The Olympia Standard

We interview Dr. Karen Johnson about her work with the Black Alliance of Thurston County, how policing in Olympia has changed (and still needs to change), the De-escalate Washington initiative, and how the race for county prosecutor will impact these issues. Download this episode

The Olympia Standard interviewed Patrick Murphy, the new superintendent of the Olympia School District, and school board member Joellen Wilhelm. We discussed how McCleary has changed the way schools are funded across the state, and how that has put Olympia schools into a pinch. We also talked about population growth, social and emotional support for students, and how to teach children to engage in...

The Olympia Standard interviews Meg Martin and Selena Kilmoyer – Joyful Crone, about the state of homelessness in Olympia. We discussed how homelessness has evolved over the years, including the population, perceptions, and services. Download this episode  

We recorded our next episode with Kathy McCormick, retired planner turned housing activist. We talked about the history of growth management in our area, where we are lacking in achieving the goals of our comprehensive plan, and how the Missing Middle is an important piece of the housing puzzle. Download this episode  

We interviewed Representative Beth Doglio on the recent legislative session. What happened at the state that will impact the people of Olympia? And what did Olympia bring to state politics? And, yes, we did ask her about the Public Records Act debacle. Download this episode  

We interviewed Ron Thomas of Thomas Architecture Studios. His firm is involved with most of the new development projects downtown, as well as others in the region. We asked him: what are his thoughts on sea level rise? How is “market rate” determined? What is the process to build a building in downtown? And, perhaps the biggest mystery, is Walker John a real person?? Also listener feed...

We interview Joel Hansen, associate board member for the Thurston Conservation District. In this episode, we learn about the little known election that is currently underway, along with some serious drama within the TCD. Teaser: it’s even worse than we thought! Download this episode  

We interview Mayor Cheryl Selby and new city council member Renata Rollins about the agenda that Olympia’s city council has set up. It is a lively and enjoyable conversation! Download this episode

In this episode of The Olympia Standard, we talk to friend-of-the-podcast Jessica Bateman and Janae Huber about housing issues in Olympia, particularly The Home Fund and The Missing Middle. Download this episode

We interview retired reporter for The Olympian, John Dodge. We are given a history of the newspaper and reflections on its changes over his long career. Then we discuss hypothetical histories, “what ifs” about Olympia’s past. Download this episode

We interview three members of the Thurston County Democrats and talk about the last election, the state of the party, and some drop some local dirt. Okay, not really. Kinda? We also interviewed a listener of the podcast who organized a ballot party. Download this episode

Our response and analysis for the 2017 election results here in Olympia. You can see all the results yourself at this website . Download this episode  

We discuss Prop 1, the Olympia School Board race and react to listener feedback. Plus we put forth the Ballot Party Challenge! Download this episode

We talk about what the Port of Olympia is, what it does and why it is a part of this election. We go through the candidates of each race for the 2017 election and discuss their merits. Download this episode

We react to the written responses all of the candidates for city council give to the questionnaire we sent them about what sort of representative they would be. Special guest, Councilmember Jessica Bateman, talks about why these questions are good questions to ask someone running for City Council. Download this episode Click here to see full responses from each candidate      

We talk about the results of the 2017 primary election in Olympia, giving our thoughts on the candidates and issues. Download this episode