Thursday, October 1, 2026
|
Sitting in the audience for Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia (SOGO)’s spring concert, I was completely in awe of everything ...
more
By Rachel Benton
|
5/22/26
|
|
In 1967, upcoming mushroom magnate Cameron Ostrom bought a small farm just past the edge of town on the corner of ...
more
|
|
This year’s migration season brought some unusual avian visitors to Thurston County and elsewhere in Washington. I wonder if ...
more
|
|
|
Stepping into the James Koval Center for the Performing Arts last week, I noticed a large painting in the lobby that has been hanging ...
more
By Rachel Benton
|
5/21/26
|
|
The JOLT has been publishing local news for Thurston County for six years as of today. Thank you to the 1,206 people, who sent us (tax-deductible) donations ...
more
|
|
Editor's note: The following is the statement delivered by Pleasant Glade Elementary School parent Jeremy Sorokas to the ...
more
|
|
|
Of all the shows I have been to in Thurston County, this was the one that had the most people dressed up in theme with the ...
more
By Rachel Benton
|
5/19/26
|
|
Olympia defines itself as a haven for artists, activists, and families. Again and again, people share stories of leaving places where ...
more
|
|
Every spring, there are more tomato varieties for sale than the year before. You could spend the whole month of May researching ...
more
|
|
|
Throughout the week, I found myself giving way to nostalgia for my days as a choir student. I loved performing in our annual ...
more
By Rachel Benton
|
5/15/26
|
|
Thurston Housing Land Trust (THLT) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to create and protect affordable homeownership ...
more
|
|
Thurston County’s Glacial Heritage Preserve is an 80-acre property purchased in 2005 and set aside for permanent protection of a ...
more
|
|
The Olympia Family Theater (OFT) has so much to celebrate! This weekend will mark a historic opening of “The Hobbit” as the ...
more
By Rachel Benton
|
5/13/26
|
|
|
I have seen multiple ballets performed at The Washington Center for the Performing Arts stage throughout the years with local and ...
more
By Rachel Benton
|
5/12/26
|
|
I once had a neighbor who earned a Master Gardener title by attending a series of classes. She had never grown a single broccoli ...
more
|
|
On Wednesday, May 6, a visit to a nearby native prairie confirmed what I had been told: the peak wildflower bloom this year is coming ...
more
By George Walter
|
5/7/26
|
|
|
If you have ever seen me at a local event, there is a high probability that I introduced you to my mama, Dee Benton, aka my best friend and ...
more
By Rachel Benton
|
5/6/26
|
|
|
Shopping for your parents is no easy task, but I think I can ...
more
|
|
USS Olympia was commissioned in February 1895 and was in service until 1922. She was named for our city of Olympia, Washington, and built ...
more
|
|
This week I intended to write a follow-up column about prairie birds, but a rare bird visiting the Billy Frank Jr. National Wildlife ...
more
|