Local News BAR Holdings and the UGA Swap Law: How to buy cheap rural land, use political ties to rezone it urban, and make a killing Why People Came to the Anti Trump/Musk Protests Olympia Indivisible membership soars The Problem of Too Much Stuff – Recycling in Thurston County Part…
Posts published in “Issue: March 2025”
This is the first of a series of articles that looks into political influence in land use permitting. Specifically, we investigate how business interests in Thurston County exploit their close ties with planning department staff to get around environmental regulations. We start with the recent attempt by Rob Rice, Thurston…
On February 5 and February 17, 2005, I attended the protests at the Capital Campus in Olympia against recent actions by the Trump administration. The JOLT, NPR, and The Olympian, among other mainstream press, published comprehensive articles on both protests. So below I report just what I learned from talking…
Olympia Indivisible (OI) is a non-partisan group with a 100% volunteer base of grass roots activists who are defending our Constitution and democratic checks and balances. It has been active since the first Trump administration advocating for progressive causes. On Election Day 2024, it had 736 members. Now, there are…
“Who is wealthy? One who is happy with his lot!” – Ben Zoma (Pirkei Avos) Stuff. We’ve got tons of it. It’s stuffed into our minds at every turn – stuff on TV, stuff in the stores, stuff delivered to our doors. Our economic indices consider lots of stuff being…
“Who is wealthy? One who is happy with his lot!” – Ben Zoma (Pirkei Avos) What Happens to Your Recycled Items? The County only handles a small portion of the county’s recycling because much of it is handled by private haulers like LeMay Pacific Disposal, now part of Waste Connections,…
A lawsuit filed by local open government and environmental activist Arthur West on February 4 claims the City of Tumwater violated the public records act by failing to disclose a Root Crown inspection Report, ultrasound images, pictures of the tree’s root system and related records and reports from Todd Praeger…
We reported on the historic success by Standing for Washington of Everett Initiative 24-03 which gave legally enforceable rights to the Snohomish River Watershed in our December 2024 issue. It comes as no surprise that such a landmark change would lead to a legal challenge. Sure enough, the Master Builders…
Many people do not know about the special elections for commissioners of the Thurston County Conservation District. This year between February 3 and March 11 voters in the Conservation District can ASK for a ballot by emailing ballotrequest@thurstoncd.com or by phoning (564) 669-4929. They can also pick up a ballot…
The West Bay Yards project took another step closer to realization on February 27 when the Olympia Design Review Board approved, with one dissension, the concept design laid out by Ron Thomas of Thomas Architectural Studios. West Bay Yards is a proposal for the development of 478 multifamily residential units…
To Tumwater and Olympia Councils and the Port Commission: Species are now disappearing at a faster rate than at any time in human history. Budd Inlet is ground zero. In response, the City of Olympia has given a green light to a waterfront development that will set a precedent. In a…
Waiting… In a place where time is much more than a dial on the wall in constant rotation. It’s literally the way of life. Imprisoned and forgotten for deeds not done, I’ve been Waiting for my life to revert back to at least some sliver of normality for years, yet…
Originally Published by PeaceVoice It takes time. That’s what people keep saying in response to concerns about the Trump Administration. It’ll take time before he can get the good stuff done. They say the promised benefits to this chaos are coming soon. Don’t hold your breath. The egg prices are…
Originally published by PeaceVoice Only a month into his second term as president, Donald Trump is well underway toward destroying crucial rights of American workers. Currently, the best known of these threatened rights is probably job security, for the sudden onset of Trump’s mass, indiscriminate firing of more than 200,000…
Originally Published by Human Rights Watch The Trump administration has enacted new immigration policies at a dizzying pace, some of which obliterate programs built over decades to enable avenues to safety for people fleeing war and persecution. The impact of these policies is felt directly by the asylum seekers, migrants,…
Originally Published by PeaceVoice “. . . I write today from a position rare for a former prosecutor: to beseech you to commute the sentence of a man I helped put behind bars.” Thus begins one of the most stunning letters I have ever read, written almost four years ago by…
Dana Lyons, Washington’s own Pete Seeger, has released a new album, “Cracks in the Heartland.” Since 1985 when Dana’s song “Our State is a Dumpsite” was proposed in the Washington state legislature as the official state song, to the 1996 release of the comedic ballad, “Cows With Guns”, Dana has…
Here are photos of the March Against Trump, and two brief videos. The march started at Heritage Park in Olympia and proceeded to the Capitol Building.
2025 Procession Community Art Studio Orientation and Open House – Olympia Creative Campus Armory at Eastside and Legion Way – March 1, 10am-6pm Information about March Studio hours, workshop dates and group projects will be available. Volunteers and donations are welcome Public Observation Day:West Bay Sediment Sampling – Port Plaza…