On October 8, at the steps of City Hall, a gathering of local Olympia renters rallied, hoisted signs and shouted chants asking the city to address barriers that make renting unaffordable for many. Protestors were advocating for a fresh ordinance that regulates fees and security deposits, known as a move-in…
Works in Progress
“Treat the whole family.” This is one of the most important things Izzy Baldo learned in nursing school. It’s always at the front of her mind. But over the years, she’s realized it’s easier said than done. As a young nurse working in oncology, Izzy was struck by the struggles…
In 2015 commissioners at the Port of Olympia adopted a set of financial measures to set goals and track the performance to those goals. If ever the Port of Olympia is going to achieve fiscal soundness, this is sorely needed. The goals were aspirational in that they strove to improve…
In October, Olympia’s longtime restaurant and performance venue, Le Voyeur, became the latest business to transition from private ownership to the co-operative business model. The club joins a growing number of member and worker-owned co-operatives and collectives in Olympia. There are at least 10 cooperative businesses in Olympia with more…
The era of dam building is over and an era of fishery protection has begun. Yet the Chehalis River Basin Flood Control Zone District (FCZD) is proposing to construct a flood retention facility—a dam—near Pe Ell, Washington. This would put the Chehalis River and its fish in peril, and likely cause the Spring Chinook…
Firelands on the move for a healthy future grew up in the shadow of “timber wars,” hearing that city environmentalists were to blame for the loss of timber jobs and the growth of poverty. Since then, I have felt trapped between the fires of my own daily crises and the…