Inside Olympia

He starred on the second season of the hit series "Survivor," he was Gov. Inslee's general counsel, and in October 2021 was appointed by President Biden as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington: an in-depth interview with Nick Brown.

Host Austin Jenkins interviews Senate Democratic Majority Leader Andy Billig of Spokane and House Republican Floor Leader Jacquelin Maycumber of Republic: their thoughts on the 2022 elections and issues likely to dominate the upcoming 2023 legislative session.

Farming interviews with State Veterinarian Dr. Amber Itle, whose mission is protecting animals against disease outbreaks, like the current threat posed by Avian Bird Flu; and Ignacio Marquez, the Yakima-based regional assistant to the director of the WA State Dept. of Agriculture.

We discuss the opioid/fentanyl crisis with Dr. Charissa Fotinos, State Medicaid Director/Health Care Authority Behavioral Health Medical Director. Plus, the state of the state economy, and the latest state revenue forecast, with WA Chief Economist Steve Lerch.

Host Austin Jenkins sits down for in-depth interviews with Shelly Baldwin, director of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, and Alfie Alvarado-Ramos, director of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Utilities and Transportation Commission has been closely involved in helping ratepayers and utilities negotiate the COVID pandemic. Plus, the UTC is overseeing the state's planned transition to clean energy. This week host Austin Jenkins interviews the chair of the UTC, Dave Danner.

Jilma Meneses leads state government's largest agency, the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), which provides services to one in every four Washingtonians -- the aged and disabled, low-income people, persons with behavioral health issues, and more. Host Austin Jenkins sits down for a full-hour, in-depth interview with Secretary Meneses.

One year into her tenure as secretary of the Washington State Department of Corrections, Cheryl Strange discusses the challenges of operating prisons during COVID, morale of corrections workers and inmates, her efforts to create a more therapeutic approach in state prisons, and more.

She's spent four decades in Washington's community and technical college system. Now, she's stepping down as leader of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. What are the challenges and opportunities facing this system of nearly three dozen colleges spread across Washington state? We talk with outgoing SBCTC Executive Director Jan Yoshiwara.

Over the past year, the Office of the State Auditor has released performance audits on long-term care worker training, voting ballot rejection rates, and K-12 student behavioral health issues. Coming soon: audits on customer service at the WA Employment Security Department, the backlog in sexual assault kit testing, and the state's road toll collection system. This week we sit down for the full hour with State Auditor Pat McCarthy.