News | The JOLT News Organization, a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit

The county began using this graphic on Aug. 12, 2021 in its social media postings to promote the new masking directive.

Back to masks: County health officer issues "directive" to boost use in indoor public settings

With Thurston County seeing near-record numbers of new COVID-19 cases, County Health Officer Dr. Dimyana Abdelmalek signed a joint statement today along with Health Officers from all 35 local health … more

By Danny Stusser | 8/12/21 | 1 comment

The Olympia City Council agreed that adopting the Department of Enterprise Services Estuary Alternative will be the most beneficial to the future of Capitol Lake. The council discussed their comments during the regular city council meeting on Tuesday, August 10.

Olympia City Council to State: Bring back the Estuary

The Olympia City Council shared their support for the Estuary Alternative which suggests the removal of the 5th Avenue Dam during the regular city council meeting on Tuesday, August 10. In a draft … more

8/12/21 | 2 comments

Under the regulations being considered by the Olympia City Council, owners of short-term lodgings will need to register their businesses; some will need to purchase a city license.

Olympia considering regulations for short-term rentals

After a four-year process, the Olympia City Council saw the first reading of an ordinance that would regulate short-term rentals in the city. Community Planning and Development Director Leonard … more

8/11/21 | 2 comments

Cooling centers open to the public Thu.-Fri., Aug. 12-13 from 1 - 7 p.m.

Too hot? Here is a list of "Cooling centers" -- locations open to the public along with their operating hours and Intercity Transit routes to get you there. Lacey Timberland Library500 College … more

8/11/21

This Tumwater Heritage Tree is the Davis-Meeker Garry Oak. It's located along Old Highway 99 on the east side of Olympia Regional Airport. It's estimated to be 330-400 years old and has been called "the finest tree in the county."

You can nominate a “Heritage Tree” in Tumwater

Over the years there have been increasing concerns about the preservation of trees in the city, which is why the Tumwater Tree Board shared the process of designating heritage trees during its … more

By Kristine Javier | 8/10/21

Olympia City Council to meet online again Tue., Aug. 10

Following their previous decision to hold in-person meetings, the Olympia City Council announced that they are returning to remote sessions for their upcoming regular city council meeting tomorrow, … more

By Danny Stusser | 8/9/21

The JOLT Real Estate Report for Aug. 1-7, 2021

This weekly report covers single-family home sales in Thurston County over the past week. There were 85 sales completed from Sunday, August 1 through Saturday, August 7, 2021. The median sales … more

By The JOLT Staff | 8/9/21

Port of Olympia holds public workshop for New Market Industrial Campus development

To address community concerns, the Port of Olympia in partnership with the city of Tumwater recently held an online community workshop regarding a proposed development agreement with Panattoni … more

8/6/21

Thurston County Local Elections Results

Just over a quarter of Thurston County's voters turned in ballots in time to be counted in the August 3, 2021 primary. Of these, some 85% of votes have been counted as of 6 p.m. … more

By The JOLT Staff | 8/4/21

Lacey's director of community development, Rick Walk, was the speaker at the Lacey South Sound Chamber forum on Aug. 4, 2021.

Lacey business and construction update

The August 4 Lacey South Sound Chamber’s monthly lunch forum featured the city’s Director of Community Development, Rick Walk, who provided the 125 attendees with an update on various … more

By Danny Stusser | 8/4/21

This photo shows the proposal for the Hicks Lake Multi-Family apartment complex which will have 132 garden-style apartments in four buildings plus an amenities building (shown on the right side of the image, closest to the lake).

300 residential units might soon rise along Hicks Lake in Lacey

The City of Lacey is currently reviewing two proposed residential projects along Hicks Lake which would provide a total of 300 housing units. Lacey Senior Planner Samra Seymour discussed the … more

By Danny Stusser | 8/4/21 | 1 comment

Tumwater declared Aug. 31, 2021 to be Overdose Awareness Day at the city council meeting on Aug. 2.

“Overdose Awareness Day” coming to Washington and to Tumwater

Drug overdose remains a major issue within the state, which is why Tumwater recently declared August 31 as “Overdose Awareness Day” to help address the public health issue and remove the … more

By Danny Stusser | 8/4/21

Shop for books when you shop at Capital Mall at Timberland Regional Library's newest branch there which opened June 1, 2021.

Olympia and Lacey Timberland library buildings, refreshed during closures, have reopened

Timberland Regional Library is open and welcoming patrons to visit their local library to see the improvements and take advantage of the extensive materials, resources and services … more

By Taniah Najih | 8/3/21 | 1 comment

Electric airplanes (top right) are being considered the future of the aviation industry. Left upper and lower images show how electric airplanes will be charged on-site (top and bottom left). Aside from electric airplanes, experts are looking into the potential of the biofuel industry (bottom right) as a better alternative to jet fuel.

Olympia Regional Airport looks into serving electric and biofuel aircraft

With increasing concern over climate change, the Olympia Regional Airport (Airport Code: OLM) is looking into more sustainable alternatives to aviation fuel as a part of its planning … more

By Danny Stusser | 8/2/21

This was the first of the Facebook meme posts for which Zhdanov was criticized. It was posted on January 19, 2019 with the comment, "Speak!"

Tumwater Schools loses its new Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Tumwater School District’s new Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) had been on the job for less than a month when four postings on his personal Facebook account became known to … more

By Danny Stusser | 7/30/21

The areas in purple indicate the area from which Joint Base Lewis-McChord researchers are seeking opinions.

Joint-Base Lewis McChord seeks public comments to improve community services

Joint-Base Lewis McChord (JBLM) is seeking feedback from the public on a variety of issues to update its Growth Coordination Plan (GCP), first published in 2010. JBLM is the fourth-largest … more

By The JOLT Staff | 7/29/21

Littlerock Road at 73rd Ave. SW - The property under consideration covers 19 acres of land which the city staff proposes to change from Neighborhood Commercial (NC) to Single Family Medium Density Residential (SFM).

Tumwater city staff propose substantial zoning changes to the city-county Joint Plan

City staff proposed to make substantial zoning changes in several areas in Tumwater as a part of the Joint Tumwater / Thurston County Plan. The proposed … more

By Kristine Javier | 7/28/21

This image shows the special joint meeting of the Port of Olympia Commissioners meeting with Thurston County’s Board of County Commissioners. Five of the six are shown in the top row, second from left.

Six commissioners agree to postpone five-member ballot measure

Port of Olympia Commissioners joined with Thurston County’s Board of County Commissioners last Thu., July 22, for a special meeting to discuss when to propose to voters increasing the size of … more

By Danny Stusser | 7/27/21

Port of Olympia Executive Director Sam Gibboney called the meeting to order during the Port’s revised commission meeting on Monday, July 26, 2021 following a heated exchange between Commissioners Joe Downing and E.J Zita over discussion about an inter-Local agreement related to the lease of 200 acres of port property in Tumwater.

Port Exec Director calls meeting to order following heated exchange between Downing and Zita

“I ask not to be interrupted,” Zita said. Tension rose between the two commissioners during the Port of Olympia Commission meeting yesterday. Port of Olympia Executive Director Sam … more

By Danny Stusser | 7/27/21

Four members of Lacey's city council met with Assistant City Manager Shannon Kelley-Fong on July 22, 2021.

Lacey City Council plans to consider hybrid meetings by August

As more and more residents are being vaccinated, the Lacey City Council weighed the possibility of moving to in-person meetings sometime in August during its work session last Thu., July 22. The … more

By The JOLT Staff | 7/27/21 | 1 comment