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.

Established in May 2020, JOLT stands for The Journal of Olympia, Lacey & Tumwater. We're a hyper-local news organization focused on Thurston County, Washington, 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

Carolyn Byerly

Carolyn M. Byerly, Ph.D., has worked as a news reporter, editor and journalism instructor. She retired from the faculty of Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she had served for the last 17 …

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 …

Shawnna Mershon

Shawnna Mershon joined the board of The JOLT News Organization in 2025.

Chuck Pfeil

Chuck Pfeil, CPA, joined the board of The JOLT News Organization in September, 2021, at the start of our journey as a nonprofit organization. He serves as our treasurer.

Ashley Stone

Ashley Stone joined the board of The JOLT News Organization in 2025.

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.

Spencer Zeman

Spencer is a father of two boys and a 12-year resident of Lacey. He served four years and one combat deployment in the US Army as an infantryman. Former entrepreneur, avid community advocate for …

Editors and Publisher

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 …

Wyatt Haupt Jr.

Wyatt Haupt Jr. is the editor of The JOLT Daily and The JOLT News. He moved to Olympia from Lihu'e, Kaua'i, where he was the editor of The Garden Island — a daily newspaper that publishes seven days a week.

Reporters and Contributing Writers

Jessie Darland

Jessie Darland joined The JOLT as a reporter and photographer in January 2025. She previously worked as a reporter at The Kitsap Sun . Her work has been published in The Portland Tribune and a wide …

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 …

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 …

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 …

JM Simpson

JM Simpson -- jm@theJOLTnews.com -- is a veteran photojournalist who lives in Lacey.

Columnists

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 …

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 …

Thom Donitz & Trish Lynn

Thom Donitz and Trish Lynn are neighbors and close friends who share their love of animals and wildlife. Trish and Thom are residents of Tumwater. Contact them at pets@theJOLTnews.com …

About The JOLT News Organization

Editorial Independence Policy

Donor and Financial Transparency Policy

Status as a Nonprofit Entity

Non-Discrimination Policy

Gift Acceptance Policy