Family Safety Center furthers effort to aid victims of violence

posted 11:45 PM 05/22
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The one thing we can always count on is change. Yet change is often difficult for people and organizations.

In 1985, it was common for a child-abuse victim to be interviewed many times in many places. Then one child said something during one of these interviews that would change the response to child abuse forever: “Don’t you all talk to each other?”

This question formed an idea to create a place for child victims to be interviewed and receive services in a child-friendly environment. Professionals go to this place to collaborate as a team, coordinating services and reducing the number of interviews.

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Olympian’s new Sunday business page is something worth celebrating

posted 11:46 PM 05/19

During a conversation with a business colleague the other day, we reminisced about how much fun we used to have when the economy was booming. There were plenty of expansion opportunities and no shortage of ideas how to upgrade our products and services for customers.

Washington shares nation’s struggle to employ veterans

posted 11:46 PM 05/12

The Olympian recently published a story from the Los Angeles Times titled “Vets struggle for jobs,” which highlighted how hard it can be for military veterans to find work.

Local action in protest of Israeli occupation is crucial

posted 11:42 PM 05/09

As a long-time Jewish resident of Olympia, I take strong exception to the opinion piece by Allyson Brooks on The Olympian editorial page May 2. The column manages amazing twin feats: It criticizes the Boycott Divest Sanctions (BDS) movement, a nonviolent tactic aimed at supporting Palestinian rights, with zero substantive discussion of the conflict. It also repeatedly levels charges against the Olympia BDS movement without presenting evidence.

Efforts to end to deaths in the workplace must never end

posted 11:44 PM 05/05

Last week, the Department of Labor & Industries hosted its annual Worker Memorial Day ceremony to honor the men and women who lost their lives in 2011 as a result of their work, an event The Olympian movingly covered in its article, “69 fallen workers honored at Tumwater L&I memorial day.”

Public blame game on McKenna not entirely accurate

posted 11:36 PM 04/29

Lawmakers recently rebalanced state government’s operating budget in a way that was praised across the state. The bipartisan solution rejected general tax increases originally sought by the Democrats who have long ruled Olympia, and greatly lessened chances of another massive budget problem in 2013.

SafePlace is a thorough program that serves community well

posted 11:37 PM 04/18

Thurston County officials are contemplating actions which will profoundly affect how victims of sexual and domestic violence are served. Ironically at a time when governments at every level are struggling to fund existing programs and SafePlace, a nonprofit, is celebrating 30 years providing comprehensive services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, county prosecuting attorney Jon Tunheim is moving to develop a government-run alternative. Tunheim wants to adopt a criminal-justice model with teams of prosecutors, police and social service providers to serve victims through a Family Justice Center, a new system in a new bricks-and-mortar facility.

Take time to express your health wishes

posted 11:37 PM 04/09

April 16 is the fifth annual National Healthcare Decisions Day. The focus of this day is to think about and document our wishes related to health care. Called “advance directives,” these legal documents provide written instructions to guide your family, physician and other health care providers on your wishes at times when you are either too ill or hurt to express them yourself. There are no right or wrong answers – just your wishes.

Education ombudsman helps with broad scope of issues

posted 11:48 PM 04/05

What would you do if your child were being bullied at school but staff minimized what had happened? What if your child had a diagnosed learning disability but the approved Individualized Education Program was not being followed? What if your teen had a health condition that limited her participation in school and with homework completion but teachers would not allow any flexibility in when work could be submitted?

Tough economic situtation is not the time to cut safety nets

posted 11:39 PM 04/01

Programs that provide assistance to Washington’s poorest children and families should not be cut as a means to balance our state’s budget. In tough economic times, state assistance is often all that keeps a family out of homelessness.