Emmett O'Connell
@emmettoconnell.bsky.social
Blogger, podcaster, local government communicator, rec soccer defender
OlympiaTime.com
theolympiastandard.com
OlympiaTime.com
theolympiastandard.com
Reposted by Emmett O'Connell
ICYMI: Heath Druzin, writing for @idahocapitalsun.com, reports on #PublicReligionResearchInstitute survey on support, sympathy for Christian nationalism, connections with the GOP, and nationwide 2-1 rejection of CN ideas. wisconsinexaminer.com/2026/02/17/r...
Public Religion Research Institute survey finds strong support, sympathy for Christian nationalism • Wisconsin Examiner
Roughly 1 in 3 Americans are Christian nationalists or sympathetic to the cause, a new Public Religion Research Institute survey found.
wisconsinexaminer.com
February 18, 2026 at 2:41 PM
ICYMI: Heath Druzin, writing for @idahocapitalsun.com, reports on #PublicReligionResearchInstitute survey on support, sympathy for Christian nationalism, connections with the GOP, and nationwide 2-1 rejection of CN ideas. wisconsinexaminer.com/2026/02/17/r...
When Gov. Little said transparency was a priority, he meant stopping transparency. After exposed sexual misconduct by Idaho prison guards was exposed, his office backed withholding officers’ employment histories, shielding misconduct and “wandering cops.”
www.investigatewest.org/idaho-record...
www.investigatewest.org/idaho-record...
Idaho won’t let public see if a cop was fired or resigned
State agencies will no longer release information about whether an officer retired, resigned or was fired
www.investigatewest.org
February 18, 2026 at 1:55 PM
When Gov. Little said transparency was a priority, he meant stopping transparency. After exposed sexual misconduct by Idaho prison guards was exposed, his office backed withholding officers’ employment histories, shielding misconduct and “wandering cops.”
www.investigatewest.org/idaho-record...
www.investigatewest.org/idaho-record...
SPSCC Theatre’s Single Black Female isn’t the 2022 thriller but a comedy by Lisa B. Thompson. Directed by alum Raessa Patterson, it follows two successful single Black women navigating stereotypes and expectations about needing a man, with humor and heart.
olyarts.org/spsccs-singl...
olyarts.org/spsccs-singl...
SPSCC’s Single Black Female pokes fun at stereotypes – OLY ARTS
olyarts.org
February 18, 2026 at 1:51 PM
SPSCC Theatre’s Single Black Female isn’t the 2022 thriller but a comedy by Lisa B. Thompson. Directed by alum Raessa Patterson, it follows two successful single Black women navigating stereotypes and expectations about needing a man, with humor and heart.
olyarts.org/spsccs-singl...
olyarts.org/spsccs-singl...
This map beat ICE. 🧵
While federal policy is often viewed as a top-down force, the recent resistance in Minneapolis proves that local geography and culture are not lines on a map, they are active defensive barriers.
/1
While federal policy is often viewed as a top-down force, the recent resistance in Minneapolis proves that local geography and culture are not lines on a map, they are active defensive barriers.
/1
February 16, 2026 at 5:12 PM
This map beat ICE. 🧵
While federal policy is often viewed as a top-down force, the recent resistance in Minneapolis proves that local geography and culture are not lines on a map, they are active defensive barriers.
/1
While federal policy is often viewed as a top-down force, the recent resistance in Minneapolis proves that local geography and culture are not lines on a map, they are active defensive barriers.
/1
Thurston County WA's independent wave peaked as voters moved away from both parties late in the Obama era.
While many returned to the Democratic fold, Idaho is now seeing a similar sprout of independents like John Stegner as the major parties face new pressures.
www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/20...
While many returned to the Democratic fold, Idaho is now seeing a similar sprout of independents like John Stegner as the major parties face new pressures.
www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/20...
A sprouting of independents
www.ridenbaugh.com
February 15, 2026 at 3:43 PM
Thurston County WA's independent wave peaked as voters moved away from both parties late in the Obama era.
While many returned to the Democratic fold, Idaho is now seeing a similar sprout of independents like John Stegner as the major parties face new pressures.
www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/20...
While many returned to the Democratic fold, Idaho is now seeing a similar sprout of independents like John Stegner as the major parties face new pressures.
www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/20...
Scientists used tree-ring dating to pinpoint Mt. Rainier’s massive Electron Mudflow to summer 1507, refining previous estimates. This helps clarify its timing and causes and could improve future lahar hazard planning.
streetsmartnaturalist.substack.com/p/dead-trees...
streetsmartnaturalist.substack.com/p/dead-trees...
Dead Trees Tell No Lies: The Electron Mudflow
In October of 2023, I published a newsletter about scientists using tree rings to date the Seattle Fault.
streetsmartnaturalist.substack.com
February 15, 2026 at 12:18 AM
Scientists used tree-ring dating to pinpoint Mt. Rainier’s massive Electron Mudflow to summer 1507, refining previous estimates. This helps clarify its timing and causes and could improve future lahar hazard planning.
streetsmartnaturalist.substack.com/p/dead-trees...
streetsmartnaturalist.substack.com/p/dead-trees...
Bernardean Broadous became WA’s first Black woman county prosecutor in 1994, doubling prosecutions and reforming juvenile justice. Ousted amid turnover and lawsuits that cost $0, her successor Ed Holm later presided over proven discrimination that cost $6M.
olympiatime.com/2026/02/14/m...
olympiatime.com/2026/02/14/m...
February 14, 2026 at 5:23 PM
Bernardean Broadous became WA’s first Black woman county prosecutor in 1994, doubling prosecutions and reforming juvenile justice. Ousted amid turnover and lawsuits that cost $0, her successor Ed Holm later presided over proven discrimination that cost $6M.
olympiatime.com/2026/02/14/m...
olympiatime.com/2026/02/14/m...
The firing of Gail Slater as DOJ antitrust chief ends MAGA’s claim it cared about trustbusting. Her real enforcement efforts clashed with Trump allies’ pay-to-play culture. GOP “antitrust populism” was always a media-boosted myth masking corruption.
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/13/m...
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/13/m...
MAGA’s Always Bogus “Antitrust Movement” Comes To A Screeching Halt With Firing Of Gail Slater
The Trump administration has fired one of the few remaining members of the administration that had even a passing interest in antitrust enforcement. DOJ antitrust boss Gail Slater has been fired fr…
www.techdirt.com
February 14, 2026 at 3:22 PM
The firing of Gail Slater as DOJ antitrust chief ends MAGA’s claim it cared about trustbusting. Her real enforcement efforts clashed with Trump allies’ pay-to-play culture. GOP “antitrust populism” was always a media-boosted myth masking corruption.
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/13/m...
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/13/m...
Blocking the Internet Archive won't stop AI, but will erase parts of the historical record, leaving future researchers without reliable journalism in archives.
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/13/n...
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/13/n...
News Publishers Are Now Blocking The Internet Archive, And We May All Regret It
Last fall, I wrote about how the fear of AI was leading us to wall off the open internet in ways that would hurt everyone. At the time, I was worried about how companies were conflating legitimate …
www.techdirt.com
February 14, 2026 at 3:19 PM
Blocking the Internet Archive won't stop AI, but will erase parts of the historical record, leaving future researchers without reliable journalism in archives.
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/13/n...
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/13/n...
🧵
We keep hearing that young people are civically disengaged because we start civics too late. But what if that’s the wrong diagnosis? Youth turnout has surged in recent cycles. Distrust is up across all ages. Maybe this isn’t a schooling crisis.
/1
thefulcrum.us/civic-engage...
We keep hearing that young people are civically disengaged because we start civics too late. But what if that’s the wrong diagnosis? Youth turnout has surged in recent cycles. Distrust is up across all ages. Maybe this isn’t a schooling crisis.
/1
thefulcrum.us/civic-engage...
Why Starting Civic Education Too Late is Hurting Our Democracy
Across the country, adults are wringing their hands about young people’s civic disengagement. We worry about declining trust in democratic institutions, rising attraction to political strongmen, and a...
thefulcrum.us
February 14, 2026 at 2:51 PM
🧵
We keep hearing that young people are civically disengaged because we start civics too late. But what if that’s the wrong diagnosis? Youth turnout has surged in recent cycles. Distrust is up across all ages. Maybe this isn’t a schooling crisis.
/1
thefulcrum.us/civic-engage...
We keep hearing that young people are civically disengaged because we start civics too late. But what if that’s the wrong diagnosis? Youth turnout has surged in recent cycles. Distrust is up across all ages. Maybe this isn’t a schooling crisis.
/1
thefulcrum.us/civic-engage...
I appreciate the pettiness and the dedication to the bit.
Everyone should do this.
Everyone should do this.
February 13, 2026 at 1:21 PM
I appreciate the pettiness and the dedication to the bit.
Everyone should do this.
Everyone should do this.
After railing against Big Tech, his DOJ allegedly let mergers (HPE/Juniper, Capital One/Discover, UnitedHealth/Amedisys, Ticketmaster) slide if firms flattered or paid MAGA allies.
Real antitrust died in favor of loyalty politics.
pluralistic.net/2026/02/13/k...
Real antitrust died in favor of loyalty politics.
pluralistic.net/2026/02/13/k...
Pluralistic: Trump antitrust is dead (13 Feb 2026) – Pluralistic: Daily links from Cory Doctorow
pluralistic.net
February 13, 2026 at 1:16 PM
After railing against Big Tech, his DOJ allegedly let mergers (HPE/Juniper, Capital One/Discover, UnitedHealth/Amedisys, Ticketmaster) slide if firms flattered or paid MAGA allies.
Real antitrust died in favor of loyalty politics.
pluralistic.net/2026/02/13/k...
Real antitrust died in favor of loyalty politics.
pluralistic.net/2026/02/13/k...
DHS expanded its SAVE system to flag noncitizen voters but in Texas and Missouri, many flagged voters were misidentified, causing confusion, removals and investigations, despite scant evidence of widespread noncitizen voting.
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/13/s...
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/13/s...
SAVE tool keeps mistakenly flagging voters as noncitizens - The Texas Tribune
DHS rolled out the revamped tool while it was still adding data. That led to widespread misidentification, particularly for citizens born outside the U.S.
www.texastribune.org
February 13, 2026 at 1:03 PM
DHS expanded its SAVE system to flag noncitizen voters but in Texas and Missouri, many flagged voters were misidentified, causing confusion, removals and investigations, despite scant evidence of widespread noncitizen voting.
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/13/s...
www.texastribune.org/2026/02/13/s...
200 officers violently raided a legal Wilder horse race, zip-tying minors, using slurs, denying food, water and bathrooms, and targeting Latinos. 105 immigrants arrested; most attendees were citizens or lawful residents.
www.eastidahonews.com/2026/02/viol...
www.eastidahonews.com/2026/02/viol...
Violence, no food, zip-ties: What a lawsuit says happened at the Wilder illegal gambling and ICE raid - East Idaho News
WILDER (Idaho Statesman) — Law-enforcement officers during the Wilder raid in October acted violently, hurled racial epithets and largely withheld food, water, bathrooms and medical care as part of th...
www.eastidahonews.com
February 12, 2026 at 1:34 AM
200 officers violently raided a legal Wilder horse race, zip-tying minors, using slurs, denying food, water and bathrooms, and targeting Latinos. 105 immigrants arrested; most attendees were citizens or lawful residents.
www.eastidahonews.com/2026/02/viol...
www.eastidahonews.com/2026/02/viol...
Here's an oldie but a goodie:
But. Her emails.
Trump Appointees Used Their Personal Emails for Government Business
www.notus.org/trump-white-...
But. Her emails.
Trump Appointees Used Their Personal Emails for Government Business
www.notus.org/trump-white-...
Trump Appointees Used Their Personal Emails for Government Business
New records show that at least three political appointees at the Department of Energy repeatedly used their personal emails to discuss a controversial climate-change report.
www.notus.org
February 11, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Here's an oldie but a goodie:
But. Her emails.
Trump Appointees Used Their Personal Emails for Government Business
www.notus.org/trump-white-...
But. Her emails.
Trump Appointees Used Their Personal Emails for Government Business
www.notus.org/trump-white-...
Olympia Time digs into a 60s fight over mandatory photos on school job apps used as a silent racial filter and how the state stopped it.
Plus: The Olympia Standard podcast returns with an Intercity Transit redesign update.
Subscribe and read here:
buttondown.com/OlympiaTime/...
Plus: The Olympia Standard podcast returns with an Intercity Transit redesign update.
Subscribe and read here:
buttondown.com/OlympiaTime/...
The Small Power of Photos, the Large Power of Enforcement
Elections matter. Elections matter most because of all the small rules that you don’t really see that shape justice. This is how I think about the Olympia...
buttondown.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Olympia Time digs into a 60s fight over mandatory photos on school job apps used as a silent racial filter and how the state stopped it.
Plus: The Olympia Standard podcast returns with an Intercity Transit redesign update.
Subscribe and read here:
buttondown.com/OlympiaTime/...
Plus: The Olympia Standard podcast returns with an Intercity Transit redesign update.
Subscribe and read here:
buttondown.com/OlympiaTime/...
Daniel visits with leadership at Intercity Transit. They cover the recent history of our local transit agency, what is going on with the change in routes and how transit in Olympia will grow.
theolympiastandard.com/2026/02/07/1...
theolympiastandard.com/2026/02/07/1...
theolympiastandard.com
February 7, 2026 at 11:45 PM
Daniel visits with leadership at Intercity Transit. They cover the recent history of our local transit agency, what is going on with the change in routes and how transit in Olympia will grow.
theolympiastandard.com/2026/02/07/1...
theolympiastandard.com/2026/02/07/1...
Reposted by Emmett O'Connell
Local reporting doesn’t happen without local reporters. Our policy director @mattdpearce.com testified in support of SB5400, a bill that would support journalist jobs in Washington newsrooms through employment grants.
Learn more: www.rebuildlocalnews.org/rebuild-loca...
Learn more: www.rebuildlocalnews.org/rebuild-loca...
February 6, 2026 at 9:51 PM
Local reporting doesn’t happen without local reporters. Our policy director @mattdpearce.com testified in support of SB5400, a bill that would support journalist jobs in Washington newsrooms through employment grants.
Learn more: www.rebuildlocalnews.org/rebuild-loca...
Learn more: www.rebuildlocalnews.org/rebuild-loca...
Reposted by Emmett O'Connell
Snohomish County Council voted unanimously to eliminate the Design Review Board to speed up development permitting. Officials say the rarely used board slowed housing delivery, while new standards still protect pedestrian design, mixed-use hubs, and townhomes.
www.heraldnet.com/news/snohomi...
www.heraldnet.com/news/snohomi...
The Daily Herald
Everett and Snohomish County news from The Herald | HeraldNet.com
HeraldNet.com
February 7, 2026 at 4:48 PM
Snohomish County Council voted unanimously to eliminate the Design Review Board to speed up development permitting. Officials say the rarely used board slowed housing delivery, while new standards still protect pedestrian design, mixed-use hubs, and townhomes.
www.heraldnet.com/news/snohomi...
www.heraldnet.com/news/snohomi...
My new Olympia Time essay recounts how Olympia School District required teacher headshots in the 1960s, using photos as a silent racial filter. The state banned the practice, exposing how small administrative rules enforced segregation without saying it out loud.
olympiatime.com/2026/02/07/t...
olympiatime.com/2026/02/07/t...
The Small Power of Photos, the Large Power of Enforcement – Olympia Time
olympiatime.com
February 7, 2026 at 4:12 PM
My new Olympia Time essay recounts how Olympia School District required teacher headshots in the 1960s, using photos as a silent racial filter. The state banned the practice, exposing how small administrative rules enforced segregation without saying it out loud.
olympiatime.com/2026/02/07/t...
olympiatime.com/2026/02/07/t...
Federal library grant guidelines now favor projects aligning with the White Hous's political vision, breaking from a nonpartisan past. This shift could chills free expression, pressure libraries and museums to reshape history, and undermine public trust.
www.propublica.org/article/inst...
www.propublica.org/article/inst...
Grant Guidelines for Libraries and Museums Take “Chilling” Political Turn Under Trump
Former Institute of Museum and Library Services leaders from both political parties expressed concern that the new funding guidelines could encourage a more constrained or distorted view of American h...
www.propublica.org
February 7, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Federal library grant guidelines now favor projects aligning with the White Hous's political vision, breaking from a nonpartisan past. This shift could chills free expression, pressure libraries and museums to reshape history, and undermine public trust.
www.propublica.org/article/inst...
www.propublica.org/article/inst...
Stop giving the NFL rights it doesn’t have. Owning the Super Bowl mark doesn’t automagically ban all commercial or public uses. Fair use applies, and mentioning the Super Bowl alone isn’t infringement
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/06/r...
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/06/r...
Reminder: Don’t Believe The NFL’s Lies About Its Super Bowl Trademarks
It’s been several years since we last did this, but I’d like to remind you all that the National Football League plays a lot of make believe when it comes to what its trademarks for the…
www.techdirt.com
February 7, 2026 at 2:44 PM
Stop giving the NFL rights it doesn’t have. Owning the Super Bowl mark doesn’t automagically ban all commercial or public uses. Fair use applies, and mentioning the Super Bowl alone isn’t infringement
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/06/r...
www.techdirt.com/2026/02/06/r...
Trump’s “he-conomy” revival is failing. A cartoon coal mascot can’t save coal, manufacturing, farming, or construction from automation, bad tariffs, and deregulation. Male-dominated industries keep shrinking under Trump’s own policies.
www.thebulwark.com/p/donald-tru...
www.thebulwark.com/p/donald-tru...
Donald Trump, Alpha President, Has Been a Disaster for the He-conomy
The manly industries have not thrived under the current administration. If anything, they’ve suffered.
www.thebulwark.com
February 6, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Trump’s “he-conomy” revival is failing. A cartoon coal mascot can’t save coal, manufacturing, farming, or construction from automation, bad tariffs, and deregulation. Male-dominated industries keep shrinking under Trump’s own policies.
www.thebulwark.com/p/donald-tru...
www.thebulwark.com/p/donald-tru...
Trust in journalism has shifted: people distrust “the press” as an institution but still trust the outlets they choose. Audiences respond to transparency, human voices, evidence, and clear process, especially younger readers shaped by the digital age.
dicktofel.substack.com/p/why-the-is...
dicktofel.substack.com/p/why-the-is...
Why the Issues Around Newsrooms and Trust Aren’t Quite What You May Think
How it resembles trust in Congress, and why the problem is not limited to the young.
dicktofel.substack.com
February 5, 2026 at 1:34 PM
Trust in journalism has shifted: people distrust “the press” as an institution but still trust the outlets they choose. Audiences respond to transparency, human voices, evidence, and clear process, especially younger readers shaped by the digital age.
dicktofel.substack.com/p/why-the-is...
dicktofel.substack.com/p/why-the-is...