All good things must come to an end, and while that includes things like MoPop's Nirvana exhibition, it also means the work week is coming to a close. With that in mind, here's Soundside producer Jason Megatron Burrows with all the things you could be doing this weekend! LINKS: Seahawks vs 49ers - 1:05 pm Sunday 9/7 Seattle Storm vs NY Liberty - 7:00 pm Friday 9/5 SEA-Nordic Film Festival Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival Mukilteo Lighthouse Festival BrickCon 2025 Nirvana Exhibition Closing | M...
Sep 04, 2025•5 min
Last week, the parents of a 16-year-old boy who died by suicide sued OpenAI, the company that owns ChatGPT. They say the bot fed into their son’s suicidal ideation, giving him technical advice on how to commit the act and even encouraging him to hide his plans. The tragedy highlights the dark side of the emotional dependence some people have developed with AI. What potential power does AI hold over its users, and what safeguards will help us navigate this transitional period in tech history? Gue...
Sep 04, 2025•22 min
Monsanto has settled with more than 200 people in Monroe, Washington, who were exposed to PCBs -- toxic chemicals once produced by the company. Students, parents and staff at the Sky Valley alternative school in Snohomish County, had filed lawsuits against Monsanto starting in 2018, after reporting significant illnesses. The amount of the settlement has not been revealed, but it looks to possibly be the largest settlement over PCB exposure at a single site. Guest: Seattle Times reporter Lulu Ram...
Sep 02, 2025•11 min
If you’re a news junkie (or social media user) your feeds have likely been inundated lately with headlines and videos of immigration officers taking people into custody across our region. Like the story about federal agents arresting two people working to tame the Bear Gulch fire near Lake Cushman. Or the arrest of a Washington National Guard veteran who has lived in the U.S. for decades… who was taken into custody during his citizenship interview. And we might see activity ramp up: Donald Trump...
Sep 02, 2025•15 min
In 22 states, people subject to certain domestic violence protection orders must surrender their guns. Washington State has had that requirement since 2014, when lawmakers unanimously voted to strip abusers of their guns. But not all judges here have been enforcing that law. That’s because of a 2022 appeals court decision that led many judges and judicial officers to view it as unconstitutional. Now, a new ruling in a separate case may provide more clarity and keep more guns out of the hands of ...
Sep 02, 2025•20 min
If you’ve driven from Seattle to Mount Rainier this summer, you might’ve had to find a different route from normal – one that misses the town of Wilkeson. Since April, this Pierce County town of just under 500 people has been cut off from a major source of economic activity: Through traffic, due to the closure of the Fairfax Bridge a few months ago. And, to add insult to injury, another key bridge is also closed. The White River Bridge was blocked off following a crash involving a semitruck. Wil...
Aug 29, 2025•11 min
It’s Thursday, and on Thursdays, we hear from Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows with everything worth doing this weekend... but he's on vacation so here's Producer Shane Mehling instead. WA State Fair BUMBERSHOOT PAX West 2025 Seattle Indies Expo Dave Matthews’ Annual takeover of The Gorge Cypress Hill at Marymoore Park Blackberry Festival Olympia Harbor Days Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenot...
Aug 28, 2025•5 min
Have you been at a party recently and found yourself reaching for sparkling water instead of a glass of wine? Join the club. A new Gallup poll found that Americans are drinking less than ever before. Only 54% of U.S. adults are reporting that they consume alcohol. That’s a record low since the survey company started asking about people’s drinking habits back in 1939. And young people are drinking less than older Americans, a trend we’re seeing in our region, too: The Seattle Times reports that y...
Aug 27, 2025•20 min
The story of Amanda Knox has been told many times, and there have been several versions: there were the sensational allegations laid out by an Italian prosecutor, of a University of Washington exchange student who, in 2007, murdered her British roommate as part of a sex-game-gone wrong. That story landed Knox in Italian prison for almost four years; that story was fiction. Then, there were the clickbaity tabloid exploits of “Foxy Knoxy,” a sex-obsessed “luciferina.” This story, which is also wro...
Aug 26, 2025•28 min
Governor Ferguson continues to defy demands from the Trump Administration to end Washington’s “sanctuary state” policies. But lawmakers say there’s one place here where protections for immigrants are falling short: state prisons. That, says Tacoma state Representative Sharlett Mena, means the state isn’t doing everything it could to keep Washingtonians safe. According to reporting from the Washington State Standard, dozens of lawmakers are calling for the state Department of Corrections to chang...
Aug 26, 2025•14 min
President Trump has threatened to sign an Executive Order that would end mail-in voting in America. His comments last week come at a time when the President is suggesting multiple ways to help Republicans hold onto Congress in the 2026 midterms. Nearly a third of national ballots came through the mail in the 2024 election. And the Washington State legislature required vote-by-mail starting in 2011. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs talks to us about what President Trump can do and defends Washingto...
Aug 26, 2025•12 min
The future of Seattle City Light might run through Oregon. The city has contracted two solar fields in central Oregon in an effort to meet surging demand for electricity in the city. It’s estimated that by 2033, the utility will need to about double its current production in order to keep up. But where all of that new power will come from is still unclear. Guest David Kroman , Seattle Times reporter Links Seattle hopes to build its future in Oregon’s desert — or blackouts may follow - The Seattl...
Aug 25, 2025•17 min
Recent tech company protests are highlighting the connection between worker power and free speech here in Seattle. On Sunday, protestors, including current and former Microsoft employees, kayaked across Lake Washington to the homes of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and President Brad Smith. From the water they unfurled banners reading “Microsoft kills kids” and “Satya + Brad = War Criminals”. This was the latest in a week of action calling for the company to cut ties with the Israeli government an...
Aug 25, 2025•16 min
Recently on Soundside, we took a ride into the world of micromobility. Specifically, we wanted to know as more e-bikes and scooters crowd the streets and sidewalks, how are cities like Seattle adapting? And after that segment, we got an interesting listener question about helmets, inspired by this Slate article . So we decided to investigate. "I think it's very wise to wear a helmet," our expert guest told us. "But they're not the whole story.. there are so many other public health interventions...
Aug 21, 2025•9 min
A brand new contemporary art space opened up this week in downtown Seattle. It's called Cannonball Arts, and Soundside recently got a sneak preview. GUESTS: Brent Watanabe , a Seattle based artist who specializes in computer-controlled installations Greg Lundgren , Creative Director of New Rising Sun RELATED LINKS: Cannonball Arts Downtown Seattle’s Bed Bath & Beyond building to become an arts center Real-Deal Out-There Art - The Stranger Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make th...
Aug 21, 2025•11 min
What does the Pacific Northwest sound like to you? Is it the tide rolling over a rocky beach? The wind across the Palouse? Or maybe a ferry horn echoing across the Puget Sound? On Soundside, we occasionally ask field recordists about THEIR iconic sounds of the northwest. Today, we hear from Gordon Hempton, also known as the Sound Tracker. He sent us a recording of snow melting on Hurricane Ridge on the Olympic Peninsula. GUEST: Gordon Hempton , acoustic ecologist and Emmy Award winning sound rec...
Aug 21, 2025•3 min
It’s Thursday, and on Thursdays, we hear from Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows with everything worth doing this weekend! LINKS: A Clarinet Concert with Cameron DeLuca Bend It Like Booker WA State Garlic Fest The Evergreen State Fair Get Sauced! ZooTunes Comedy What the Funk Fest Makah Days in Neah Bay Everfree Northwest Dragonflight GameCon Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a ...
Aug 21, 2025•6 min
A group of current and former Microsoft employees briefly occupied part of the company’s Redmond campus yesterday to protest the relationship between the tech giant and Israel’s military. The protest was led by a group called No Azure for Apartheid. Their name refers to a cloud computing service that has been contracted for use by Israel’s government. The demonstration follows recent reporting that Israel uses Azure as a mass surveillance tool against Palestinians, one that has shaped military o...
Aug 20, 2025•10 min
For college students, saying you majored in computer science used to be code (excuse the pun) for a six-figure salary and job stability. Now some fear those days are behind us. Since 2014, the number of undergraduates majoring in computer science has more than doubled, but the job offers aren’t flowing like they used to. Natasha Singer, a technology reporter at The New York Times, tells us about her recent story on computer science majors struggling to find employment as their field changes. The...
Aug 20, 2025•22 min
In many ways, the homicide of Barbara Innis was a clear cut case. There were witnesses, a weapon, and a suspect immediately taken into custody. The complication: the suspect, Barbara’s husband, can’t remember the crime. 87 year old George Innis had shown signs of dementia for years prior to the killing of his wife at their Bellevue assisted living center. His journey through the legal system highlights the questions surrounding prosecution and care of people with degenerative memory loss. Guest:...
Aug 20, 2025•19 min
If you got your coffee from a Seattle Starbucks this morning, it may have been prepared by a unionized barista. At least 33 Starbucks in Washington have unions, including the cafe at the company’s headquarters in Sodo and the Reserve Roastery on Capitol Hill, according to The Seattle Times. It’s the result of an organizing effort that began in 2021 in Buffalo, New York. Starbucks workers across that city kicked off a renewed push to unionize those coffee shops. Jaz Brisack was one of the lead or...
Aug 19, 2025•38 min
Across Washington, student vaccination rates have fallen slightly over the past few years, but those statewide figures gloss over some parts that saw pretty big declines --- especially in one southwest Washington school district. The data showed the Naselle-Grays River Valley School District saw student vaccinations for diseases like tetanus, polio and rubella drop by more than 46%, making it the district with the lowest immunization rate in the state for 2024 to 2025. But what’s on paper doesn’...
Aug 19, 2025•13 min
It’s not just your imagination: There are more shared bikes and scooters zipping around the streets of Seattle. Data collected by the city's Department of Transportation shows that between January and early August of 2025, the number of trips recorded on shared bikes and scooters jumped nearly 75 percent compared with the same time period last year. As streets and sidewalks get more crowded – how are cities like Seattle adapting? Guests Jeff Bailey, a writer and editor in Denver Links From E-Bik...
Aug 18, 2025•15 min
Last week, actress Bindi Irwin made a viral post on Instagram. Bindi is the daughter of the late Steve Irwin – the famed “Crocodile Hunter.” Bindi is also, herself, a conservationist, but her post didn’t have to do with wildlife health. Rather, it was about her own. She said she was recovering from surgery to remove 51 lesions, a cyst, and her appendix. Prior to this, Irwin had suffered 13 years of pain from endometriosis. She wrote, “I felt utterly ashamed as a teenager and young adult being to...
Aug 18, 2025•22 min
For years, Seattle residents have known that several city police officers attended the ‘Stop the Steal’ rally in Washington D.C. on January 6th, 2021. But the names of most of those police officers were unknown until recently. After a lengthy court fight, the city in late July disclosed the identities of all the officers who attended the rally. The city also released records from an investigation of the officers' role in the rally. KUOW reporter Amy Radil combed through those records and joins u...
Aug 15, 2025•20 min
An ex-county clerk in Kentucky who drew nationwide attention for denying marriage licenses for same-sex couples is back in the news. Kim Davis is asking the Supreme Court to overturn its landmark decision that legalized same sex unions nationwide. Obergefell v. Hodges was issued in 2015. It officially recognized that queer Americans have a constitutional right to get married. Hundreds of thousands of people have been married in the 10 years since. And also since then, Kim Davis has been fighting...
Aug 14, 2025•24 min
On days like today, it’s nice to sit back, enjoy the cloud cover, and think about all the things you want to do this weekend. Here with a smattering of events to keep you busy is Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows! LINKS: Movies at the Mural: Say Anything Seattle Tattoo Expo The Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire Seattle Worldcon 2025 Chief Seattle Days Arlington SkyFest CHOMP! Celebrate Shoreline A Touch More Live An Evening With Rhett & Link Capitol Hill Garage Sale Phoenix Merc...
Aug 14, 2025•6 min
If there’s a sci-fi movie or TV show that you enjoy, there’s a good chance it’s based on a book, and there’s an even better chance that book has won a HUGO AWARD. From Afrofuturist Octavia E Butler to Sci-Fi legends Frank Herbert and Ursula Le Guin, the Pacific Northwest has been home to several winners of one of the most prestigious honors in speculative fiction, fantasy and sci-fi. What you may not realize is that the Hugo Award Ceremony happens each year at a gathering called “Worldcon.” And ...
Aug 14, 2025•14 min
There’s a war being waged in Seattle right now. But you won’t see it out on the streets, among your fellow citizens. Instead – look to the sky. For years, two airlines: Delta and Alaska have battled for supremacy at Seatac. Now, The Wall Street Journal says Alaska Airlines is making a big play to expand international flights – and Delta is striking back. Guest: Alison Sider, a reporter covering airlines and air travel for the Wall Street Journal Related stories: Battle for Seattle: Can Delta Kee...
Aug 14, 2025•11 min
The Trump administration is trying to restrict access to a substance you might find at your local smoke shop. The FDA in late July announced plans to crack down on 7-OH. Commissioner Marty Makary described it as an opioid that can be more potent than morphine and the agency's pushing to get it classified as a Schedule 1 substance -- like ecstasy or heroin. You may not have heard of 7-OH, but you’ve probably heard of kratom. It’s the substance that 7-OH comes from – and it’s controversial in its ...
Aug 14, 2025•16 min
