Soundside

Every week we talk about the most fascinating stories in the news and what they say about the Pacific Northwest. We call it Front Page. It’s our chance to talk about the latest news with a rotation of plugged-in journalists and guests, taking a look at the headlines from the weekend and the stories that we'll be following as the week moves forward. Guest:  Axios Twin Cities newsletter c...

Should you have to show your ID to watch porn online?  A proposal introduced in the State Legislature this month would require it.  If it passes, Washington will join over 20 states that already require age verification. Critics have said the law makes users vulnerable to data breaches and that content about LGBTQ people can be flagged as sexual, instead of educational, among other issue...

In a medical setting, if staffers think a patient is violent or threatening, they may restrain them to a hospital bed. Or inject them with a sedative.  In some cases, they might also use a spit hood.  This is a mesh or cloth covering that goes over a patient’s head. It was patented for law enforcement to use during arrests. Critics of these devices consider them dehumanizing&hellip...

You’ve heard a lot over the past few weeks about federal agents and how they’re policing the public in Minneapolis.  But let’s talk about how people in Washington are currently most likely to interact with Customs and Border Protection: At the border. At those crossings, there is the potential, for your phone, or other devices, to be searched.  Last fiscal year, Customs...

Seattle Public Schools has a new Superintendent.  Ben Shuldiner was the only finalist for the position, and the Seattle School Board unanimously approved his contract back in November. On Sunday he stepped into the role early after two teenagers, who are believed to be SPS students, were shot and killed at a bus stop in Rainier Valley. The shooting happened near both South Shore PK-8, and Rai...

At the start of every week we talk about the most fascinating stories in the news and what they say about the Pacific Northwest. We call it Front Page. It’s our chance to talk about the latest news with a rotation of plugged-in journalists and guests, taking a look at the headlines from the weekend and the stories that we'll be following as the week moves forward. Guest: KUOW Reporter, Produ...

“The Chronology of Water” is a new movie that dives into the story of a woman’s life, told through scattered memories.  It’s the first feature film directed by Kristen Stewart. And it tackles heavy themes that the protagonist experiences firsthand, like sexual abuse and drug addiction.  But it also explores the beauty in that life, like the escape she finds in com...

The last few weeks, Seattle commuters have been weathering I-5 maintenance on the Ship Canal Bridge. The traffic is bad, the timeline is long … yeah, it’s not fun.  Maybe this will help ease the frustration while you wait in traffic. It could be worse: we could need a whole new bridge. That’s the situation for the I-5 span over the Columbia River, at the border of Washingto...

We’re a week away from the start of the OLYMPICS! It’s the final week of January, and I’m amazed that it feels simultaneously like New Year’s Eve was just yesterday, but also that this month has felt like an entire year long. Let’s do something FUN this weekend! Here with all the stuff to do is Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows!! LINKS: Washington Sportsmen's...

Seattle’s new city attorney, Erika Evans has been on the job for a little over 3 weeks – one of several newly elected officials moving the city in a more progressive direction.    We’re discuss a range of topics - from drug laws and diversion, to federal immigration enforcement in the city.  And a quick reminder about the city attorney’s duties: They enforce...

The Trump Administration might be dialing down some of its most confrontational immigration enforcement operations focused on the Twin Cities. Alex Pretti, a 37 year old VA nurse, was shot and killed on Saturday by Customs and Border Patrol agents. It was the second deadly shooting in one month by immigration officers in Minnesota.  Federal officials said Pretti “approached U.S. Border...

Minnesota courts are reportedly overwhelmed by the number of civil rights lawsuits being filed by immigrants and observers interacting with ICE and CBP during “Operation Metro Surge.” Politico has documented more than 2,400 cases across the country, in which judges have rejected the administration’s detention policy.   Across our own state local police departments have...

The federal government wants parents to breastfeed more.  In a press conference last month, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. argued that infant formula falls short in comparison to breast milk.  And in a strategy report published last September called “Make Our Children Healthy Again," the White House said it would “work to increase breastfeeding rates.” ...

At the start of every week we talk about the most fascinating stories in the news and what they say about the Pacific Northwest. We call it Front Page. It’s our chance to talk about the latest news with a rotation of plugged-in journalists and guests, taking a look at the headlines from the weekend and the stories that we'll be following as the week moves forward. Guest: Seattle Times report...

You know what they say... where there's a weekend, there's a warmup.  And here with all the random stuff you can do this weekend is Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows! LINKS: Edible Books — Shorelake Arts GameSymphonic with Eímear Noone | Seattle Symphony Pacific NW Reptile & Exotic Animal Show Jet City Roller Derby 20th Anniversary Season Game 1 5th Annual Viking Bear...

When you visit the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma, you’ll see a red circular structure with a four-letter phrase written across the top: “This Is Native Land.”  It’s the name of the museum’s permanent exhibit that opened in October. The phrase is a reminder that you’ve probably seen many times... But don’t be lulled into thinking you’...

For over 30 years (since 1995) Ira Glass has been one of, if not THE voice of public radio.  His show, This American Life, has won Peabody awards, the first ever audio journalism Pulitzer. And it’s also shaped generations of listeners and audio makers. As an early adopter of podcasting (2006), the show was for many a first foray into digital listening. It spawned major hits like Serial,...

There’s not a lot of places like Seattle Center... Where else can you take in the opera, a professional hockey game, and an iconic tourist attraction (y’know, the pointy one with a disk on top,) plus a world-famous radio station, and Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning on a six story movie screen… all in the same place? The 13 square block campus draws over  10 million visi...

At the start of every week we talk about the most fascinating stories in the news and what they say about the Pacific Northwest. We call it Front Page. It’s our chance to talk about the latest news with a rotation of plugged-in journalists and guests, taking a look at the headlines from the weekend and the stories that we'll be following as the week moves forward. Guest: KUOW reporter Casey...

Seismic activity at sporting events is nothing new to Seattle fans.  Many of us remember Marshawn Lynch’s 2011 BEAST-QUAKE. Seahawks fans revel in Lumen Field’s reputation for noise when opposing teams are on offense…  Even T-Mobile Park has experienced its fair share of shaking. Earlier this year when the Mariners made it to the playoffs, the Pacific Northwest Seismic...

In recent years, Washington state has made two major policy changes to keep more birth families together. Since then, fewer kids in Washington have been taken from their birth families, especially infants. But over the same time period, more babies and children from families who’ve been investigated by child welfare workers have died. That’s why critics say those changes have made chil...

How comfortable are you with AI in your news?  The Tacoma News Tribune, Tri-City Herald, Bellingham Herald, the Olympian. For over a century all of these local papers have brought in-depth reporting and local news to their communities. But new policies instituted by publisher McClatchy Media have left reporters at the papers worried that the company is adopting artificial intelligence tools f...

Another week down, only... 50 left to go in 2026.  If you need a bit of distraction from your doom scrolling, we’ve got just the thing…  Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is here with local events you can check out over the next few days, plus some really great stuff coming up to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr Day… LINKS: SEATTLE SEAHAWKS vs San Francisco 49e...

The state’s general fund budget is in trouble, as is its transportation budget. Inflation, higher than expected costs, lower than anticipated revenues, state services scheduled to expand. If you listen to KUOW, you’re probably aware of why the state is facing budget shortfalls.  This next segment is about a bright spot in the state’s budget: the money generated from the cap...

Tensions across the country remain high one week after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.  The shooting has sparked nationwide protests, including in the Seattle area. Accounts of what happened have split along political lines. Since the shooting, the administration is doubling down on its immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities. The number of federal immigration...