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“Defund Police” is an offensive sound bite. Its appeal and widely proclaimed message nullifies the more important changes that are needed that lie beneath the motto. It turns people off …
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5/12/22
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I would have bet anything, that the North Thurston School District's flirtation with a "Balanced Calendar" would have resulted in a significant and major change in our local educational …
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By Ken Balsley
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5/11/22
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Another Mother’s Day has come and gone. Some mothers celebrated for the first time…others for their last. Some mothers spent time with their family. Some sat at home alone.
Some …
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In my day job, I help nonprofits be more effective and sustainable.
My areas of focus are working with nonprofit boards, developing effective leadership, and ensuring that the organization has a …
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By Mary Beth Harrington, CVA
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5/10/22
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This is a question that comes up in my life a surprising amount, and very few people have an answer. And while that may not seem problematic on the surface level, this question is at the heart of …
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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. …
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I've been playing in a monthly poker game for almost 50 years. While we have lost players and gained players, the purpose of the poker game is not often related to money So …
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By Ken Balsley
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5/6/22
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Thurston County has a rare habitat type that is underappreciated – prairies. These are native grasslands that, 200 years ago, stretched for scores of miles in the relatively flat central and …
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Tell us what you're gonna do tonight, mama.
There must be someplace you can go
In the middle of the tall drinks and the drama,
There must be someone you know.
God knows, you're lookin' …
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A few years ago, my work required me to visit the other Washington (DC) for meetings and conferences at least once a year.
Every time I went, I tried to visit the Newseum, the museum dedicated to …
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By Mary Beth Harrington, CVA
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5/3/22
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The following letter was sent to the Port of Olympia Commissioners by the signer below and is published verbatim.
Port of Olympia Commissioners
606 Columbia Street NW, Ste. …
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5/2/22
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Dear Readers,
Weight has always been a challenge for me. I’ve tried a lot of different things, probably like a lot of people, but never found a method that I was able to stick with.
I …
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By Alexis Rae Baker
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5/2/22
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Blacks in Thurston County is a collection of 55 short biographies about Black people who came to Thurston County between 1950-1975. Each chapter is named for the person the stories are about; …
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Reviewed by Laurel Mack-Wilson
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4/29/22
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All my gardening life I’ve marveled at the many oddly named plants. Who named them, and why?
Jupiter’s Beard, for instance, is known as red valerian, kiss-me-quick, fox’s brush …
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With May Day just around the corner perhaps it’s time to put the day and date into some perspective.
Many of us here in Thurston County think of May Day as the time young anarchists, mostly …
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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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Musings
Comedian Rodney Dangerfield used to start his routine with the line, “I get no respect.” He could easily have been speaking about old people. It certainly fits, but no one is …
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It has been a while since I talked about fundraising for nonprofits. You might think this is not the time of year for solicitations but, it is. Nonprofits need your love and funding all year, …
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By Mary Beth Harrington, CVA
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4/27/22
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I recently had the pleasure of hearing Program Manager Rebecca Hutchinson speak about the newly revived Home Share Program, offered by Senior Services for South Sound.
Before the pandemic, this …
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By Kathleen Anderson
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4/26/22
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Dear Lexis,
The world seems to be full of bad people. I feel like I'm surrounded by greedy, selfish people who make it their life's mission to ruin my life. You seem to have the opposite opinion …
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By Alexis Rae Baker
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4/25/22
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