I blogged previously (here and here) about the portrayal of street people in news stories in the Daily Olympian. As I mentioned, there appeared to be a highly stereotyped view of "the homeless." I thought it might be informative to actually talk to folks on the street and hear what they had to say. Today, I had a conversation with Jonathan, a self-described "spanger" in Olympia. I asked him why there were so many folks out on the streets:

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I also spoke with Karen, who is living on the street. She said, "I'm not adjusting well. I don't like it."

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bOING bOING has the scoop on citizens shooting video of the police at work.

The activities of the police, like those of other public officials, are subject to public scrutiny...Videotaping is a legitimate means of gathering information for public dissemination and can often provide cogent evidence, as it did in this case. In sum, there can be no doubt that the free speech clause of the Constitution protected Robinson as he videotaped the defendants on October 23, 2002....Moreover, to the extent that the troopers were restraining Robinson from making any future videotapes and from publicizing or publishing what he had filmed, the defendants' conduct clearly amounted to an unlawful prior restraint upon his protected speech....We find that defendants are liable under § 1983 for violating Robinson's Fourth Amendment right to be protected from an unlawful seizure...

Remember: bring the camera with.

The Tacoma News Tribune reports on the opening of the new Regal 16. And it looks like you'll never have to stand in line again as well:

Movie theater attendance has been dropping across the nation since 2002, according to the National Association of Theater Owners. Marketing manager Browning and others in the industry say it’s because the movies haven’t been that good. Still, Regal has opened nine theaters this year, and Browning is convinced that lure of movie houses will stick around.

Critical acclaim for musicians from Olympia.

I know its only been a week since I ran into Olyblog, but I have giddy high hopes for a local blog community here.

The last few days I've ran into a few posts about hyperlocal journalism (which seems to be what Rick is doing here) and how it can help community discourse.

Already on Olyblog we're seeing more discussion of Olympia City Council candidates then I've seen anywhere else so far.

Just for giggles, here is wikipedia on hyperlocal.

The only thing I would change about Olyblog right now is the tagline: "This ain't CNN." Please, Rick, change it. Without the deep James Earl Jones voice, it isn't funny.