Works in Progress

Olympia has always been defined by its relationship to the water. Local waters have shaped our city’s history, culture, and quality of life. One of our greatest potential treasures, however—Moxlie Creek—runs through town buried in a large concrete pipe. By restoring and daylighting Moxlie Creek through downtown Olympia we have an…

The proposal to expand the Johnson Creek Mine, owned by Weyerhaeuser, from 10.4 acres to 228 acres has red flags that should alarm Thurston County residents. While this issue may seem like it is isolated to residents in a pocket of Tenino, the breakdown in the Washington State Environmental Policy…

This is a time when land available for new farming operations is shrinking while costs to purchase land to permit entry to farming have become all but prohibitive.  At the same time, the farmer population is largely beyond retirement age and the recruitment of new and younger farmers to replace…

Walking in the footwear (or not) of a homeless person is more than just a metaphor – it is an invitation for the housed to empathize with the unhoused. Taking the time and effort to understand what many of the homeless have encountered in their lives is not easy to…

The Olympian newspaper sounds like it is headquartered here. The newspaper started as The Washington Standard, transforming into The Daily Olympian in February 1889 and then The Olympian in 1982. If you ask online, “Who owns The Olympian newspaper?,” the first answer is the McClatchy Company. But, further searches uncover…

What IF families didn’t have to go their separate ways every morning – kids to daycare and parents to work? What IF kids could play where their parents worked? What IF families could stay connected in a warm community of caretakers throughout the day? Those are the questions Dr. Schyler…

From September 14th to 19th, Maya K. van Rossum, founder and leader of the national movement to incorporate Green Amendments into state constitutions, will be touring Washington State across six cities. The purpose of this tour is to educate residents and legislators about the Green Amendment (GA) and Washington’s efforts…

Olympia, Washington — On Labor Day Weekend, banners will be lifted over highways across the west coast. In Washington State, from 10 am to 1 pm on September 1st, Evergreen Resistance, a Washington chapter of the 50501 Movement, in partnership with Indivisible and Backbone Campaign, with the help of numerous…

This article is reprinted from The Echo, the newsletter of the South Sound Bird Alliance Last month the natural world lost one of its strongest, most passionate and committed advocates. Sue Danver passed away after a long illness and the return of cancer. Sue was a force for conservation all…

On July 4, we lost Roger Robinson. Roger lived adjacent to the Sundberg Gravel Pit since 1999 and spent decades documenting the illegal dumping, grading and disturbances that were taking place there, endangering his neighbors and the surrounding area with unknown toxic substances. Roger meticulously mapped the areas where he…

This is one of two related articles for WIP; the second is about Medicare, which is also in trouble. This article gives an introduction to the problem for both, and then focuses on the problems and solutions for Social Security. Look for the Medicare article in the next issue. Medicare…

There has been great progress within the Christian Church when it comes to minorities. There are hundreds of articles covering the history of the modern-day treatment of women and persons of color in Christian congregations. But I will focus on a slightly less studied topic; the status of persons with…

On July 25th, a group of community folks gathered outside the office of Rep. Marilyn Strickland and along nearby College Ave. to convey our grave concerns about Gaza and her hesitancy to take a stand for the people there. We issued this statement, written by Dr. Antoon-Walsh: Local constituents banged…

Part 1 of this article, in this issue of WIP, describes the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the many actions that PASS (Palestine Action of South Sound) has taken to influence our local federal representatives. In this Part 2 of the article the authors explain ways that readers can help…

In June, I visited the community of Copal AA La Esperanza to participate in the 12th annual Festival de la Madre Tierra. I wrote about that experience in Works In Progress’ June issue. In brief, Copal AA La Esperanza (the hope) is a community of returned, indigenous folks who had fled…

The Fawn I find a piece of wood on the trail so closely resembling a deer hoof I want to pocket it. I resist. Let others discover and delight in it. I am rewarded. Up ahead, a tiny fawn is curled in the grass. Just looking.   Pam Pride is…

“Alligator Alcatraz” Left church 10 minutes early To go for a Sunday drive Down to the bottom of the country Where golf clubs and cheap pubs abound.   Paused for a VIP tour Of a brand-new facility Lovingly crafted For allegedly loveless individuals.   Couldn’t conceal their excitement As they…

Using state power to limit full and frank public discourse – e.g., shutting down the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.  Firing apolitical civil service experts because they do not subscribe to the ruling party’s preferred ‘untruths’ – e.g., firing the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Endorsing blatantly anti-democratic endeavors…

This article was originally published in PeaceVoice From online news reports to social media platforms, the rise of authoritarianism and the surge in catastrophic armed conflicts are being broadcast in real time. The world has witnessed numerous atrocity crimes, causing many observers to speak out against the violence, but with…

This article was originally published in PeaceVoice I’ve been thinking about power, and people who use their power to be kind to others. A mediator friend described a case in which a tenant lost her job, got behind on rent, and started using drugs. Happily, she had an epiphany, turned…

This article was originally published in PeaceVoice After World War I, Germany became a constitutional democratic republic for the first time. The country was in desperate circumstances subsequent to the war and the early years of the Weimar Republic were laden with grave problems, including hyperinflation and political violence. By…

This article was originally published in PeaceVoice The US invaded Iraq and Afghanistan as illegally as Putin invaded Ukraine, a bad place to begin “democracy building.” It taught its young troopers how to take over neighborhoods, conduct door-to-kicked-down-door searches and seizures of homes, no warrant needed—grab folks for “interrogation,” no…