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Seen facing north, the Davis Meeker Garry oak tree overhangs Old Highway 99 and is adjacent to the northernmost Olympia Regional Airport airplane hangar.

Davis Meeker Garry oak tree removal case ends

A lawsuit against Tumwater that started two years ago as a way to prevent former Mayor Debbie Sullivan from removing the historic Davis Meeker ... more

By Jerome Tuaño | 8/10/26 | 5 comments

Thurston County announced that Natural Resources Program Manager Bryan Benjamin received the WaterNow Alliance 2026 Emerging Leader Award. Courtesy of Thurston County

Thurston County Natural Resources Program Manager Bryan Benjamin honored

Thurston County Natural Resources Program Manager Bryan Benjamin received the WaterNow Alliance 2026 Emerging Leader … more

By P. Jade Asumbrado | 8/10/26 | 1 comment

Food inspection results in Thurston County — Aug. 10, 2026

Restaurant inspection reports focus on two types of violations: red and ... more

By Vanessa Casabuena | 8/10/26 | 1 comment

Members from the Blue Heron Tribe performing one of their dances inside the longhouse at Nisqually Indian Reservation on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026

'Canoe Journey' 2026 comes to an end

The 2026 Paddle to Nisqually Medicine Creek Potlatch Canoe Journey came to a close early Thursday morning, Aug. 6, following a near ... more

By Keyan Gregoire-James | 8/7/26 | 1 comment

Olympia City Hall is located at 601 4th Ave. E in downtown Olympia.

Olympia City Council to consider $245,000 funding proposal for food systems plan

The Olympia City Council is scheduled to discuss the development of a local food systems plan to improve food security and ... more

By Lorilyn Lirio | 8/7/26 | 8 comments

Election workers inspect Aug. 4 Primary Election ballots at the Ballot Processing Center in Tumwater on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026.

Martinez-Dunning extends lead over Clouse in Thurston County Commissioner District 5 contest

The gap between challenger Nicolas Martinez-Dunning and incumbent Emily Clouse has widened to more than 500 votes in the Thurston ... more

By Wyatt Haupt Jr. | 8/7/26 | 15 comments

The City of Lacey’s project maps show the 2026 sidewalk repair project area in Jubilee and along Meriwood Drive.

Lacey City Council approves 2026 sidewalk repair project

More than 180 street trees in the Jubilee neighborhood of Lacey, and along Meriwood Drive, will be removed and ... more

By Kameko Marquez | 8/6/26 | 3 comments

Thurston County’s Meridian Road/SE Mullen Road SE Intersection Improvements Project is seeking $5.164 million in STBG funding.

TRPC seeks public input on 2026 transportation grant projects

The Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) is calling on people to review and comment on 21 transportation project proposals submitted for ... more

By Lorilyn Lirio | 8/6/26 | 1 comment

Work on the Washington State Capitol Campus pedestrian bridge is scheduled to begin next week.

Capitol pedestrian bridge work to begin next week in Olympia

Work on the removal of segments and rebuild of the Washington State Capitol Campus pedestrian bridge is scheduled to begin ... more

By The JOLT Staff | 8/6/26 | 3 comments

Democratic U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez speaks to supporters in Woodland, Washington, in 2024.

Liberal Hennrich in 3rd District won’t support Gluesenkamp Perez

Fresh off a losing bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, fellow Democrat Brent Hennrich says he won’t be supporting her in ... more

By Jake Goldstein-Street and Jerry Cornfield | Washington State Standard | 8/6/26 | 7 comments

Elections workers are shown processing ballots at the Ballot Processing Center in Tumwater on Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 5, 2026.

UPDATE: Martinez-Dunning, Clouse claim top spots in Commissioner District 5 race

Lacey City Councilman Nicolas Martinez-Dunning and incumbent Emily Clouse finished as the top two candidates in the Thurston County Commissioner ... more

By Keyan Gregoire-James and Wyatt Haupt Jr. | 8/5/26 | 6 comments

A presentation to the Port of Olympia Commission on Dec. 12, 2022, showed a potential site plan for a manufacturing site by Swire, a bottling company for Coca-Cola.

Swire terminates lease with Port of Olympia

Swire, a Coca-Cola bottling company, has terminated its lease with the Port of Olympia for a 95-acre property at Olympia Regional ... more

By Jerome Tuaño | 8/5/26 | 10 comments

Lacey Fire District 3 Fire Chief Jennifer Schmidt discussed the proposed relocation of Station 32 in the fifth installment of the district’s Proposition 1 bond information series, which was released on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026.

Lacey Fire District 3 outlines projects in proposed $98.3M bond

Lacey Fire District 3 released the fourth and fifth installments of its Proposition 1 public information series, detailing the projects ... more

By Kameko Marquez | 8/5/26 | 3 comments

Lacey City Hall is located at 420 College St. in Lacey.

Lacey City Council appoints new Youth Council after record number of applications

Fifteen students were selected for the 2026-27 Lacey Youth Council following the program’s most competitive round of applications to ... more

By Kameko Marquez | 8/5/26

LMTAAA Executive Director Nicole Kiddoo, second from left, and Case Management Director Emily MacFarland, center, accepted LMTAAA’s 2026 USAging achievement award during an annual conference in San Diego, California, on July 18, 2026.

LMTAAA receives national recognition at 2026 USAging conference

The Lewis-Mason-Thurston Area Agency on Aging was honored for its workforce development efforts at the 2026 USAging annual conference in ... more

By Lorilyn Lirio | 8/5/26

Emily Clouse, left, Michelle Gipson and Nicolas Martinez-Dunning.

Clouse and Martinez-Dunning hold top two spots in Thurston County Commissioner District No. 5 race

Incumbent Emily Clouse and Lacey City Councilman Nicolas Martinez-Dunning appear on their way to a showdown for the ... more

By Wyatt Haupt Jr. | 8/4/26

Olympia’s Site Plan Review Committee held a presubmission meeting on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, for RootedHearts Global’s proposal to convert a vacant veterinary clinic at 901 Union Ave. SE into a homeless recovery community.

Olympia committee reviews proposal for transitional housing facility

The Olympia Site Plan Review Committee held a presubmission conference on a nonprofit’s proposal to potentially convert a vacant veterinary clinic ... more

By Lorilyn Lirio | 8/4/26 | 4 comments

Firefighters from multiple agencies joined a Cordon of Honor for City of Lacey firefighter Jake Johnson in clips from a video shared on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026.

Cordon of Honor for Lacey Fire District 3 firefighter Jake Johnson

Firefighters and first responders from agencies throughout Western Washington participated in a Cordon of Honor for Lacey Fire District ... more

By Kameko Marquez | 8/4/26 | 1 comment

Lacey Deputy Mayor Malcolm Miller, left, presented a National Purple Heart Day proclamation to retired Sgt. 1st Class Tony Barth at the Lacey City Council meeting on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026.

Lacey City Council proclaims Aug. 7 as National Purple Heart Day

The Lacey City Council recognized the sacrifices of Purple Heart recipients by proclaiming Friday, Aug. 7, as National Purple Heart ... more

By Kameko Marquez | 8/4/26

Thurston County Sheriff Derrick Sanders stood with other local officials at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in front of the new Thurston County Sheriff's Office headquarters on Friday, July 31, 2026.

New Thurston County Sheriff's Office headquarters opens in Tumwater

The Thurston County Sheriff's Office has a new place to call ... more

By Keyan Gregoire-James | 8/4/26 | 1 comment