General Interest

July 26, 2025General Interest, Olympia History

#123: Olympia’s story told in museum form

This week we welcome back former Olympia Mayor Cheryl Selby to talk about the new AHA Olympia Museum downtown and the future of Olympia’s history. Olympia Arts and History Alliance
July 12, 2025General Interest

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

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 […]
July 4, 2025General Interest, Racial Justice

#120: Fourth of July Man

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 […]
June 28, 2025General Interest, Olympia History

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

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 […]
June 20, 2025Downtown, General Interest, Olympia History

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

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 […]
June 14, 2025General Interest

#117: What happened to Tumwater

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 […]
May 31, 2025General Interest

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

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 […]
May 3, 2025General Interest, Legislature

#111: Don’t think of an Olympia

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 […]
April 19, 2025General Interest

#109: Public Comment 101

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 […]
April 6, 2025General Interest

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

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. […]