The Olympia Standard

With one of the members of the Olympia City Council moving up to the Legislature, a new person was recently appointed to represent us. In this interview, Yến Huỳnh introduces herself to our listeners. She speaks about her interests in city government, what she brings to the team, and her interests in the community. Download this episode

Right before the pandemic shut down our community, we spoke with Mike Reid, the Economic Development Director of Olympia, about how our local economy was faring (episode #58). Two weeks later, we were hurled into economic crisis. This episode is an update from Mike on how his job has changed, how local government has responded, and other ways the pandemic has impacted our economy. Download this ep...

What will 2021 bring on The Olympia Standard? This episode is what we hope to talk about the in the year to come. We’ll continue to bring racial justice conversations onto this podcast, but will also incorporate equity in how we talk about transportation policy, ongoing challenges with the pandemic, and other issues of local interest. We’re also gearing up for broader election coverage...

As we leave behind 2020 and look forward to the new year, we spent some time reflecting on the racial justice movement that has swept the nation and Olympia. We spoke with Quinton Neal, the assistant director of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Center at the South Puget Sound Community College, where he hosts the podcast called The Unheard Outsider . We talked about uncomfortable conversations...

Until the moment this podcast was posted, Victor Minjares has been serving as the chair of the Thurston County Democrats. We talked with him about the impact of national politics on local elections, thoughts on the future of the local Democratic party, and how to encourage more people of color to run for elected office. Download this episode

One of the things that makes Olympia such a special place are the people who have lived here long before it was called Olympia. The Steh-Chass band of indigenous people of the Squaxin Island Tribe have stewarded this land since time immemorial, and still inhabit and steward this land today. We spoke with Chairman Kris Peters, of the Squaxin Island Tribe, to learn about his people, this place, and...

What were the results of the 2020 election cycle? Let’s walk back through the ballot and find out what happened. This episode was recorded the day before the presidency was declared for Biden and Harris (woohoo!), and the result of one county commission race is still unknown at the time of publishing. In this episode, Emmett talks about his maps. You can find them here . Download this episod...

This year, ballots have already hit your mailbox, several days earlier than usual. If you haven’t yet received your ballot (or haven’t yet registered to vote), check in with the Thurston County Auditor . In this episode, we walk through the full ballot for voters in Olympia, from referendums to judges. Tune in to learn what and who you might vote for, and why it matters! Download this...

In years past, we’ve done candidate interviews for each local race, with both candidates speaking side-by-side. For a few reasons, we’re taking a different tack this year. We only interviewed two candidates; the two women of color running in Thurston County races. Tune in to hear from Sharonda Amamilo, running for Thurston County Superior Court Judge, and Carolina Mejia, running for Th...

Many communities are preparing for a changing climate. The Squaxin Island Tribe, whose land on which the city of Olympia is located, has been studying how rising seas will impact their traditional natural resources. We interviewed Candace Penn, the climate change ecologist for the tribe, about her research and planning efforts to preserve their culture. Following is a short interview with Mason Ro...

What does economic justice look like? Megan Matthews, the Engagement Manager at the Department of Social and Health Services, has been engaging with the community to help develop Washington’s 10-year plan to reduce poverty and inequality . How is structural racism and historic trauma considered in this plan? How do we bring to the table those who have been most impacted by injustice? And wha...

On our last episode, we explored safety and justice in the Olympia school system from the perspective of a middle school teacher. We’re now looking at a different perspective from inside Olympia schools: a recent graduate and a school psychologist. Aneya Cornwall just graduated from Capital High school, and now attends a historically black university on the east coast. Quinn Middleton is wor...

Continuing the conversation on racial justice in Olympia, we turn to public schools. Courtney Jarmon, who teaches science at Washington Middle School, shared her experience as an educator in the Olympia School District. She spoke with us about the impacts of the pandemic, decentering whiteness in curriculum, the role all adults play in making schools safe for all students, and how we can bring mor...

Protests from the Black Lives Matter movement have dramatically changed public discourse. Those who have been advocating for a new vision for safety and justice are now finding their ideas discussed in the mainstream. We’re dedicating the next few episodes to bringing forward voices of those advocating for change. Larry Jefferson is the lead felony attorney at the Thurston County Public Defense Of...

The two races for local government on the primary ballot in Thurston County are for Superior Court Judge and County Commissioner. What should voters be thinking about when they decide who moves on to the general election? To gain some perspective, we talked to a judge, Chris Lanese, and a commissioner, Tye Menser. How do elected judges influence society? And what are the issues that will be decide...

Our primary ballots have arrived in our mailboxes! Haven’t received yours yet? Contact the county auditor . In this episode, we go through the ballot with Jemmy Joe, our token uninformed voter, and answer his questions. We talk about party preferences, why we have so many gubernatorial candidates, and what voters should be thinking about when you decide who you’d like to elect to offic...

Literally, on this episode we are talking trash! Steve Gilmore, with Republic Services, joined us to talk about what happens to our waste once we drop it in the bin. What happens to our trash, recycling, and organics when we throw it away? Where is “away”? How have changes in China impacted recycling in Olympia? What impacts have the pandemic had on our waste systems? And what does the...

Recently in Olympia, we’ve been experiencing an intimidating culture shock that have left many wondering: who are the people with guns? To answer this question, we interview David Neiwert, a journalist and author who has followed far right extremist movements in the Pacific Northwest for decades. We talked about who these groups are, why they are here, and what we can do as a community. Down...

With 53% of our population living in rental housing, Olympia is a majority renter community. On top of that, there are far too few rental homes in our city, putting renters seeking housing at a disadvantage. Now throw in a pandemic, where renters who have lost their income are accumulating rent debt. To learn more about the landscape for rental housing, we talked to Whitney Bowerman, a small local...

Local journalism is struggling to survive, including our own newspaper, The Olympian. This was true before the pandemic, and has intensified in the crisis. Yet communities rely on local reporting to stay abreast of issues, keep government accountable, and share the good news taking place with the people around them. To get some outside perspective, we interviewed Kristen Hare of the Poynter Instit...

Before COVID-19, many in Olympia were engrossed in the Outsiders podcast. This production from KNKX and The Seattle Times delved into the issue of homelessness, using Olympia as a case study. We spoke with Will James, a reporter at KNKX and producer of Outsiders. Why Olympia? What has the response to the podcast been? What are some of the biggest misconceptions about homelessness? And how do we cr...

What did Olympia bring to the Legislature? And how will the state impact our lives in Olympia? Here is our annual update on the legislative session! This year we sat down with Representative Laurie Dolan to answer these questions, focusing on education, transportation, and reform for the formerly incarcerated. We also dove into the impacts of COVID-19 and the upcoming special session to address th...

Over a month into a declared state of emergency, Thurston County health officials are working hard to respond to COVID-19. We spoke with Schelli Slaughter, the director of Thurston County Public Health and Social Services, about the response. When did she first realize that this was going to be a major threat to people in our area? How are we supporting those without a home during a “stay at...

The past few weeks have turned life in Olympia on its head. In this episode, recorded remotely in our homes, we share some updates from our lives and our observations of the changes we have seen in the community and city government. We also talk about what issues we will be tracking as we move through this crisis. Stay home, stay healthy, Olympia! This will protect our community and essential work...

What makes Olympia uniquely situated to support cooperatives? Maybe it’s because we’re home to the Northwest Cooperative Development Center, which supports the development of cooperative businesses and housing. We interviewed John McNamara and Miles Nowlin to learn about cooperatives in our area, the unique benefits of the cooperative model, and what support is available for people to...