegedly stealing food from a grocery store. Mohammed Ali Cobian, 42, was arrested on April 28 after a reported theft at the Safeway on Cleveland Avenue. The …

Tumwater council planning to annex remaining 12 “islands” into city limits

The Tumwater City Council has approved staff recommendations to schedule final deliberations for the city to annex 12  “islands” in the coming months. These “island” …

Construction ongoing on US 101 southbound as it joins I-5

Southbound US 101 as well as the highway’s onramp to northbound I-5  will undergo construction from May to September. According to the Washington State Department of Transportation …

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