OLYMPIA – The Thurston County Public Health and Social Services (PHSS) Department confirmed there is a toxic blue-green algae bloom in Lacey’s Long Lake, making it unsafe for swimmers and pets. The most recent sample detected microcystin algae toxin levels at 14 micrograms per liter of water—above the state standard of eight micrograms per liter for recreational water use. more

OLYMPIA –– The Olympia Board decided Monday night in a four-hour-long meeting to move to a fully remote fall semester. more

Hello Thurston County! Yesterday I made the difficult decision to recommend distance learning for both public and private K-12 schools. I made this decision in response to the rise in our case counts over the past month, with more than one hundred people a week becoming infected with COVID-19 over the past two weeks. more

Hello Thurston County! I am excited to be your new Health Officer. 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