The Olympia Standard

Local journalism is struggling to survive, including our own newspaper, The Olympian. This was true before the pandemic, and has intensified in the crisis. Yet communities rely on local reporting to stay abreast of issues, keep government accountable, and share the good news taking place with the people around them. To get some outside perspective, we interviewed Kristen Hare of the Poynter Institute and Tampa Bay Times, a journalist who covers journalism across the nation, to get some insight. How can we save local journalism in Olympia? Here are a few pointers from Poynter.

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Before COVID-19, many in Olympia were engrossed in the Outsiders podcast. This production from KNKX and The Seattle Times delved into the issue of homelessness, using Olympia as a case study. We spoke with Will James, a reporter at KNKX and producer of Outsiders. Why Olympia? What has the response to the podcast been? What are some of the biggest misconceptions about homelessness? And how do we create a home for people who are hard to keep in housing? These questions and more in this episode!

Haven’t heard of Outsiders? You’re missing out! Check it out here.

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What did Olympia bring to the Legislature? And how will the state impact our lives in Olympia? Here is our annual update on the legislative session! This year we sat down with Representative Laurie Dolan to answer these questions, focusing on education, transportation, and reform for the formerly incarcerated. We also dove into the impacts of COVID-19 and the upcoming special session to address the crisis.

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Over a month into a declared state of emergency, Thurston County health officials are working hard to respond to COVID-19. We spoke with Schelli Slaughter, the director of Thurston County Public Health and Social Services, about the response. When did she first realize that this was going to be a major threat to people in our area? How are we supporting those without a home during a “stay at home” order? Are we seeing disproportionate impacts in our community? When will this all end?

For the most up-to-date information from Thurston County on COVID-19, this website is your resource.

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The past few weeks have turned life in Olympia on its head. In this episode, recorded remotely in our homes, we share some updates from our lives and our observations of the changes we have seen in the community and city government. We also talk about what issues we will be tracking as we move through this crisis. Stay home, stay healthy, Olympia! This will protect our community and essential workers who must venture out into the world.

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What makes Olympia uniquely situated to support cooperatives? Maybe it’s because we’re home to the Northwest Cooperative Development Center, which supports the development of cooperative businesses and housing. We interviewed John McNamara and Miles Nowlin to learn about cooperatives in our area, the unique benefits of the cooperative model, and what support is available for people to start their own enterprise or community.

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A few of the questions we received from our listeners for our 2020 agenda are about Olympia’s economy. We invited Mike Reid, the economic development director for Olympia, to talk about our economic profile, how our city could change over time, and those who are not yet being served by the economy. If you are curious where some of the numbers we talk about in this episode, check out the recent study on the economic ecosystem of Olympia.

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A new decade, a new census! Every ten years, the federal government completes a count of all the people living within the US borders. We interviewed Amy Hatch-Winecka and Sara Porter from the Thurston Regional Planning Council to learn about the on-the-ground efforts to count everyone in our area. These numbers make a difference in federal funding, political representation, community planning, and more. You can learn more about the region’s Complete Count Committee on the TRPC website.

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In June 2018, the Opioid Response Task Force started to develop a plan to address the opioid crisis in the county. This plan was approved by the Thurston County Commissioners a year later. We sat down with Katie Strozyk, the opioid response coordinator, to learn about the goals and actions that are being implemented. Those who are interested in getting involved or learning more can check out the Opioid Response Task Force website.

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What’s in the works for The Olympia Standard in the coming year? We asked our listeners to send us their ideas and questions on issues they’d like us to discuss. On this episode, we reviewed what was submitted and offered our thoughts on how we might approach them. We’re also exploring the idea of growing our team! Listen and see if this might be an opportunity that catches your interest.

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