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The storm that Netanyahu unleashed

On Friday, May 7 —just five days ago, though it seems like an eternity—public attention in Israel was totally riveted to the complicated dance of party politics. Prime Minister Netanyahu, facing three serious corruption charges at the Jerusalem District Court, had just failed in his efforts to form a new cabinet.

Strategic advances for immigrant rights in the 2021 WA legislature

We were told that the “COVID session’’ was to be limited to one bill passed per issue.  Think again.  What we accomplished was perceived in January as impossible, but it is true what Nelson Mandela said:  “They will say it is impossible until it happens.” 

About this Issue — The Big Lie and big-ish lies — June 2021

THOUGHTS ON THE THEME: When we established this theme, we were thinking about the Big Lie that Donald Trump won the 2020 election and the Democrats stole it. But the more we talked about it, the more we realized that there are a lot of big-ish lies out there, not just one Big Lie.

Community Spotlight – June 2021

Earth Regenerators Study Group ♦ Haki Farmers’ Collective. ♦ Olympia Mutual Aid ♦ Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons ♦ Whole Washington ♦ HOST Homes ♦ Student Art at Capitol ♦ Prayers for World Peace♦ GRuB & GRAVITY ♦ 2021 Meet the Beach ♦ Capital City Pride

Mutual aid groups build community in Olympia

Everyone has something to contribute; Everyone has something they need The COVID-19 pandemic response in the US has challenged communities, as local food banks experienced shortages and shelter beds became even more restricted. Confronted by an uncertain and under-resourced governmental response, many communities countered with energized “mutual aid” organizing. People recognized…

Thurston County Sheriff’s Office— a law unto itself?

A February report from Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson reveals that the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) refused to cooperate with an AG inquiry into whether law enforcement agencies are complying with Initiative 940. Among other mandates, the law created by 1-940 requires that investigations of police use of deadly force be conducted by an agency independent of those involved....

Then this happened… May 2021

...left at the altar—again …housing prices aren’t “filtering down …‘trickle down” doesn’t work either! ...the City was not convinced, item 1. ...the court was not convinced, item 2. ...the judge was not convinced, item 3.

There’s a change in the Works

The volunteer Managing Editor of Works in Progress is stepping down after five years. Unless someone volunteers for the position and is in place by August 1, the last issue of the paper will appear in September. To support a new managing editor (if one is in place) we are…

A year after the national outcry over the killing of George Floyd

REFLECTION: Nearly a year ago, George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin during an arrest, after a store clerk alleged that Floyd had passed a counterfeit $20 bill. The obscenely violent act of kneeling on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes, killing him—seen and known about only because one young bystander caught it all by video on her phone—ignited a nation into action....

OCEP appeals Oly City Council decision on West Bay Yards contract

“Stewardship of the commons is a fundamental purpose of local government” On March 30, Olympia City Council members signed a 15-year contract needed by Milestone Companies to attract financing for their “West Bay Yards” project, a luxury mixed-use development on the edge of Budd Inlet. Hundreds of citizens weighed in…