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…
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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…
In a time when economic disparities and workplace inequities continue to make headlines, the proposed Workers’ Bill of Rights (WBR) for Tacoma and Olympia stands as a bold step forward for labor reform. This initiative champions essential protections for workers—focusing on fair wages, predictable schedules, and safer workplaces—to ensure that…
City of Olympia Mayor and Councilmembers 601 4th Ave E Olympia, WA 98501 January 3, 2025 Dear Mayor Payne and Members of the Olympia City Council: On behalf of UFCW 367, and our community partners, we urge you to take decisive action at your retreat in January to leave with…
Local bus drivers for Intercity Transit (IT) are in the midst of contract negotiations with the Transit Authority to obtain a living wage. I talked with Reed Ingalls, Adam Shea, Rich Harper and Jeremy Smith, the negotiating team for ATU Local 1765 which represents IT drivers, about the challenges facing…
Have you ever ridden the bus to get you or a loved one from point A to point B? Here in Olympia, our local Intercity bus drivers are unionized through the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), Local 1765. ATU´s contract with the transit agency expired on December 31st, 2024 and the…
When considering the idea of a Workers’ Bill of Rights, know that this is NOT a new idea. 81 years ago, President Franklin D. Roosevelt addressed the nation during his State of the Union Address and proposed a Second Bill of Rights or Bill of Economic Rights. Roosevelt was acting…
The presidential election of Trump has many of us feeling disheartened about what the next four years will bring. Perhaps many of us are still reeling in denial or apathy–all components of an emotional response to experiencing grief. This is normal. The most important thing to remember though is that…
On Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at 3:30 p.m., the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners is set to decide whether to adopt policy language to carry out the state’s UGA swap law. Click here to see highlighted language. The policy language could have a detrimental effect on rural lands. The…
The citizens group working to save an historic 400-year-old oak tree in Tumwater are celebrating this week after receiving a second partial victory in the Washington Court of Appeals. It came a month after another ruling in the tree’s favor by the same court. In the latest ruling, the court…
As the New Year begins, Olympians will have two novel avenues to advocate for protection of their rights to a clean and healthy environment. Standing for Washington will be collecting signatures in Olympia and Tumwater for an initiative to give legal rights to the Budd Inlet Watershed, and Green Amendments…
Green Amendments are a monumental step forward for nature, but they are different from rights of nature in that they focus on the rights of citizens to a healthy thriving environment rather than giving the environment its own right to exist and thrive. Green Amendments tend to focus on the…
I was raised in a society that on 4th of July cheers for the birth of democracy and calls itself the greatest democracy on earth. My father served in WWII and my parents both celebrated the end of fascism in Europe which had threatened their entire generation. In many movies…
In “Defending Democracy against Fascism” in this issue of WIP, I wrote about general trends in the rise of fascism, trends that we must resist. In contrast, this opinion piece is about two specific Congressional battles that will need your attention in the coming months. Designating Nonprofits as Terrorist-Supporting Organizations…
Originally published by PEACEVOICE, peacevoice.info Here comes a new year. We are about to transition from a bumbling elderly president’s administration to a chaotic malignant elderly narcissist’s attempt at autocracy. What could possibly go wrong? But also, what could go right? The US military has some 750 bases in at least 80…
repeal and replace clarity with smog kindness with clenched fists governance with profit margins bridges with barricades empathy with anarchy repeal and replace justice with leverage the earth with scorched shards the constitution with impulse hope with dread repeal and replace democracy with dynasties a free press with soldered muzzles…
Originally published by PEACEVOICE, peacevoice.info In at least three separate elections, Donald J. Trump was portrayed by his supporters and right-wing intellectuals as an ‘anti-war’ candidate. This framing was interesting in that the Trump doctrine as he and those allied with him have articulated over time is one that should…