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Posts published in “Issue: October 2021

We reap what we sow — Thoughts on the theme — October 2021

The idea that we reap what we sow was probably embedded in the collective consciousness long before it became a Bible verse, but whether it was meant as a warning or a promise is a little less clear. The articles in this issue suggest the verse is just another way…

Olympia Council members act in behalf of their Hearing Examiner

The “Appearance of Fairness Doctrine” is crucial to preserving trust in decisions made by judicial officers. Dan Leahy recently filed a complaint showing that Olympia’s Hearing Examiner had violated the fairness requirement by failing to disclose his relationship with businesses near a proposed development. The letter below addresses Council members considering whether to act on the complaint.

The police rode away

Dear WIP, On the eve of a planned extremist action to “demand justice” for right-wing thug Tusitala Toese, I am writing to provide a brief account of what happened the day he was shot. I heard the shooting, but did not witness it. What I did witness were numerous and…

Business as usual… or broader perspectives at the Port of Olympia?

The Port of Olympia has a fairly small annual budget but capital assets in the tens of millions. The Port’s five most recent major capital investments totaled over $27 million—obtained largely using public funds. These investments are: the mobile harbor crane, new log loaders, the marine terminal stormwater system, the marina fuel dock, and the Commerce Business Center in Lacey. Every one of the recent commercial investments has failed to support itself.

Trying to insert a 114-unit apartment building onto a land-locked parcel

People on Olympia’s Westside know Grocery Outlet and the Westside Lanes near the intersection of Harrison and Division. Residents know there’s a piece of vacant land next to Westside Lanes where a pedestrian path leads from Jackson Avenue NW to the shopping center. In December 2020, Kyle Schrader and Taylor Wood (dba Crosswater Construction) bought that two-plus acres for a mere $75,000....

Soil fertility is the ultimate agronomy

The predominant conventional and chemical mode is steadily destroying and degrading soils all around the world. We need a revamped agronomic system that can restore biodiversity, halt soil carbon loss, sequester carbon and ban the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. But bold new approaches are almost never named, much less vigorously advocated.

The Climate Justice Mural Project

The mural was an outgrowth of TCAT’s Chrysalis Project in which a series of online meetings held in 2020 engaged over 200 area participants who shared writing, painting and other creative responses to the climate crisis using the lifecycle of a butterfly as thematic inspiration.

Déjà vu all over again at the Port of Olympia

Olympia Port Commissioners should have listened to the guy’s wife.  The Port (and the Olympian) celebrated last year, when Bart Lematta bought the 67-year-old Evergreen ferry after it had been seized for nonpayment from the previous owner.  At the time of the sale Lematta said, “My wife thinks I’m nuts…

First, do not intimidate

One of the difficulties in discussing Critical Race Theory is that the term has become entwined with the ideas in Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility. Endless disclaimers that Critical Race Theory (CRT) is about systemic rather than individual racism seem specious to those who conflate the idea with the so-called “anti-racism training” ...

League offers local candidate forums

The League of Women Voters of Thurston County (LWVTC), in collaboration with Thurston Community Media (TCMedia), invites voters to view candidate forums featuring candidates for: Port of Olympia Commissioners, Districts 2 and 3 Olympia City Council, Positions 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7 Lacey City Council, Position 7 Tumwater City…

Santa Claus is gunning for Joe Biden

Santa Claus is gunning for Joe Biden. The stock market is falling today, in part a reaction to GOP threats to shut down the government: it’s all part of their plan....

Look at us (poem)

Look at us We are of earth and water Look at them It is the same Look at us We are suffering all these years Look at them They are connected Look at us We are in pain Look at them Surprised at our anger Look at us We are…