The Olympia School Board filled a vacancy in November by choosing Talauna Reed, a vocal activist and candidate for mayor last year city council last year. In this episode, we chat with just recently former school board President Maria Flores and recently appointed Reed. We talk about the school district’s response coming out of the COVID pandemic, the pivot towards equity and the appointment process. We last spoke with Maria in 2019 in Episode #49.

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You can lend your voice to Olympia Strong now by filling out the city’s survey here.

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Between 1960 and 1980, Olympia and Thurston County went through a massive change. From a sleepy timber town with a state capitol building, Olympia grew (and continues) to grow by leaps and bounds. Compared to neighboring counties, Olympia has evolved into something new. And, the elements of what that newness came from is discussed by Don Martin and Anna Schlecht. They talk about OlyWA days of Change, an online community and book project about the history of Olympia between 1960 and 1980.

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We have a small election coming up, so here is your small-ish episode about what people in Olympia will have to vote on. We talk to one of the people behind the Inspire Olympia campaign, Mayor Cheryl Selby (a certified “friend of the podcast) about the goals behind the proposition to raise more funding for arts in Olympia.

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More information at Inspire Olympia.

I also want to apologize for the quality of the audio on this episode. It by no means the fault of our producer, Jemmy Joe. Emmett depends on dumb internet tools and had some real trouble with connecting for this episode.

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With a large right wing protest planned for the Capitol Campus this weekend (Saturday, March 5), it is a good time to check in with David Neiwert. David is the expert on far right militants in the Pacific Northwest. We talked to him in 2020, and this episode takes off where that one left off. He gives us an update on what has been going on with right wing militants and protest groups and what we can expect this weekend.

Episode 66: Who are the people with guns

David Neiwert at Daily Kos

David is an author of several books, but my favorite remains “Death on the Fourth of July.”

Just over a month ago, a racial slur shouted at a River Ridge High School basketball player spread over social media, and then into the mainstream. This incident laid bare a series of similar incidents at Capital High School. We sat down with the organizers of a recent walk out to protest the official reaction to this and other incidents.

You can learn more by watching their 20-minute documentary on the aftermath of the racist abuse, or follow their Instagram for updates.

The student journalists at KOUGTV have also been doing a great job covering this story. Check out their archives for multiple interviews from students and administration.

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We decided that two elections episodes were better than one! We sat down with Wendy Carlson and Sarah DeStasio, who were involved in the Primary Election and had unique perspectives on the choices voters have in the General. Both also represent different lanes in how candidates are lining up. We referenced this post on how candidate contributions are shaping the election for city council.

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It’s been a while since The Olympia Standard has been on the air – but we’re back again in time to talk about your ballot for the 2021 general election! Emmett and Jemmy Joe walk through the ballot and share their questions and insights. Renata Rollins, who is serving her final few months on the City Council, offers her thoughts on how Olympia has changed and where the city is headed. Dani also has an announcement for our listeners.

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With primary ballots reaching mailboxes, Emmett joined forces with the folks of Olympia Pop Rocks, Jemmy Joe and Guire McGuire, to walk through the voters’ guide. They looked at the overarching themes and political landscape for the races for city council, the port, and school district, as well as the Medic One levy.

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For this year’s legislative update, we pulled the newest member of our state delegation for the 22nd district, “Friend of the Podcast” Representative Jessica Bateman. We discussed statewide police reform, changes to protests and capitol campus security, and drug possession. We also asked about her personal accomplishments in her first year, as well as her approach to addressing the housing crisis.

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