Olympia, WA
Cloudy, 44° F Get the full forecast
TOP STORIES

Thurston County Food Bank faces challenges 

Early one recent Friday morning, six senior citizens sat in lawn chairs in front of the Thurston County Food Bank’s (TCFB) Food Pantry at 220 Thurston Ave. NE in ...
A map of Intercity Transit bus routes.
Intercity Transit and the union representing its bus operators have reached a tentative agreement on a ...
Read more.
Thurston County will celebrate Earth Day with recycling stations, park cleanups and student-led service projects on ...
Read more.
Wayfinding Concept 1.
Olympia's Community Livability and Public Safety Committee reviewed a wayfinding project that aims to transform the city's visual ...
Read more.
Lieutenant Shannon Barnes of the Lacey Police Department was publicly recognized at the Lacey City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, for her recent graduation from the FBI National Academy. 
Lieutenant Shannon Barnes of the Lacey Police Department was publicly recognized at the Lacey City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 15, for her recent graduation from ...
Read more.
The Lacey Historical Commission revealed progress in the city's museum relocation and departmental initiatives during its meeting on Wednesday, April 16, 2025. 
The Lacey Historical Commission revealed progress in the city's museum relocation and departmental initiatives during its meeting on ...
Read more.
Terry Wayne Needham, 74, of Olympia, Washington, passed away on April, 10 2025 from lung cancer. Terry was preceded in death by his sister Susan Davis Wood Little and his step-daughter Sheila Bishop. Terry is …
Read more.
Jill Severn
This glorious week of sunny weather put most of us in a good mood. People were smiling and chatty in the line at the grocery store. Neighbors walked their dogs without coats on, and the dogs wagged …
Read more.
Shown at the 2025 Thurston County Republican Lincoln Day Dinner are county party Chair Corey Gauny, left, Regional political podcaster Brandi Kruse, and political activist Glenn Morgan.
On March 22, the Thurston County Republican Party hosted its annual Lincoln Day Dinner at Hangar 51 at Olympia Regional Airport. Brandi Kruse, a popular local podcast host and former news …
Read more.
Thurston County officials, together with representatives of different volunteer workforce groups, marked April 2025 as Volunteer Appreciation Month during the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners board meeting on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. 
One of the county’s most relentless workforce — the search and rescue teams with worn out boots, stream monitors with bug samples, and builders with ...
Read more.
The LOTT Clean Water Alliance’s Budd Inlet site is undergoing phased construction that requires weekday road closures near Franklin Street NE. The digester upgrade will span 42 months. 
The RV Dump Station at the LOTT Clean Water Alliance’s Budd Inlet Treatment Plant in downtown Olympia will expand public access beginning ...
Read more.
Life
Volunteer at one of the parks in Thurston County for Earth Day or take the kids to collect some eggs at Tumwater’s Easter Egg Dash ...
Rachel Benton
What an honor to be a writer for Olympia Family Theatre’s (OFT) 6th annual “Tales Told in Ten” (TTnT) event on  April 12. For those unfamiliar with this Olympia tradition …
George Walter
Spring is a wonderful time for bird watching and, fortunate for us, for bird watching festivals. Three are coming up in the next month or so, and each is well worth ...
Interested performers can now apply to perform in the City of Olympia’s Music in the Park concert series.
The Olympia Downtown Alliance announced in a news release that the performer applications period for the "Music in the Park" summer concert series ...

Read more Life stories

Police Blotter

Police Blotter for Friday, April 18, 2025

Thurston County Sheriff’s Office On 4/18/25 at 9:21 p.m. in the 11800 block of Bald Hills Road SE, sheriff’s deputies arrested Jordan Alexander Boyd, 25, on suspicion of driving …

Read more crime coverage

Opinions: Yours & our columnists
Olympia's Westside: The perpetual rainbow gathering
Even by local standards, Olympia’s Westside is a balinaged jantricized place — a bipolar mix of easy-breezy folk life, blended with terrifying …
Olympia City Council wants to dissolve its Municipal Court
I would like to address Olympia City Council's decision to dissolve the Olympia Municipal Court and its Community Court.  On April 8, the council voted to sell the land where …
Leapin' lizards (part 1)
Trish Lynn will be the main author of this article because she interviewed her grandson, an animal lover and owner of four ...
Recipe: Easy slow cooker coq au vin
Coq au vin is a French chicken dish in which chicken and vegetables are cooked in red wine. Today’s recipe is an easy slow cooker version that promotes the unique flavor ...
It's the worms' turn
A recent episode of NPR’s Bird Note reported a surprising fact: The worms robins pluck out of our grass are not a native species. The native earthworms of the northern U. S. were wiped out by …

Read more perspectives

Calendar of events
Olympia headlines
A shot of the weapons seized from a man who was arrested for the alleged armed robberies of massage parlors in Lacey and Olympia.
A 20-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday, April 16, in connection with the alleged armed robberies of two massage parlors in ...
At Olympia's Community Livability and Public Safety Committee (CLPS) meeting held on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, the committee recommended moving forward with the OIR Group as the city's new civilian police auditor. 
Olympia's Community Livability and Public Safety Committee (CLPS) has recommended moving forward with the OIR Group as the city's new civilian ...
Marcia Norman
The remains of a Tenino woman were found partially encased in concrete on a property in Olympia by local authorities less than two weeks after she was ...
Warren Hendrickson, Port of Olympia’s Director of Operations, showed the Port Commission a conceptual rendering of the Sound Commerce Center. Panattoni Development Company intends to develop the 29-acre site for industrial use.
The Port of Olympia is weeks away from finalizing a lease agreement with Panattoni Development Company to develop the first parcel of a 200-acre property in the ...
The Olympia City Council reviewed the capital facilities plan of the 2045 Comprehensive Plan at its study session on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. Council member Clark Gilman said the CFP chapter does not adequately address the impacts of transportation infrastructure on greenhouse gas emissions. 
Olympia City Council member Clark Gilman challenged the draft capital facilities chapter of the 2045 Comprehensive Plan, saying it does not go far enough in addressing ...

Read more Olympia coverage

Tumwater headlines
Tumwater City Administrator Lisa Parks (top left) briefed the city council on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, about a resolution that would allocate funds for the preservation of the Davis-Meeker Garry oak tree. 
The City of Tumwater is ensuring the preservation of the Davis-Meeker Garry oak tree.   The Tumwater City Council adopted a resolution on Tuesday, April 15, to allocate up to $55,000 for …
Acting Tumwater Police Department Chief Jay Mason will officially assume the role of the permanent police chief on July 1, 2025.
Jay Mason of the Tumwater Police Department is set to be the permanent police chief.   Tumwater Mayor Debbie Sullivan announced at a city council meeting on Tuesday, April 15, that she has …
Some protesters can be seen holding signs inside the audience area of the Tumwater School District Board of Directors meeting. A district representative later said the protesters brought large metal cans with coins under their chairs.
Protesters brought large metal cans, banged on windows  and forced their way into the building during the latest meeting of the Tumwater School District Board of Directors.   The …

Read more Tumwater coverage

Thurston County
Thurston 2045 comprehensive plan logo.
The Thurston County Planning Commission is hosting public hearings to get the public to weigh in on proposed changes to the county's Comprehensive Plan ...
A clean audit confirmed the accuracy of 2024 ballot counts in Thurston County, as shown above. The same office, Thurston County Auditor's Office Elections Division, will host an online candidacy crash course on Wednesday, April 16, for people seeking public office this 2025. 
Ahead of the May filing week, residents interested in public office can join a virtual crash course hosted by Thurston County’s Auditor Office. The event goes live on Zoom on Wednesday, …
A slide from a presentation by Chris Paolini, the senior manager of Olympia Regional Airport, to the Port of Olympia Commission on March 10, 2025, showed that around 700 feet of pavement at the sound end of the Runway 17-35 will be rehabilitated, as part of a project mostly funded by the Federal Aviation Administration. 
The Port of Olympia hired a Tacoma-based construction company to rehabilitate one of the runways at ...

Read more Thurston County covergae

Lacey headlines
Shelly Willis, Executive Director of Family Education and Support Services, distributed blue pinwheels, a national symbol of child abuse prevention, to council members during the Lacey City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 15, 2025. 
The Lacey City Council unanimously passed a proclamation declaring April 2025 as Child Abuse Prevention Month, emphasizing the community's collective responsibility to ...
Transportation Policy Board (TPB) members were briefed on the Martin Way Crossing Strategy. Aidan Dixon, Thurston Regional Planning Council planner, gave an overview of the project on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. 
Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) is advancing its Martin Way safety plan, targeting up to 10 new mid-block crossings along the corridor, one of the busiest connecting Lacey and …
A seeking information poster shows the man wanted in connection with an incident that damages a Tesla charging station in Lacey on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
Local and federal authorities are seeking the public’s help in identifying the person who could be responsible for damaging a Tesla charging station in Lacey ...
The City of Lacey accepted 2025 Green Municipality of the Year award during the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Thurston County Green Business Forum & Awards held at Saint Martin’s University on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. 
In recognition of its citywide environmental impact and for being a “leader in sustainability, setting the standard for green initiatives in Thurston County,” the City of Lacey received …
Applicants are being sought for a pair of vacant, district-wide seats on the Captial Area Regional Public Facilities District Board (CAR-PFD). The applicants are being sought for full terms by …

Read more Lacey coverage

More local news
Olympia School District proclaims April 20-26 as Public School Volunteer Week 
Members of the Olympia School District Board of Directors proclaimed April 20-26 as Public School Volunteer Week.   At a meeting on Thursday, April 10, Board Vice President Jess …
Olympia School District set for migration to new Qmlativ system in July 
The Olympia School District is nearing the launch of Skyward Qmlativ, a new educational management system upgrade, in July 2025.    The upgrade is set to enhance functionality on student …
Join the Olympia School Board Candidate Workshop on April 22 
Individuals interested in running for the Olympia School District Board of Directors are invited to join the School Board Candidate Workshop.   The workshop, which was announced on the …
Thurston County poised to receive $5.5M for homeless encampment projects
Thurston Regional Housing Council is expecting a funding opportunity for Thurston County's Right-of-Way initiative following state budget allocations of ...
Underground utility work begins on Fones Road project
Underground utility work is underway on the multimillion-dollar Fones Road Corridor Project in Olympia. Work crews started the utility work on Monday ...
Ameresco, ECOS, Top Rung Brewery top list of 2025 green business champions in Thurston County  
Business efforts in sustainability across Thurston County received formal recognition on Wednesday, April 9, during the 2025 Thurston County Green ...
Application period to open for farmers market nutrition program in Thurston County
An annual program aimed at helping seniors put food on their tables will be accepting applications starting this week. The Lewis-Mason-Thurston Area Agency on Aging said the application …
Olympia middle, high school students achieve nearly 31% participation in athletics 
Athletic participation rates in the Olympia School District were 32.9% at the high school level and 27.5% at the middle school level during the ...
Olympia School District recognizes 12 national board certified teachers  
At a special recognition session on Thursday, April 10, the Olympia School District recognized 12 teachers who either gained or maintained a ...
Traffic stop results in drug bust on Capitol Way S
A traffic stop for an alleged violation on Capitol Way S in Olympia turned into a drug bust that yielded more than 1 ounce of fentanyl and methamphetamine. The incident occurred on …

Read more local news

Copyright © 2025 The JOLT News Organization, a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit, EIN 87-2868827. WA CFD Reg. No. 2010214. Telephone +1-360-357-1000
Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions