The Olympian
Residents’ optimism in Thurston County declines
Although six in 10 residents continue to rate Thurston County as an excellent or good place to live, all is not well, according to a survey released by the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce. This is the third year that the chamber has released its...
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Olympia’s Parthia tugboat restored for public exhibit
A 50-foot, century-old tugboat was lifted into its new home near the Olympia Farmers Market on Tuesday. The Parthia, constructed in 1906, worked as a harbor tug in Olympia for 35 years. And thanks to the South Sound Maritime Heritage Association...
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Flowers named Olympia’s first female fire chief
Hillory Flowers has been named the Fire Chief for the Olympia Fire Department, making her the first woman to hold the position in the organization’s 164-year history. City Manager Jay Burney made the announcement at Tuesday’s City Council...
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Olympia's The Popinjay to close after owners retire
The owners of The Popinjay, a gift store that has spent most of its 49 years in downtown Olympia, have decided to retire, Janis and Stephen Dean confirmed on Wednesday. The decision to retire was spurred by some health concerns, although it also means...
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Thurston courthouse dog Marshal retires after 10 years
Marshal, the courthouse dog for the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, will retire Thursday after more than 10 years of service. Courthouse dogs are accredited service animals, but they’re attached to a facility instead of a person. The...
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Colombia rescue efforts press on after quake, death toll expected to rise
Rescue efforts across western Colombia carried into a second day on Tuesday as emergency workers dug through collapsed buildings and flattened homes, amid expectations that the death toll from the country’s most powerful earthquake in decades could...
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New reservoir to boost Tumwater's water capacity
The city of Tumwater has plans to construct a 3-milliongallon concrete water reservoir that will support future residential development southeast of the city. City spokesperson Jason Wettstein told The Olympian on Aug. 5 that the project is estimated...
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Lacey City Council OKs plan to cut down trees for sidewalk repairs
The Lacey City Council approved the contract for sidewalk repair in the Jubilee neighborhood on Monday. The $1.08 million contract was approved in a 4-0 vote, with two abstentions. Deputy Mayor Malcolm Miller and Council members Lenny Greenstein,...
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Look inside the new $20 million Thurston Sheriff’s Office building
Thurston County commemorated the completion of a new Sheriff’s Office headquarters in Tumwater with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday. The new headquarters is a 56,000-square-foot building on a 2.36-acre site at 1111 Israel Road SW, which is near...
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Greg Cuoio Park opens in Lacey, 139-acre community park
Greg Cuoio Park opened Wednesday, and at 139 acres, it’s now Lacey’s largest park, the city announced. The park is at 2711 Carpenter Rd. NE and features a playground, two acres of open grass, picnic tables and 75 parking spots. Much of the park’s area...
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Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment at Rand Paul hearing
Anthony Fauci, the former top U.S. infectious disease expert, declined to answer questions at a Senate hearing Wednesday, invoking his constitutional right against self-incrimination and accusing Republican Sen. Rand Paul of an “unhinged” campaign to...
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City denies environmental appeal for West Bay Yards project
city of Olympia’s hearing examiner on Thursday denied an environmental appeal and approved permits tied to West Bay Yards, dealing a double blow to those concerned about the impacts of a mixed-use proposal that aims to bring 478 apartments to the...
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Mini golf and arcade expand in downtown Olympia
Legends Arcade, a downtown Olympia destination for video games and pinball machines, has expanded by adding a nine-hole mini golf course at its Olympia Press Building location at Capitol Way North and State Avenue, the co-owner of the business...
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Proposed home work rules spark concern in Olympia
Residents of the historic South Capitol neighborhood near the Capitol Campus in downtown Olympia spoke out during a city of Olympia Planning Commission meeting on July 20 against proposed amendments that they say could bar them from working out of...
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Capitol Lake drawdown begins for estuary surveys in Olympia
Capitol Lake in downtown Olympia might look a little different this week, as crews with Deschutes Estuary Restoration project team draw down the water levels to check out the shoreline. According to a July 14 news release from the Department...
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Tenino stone apple to be placed under US Capitol
A time capsule has been sealed below the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., containing items chosen by each state’s congressional delegation to honor the country’s 250th anniversary. The capsule will be sealed until 2276. One of the objects...
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Man damaged Olympia’s artesian well, multiple cars, records say
The Olympia Police Department arrested a 46-year-old man on Sunday morning after he allegedly damaged the artesian well that many in the city rely on for clean water and crashed into vehicles nearby. City spokesperson Brandon Chapman told The Olympian...
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Expect Olympia street closures for Capital Lakefair
Olympia’s Capital Lakefair festival will return to Heritage Park this week, bringing five days of carnival games, vendors and performances to the waterfront. There is no entrance fee, though some activities inside have an associated cost. The fair is...
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Olympia to cut down historic oak trees along Legion Way
The city of Olympia plans to remove and prune historic oak trees along Legion Way Southeast starting this summer. The large trees create a green canopy over Legion Way between Plum and Central streets. The first trees were planted in 1928 to honor the...
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Homes First names interim CEO after longtime leader exits
Chris Wells, the former leader of the United Way of Thurston County, which closed earlier this year, has been named the interim chief executive of Homes First, a Laceyemailed based provider of affordable rental housing. Wells replaces former longtime...
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EPA grant funds soil tests at old Olympia Brewery site
The City of Tumwater announced on Wednesday morning that crews collected soil samples at the former Olympia Brewery property located at 100 Custer Way SW. A social media post from the city said the work will help determine if any environmental...
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'Evenings at the Falls' brings live music to Tumwater
The Olympia Tumwater Foundation recently announced a new live music series coming to Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls this summer, and it’s entirely free to the public. The first of the “Evenings at the Falls” will take place July 11 from 4 p.m. to 7...
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Tree clearing for 105 homes proceeds after appeal fails
plan to build 105 new homes on a heavily forested Thurston County property will proceed after the Board of County Commissioners rejected a hearing examiner appeal Wednesday. The property in question is located at 1318 88th Ave. SW in rural Thurston...
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$263 million Capitol Campus renovation nears completion
Residents strolling through the Washington state Capitol Campus will soon see construction barriers removed as the multi-year, $263 million modernization effort enters its final stages. Implemented through the state Department of Enterprise Services...
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City wants Kaiser Woods to be first Olympia bike trail park
The City of Olympia’s Parks, Arts and Recreation Department has plans to develop the 70-acre forested property formerly known as Kaiser Woods into a park with mountain bike paths. Now known as Marj Yung Park, the project has received a mix of support...
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Sign unveiled in Lacey that honors brothers killed in shooting
Dozens of Lacey community members gathered on Thursday for the unveiling of a sign honoring Alexander Borgen and Deven Borgen, the two teenage boys killed Nov. 14, 2025 in a drive-by shooting. The sign is located at 24th Avenue Southeast and College...
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Family, friends remember Lacey retiree killed in accident
Howard loved a prank, her son Greyson Koch said. As a practical joke, Koch said he printed out tiny pictures of himself and hid them throughout her apartment. “It took her about two weeks to find them,” Koch, 32, said. “She would send me pictures of...
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Olympia resident shares experience on Gaza flotilla
resident Andrew Bly said he was sick of watching the war in Gaza play out on his phone every day. He said he felt like the conflict had faded into the backlas ground among other world events, and he wanted to do something about it. Bly, 40, returned...
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LGBTQ+ people fleeing red states are coming to Washington
Melinda Ramirez was living at a Marriott hotel in Houston while trying to get her son into a new school district when Child Protective Services knocked on the door. The search for a safe school for Vincent, who is transgender, was interrupted after his...
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Bucks Spices and Teas to close downtown Olympia store
Bucks Spices and Teas, a business that occupied a spot on Fifth Avenue for more than 50 years, will close next month, the owner announced on social media and in an email to The Olympian. The business was started by Anne Buck, who passed away in 2019....
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Former radio host helps Washingtonians move to Texas
Some Republicans say it’s the new normal: that Washington state residents and businesses are leaving because the cost of living is too high and the political ideology has shifted too far to the left. Former talk show host Kirby Wilbur, who spent about...
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Vino Mar Bistro opens on Olympia’s waterfront
The woman behind the restaurant Valentina’s on Fourth Avenue in downtown Olympia has opened a new business at Percival Landing called Vino Mar Bistro. It’s in the middle of its soft opening – it opened last Saturday for friend’s and family – which...
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Auditor dismisses voter registration challenge against Dunning
Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall has dismissed a voter registration challenge against Thurston County commissioner candidate Nic DunVoter, ning. Hall released her decision on Friday, a day after holding a hearing at her Olympia office. “Having...
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Advocacy keeps Pleasant Glade dual-language program intact
Area parents mobilized quickly in response to a North Thurston proposal to eliminate a dual-language program at an area elementary school, and that effort paid off on Wednesday after the district agreed not to take that step. The decision not to...
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Tumwater considers relocating City Hall to vacant DOH site
A Tumwater architecture firm told the City Council on May 26 that Tumwater’s population is growing faster than projected, and City Hall needs more room for more employees to keep up with that growth. The City Council unanimously approved plans to...
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Wellness club proposed for site overlooking Capitol Lake
A local property owner has proposed constructing The Water Club, a water-oriented country club on a hillside on Deschutes Parkway overlooking Capitol Lake and the futurerestored Deschutes Estuary. Property owner Sean Threatt previously proposed a...
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Trespassing at brewery site a ‘hazardous’ social media trend
Tumwater Police Department said there has been a trend circulating online encouraging people to explore the abandoned Olympia Brewing Company campus, and they're trying to put a stop to it. According to the department's May 19 social media post, there...
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Jury acquits couple in Olympia bar shooting
Jurors have acquitted a Tenino couple accused of murdering an Olympia man at a Thurston County bar in 2024. Curtis and Tabitha Gibson learned of their respective verdicts in Thurston County Superior Court Wednesday after a month-long jury trial. Both...
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Safety fences surround Old Capitol during repairs
Passersby in downtown Olympia may notice scaffolding and fences surrounding the Old Capitol Building across from Sylvester Park. If they look higher, they may even spot people scaling the highest reaches of the historic structure. Those people are...
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Demolition begins on historic Olympia building
is underway on a long-standing building at the Capitol Campus in Olympia, raising questions about future plans for the site. The General Administration Building, completed in 1956, has been vacant since 2018. Officials have said that it would cost...
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Area boat crash victim is home from hospital, mother says
A 21-year-old man who was injured in a boat wreck earlier this month near Boston Harbor Marina has been discharged from the hospital and is now home, his mother told The Olympian on Wednesday. Jack Edwards was one of five people aboard a 10-foot boat...
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Olympia faces century-long sidewalk repair timeline
The city of Olympia’s Planning Commission met May 4 to discuss long-term strategies to do the nearly 28,000 sidewalk repairs needed throughout the city. Principal Planner Michelle Swanson said the goal is to figure out where the city should focus its...
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Developer proposes clearing forest to build 105 new homes
local developer aims to clear a heavily forested property near Tumwater to build 105 new homes. The 22-acre property is located at 1318 88th Ave. SW in rural Thurston County but within the Tumwater Urban Growth Area. Tenino Land Co. LLC is proposing...
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North Thurston school board pauses layoffs after outcry
North Thurston Public Schools board hit pause on layoffs Tuesday after public outcry during their meeting and new information that emerged during it. In a partial effort to address a $10 million hole in its budget, the district – the largest school...
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South Sound group seeks $70,000 to replace vandalized van
The question of who would vandalize a bookmobile remains unanswered, but the South Sound Reading Foundation has a fundraising plan after its Chevy cargo van was vandalnearly ized not once, but twice, the executive director recently told The...
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Busy Tumwater intersection closes for roundabout project
A Tumwater intersection will be closed for months starting Monday to allow for the construction of a new roundabout. The roundabout will be built at the intersection of Second and Linwood Avenues, which is near the Tumwater School District office and...
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Funding gap threatens Thurston County’s tiny home village
Thurston County will pay to help keep an Olympia tiny home village open this year, but the village’s long-term prospects remain uncertain. The Board of County Commissioners approved a $440,000 contract with the City of Olympia to continue operations...
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Chicory chef sets Gold Standard for new downtown restaurant
Fried chicken. It’s what’s for dinner — and lunch — at Gold Standard, the new venture from celebrated Chicory chef Elise Landry. The restaurant opened on April 15 at 302 Capitol Way N. in Olympia. Of course, there are other items on the menu, which...
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Lacey completes long-awaited $9.5M College Street extension
The long-awaited and longplanned extension of College Street Northeast in Lacey is finally complete, according to a check of the property and a city official at the scene. How long has the city been working toward this goal? Lacey Mayor Andy Ryder has...
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Tumwater school board members absent from joint meeting
The Tumwater City Council and Tumwater School District were scheduled to have a joint meeting on April 14. Three out of the five school board members were absent from the meeting. Board members Melissa Beard and Julie Watts were the only people from...
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Historical tugboat accrues $30K in fees, set for dismantling
The Sandman, a 60-foot wooden tugboat that was originally built in 1908, has racked up $30,000 in delinquent rent in the Port of Olympia’s boatyard. It may soon be taken off the historic register and dismantled, never to be active in the water...
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Olympia’s Japanese garden to close June 1 for relocation
The city of Olympia’s Yashiro Japanese Garden will close June 1, and despite plans to relocate the garden, a new site has yet to be identified. It may take several years for a new site to be open and available for the public to enjoy. The closure...
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Contaminated soil cleanup planned as part of $50M park project
grant agreement the City Council approved with the Department of Ecology to clean up contaminated soil at West Bay Park hints at a larger plan to develop the 17-acre property into an “estuarine garden” park with traversable islands and trails. Parks...
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Officials consider sales tax vote for regional aquatic center
Thurston County officials convened a meeting with staff from the City of Olympia, Evergreen State College and other local partners on Wednesday to discuss the community’s pleas to keep the college’s swimming pool open, and how to make a regional...
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Prairie Line Trail’s new phase crosses Nisqually River
If you’re looking to get outside this weekend and enjoy the good weather – temperatures are expected to be in the 60s – there’s a new trail to explore in Thurston County, either by bicycle or on foot, perhaps with a furry friend at your side. The new...
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Artemis II astronauts launch on historic moonbound mission
NASA on Wednesday sent four astronauts on the most powerful rocket to ever launch humans, flying the Artemis II mission that aims to send them past the moon. The Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft named Integrity lifted off from...
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Former state AG to spearhead lawsuit against ‘millionaires tax’
Just hours ahead of Gov. Bob Ferguson’s expected signing of the income tax on high earners, official plans for a lawsuit against Senate Bill 6346 were announced. The Citizen Action Defense Fund (CADF) said in a Monday morning news release that it’s...
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Traveling bullfrog hunter helps control invasive amphibian
On a gray and rainy Thursday morning, I traveled south to the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. On a typical soggy March day in the Northwest, it seemed I wanted to find Washington’s soggiest place. The kind of place a bullfrog would...
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Israel kills Iranian naval commander; Trump raises pressure
An Israeli airstrike killed an Iranian naval commander who played a pivotal role in shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, Israel said Thursday, as President Donald Trump ratcheted up pressure on Iran to accept his proposal to end the war. Trump, in a...
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Cost to preserve centuries-old oak tree exceeds budget
The City of Tumwater now has a plan to keep the 400year-old Davis Meeker Garry Oak tree standing, almost two years after former Mayor Debbie Sullivan called to cut the tree down after a large branch fell near Old Highway 99. The plan consists of a...
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SAVE Act would cost WA millions, secretary of state says
Washington’s top elections official on Thursday blasted a controversial federal bill that he said would disenfranchise voters and lead to millions in additional costs for the state. Democrats and critics have slammed the SAVE America Act, arguing...
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Army letter denies plans to shut its only West Coast museum
Last summer, U.S. Rep. Marilyn Strickland demanded answers from the Army secretary in a letter opposing the proposed closure of the only Army museum on the West Coast. On Friday the Washington Democrat heard back. In a response addressed to...
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United Way of Thurston County closing prompts local shift
United Way of Thurston County, which stunned the Olympia area earlier this month when it announced it was closing March 31, received some good news on Thursday, the executive director said. Chris Wells said the local United Way is in talks to have its...
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Washington lawmakers agree on supplemental operating budget
It was another session full of difficult budget decisions, Washington state lawmakers said Wednesday. House and Senate budget writers have unveiled a supplemental operating budget deal that relies on a hotly debated income tax on millionaires and...
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Thurston County prosecutor Tunheim to retire after 38 years
Long-time Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney Jon Tunheim will not seek reelection this year. Tunheim publicly shared his decision to retire on his campaign Facebook page Monday. Christy Peters, his current chief of staff, kicked off her campaign...
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Orca named for Olympia man who prevented relative’s capture
Karen Munro Ellick said it was an unusually warm spring day in Olympia on March 7, 1976, when she and her husband Ralph Munro went sailing with friends on South Puget Sound waters. The trip was cut short when the group noticed a barrage of marine...
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Fire destroys beloved 100-year-old Thurston County landmark
Terry Torrence learned a fire broke out at his long-standing antique store over a 6 a.m. phone call on Feb. 23. “I immediately went over there and saw fire trucks pouring water on the building,” the 73-year-old said. “(Firefighters) told me they...
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13 schools awaiting lead-in-water results after repairs
North Thurston Public Schools is waiting on new leadin-water test results from the state before it removes “hand wash only” signs from some water fixtures in its elementary schools, an assistant superintendent recently told the school board. The...
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Anniversary of 2001 ‘BIG quake’ brings out memories
earthquake struck as Deborah Ross listened to TVW from the fourth floor of an office building at the corner of Union Avenue Southeast and Plum Street in Olympia on Feb. 28, 2001. “It was clear right off that it was an earthquake and I scrambled under...
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Winners and losers of WA Democrats’ proposed budgets
State budgets are often referred to as “moral documents.” They’re where Washington puts its money, the idea goes, reflecting its values and priorities. Now, after House and Senate Democrats unveiled their respective operating budget proposals Sunday,...
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Tumwater to convert Lodge Building to Parks & Rec office
City of Tumwater has plans to purchase a piece of property tucked away in Tumwater Valley for permanent office space for the Parks and Recreation Department. The building at 4315 Tumwater Valley Drive, commonly known as the Lodge Building, has seen a...
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