Best The Olympia Standard Podcasts (2025)

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#122.1: Mea Culpa, Renee Fullerton 1:10

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2d ago1:10

1:10

In the Olympia School District primary ballot rundown episode last weekend we incorrectly described Renee Fullerton’s position on school vouchers. So, we’re running her entire answer the voucher question at the OSD4All Forum now so you have a chance to hear from her.By The Olympia Standard

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#122: Olympia School District primary rundown 1:09:49

4d ago1:09:49

1:09:49

Note: In this episode, we incorrectly described Renee Fullerton’s position on school vouchers. So, we’re running her entire answer the voucher question at the OSD4All Forum now so you have a chance to hear from her. We are in your feeds early as we hand the mics over to the crew at OSD4All as they review the primary ballot for your 2025 Olympia Sch…

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Bonus: OSD4All Candidate Forum (July 12, 2025) 1:48:19

7d ago1:48:19

1:48:19

This is not a regular episode of The Olympia Standard, this is a bonus episode! We’re sharing the audio from yesterday’s Olympia School Board candidate forum from OSD4All. We will be back in our feed in a few days with a more traditional ballot rundown episode, also featuring some folks from OSD4All. You can watch the YouTube video of the forum her…

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#121: Reading “Facing the soft xenophobia of Emmett Watson” 7:50

9d ago7:50

7:50

We take a hard look at the soft xenophobia embedded in the jokes of beloved Seattle columnist Emmett Watson and the eco-soundbites of Oregon Governor Tom McCall. What starts as tongue-in-cheek jabs at newcomers evolves into real political consequences, downzoning, exclusionary housing policy, and a regional identity shaped by who we keep out. We tr…

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#120: Fourth of July Man 17:37

17d ago17:37

17:37

This episode explores the legacy of Judge George H. Boldt and the lasting impact of the 1974 Boldt Decision, which reaffirmed tribal fishing rights in Washington. Featuring a recording from Boldt’s daughter and grandson, the episode highlights the judge’s integrity, precision, and quiet courage, not just in issuing a landmark ruling, but in standin…

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#119: We should be able to dispose of any statue we want 6:49

23d ago6:49

6:49

In this episode of The Olympia Standard, we dive into the debate over who and what deserves a statue on Washington’s capitol campus. As the state grapples with the future of its Marcus Whitman monument, we explore the deeper meanings behind public memorials, the myths they enshrine, and the process (or lack thereof) for removing them. From the raci…

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#118: Olympia ’57 and the Arts Walk we always needed 7:48

1M ago7:48

7:48

In this episode of The Olympia Stanard, we reflect on how Arts Walk has quietly become the festival Lakefair was always meant to be, a celebration of place, people, and downtown Olympia. We explore the origins of Lakefair in 1957, its car-centric context, and how downtown’s evolution has made space for something more human-scaled. As Capitol Lake f…

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#117: What happened to Tumwater 10:54

1M ago10:54

10:54

The most enduring local history myth is that Tumwater’s downtown was destroyed by Interstate 5. Also, thanks for listening. After a month or so of successful interviews, this will be the first of a few episodes where I largely read you something. I’ll be back in mid-July with more interviews!By The Olympia Standard

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#116: Rep. Lisa Parshley and Sine Die 24:39

1M ago24:39

24:39

Join us for our annual “Sine Die” episode as we sit down with Representative Lisa Parshley, a freshman legislator for the 22nd Legislative District and former Olympia City Council member, to discuss her whirlwind first legislative session. Rep. Parshley shares her insights on the transition from local to state government, the challenges and success…

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#115: Aaron Van Tuyl, the best local news podcast and local journalism 25:13

2M ago25:13

25:13

In this episode, we break our own rules and leave the county. We talk to one of the voices behind the best local news podcast in the country to ask them their secrets. Aaron Van Tuyl joins us to talk about the Centralia News Dump and what makes local journalism work.By The Olympia Standard

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#114: Jim Cooper and the next city council 23:14

2M ago23:14

23:14

This week, we dive into the heart of Olympia politics with a special guest: Jim Cooper, who is retiring after 14 impactful years on the Olympia City Council. We chat about his proudest achievements, the evolution of the council, the ongoing debate around minimum wage and worker rights, and what Olympia’s voters should be asking candidates as the ci…

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#113: Reading “Exile Ourselves” 15:38

2M ago15:38

15:38

This week, I read an essay called “Exile Ourselves” I wrote last fall. It talks about how our current approach to housing and crime overlaps with our regional history.By The Olympia Standard

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#112: What to do with Olympia’s court 17:25

2M ago17:25

17:25

Dirk Marler is a longtime advocate for unifying Washington’s fragmented court system. As a Yakima County District Court judge from 1988 to 2003, Marler experienced firsthand the confusion caused by the state’s patchwork of local courts. Later, as head of the court services division at the Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts, he par…

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#111: Don’t think of an Olympia 9:22

3M ago9:22

9:22

On this episode, I read my blog post “Don’t think of an Olympia” from Olympia Time, revisiting one of my longest-running gripes: the use of “Olympia” as a lazy shorthand for state government. I explore why this rhetorical habit is more than just annoying, it shapes how people think about power, accountability, and democracy. Drawing on philosophy, …

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#110: Gil Carbone and the City of Tomorrow 22:11

3M ago22:11

22:11

In this episode of The Olympia Standard, we reflect on the life and impact of Gil Carbone. He was a key but often overlooked figure in Olympia’s history. Gil helped lead the transformation from a commission-style government to the council-manager system Olympia has today and served on the city council from 1982 to 1991, including two years as Mayor…

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#109: Public Comment 101 22:49

3M ago22:49

22:49

In this episode of The Olympia Standard, we dive into the city’s now-dormant effort to revise its Memorandum of Understanding with neighborhood associations and explore how representative those groups really are. We bring academic and personal insights into why public participation in local government remains so limited, from structural complexity …

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#108: Out of town corporate single family home ownership 8:16

3M ago8:16

8:16

I take a look back at a couple of blog posts I’ve written in the last couple of years about corporate home ownership in Thurston County and include some updates for this year. This is a pretty short episode where I read you back some prewritten material. If you’re really into this topic, I appeared on the Nerd Farmer podcast just less than a year a…

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#107: Season 2 Episode 1 (thanks for hanging in there) 18:08

4M ago18:08

18:08

Hey! If you’re reading these show notes, I want to thank you a ton! We both got through 2024! And you in particular didn’t cull this podcast from your feed. This is a restart episode, so I take some time to explain what happened over the last year and what the plan is going forward. I also read an interesting recent blog post I wrote at Olympia Tim…

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#106: Sine Die with Sam Hunt 19:24

1+ y ago19:24

19:24

We are joined by Senator Sam Hunt to review the legislative session just past and talk about what Olympia got from Olympia. We also delve into his political history and the history of our community as we look back on his year’s of service.By The Olympia Standard

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#105: Do we want to close Madison and McKenny schools? 50:11

1+ y ago50:11

50:11

We have been slow rolling through a very large discussion on school closures since last summer. We sit down with three different community members on how we got here, where we’ve been before and what we need to do now. Guests: Maria Flores, Olympia School Board Kelcy Schaffer, OSD4ALL Russ Lehman, former Olympia School Board OSD School Efficiency R…

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#104: New City Council member Robert Vanderpool 22:42

1+ y ago22:42

22:42

Robert Vanderpool just started his job on the Olympia City Council. So, to get to know Olympia’s new policy-maker, we asked him some questions about himself, about where he’s coming from and what he’s been up to since joining the council. And about Baltimore and about why you shouldn’t like the Orioles. The really cool Olympia City Council meeting …

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#103: The Multifamily Tax Exemption and You 28:27

1+ y ago28:27

28:27

We conducted a couple of interviews about how the Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) impacts the city in terms of growth, housing affordability and finances. We sat down with Darian Lightfoot from the city in the first segment to go over recent changes in Olympia’s MFTE. In our second segment, with talked to Robert Pantley and Angela Rozmyn from Natu…

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#102: Jess Tourtellotte-Palumbo (with Howard Rosenfeld) 51:50

2y ago51:50

51:50

Today we hear from Jess Tourtellotte-Palumbo, a candidate for Olympia School board. Interviewing Jess is Howard Rosenfeld, an old friend of the podcast who is stepping in this season to do at least one candidate interview. Jess and Howard talk about her background, the recent history of the school board and how we can find a path forward.…

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#101: We’re Doing It Live! 51:24

2y ago51:24

51:24

We brought back host emeritus (and newly crowned friend of the podcast and I suppose city council member) Dani Madrone! We were also joined by Olympia city council member Dontae Payne! Jemmy was there and he got on mic! It was wild! And guess who else was there? So many of you! Thanks so much for everyone who came out! And thank you, listener, for …

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#100: What is Olympia doing about homelessness? 29:18

2y ago29:18

29:18

In the primary part of this episode, we visit with Darian Lightfoot, who is leading the City of Olympia’s response to the homelessness crisis. She talks about the One Olympia plan, the city’s 2020 blueprint to respond to homelessness. We also get into housing preservation, renter protections and what we can do to open up housing capacity in every O…

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#99 Where are all the state offices going? 40:37

2y ago40:37

40:37

In the first half of this episode, we sit down with Yvonne Knutson (Office of Financial Management) and Maurice Perigo (Department of Enterprise Services) to talk about how state offices are contracting all around Olympia and our region. Second, we visit with official Friend of the Podcast Mike Reid to go over how these office contractions will imp…

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#98: Sine Die with a Housing Twist 44:07

2y ago44:07

44:07

Today we’re doing our traditional Sine Die (end of the legislative sesssion) episode, but with a Housing Twist. The Olympia Standard sits down with Representative Jessica Bateman (D-Olympia) to talk about what Olympia got from the state legislature. But we specifically detour into the long-ish history of where the housing legislation that marked th…

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#97 Housing history in Olympia and setting the stage for the state legislature 42:17

2+ y ago42:17

42:17

The state legislature is about to act on statewide zoning reform that would adopt much the same policy that we’ve been passing in Olympia for years now. To take a look at our own history, and to talk about how it impacts the debate in the legislature, we sat down with Janae Huber with Olympians for People Orientated Places. I also read a version of…

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The Lacey Standard 50:58

2+ y ago50:58

50:58

This is a non-numbered, out of the ordinary episode of the Olympia Standard. Ken Balsley passed away last week, and I thought it would be okay to share a conversation I had with him on his podcast a few years back. Maybe a little dated, but I thought you might get a kick out of it. I often got a kick of of Ken, even though I often disagreed with hi…

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#96: Maria Flores, Talauna Reed and the Olympia School Board 39:17

2+ y ago39:17

39:17

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, …

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#95 Olympia Strong and building an economically resilient city 41:01

3y ago41:01

41:01

As a community, we have been through a lot in the last three years economically. What path the city’s economic future will take will depend a lot on a new plan being developed by the city, Olympia Strong. We’re welcoming back Mike Reid and Amy Buckler, two verified friends of the podcast, to discuss the start up of Olympia Strong. You can refer bac…

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#94 OlyWA Days of Change 48:45

3y ago48:45

48:45

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…

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#93: Inspire (the) Olympia (Standard) 13:35

3+ y ago13:35

13:35

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. Download this episode Mor…

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#92: Update on right wing protests 41:04

3+ y ago41:04

41:04

Download the episode 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 b…

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#91: Facing Racism at Capital High School 23:56

3+ y ago23:56

23:56

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 l…

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#90: Special Bonus Election 2021 Episode: Wendy Carlson and Sarah DeStasio! 26:41

3+ y ago26:41

26:41

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 a…

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#89: 2021 Election – “Be curious, not judgemental” 47:44

4y ago47:44

47:44

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 …

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#88: The 2021 Primary Election 39:47

4y ago39:47

39:47

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. Download this episode…

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#87: Legislative Update with Jessica Bateman 38:44

4y ago38:44

38:44

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…

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#86: Black History in Thurston County 45:48

4y ago45:48

45:48

Dr. Thelma Jackson has been living in Thurston County for over 50 years, arriving here from the deep south where she lived through Jim Crow. She shared with us how she came to live in Thurston County, her experience of being a long time Black activist in the area, and her current project to capture the Black history of the region before it disappea…

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#85: Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland 24:28

4+ y ago24:28

24:28

Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland is our new representative in Congress, along with the rest of the 10th district; from Shelton to Puyallup, and Tenino to part of Tacoma. We chatted with her about her transition to federal government during a time of crisis and turmoil, the rise of white supremacy, pandemic relief, housing and homelessness, and Puge…

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#84: Give the State Heck 29:33

4+ y ago29:33

29:33

Denny Heck is no longer serving us as our representative in Congress, but he is serving every person in Washington as our Lieutenant Governor. We chatted with Denny about his transition in politics, threats to democracy, his new role in the Legislature, and the relationship between the state and the city. Download this episode (Note: this photo was…

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#83: A new member on the Olympia City Council 24:15

4+ y ago24:15

24:15

With one of the members of the Olympia City Council moving up to the Legislature, a new person was recently appointed to represent us. In this interview, Yến Huỳnh introduces herself to our listeners. She speaks about her interests in city government, what she brings to the team, and her interests in the community. Download this episode…

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#82: Economic Crisis and Recovery 51:23

4+ y ago51:23

51:23

Right before the pandemic shut down our community, we spoke with Mike Reid, the Economic Development Director of Olympia, about how our local economy was faring (episode #58). Two weeks later, we were hurled into economic crisis. This episode is an update from Mike on how his job has changed, how local government has responded, and other ways the p…

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#81: Our 2021 Agenda 39:00

4+ y ago39:00

39:00

What will 2021 bring on The Olympia Standard? This episode is what we hope to talk about the in the year to come. We’ll continue to bring racial justice conversations onto this podcast, but will also incorporate equity in how we talk about transportation policy, ongoing challenges with the pandemic, and other issues of local interest. We’re also ge…

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#80: Building on racial justice in the New Year 45:19

4+ y ago45:19

45:19

As we leave behind 2020 and look forward to the new year, we spent some time reflecting on the racial justice movement that has swept the nation and Olympia. We spoke with Quinton Neal, the assistant director of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Center at the South Puget Sound Community College, where he hosts the podcast called The Unheard Outs…

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#79: An update on local Democrats 46:08

4+ y ago46:08

46:08

Until the moment this podcast was posted, Victor Minjares has been serving as the chair of the Thurston County Democrats. We talked with him about the impact of national politics on local elections, thoughts on the future of the local Democratic party, and how to encourage more people of color to run for elected office. Download this episode…

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#78: kwedigwsaltxw: Walk with Gratitude 39:48

4+ y ago39:48

39:48

One of the things that makes Olympia such a special place are the people who have lived here long before it was called Olympia. The Steh-Chass band of indigenous people of the Squaxin Island Tribe have stewarded this land since time immemorial, and still inhabit and steward this land today. We spoke with Chairman Kris Peters, of the Squaxin Island …

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#77: 2020 Election Recap 40:00

4+ y ago40:00

40:00

What were the results of the 2020 election cycle? Let’s walk back through the ballot and find out what happened. This episode was recorded the day before the presidency was declared for Biden and Harris (woohoo!), and the result of one county commission race is still unknown at the time of publishing. In this episode, Emmett talks about his maps. Y…

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#76: The Ballot for the 2020 General Election 40:20

5y ago40:20

40:20

This year, ballots have already hit your mailbox, several days earlier than usual. If you haven’t yet received your ballot (or haven’t yet registered to vote), check in with the Thurston County Auditor. In this episode, we walk through the full ballot for voters in Olympia, from referendums to judges. Tune in to learn what and who you might vote fo…