One of the curious political realities in Thurston County is every presidential election year we also vote for two of our three county commissioners. more

THURSTON COUNTY –– Yesterday’s “Declassified” web conference offered perspectives on re-opening from the co-owner of Chelsea Farms Oyster Bar, a restaurant in downtown Olympia, the general manager of Great Wolf Lodge in Rochester and the CEO of Experience Olympia & Beyond, the official destination marketing organization of Thurston County. more

WASHINGTON –– Look up! As Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE passes through our inner solar system, catch a view of this once-in-a-lifetime sight. more

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TUMWATER –– Issues over how the COVID-19 pandemic affects the city’s utility billing and keeping up the Tumwater Valley Golf Course came up during a discussion at the Tumwater Budget & Finance Committee. more

TUMWATER –– A man was arrested at Fred Meyer in Tumwater early Thursday afternoon after allegedly bringing a gun into the store. more

OLYMPIA - The Olympia City Council voted Tuesday night to distribute $1 million of economic development reserves to support community economic recovery efforts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. more

TUMWATER — City officials met Tuesday night to talk about Tumwater’s role in the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan, a county-wide effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent below the 2015 baseline numbers by 2050. more

TUMWATER –– In response to local and national concern over police and use of force, the Tumwater Public Health & Safety Commission met with the local police department to discuss the ramifications of police use of force and its complexities. more

A political chain reaction is taking place in our county this fall. Denny Heck left his 10th Congressional seat to run for Lieutenant Governor. more

OLYMPIA –– Dozens of people gathered at Yauger Skate Park in West Olympia late Friday afternoon to demonstrate against racism in a protest called “Thrash Against Racism and Police Brutality.” more

OLYMPIA –– A video posted on Facebook shows a man being beaten over the head during a protest outside Olympia City Hall on July 12, during which he bled profusely before fainting and receiving medical care. more

LACEY - City officials in Lacey examined the six-year Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) Thursday night to review city-wide transportation projects. more

OLYMPIA –– The Olympia City Council approved on Tuesday a plan to address homelessness, which officials called the “One Community” Healthy, Safe & Housed Plan. more

LACEY –– The Lacey Planning Commission reviewed a proposal that allows and establishes standards for buildings up to 500,000 square feet in size in the Light Industrial-Commercial (LI-C) zone. more

OLYMPIA –– The Olympia City Council voted Tuesday night to pass a resolution that authorizes Olympia police to use chemical dispersion methods in crowd control efforts. The chemical dispersion agents are the third such exception to a city prohibition on less-than-lethal agents law enforcement can use on mobs and violent crowds who destroy property or set fires. The resolution passed by the city council took effect immediately.  The vote comes days after Olympia police officers were said to have been instructed to stand down from responding to property damage calls. Business owners downtown told JOLT earlier this week that a pack of vandals smashed five business’ windows late Saturday night into Sunday morning.  There were no arrests made despite the fact that six windows were broken at The Pet Works on Fourth Avenue East and Adams Street.  more

OLYMPIA -- The Olympia City Council approved a local artist, Andrea Wilbur-Sigo, to complete a street art crossing artwork installation on Eastside Street. more

OLYMPIA – Beginning Wednesday, July 8th, the Thurston County Auditor’s Office will mail voters’ pamphlets for the August 4, 2020 Primary Election to all households in Thurston County. more

THURSTON COUNTY –– The county’s acting public health officer, Dr. Diana Yu, stepped down from her role yesterday to resume retirement, beginning the transition to a new role for the county’s newest public health officer, Dr. Dimyana Abdelmalek. more

THURSTON COUNTY –– County Public Health Director Schelli Slaughter and business figures from the community gathered in a virtual meeting Thursday to discuss the resources available to local businesses responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, and resources available to local businesses if the pandemic continues to worsen in the greater Olympia metro area. more