Olympia News

OLYMPIA A donation of 1,000 pounds of food to the Thurston County Food Bank goes a long way for an organization that has seen demand for its services increase about 20 percent in the past year.

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Washington's inland marine waters officially have a new name -- the Salish Sea.

The state Transportation Department is using $1.7 million in federal stimulus money to install cable barriers along the 20 mile stretch of Highway 8 between Elma and Highway 101 in Thurston County near Olympia.

Looking for the perfect spot for your office party, Hanukkah, Christmas or Kwanzaa or holiday gatherings? Need a place to play holiday host to a large group of any kind? Look no further.

Winter Break 2009: If you're going to have kids at home during winter break, Chanukah break, Christmas Break or whatever you call it, it pays to be prepared with a list of activities and outings that get you and the kids out and about while supporting local businesses and community treasures.

Being a donkey has its challenges. Managing the conflicting agendas of labor and business--both of them critical campaign contributors--is always a contortionist exercise in the state legislature.

OLYMPIA, Wash. Thurston County is investigating the theft of 20 doses of swine flu vaccine.

OLYMPIA City planners will officially kick off an exhaustive, two-year effort to update Olympia's comprehensive plan at an open house Saturday at The Olympia Center, and the public is invited.

OLYMPIA It takes two hours for Sarvani Eloheimo, 12, to don the colorful costume, apply the makeup and arrange the flowered headdress before she dances the orissa, a classical Indian dance.

City Council candidate Jeannine Roe's lead over incumbent Joan Machlis narrowed from 83 to 55 votes in Wednesday's count, setting the stage for a possible recount.

Professional initiative promoter Tim Eyman says he'll be back next year with another ballot measure, and how state lawmakers handle taxes in January will have a lot to do with what he proposes.

OLYMPIA, Wash. a " Washington state voters have approved the state's new 'everything but marriage' law, marking a significant expansion of rights for gay couples who are registered as domestic partners.National gay-rights groups say the passage of Referendum 71 marks the first time a state's voters have approved a gay equality measure at the ballot ...

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Washington voters have approved the state's new "everything but marriage" law, expanding rights for domestic partners and marking the first time any state's voters have approved a gay equality measure at the ballot box.

Voters approve Washington state's "everything but marriage" law for gay couples.

The final tally is not yet in, but--as reported in the Olympian via McClatchy , gay and lesbian families in Washington state are expected to hold onto legal privileges that give them all the same state-level rights and protections of marriage--though not under that name.

City Manager Steve Hall will roll out his proposed 2010 budget to the Olympia City Council on Monday, and the news almost certainly won't be good for employees.

An important milestone has been reached in restoring the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge between Tacoma and Olympia.

All the criminal cases filed in the wake of the Port of Olympia protests nearly two years ago were resolved Friday after eight demonstrators signed agreements that could lead to dismissal of their charges.

A state task force on open records issues has agreed unanimously that the Legislature should create a new Office of Open Records that can sort out public-records disputes.

The following projects are expected to affect traffic in the coming week, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation, the city of Olympia and Fort Lewis.