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About The JOLT News Organization

The Journal of Olympia, Lacey & Tumwater and The Daily JOLT are published by The JOLT News Organization, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EIN 87-2868827.

Our mission:

The JOLT News Organization nourishes the civic lives of Thurston County residents and grows community capacity by publishing accurate, relevant and entertaining stories that help people become better informed and more involved in local issues, events and activities.

  • Editorial Independence Policy

  • Donor and Financial Transparency Policy

  • Status as a Nonprofit Entity

  • Non-Discrimination Policy

  • Gift Acceptance Policy

    • Established in May 2020, JOLT stands for The Journal of Olympia, Lacey & Tumwater. We're a hyper-local news organization and publish every weekday on our website, and in a weekday newsletter of our headlines called "The Daily JOLT."

    We formed The JOLT News Organization in September 2021 as a nonprofit corporation and received our IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter in March 2023, retroactive to September 28, 2021.

    Our beats include public meetings and hearings, education, business, local politics, local environmental issues, crises, celebrations and more.  We are committed to providing space for multiple perspectives and opinions from professional journalists, new reporters and not-yet-published writers.

    Contact:

    P.O. Box 4008
    Tumwater, WA 98501 USA

    1-360-357-1000

Board of Directors
Linda Villegas Bremer
Linda Villegas Bremer grew up speaking Spanish in Mission, TX.  The first member of her family to earn a college degree, she worked in a series of progressively more challenging consulting and …
Zahid Chaudhry
David Hanig
David Hanig worked for over 40 years in mental health and health care policy.  Until 2016, he was Vice President of The Lewin Group – a national healthcare consulting firm.  Hanig …
Chuck Pfeil
Alan Wertjes
Bill Will
Bill Will is Industry Growth & Development Coordinator for Solar Installers of Washington, a trade association. He is a former newspaper reporter and editor and was executive director of Washington Newspaper Publishers Association from 2005 to 2014. He lives in Olympia.
Editors and Publisher
Sage Hamilton
Sage Hamilton is an associate editor of The JOLT. Experienced as a journalist, editor, photographer, content writer and digital marketer. Sage has been working for The …
Danny Stusser
Danny Stusser -- danny@theJOLTnews.com -- is the publisher of The JOLT and executive director of The JOLT News Organization , its nonprofit owner. He has been a news junkie since age 12 when he …
Reporters and Contributing Writers
P. Jade Asumbrado
P. Jade Asumbrado – pjade@theJOLTnews.com – joined The JOLT in August 2022 and covers local school districts and Thurston County beats. Aside from being a journalist, she is a …
Darlanne Cruz
Darlanne Cruz – darlanne@theJOLTnews.com – joined The JOLT in August 2023 to cover the crime and justice beats. She worked as an on-air television reporter for GMA7 Cebu and reporter …
Jay Fratt
Jay Fratt is an Olympia-based local business owner and podcaster. He writes news about local businesses and other topics for The JOLT as a volunteer reporter. He is a life-long Washingtonian who …
Lorilyn Lirio
Lorilyn Lirio – lorilyn@theJOLTnews.com – covers the City of Olympia for The JOLT . She has more than 20 years of solid experience in journalism. She started her career at Journal …
JC Medina
JC Medina – jc@theJOLTnews.com – reports on the City of Lacey and Thurston County. She also manages social media for The JOLT.  She holds a degree in Journalism from the University …
JM Simpson
JM Simpson -   jm@theJOLTnews.com - is a veteran photojournalist who lives in Lacey. 
Jerome Tuaño
Jerome Tuaño – jerome@theJOLTnews.com – an award-winning journalist, covers the Port of Olympia, City of Tumwater and environmental issues as a reporter for The JOLT . He …
Vince Zafra
Ariel Vince C. Zafra – vince@theJOLTnews.com – writes sports news for The JOLT . He’s been fascinated with sports and its fan culture since his dad introduced him to watching …
Columnists
Debra L. Glasser, M.D.
Debra L. Glasser, M.D. -- drdebra@theJOLTnews.com -- writes the "A JOLT of Health" column in The JOLT . She is a retired internal medicine physician in Olympia.
Jill Severn
Jill Severn -- jill@theJOLTnews.com -- writes her eponymous gardening column from her home in Olympia, where she grows vegetables, flowers, and a small flock of chickens. She loves conversation among …
Shirley Stirling
Shirley Stirling -- shirley@theJOLTnews.com -- writes the "Surely Goodness" column about good things people in Thurston County are doing. She lives in Lacey. 
George Walter
George Walter -- george@theJOLTnews.com -- writes the "Thurston's Birds" column in The JOLT.   He is the environmental program manager at the Nisqually Indian Tribe’s natural …
Copyright © 2025 The JOLT News Organization, a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit, EIN 87-2868827. WA CFD Reg. No. 2010214. Telephone +1-360-357-1000
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