Since Hamas militants attacked Southern Israel on October 7, taking roughly 1200 lives, and capturing hundreds of hostages, the Israeli military has responded with overwhelming force in Gaza. Bombs and other military actions have killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Most of the homes , businesses, schools and mosques in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed – and millions have been displaced. And there is no end in sight to the bombardment . The U.S. State Depa...
Oct 08, 2024•20 min
How can personal tragedy inspire the most unlikely of people to become activists? This question is at the heart of Norita , a new documentary screening Oct. 8 at the Seattle Latino Film Festival. Norita takes a moving look at the life and journey of an Argentinian woman, Nora Cortiñas. She was a mother who became caught in the crosshairs of Argentina’s military dictatorship, which stretched from 1976 to 1983. Norita’s fearless protest against the government, and search for justice, played a role...
Oct 08, 2024•16 min
The Seattle area gets a bad rap for its “frosty” social climate. But how can that be true when we live with so many “best friends” ? Furry ones, at least. There are more dogs than children in the city. With all those canines sharing space, things can get a bit tense. Complaints run rampant about dog behavior in public, businesses that do or don’t allow animals, and, of course, politeness when picking up and disposing of their poop. And let’s be real, this is not a conversation about dogs; it is ...
Oct 07, 2024•18 min
One year ago, Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and took hundreds more hostage. Israel’s military response has killed more than 41-thousand Palestinians in Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry says more than half were women and children. A second front has opened in southern Lebanon, where the Israeli military has been bombarding Iran-backed Hezbollah… which began firing rockets into Israel after October 7th. Today, destruction, hunger, grief and displacement are the only ce...
Oct 07, 2024•20 min
In June, the U.S. Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy declared gun violence a public health crisis. "Gun violence has become the leading cause of death among kids and teens," Murthy said. "That was not true a decade or two decades ago, but it is true today." And like many other communities across the country – Seattle is feeling the ripple effects of this crisis. First Response — a new series from Cascade Public Media’s podcast Northwest Reports — takes a deeper look at how the medical professionals o...
Oct 07, 2024•15 min
When you go to vote this November, it won’t just be for President or Governor. You’ll also be voting on a group of initiatives - and these things are complicated. So we’re breaking all of them down here on Soundside this election season. And this week, we’re turning to I-2109: aka, the measure that seeks to Repeal the Capital Gains Tax. Passed by the legislature back in 2021, the tax took effect two years ago. It charges a 7% tax on the sales of some types of assets - things like stocks, bonds, ...
Oct 03, 2024•26 min
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month -- a chance to educate people about the disease and the importance of high-quality care. Public awareness of breast cancer has greatly improved over the past few decades. For a long time, people diagnosed with the disease tended to keep their experiences to themselves. That’s why it was groundbreaking, 30 years ago, when NPR health reporter Joanne Silberner profiled a woman named Toby Quitsland, who was experiencing a recurrence of breast cancer. Her stor...
Oct 03, 2024•10 min
When tech companies began announcing advanced artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT, there was widespread enthusiasm. AI was going to make mundane jobs more efficient; it was going to reshape entire industries and creative processes; and it was going to free up time for humans to do things that were, well, more human – things like creating art. But in the last few years, it’s been artists themselves raising the alarm around automation. Some see AI as a cool new tool, or another color on t...
Oct 02, 2024•15 min
When you go to vote this November, it won’t just be for President or Governor. You’ll also be voting on a group of state initiatives - and they’re complicated. We’re breaking all of them down here on Soundside this election season. And this week, we’re turning to I-2109: aka, the measure that seeks to Repeal the Capital Gains Tax. Passed by the legislature back in 2021, the tax took effect two years ago. It charges a 7% tax on the sales of some types of assets - things like stocks, bonds, and so...
Oct 02, 2024•27 min
The Yakama Nation has found it nearly impossible to access $32 million in a promised federal grant for an irrigation canal conversion project. The initiative aims to transform old irrigation canals into a solar and small-scale hydropower system, which would lower electricity costs and conserve water in the Yakima Basin. U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell celebrated the project earlier this year for its potential benefits. While incentives for renewable energy are abundant, the bureaucratic processes to...
Oct 01, 2024•13 min
In October of 2019, an 18-year-old walked out of a Seattle police training building with an officer’s personal firearm. It was eventually recovered - but questions remained about how the teen was able to access the firearm in the first place, as well as the quality of security at the training facility. This isn’t the only time an SPD firearm has gone missing. In August, SPD reported 23 missing firearms, and the department confirmed that those guns haven’t been accounted for since 2017. This info...
Oct 01, 2024•9 min
The 2024 Seattle Mariner's season wasn't just about disappointment, it was a story about fandom, money, masochism, and, sure, losing a 10 game lead in the AL West. We're breaking down the story lines and commiserating after a long season. Guests: Kate Preusser, managing editor of Lookout Landing and host of Meet at the Mitt podcast Danny O’Neil, author of The Dang Apostrophe , a newsletter on Seattle sports Relevant Links: Lookout Landing: Key takeaways from Jerry Dipoto’s Game 161 meeting with ...
Oct 01, 2024•29 min
This budget cycle, the city is bracing for what could be a contentious debate over how to fund essential services and set priorities for the coming year. With an estimated $251 million dollar budget shortfall looming, how it will address that gap has become a pressing concern. Early last week, Mayor Bruce Harrell unveiled his office’s plan to tackle the large budget shortfall. Guests: Kevin Schofield, founder of SCC Insights and author of Weekend Reads in the South Seattle Emerald. Schofield is ...
Sep 30, 2024•17 min
It's time to set aside that uninspired sandwich, or soggy work-from-home salad. You’ll probably also want to cancel any lunch plans you have you have this week, because a new podcast from KUOW and The Seattle Times may convince you to try something new. Seattle Eats with Tan Vinh is helping listeners find the best bites in Seattle — and beyond. Soundside caught up with Vinh to find out what inspired the long-time Seattle Times food writer to turn to podcasting, and what he looks for in a good 'o...
Sep 30, 2024•19 min
The Boeing machinists’ strike is in its third week. On Friday, the company and the union were back at the negotiating table. This came after Boeing made another offer earlier in the week, its “Improved Best and Final” one. It was quickly rejected. There were criticisms that it didn’t go far enough. Also, that the company had disrespected the negotiating process by releasing the offer’s details to the media. Meanwhile, the company has begun requiring thousands of managers and non-union employees ...
Sep 30, 2024•13 min
It’s been a tough few months for many local IT departments. Last week, hackers posted a handful of files stolen from SeaTac airport on the dark web. A ransomware gang is attempting to sell a trove of stolen Port of Seattle data for 6 million dollars in Bitcoin – after the Port refused to pay up. The cyber-attack a little over a month ago snarled travel when it took down ticketing, baggage, and other SeaTac services. But that’s just the highest profile ransomware case in the Seattle area in recen...
Sep 26, 2024•15 min
Washington state has officially closed the chamber where executions took place, marking the end of capital punishment here in the state. The journey to decommission this chamber involved a lot of moving parts across all branches of government. First, Governor Jay Inslee put a moratorium on executions in 2014, then the state Supreme Court declared the practice unconstitutional four years later, and finally, the legislature outlawed the practice last year. Guest: Nina Shapiro, Seattle Times report...
Sep 25, 2024•16 min
Classes at the University of Washington are back in full-swing. And as students try to find their classes, and figure out what to avoid at the dining hall – the university’s administration and faculty are trying to figure out their own conundrum: How to address artificial intelligence– chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini. For some students and teachers, AI programs can be a useful tool. While for others, it’s another way to cheat on exams and classwork. KUOW web editor Stephen Howie took a deeper l...
Sep 25, 2024•12 min
As we step into fall, and back into the rain... we thought we'd revisit a segment from last year about MUSHROOMS... Mushroom foraging is a very popular pastime here in the Pacific Northwest. Our rainy climate helps a wide variety of the fungi thrive, as well as the community that collects them. After all, who doesn’t love a good mushroom? Producer Alec Cowan, that’s who. Last fall, Alec took an excursion with some amateur mycologists to learn what it takes to become a good mushroom hunter... and...
Sep 25, 2024•10 min
Everyone is a current, former, or future teenager. You probably know this period of life is an especially difficult time for kids. Throw in a deadly pandemic and the subsequent disruption of school and social life? It got a lot more complicated. And new research suggests COVID-19 lockdowns may have had lasting consequences for adolescent minds. In a new study from the University of Washington Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS for short), researchers found that pandemic isolation ...
Sep 24, 2024•15 min
They’re repeated over and over in debates, speeches and media appearances during this presidential campaign: harmful lies about Haitian immigrants. Springfield, Ohio has been at the center of the fabrications. Former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance have falsely asserted that Haitian immigrants are eating people’s pets. Despite thorough debunking by local officials, including the Republican Governor of Ohio – Trump and Vance have doubled down on these falsehoods. The dehumani...
Sep 24, 2024•15 min
Seattle Public Schools leadership is taking a minute to think. Earlier this month, the district released plans to potentially close almost two dozen elementary schools to shore up a budget gap. Unsurprisingly: many parents were not thrilled with the idea. Hundreds packed a school board meeting demanding the district reconsider. Now, Superintendent Brent Jones says he is pausing further meetings about the closures. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want...
Sep 24, 2024•6 min
There are just a handful of weeks until the election, reports about outside interference from countries like Iran, China, and Russia are still popping up. Recently, Microsoft shared new findings about Russian efforts to interfere with the US presidential election, with a focus on the Harris-Walz campaign. This follows the tech giant’s announcement in August about Iranian -backed efforts aimed at Republican campaigns. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you w...
Sep 23, 2024•14 min
As candidates prepare to make their final pitch to voters ahead of the 2024 election, former president Donald Trump is once again using lies and hateful rhetoric about immigrants to fuel his pitch to voters. Trump has doubled down on falsehoods about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, and claimed at a rally on Saturday that migrants are “attacking villages and cities all throughout the Midwest.” During Trump’s time in the White House, his administration pursued a policy of separating child...
Sep 23, 2024•21 min
This election season we’re taking a dive into the big races and big initiatives on your ballot this November. This week we’re taking a look at Initiative 2066 – the "Natural Gas Policies Measure." For a quick refresher, this initiative aims to keep natural gas as a consumer option as building codes, state policies, and utility companies begin a pivot to green and clean energy. Yesterday, Soundside heard from Leah Missik , who opposes the initiative to repeal provisions in this year’s natural gas...
Sep 19, 2024•24 min
New criminal penalties for drug and prostitution-related crimes within some of Seattle's busiest areas are on the way. In an 8 to 1 decision, the Seattle City Council voted in favor of two ordinances on Tuesday, one creates “Stay Out Of Drug Area” zones – or “SODA” zones – in six areas of the city. A Seattle municipal court judge can now order people who get arrested for drug-related crimes to steer clear of these zones or face a gross misdemeanor charge. The other establishes a “Stay Out of Are...
Sep 18, 2024•25 min
This election season we’re bringing you conversations on all of the statewide initiatives on this November’s ballot -- and this year, many of those initiatives have something to do with Washington’s ambitious goals to completely transition off of fossil fuels. Last week we heard about Initiative 2117, which would repeal a key part of Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. Today, we’re talking about Initiative 2066. This one’s about natural gas. If passed, the measure would repeal parts of a natura...
Sep 18, 2024•21 min
The Seattle City Council is preparing to take a final vote today on a pair of new laws that city attorney Ann Davison and some city council members say could help the city fight drug trafficking and prostitution. The SODA ordinance – stands for “Stay Out of Drug Areas.” It would create a new gross misdemeanor, punishable up to 364 days in jail, and a $5,000 fine, for being caught inside a designated SODA zone – if you’re subject to a judge’s order to stay out. Soundside host Libby Denkmann talks...
Sep 17, 2024•29 min
As humans have built skyscrapers, factories and highways around the Puget Sound, our environment has become much noisier, and not just terrestrially. Underwater, humans (and our large cargo ships) have a large sonic impact, too. New research suggests that cacophony is hurting the survival of some of the original inhabitants of the Salish Sea: Southern Resident orca whales. Orcas use a series of clicks and vocalizations to hunt down their favorite meal: Chinook Salmon. It’s sort of like a bat usi...
Sep 17, 2024•13 min
Washington state parks need to be more accessible to people with disabilities. That’s the conclusion from a U.S. Department of Justice investigation – which prompted a deal announced earlier this month to bring state parks into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Guests: Laurel Demkovich, Washington State Standard reporter Syren Nagakyrie, Founder and Director of Disabled Hikers Related Links: Washington to fix accessibility violations at its state parks - Washington State Stand...
Sep 17, 2024•9 min
