Over the last ten years or so, Olympia has led the pack in local governments in Washington State in reversing course on decades of restrictive zoning. Behind that movement has been Olympians for People Orientated Places. This week, we sit down with Holly Gadbaw and Janae Huber. They are two of O-POP’s founders and are now looking back at a decade of history as they move on from the organization.

This week, we bring you two interviews. The first with two trustees of the Timberland Regional Library and the president of the Timberland union. We discuss the financial crisis the district found its way into earlier this year and how the district can get out. Background:Regional library cuts 25% of staff in South Sound layoffs. Here’s what to know Gloves off baby!’: Messages between two top TRL administrators stoke public outrage The Deep History and Structural Mismatch of Timberland Regional Library The Timberland Regional Library doesn’t face a stand-off, it faces some sort of evolution

Daniel sits down with former city councilmember and county commission candidate Jim Cooper to talk through who will be on your ballot in August.

Daniel sits down with the folks behind Window Seat Media’s Pride Storytelling Project. The project is a partnership between Window Seat Media and Capital City Pride, is a community initiative utilizing an LGBTQ+ cohort to document and preserve local Queer history in the South Sound area. Through oral histories, public events, and community exhibits, including an upcoming expanded exhibit scheduled for June 2026, the project actively shares these diverse stories and will release its complete archive later this year.

What is the future of aquatic sports in Olympia and beyond if the Evergreen Pool is closed. We sit down with swim-team boosters this week to walk through the risks of losing the region’s largest public pool and how we can sustain athletic facilities into the future.

We expand our annual Sine Die episode this year to include education expert Senator Clair Wilson! Also on this episode is our own Rep. Beth Doglio who does the traditional unpacking of what the legislative session meant for us in Olympia.

As we enter budget building season for the Olympia School District, Erika Lari sits down with veterans (both students and parents) about the debate just a couple of years ago over closing some elementary schools. You can also listen to this old episode: #105: Do we want to close Madison and McKenny schools?

For decades, official neighborhood associations have been an essential part of Olympia’s civic fabric. This week, we examine how these associations operate with Michael Craw from The Evergreen State College, a scholar in the field. Then, Daniel sits down with Grace Fletcher to discuss the new generation leading the Council of Neighborhood Associations and their evolving approach to civic engagement.

Daniel sits down with Greg Quetin, Chair of the Olympia Planning Commission, to talk about the city’s recently approved Comprehensive Plan and the role of the planning commission in guiding Olympia’s growth.

We are in the season where, in the Olympia School District, you can choose a different path for your kids. In this episode, we sit down with OSD4All’s Erika Lari to talk about the new guide the group recently released to describe, in fine detail, all of the different programs around the district: https://osd4all.org/district-guide/