Bankruptcy is an unfortunate reality for thousands of Americans every year, but cities declaring bankruptcies are far more rare. Since the 1930s, municipality bankruptcies have only happened around 700 times in the U.S. And in Washington State it’s only happened once, until this week when the city of Cle Elum declared itself insolvent in bankruptcy court, saddled with significant debt. How significant? 26 million dollars, more than five times the town’s annual budget. Guest: Seattle Times report...
Jun 26, 2025•13 min
We’ve been celebrating Pride all month with a TON of events across the state, but now, we’ve hit critical mass, because it’s PRIDE WEEKEND! There is SO MUCH happening, so let's get to it: LINKS: Indigiqueer Festival Trans Pride Seattle Seattle Dyke March PRIDE-FEST: Capitol Hill Seattle Pride Parade 2025 PRIDE-FEST: Seattle Center Dungeons and Drag Queens at The Crocodile Brewology - Pacific Science Center Fairy Fest - Lakewold Gardens Buckley Log Show Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you he...
Jun 26, 2025•8 min
Washington State started conducting all-mail elections in 2014 and it’s mostly been smooth sailing since then. But a national explosion of vote-by-mail during the 2020 election due to Covid sparked a partisan backlash against the practice. President Trump made claims that voting by mail would lead to widespread fraud, accusations that grew louder after he lost that election to President Biden. Now the Washington State Republican Party has officially come out against vote-by-mail, with Chairman J...
Jun 26, 2025•14 min
A festival celebrating the city’s only river won't happen this year. The organization hosting the Duwamish River Festival shut the August celebration down, due to concerns about Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in South Park, the neighborhood where the festival usually takes place. We talk about the decision with the head of the Duwamish River Community Coalition, the organization that usually runs the festival. Guest Paulina Lopez, executive director of the Duwamish River Community ...
Jun 25, 2025•9 min
Over the last three years, the shortage of public defenders in Washington state has built to a crisis. It’s been taking a toll on the lawyers who represent clients that need representation but can’t afford it. Since that representation is promised in the U.S. and state constitutions, these lawyers are a critical aspect of the legal system. When there aren’t enough lawyers, people wait in jail. Last year, the ACLU of Washington sued Yakima County for denying defendants their sixth amendment right...
Jun 24, 2025•18 min
A ceasefire between Israel and Iran appears to be holding at this hour. President Trump spoke briefly to reporters this morning on the White House lawn. He used an expletive and said he was unhappy that the two countries had both initially violated the agreement to pause attacks. More than a week after Israel kicked off the new war with Iran, Trump intervened on Saturday by ordering a U.S. strike on three Iranian nuclear sites. This morning the president has been re-posting messages on social me...
Jun 24, 2025•27 min
Washington state is taking quick action to meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As part of it, last year the state spent $45 million dollars to help lower income people buy or lease electric vehicles. To do this, they lowered the barrier for getting a rebate – all you needed to do was self-report your income or say you were enrolled in an assistance program, and the dealer would discount thousands of dollars from the price. But a new investigation from Cascade PBS has found that s...
Jun 23, 2025•12 min
A new book examines the theory that lead and arsenic poisoning may have affected the brain development of serial killers like Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgway. Childhood exposure to these poisons might provide a partial explanation for these horrific crimes. The book is “ Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers .” It’s part memoir; part examination of anthropology, criminology, and also the ecological history of the Pacific Northwest. Guest Caroline Fraser , author of “Murderland...
Jun 23, 2025•29 min
Upstairs at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture, MoPop, right now you can take a trip through the musical genres and artists that trace the arc of Black history in America, from gospel foremothers like Rosetta Tharpe and Mahalia Jackson, to the soul songs of Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder. The exhibit is called Never Turn Back: Echoes of African American Music. Soundside host Libby Denkmann caught up with curator Adeerya Johnson for a tour of the exhibit. GUEST: Adeerya Johnson, Associate Curator...
Jun 18, 2025•16 min
We are officially in the summer busy season. Solstice, pride, Juneteenth — if you’re looking for something to do this week, have no fear, there’s something for you. Soundside is off tomorrow for Juneteenth, so we're bringing you an EARLY edition of the WEEKEND WARMUP. Here with stuff to do this weekend is Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows! LINKS: Juneteenth | Atlantic Street Center NAAM | Juneteenth Juneteenth — ACLT Summer of Soul Series Juneteenth 2025 | Mercer Island, Washington Junet...
Jun 18, 2025•6 min
Boys and ghouls, allow me to tell you about the mad doctor who injects himself with an experimental serum, turning the scientist into a hideous monster that terrorizes a hospital. This twisted tale is from the mind of Richard Lyford, a 19-year-old indie filmmaker in Seattle, who wrote, directed and starred in the short horror film The Scalpel . But he wasn’t influenced by horror legends like John Carpenter or Wes Craven or George Romero. No, The Scalpel was filmed in 1936, and film historians co...
Jun 17, 2025•16 min
Israel and Iran continue to trade missile and drone attacks as the war stretches into its fifth day. This conflict started last week with Israeli airstrikes that targeted top military commanders and nuclear facilities in Iran. Here in the Seattle area, members of the Iranian diaspora are experiencing a familiar anxiety: Trying to keep tabs on friends and family during a bloody conflict. We talk to four members of Seattle's Iranian diaspora and get additional analysis on the conflict from a Washi...
Jun 17, 2025•23 min
Have you ever walked into a bookstore, lonely and single, and hoped you’d meet the love of your life? We know there are at least a few of you out there. That's part of the setup for Moira Macdonald’s debut novel “Storybook Ending.” It’s a story about loneliness, friendship, reading – and of course, the singular pleasure of spending time between the shelves of a cozy book shop in Seattle. The spot in question, titled “Read the Room”, is based on Ravenna’s Third Place Books, one of Macdonald's reg...
Jun 16, 2025•20 min
Millions of Americans across the country gathered over the weekend in support of “No Kings Day”, a nationwide protest against the Trump Administration. Marches were planned to contrast with a military parade at the nation’s capital, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Army. The events also coincided with President Trump’s birthday. And it all came after a week of escalating tensions between the federal government and California officials, where immigration raids had prompted clashes betwe...
Jun 16, 2025•32 min
Lawmakers in D.C. are still working on President Trump's big beautiful bill. That's the budget reconciliation measure focused on extending his first term tax cuts, boosting defense spending and immigration enforcement and cutting some spending. Should it become law, it's expected to cut into benefits for millions of Americans – specifically, federal food assistance programs. It's expected to slice hundreds of billions from SNAP, or food stamps. Around 10 percent of Washington state's population ...
Jun 12, 2025•26 min
Well, I don't know about YOU, but President Trump has big weekend plans: On Saturday, he's going to be enjoying a military parade in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Army, which also happens to fall on his birthday. There are hundreds of protests planned in cities across the country as counter-programming to this parade. They're organized under the umbrella of the "No Kings" theme. That includes here in Washington State, and the No Kings website says 80 protests are planned in places from A...
Jun 12, 2025•5 min
This weekend, the FIFA Club World Cup descends on Seattle.This isn’t the big tournament that pits national teams against each other that’s coming in 2026. Instead, this tournament features club teams from around the world. Spectators in Seattle will be able to see storied squads take the pitch throughout June. For clubs, there is big money at stake but the majority of that money, at least when it comes to Major League Soccer, is set to go to the clubs’ owners. U.S. players, including ones with t...
Jun 11, 2025•14 min
The Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire is the largest ren faire in the state. It will bring out fairies, pirates, knights in shining armor, and more for five weeks, starting in mid-July, near the Skykomish River outside of Monroe. It has a whole lot of fans including one of our colleagues at KUOW, Vicky VanHout. She says Ren Faires are all about dressing up in medieval garb, dancing to medieval themed music, archery, and axe throwing. A celebration of cosplay and history together! But, not e...
Jun 11, 2025•16 min
The Trump Administration’s efforts to deport more unauthorized immigrants have led to protests in major cities across the United States. Evidence of stepped-up immigration enforcement can also be seen at the U.S.-Canada border. But it’s not always drawing protests or media attention. A family of six at the Blaine border crossing was detained earlier this year. The family, originally from southwestern Africa, was held by Customs and Border Protection in a windowless cell, with a toilet, for more ...
Jun 11, 2025•19 min
For a long time, if you wanted to know what the future looked like for Washington’s climate policies, you just had to look at California. The Golden State put a carbon auction in place in 2012. 10 years later, state lawmakers here set up our own cap and trade system. California passed legally binding emissions goals in 2006. Washington did that about a decade later. And let’s talk car sales: California passed a law that will ban the sale of most gasoline powered vehicles by 2035. Washington pass...
Jun 11, 2025•12 min
When the University of Washington began searching for a new president back in 2015, they did what you might expect: They started a nationwide hunt, looking for the best fit to lead an institution known at the time, more for its research than for its classes. It turns out the answer was right at home. Ana Mari Cauce had been at the University of Washington since 1986, in various teaching and leadership roles, starting as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology. Cauce entered the of...
Jun 10, 2025•38 min
Seattle is gearing up to host some big events this summer – from music festivals to early World Cup matches. The Sounders will host their first FIFA Club World Cup match on Sunday June 15 at Lumen Field. June is also Pride Month, with all kinds of LQBTQ+-focused celebrations planned throughout the city. It’s a time when law enforcement agencies are tasked with keeping people safe, and respecting free expression. And that balance has gotten extra difficult in recent weeks here in Seattle, after d...
Jun 09, 2025•26 min
ICE enforcement raids led to violent clashes between protestors and law enforcement in Los Angeles this weekend. President Trump mobilized the National Guard in response. This was against the wishes of the state’s Governor, Gavin Newsom -- it’s the first time a President has done so since the 1960s. Both Newsom and L.A. mayor Karen Bass have vocally criticized the move, with Newsom calling it an “unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.” Over 50 people were arrested this weekend. More protests...
Jun 09, 2025•11 min
President Trump deployed 2,000 California National Guard troops in Los Angeles this weekend. Protests had broken out in response to aggressive local immigration enforcement activity. California’s attorney general now says the state will sue the president over this. But here in Washington, is the state prepared for widespread protests or presidential mobilization of the national guard? We spoke with Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, a Democrat, on Monday morning about those questions. Thank...
Jun 09, 2025•12 min
If you’re not up for driving all the way to Astoria Oregon for the Goonies, and would rather stick closer to home this weekend, never fear - we’ve got you covered! Here with almost every event, festival, and concert happening this weekend is Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows! LINKS: Steel Magic Northwest - "Here Comes the Sun" Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show - Tacoma Indigenous People Festival - Seattle Center Kent Nerd Party 2025 Duvall Days Festival SCOTTISH GATHERING - Blaine Mariti...
Jun 05, 2025•7 min
Let’s talk foosball. You know, the table top game with the little soccer guys. Maybe you’re a hot shot at your local bar. You have a few tricks up your sleeve. And maybe they’ve even won you a couple beers over the years. But we warn you: You are in an entirely different league from Spokane resident Lotus Leong-Chesbrough. She has won real money playing foosball. She’s been coy about saying how much, but it's at least in the six figures. She’s also claimed two foosball world titles and, in 2018,...
Jun 04, 2025•10 min
Chris Vance was a Republican for 37 years. During that time he served as the chair for the Washington State Republican Party, a Metropolitan King County Councilmember and a state representative. But then Donald Trump descended down that golden escalator. Vance left the GOP in 2017 as President Trump was reshaping the Party in his image. Since then Vance has considered himself in exile… flirting with independent candidates and openly supporting Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. So it might come...
Jun 04, 2025•25 min
Last month Pierce County resident Tuan Thanh Phan was deported. That wasn’t unexpected for Tuan or his family - he was planning on starting a new life in Vietnam after he was deported. His permanent residency was revoked in 2009, nearly ten years after he was convicted of first degree murder and second degree assault. The surprise was where he went. He wasn’t going to Vietnam, his birth country. Instead, Tuan ended up on a flight to South Sudan. That was redirected to Djibouti. The flight was pa...
Jun 04, 2025•9 min
In D.C. the president’s Big Beautiful Bill is facing a contentious fight in the Senate. Governor Ferguson recently signed over 400 bills into law. But there was other bill related news in recent weeks and we went to see someone who has been right in the middle of it. Alejandro Rico Guevara is one of the foremost researchers on hummingbird bills. He has spent years studying how hummingbirds use their beaks to feed and fight. But his latest research looked at how human actions seem to be driving a...
Jun 03, 2025•17 min
Cathy Moore is stepping down from the Seattle City Council. She announced the decision yesterday afternoon, citing health and personal reasons. Moore has been in office for a year and a half, and leaves district 5 - which includes Greenwood, North Gate and Lake City - down an elected representative. Why has Moore decided to step down after such a short tenure, and what does it mean for Seattle’s city council? Guest: David Kroman, city hall reporter for the Seattle Times Related stories: Councilm...
Jun 03, 2025•14 min
