November 25, 2021
This week on Inside Olympia, host Austin Jenkins sits down virtually for an in-depth exit interview with departing Secretary of State Kim Wyman, who is stepping down to take a top election security post with the Biden administration.
Wyman was elected in 2012 as Washington’s 15th… Continue reading Inside Olympia – Kim Wyman
November 18, 2021
Every decade, following the U.S. Census, each state’s political districts must be re-mapped to account for population changes and shifts. Washington’s maps are formulated by a bipartisan 5-member commission that includes a non-voting chair.
The Washington State Redistricting Commission this week agreed on new boundaries for the… Continue reading Inside Olympia – Redistricting and Policing
November 11, 2021
Last week we spoke for the full hour with State Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven Gonzalez. This week, we dive deeper into the judicial branch, interviewing the directors of two small state agencies with big roles in the state’s judicial system.
Jim Bamberger directs the state’s… Continue reading Inside Olympia – Legal Help
November 4, 2021
This week host Austin Jenkins sits down for a full-hour, in-depth interview with Washington State Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven Gonzalez.
In January Gonzalez was elected by his colleagues to lead the state’s highest court — the first person of color to do so. He has emphasized… Continue reading Inside Olympia — Chief Justice Steven Gonzalez
October 28, 2021
This week on Inside Olympia, host Austin Jenkins sits down virtually with the heads of state agencies that deal with issues that are always important — but have become even more so during the COVID pandemic: health care and unemployment.
Pam MacEwan is chief executive officer of… Continue reading Inside Olympia – Health Care and Unemployment
October 21, 2021
Since the outbreak of COVID, it’s been a struggle to contain outbreaks within the crowded walls of state prisons. As of today, 2,031 correctional staff had had COVID, and over 7,000 inmates — about half the inmate population in Washington — has recovered from or is still… Continue reading Inside Olympia – Prison and COVID
October 14, 2021
During her two decades in the legislature, State Sen. Jeannie Darneille of Tacoma has advocated for rehabilitation and treatment in state prisons rather than a punitive approach. Now, Darneille is stepping down from the Senate to be the first director of a new Women’s Prison Division at… Continue reading Inside Olympia – Women’s Prisons and Post-Prison Reentry
October 7, 2021
The Washington Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) is a small, little-known state agency, with a huge role in outdoor recreation, habitat protection, and salmon and orca recovery. Since 1964 the RCO, through a number of boards, has granted over $3 billion to more than 11,000 outdoor projects… Continue reading Inside Olympia – Outdoor Recreation, Salmon and Orcas
A new statewide program that auto-enrolls Washington workers in a state-government-run long-term care insurance program, passed by the Legislature in 2019, is set to take effect in 2022 — setting people scrambling, as they realize the tax to fund the insurance will be taken out of their paychecks.
The state… Continue reading Inside Olympia – Long-Term Care Insurance
On our final episode before our annual July/August hiatus, Inside Olympia host Austin Jenkins spent the whole hour with Roger Millar, secretary of the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Two topics that are much on Millar’s mind? Maintenance and safety. Millar offered some historical context on transportation maintenance and funding.… Continue reading Inside Olympia – Transportation Infrastructure
