Soundside

Like so many others, Jas Ikeda struggled with the images and stories coming out of Gaza – of the widespread destruction and the growing starvation.  Like others, she felt frustrated that more wasn’t being done to help the people caught in the conflict. Unlike most others, Ikeda has a lot of sailing experience. So when she heard about the Global Sumud Flotilla, she jumped at the ch...

Washington State highways and bridges are in need of a serious refresh. That’s according to a WSDOT official who told the Washington State Transportation Commission this month: “We are in the early stages of critical failure due to lack of funding.” -  Troy Suing, Director, Capital Program Development and Management, Washington State Department of Transportation “Prese...

Update, 11:45 am, 10/31: Two federal judges have ordered the Trump administration to fund SNAP using the USDA's contingency funds. Read more from The Associated Press . _________________________________________________________________________________ 10/29: More than 1 in 10 people in Washington state rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Most of those recipients are i...

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed U.S strikes on four more boats in waters near South America. The attacks happened Monday off the coast of Colombia in the eastern Pacific Ocean.  Hegseth claimed without citing evidence, “the four vessels were known by our intelligence apparatus, transiting along known narco-trafficking routes, and carrying narcotics.”  Including this...

Amazon confirmed this morning it is cutting 14,000 employees from its corporate workforce. In a letter sent to employees earlier today, the Senior Vice President of “People Experience and Technology” – basically, HR – at Amazon quoted CEO Andy Jassey, saying “we want to operate like the world’s largest startup… by reducing layers, increasing ownership, an...

It’s Day 28 of the federal government shutdown – just a few days away from this becoming the longest-running shutdown in U.S. history… And air traffic controllers working without pay are feeling it.  Today, the nation’s roughly 13,000 air traffic controllers are getting their first zero-dollar paycheck since the government shutdown began on October 1.  &nbsp...

If you’ve ever hung out in Oregon’s Fort Stevens State Park, you’ve probably come face to face with the Peter Iredale shipwreck.  The British vessel crashed onto the coast in 1906 and has stayed there ever since. Today it has become quite the tourist attraction.  But for all its notoriety, the Peter Iredale is just one of more than 2,000 shipwrecks that happened along a...

At a time when Starbucks is closing 200 of its stores and Amazon plans to replace half a million jobs with robots, one Seattle business has been surprisingly resilient: Costco.  In 1983, Costco opened its first store in Seattle and today it’s the third largest retailer in the world, with more than 900 stores globally. But while Costco is known for its devoted customer base and gene...

We may not be watching the Mariners in the World Series this weekend, but that doesn't mean there aren't awesome things to do...  LINKS: Tacoma Holiday Festival Dustin Nickerson at the Neptune Seattle Kraken vs Edmonton Oilers 2025 PSMS Annual Wild Mushroom Show Seattle Coffee Festival AI & Democracy - Women’s University Club SPOOKY STUFF:  Washington State Horror Con Fashionab...

It can be easy to make jokes about the split realities of the “Portlandia” sketch you could make out of those images, and the scene President Trump describes when he talks about the Rose City- a place, quote, “where they kill people and destroy the city.” But, with an appeals court ruling this week clearing the way for Oregon National Guard troops to deploy to Portland &nda...

Consider yourself cordially invited to Brendan Healy’s memorial service.  That’s because the Seattle playwright is sharing his experience of living with, and dying from, a terminal illness.  His newest play is called "Eulogy, or How to Plan Your Own Funeral (and have fun doing it!)"   If you go, you’ll get a front-row seat to remembrances of Healy’s life. But...

Today, we heard an announcement of a proposed Seattle Police union deal  that could open the door to expanded use of police alternatives.  There’s also been some positive news on the city budget – to the tune of about $14 million in unexpected revenue on the horizon. And the City Council recently approved a sales tax increase to fund public safety priorities .  Lots of C...

What do dwarf mallow and dandelion have in common? Sure, most people would consider both of these plants weeds, but they're also both found in Natalie Hammerquist's new book, Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest . Hammerquist is an expert forager who makes YouTube videos about plants in the PNW . We took a trip with her to sample a veritable salad bar growing in between pavers and along the path...

Seattle hasn't had a two term mayor since Greg Nickels, who won a second term nearly two decades ago.  Incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell is trying to break the streak of one term mayors. He was elected to the position in 2021. He previously served on the Seattle city council for 12 years.  His opponent is Katie Wilson. She founded the nonprofit Transit Riders Union and serves as its chair.&n...

Wanna scare an apple farmer?  Just say one word: “ Honeycrisp.”    We're kidding…. But they do make farmers' lives harder.  That’s according to a recent story in the Wall Street Journal calling the variety a “ farmer’s nightmare.” And that’s tough because they’re one of the most popular apples on the market. People can&rsqu...

In a few months, Washingtonians on Medicare could see additional hurdles when it comes to getting approval for their procedures and care. .  That’s because the Trump Administration is exploring the use of prior authorizations to assess whether medical services are necessary for a patient. If it isn’t, the procedures may not be covered. Prior authorization is a common practice in t...

Shelley Fairweather-Vega is a Seattle-based translator.  She’s responsible for the English edition of Uzbek writer Hamid Ismailov’s novel “We Computers.” For that work, Fairweather-Vega is a finalist for a 2025 National Book Award in the translated literature category.  She wrote in the afterword to “We Computers,” that she tried to find room in the pl...

Who will be Seattle’s next top lawyer?  The city attorney enforces Seattle’s laws, prosecutes misdemeanor crimes and defends the city in court. After a summer primary, former assistant U.S. attorney Erika Evans emerged as the challenger to incumbent City Attorney Ann Davison.  They debate at KUOW in front of a live studio audience.  Guests Ann Davison, incumbent Seattle...

Your weekend has arrived, we're ALL celebrating HUMPY, and we're anticipating that very first Mariners World Series... But, there are a bunch of other things happening, so let's get to it! LINKS: SPORTS!! Mariners!! - Thurs/Fri at home, (Sun/Mon in Toronto if needed) Reign vs Utah Royals FC Seahawks vs Houston - MNF! SIFF DocFest - starts Thurs 10/16, ends 10/23 Seattle Antiquarian Book Fair Seatt...

Demonstrators are gearing up for another nationwide No Kings Day Protest this weekend against President Donald Trump.  If you don’t know what we’re talking about, here’s a tagline on the event’s website to catch you up to speed : “Reclaiming Democracy, Rejecting Authoritarianism.”  For years, Americans on the left have called Trump an authoritarian. An...

Two candidates are running to represent the city of Seattle in one of our two city-wide Council seats. And 2026 will be a big year for the council – we’ve got a looming budget deficit, potential federal funding cuts, and, of course, the continuous threat of federal troops being sent to our fair city. The first candidate is a familiar name – incumbent Sara Nelson was elected to th...

Americans are reading less for pleasure these days. That’s according to research from the University of Florida and University College London. And it’s not a little dip - we’re talking a 40% drop in daily leisure reading for people 15 and older over the past two decades.  This shift is especially prevalent for specific groups, like Black Americans, people with lower incomes,...

It’s been quite a week for one Seattle scientist, after getting an unexpected late-night call from a Swedish phone number last week. That call turned out to bring good news: Dr. Mary Brunkow is sharing this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. She’s being honored for research she did decades ago; work that would eventually loom large in developing ways to treat autoimmun...

Two candidates are running to represent Southeast Seattle, including Beacon Hill, the Chinatown-International District, Columbia City, and Rainier Beach. The District 2 seat was left vacant earlier this year when former City Councilmember Tammy Morales left the role. It’s being temporarily filled by Interim Councilmember Mark Solomon, but he’s going to step aside once voters decide whi...

We open this weekend's warmup with a fun chat about the TASVEER FILM FESTIVAL.  Soundside's Libby Denkmann spoke with Tasveer Executive Director Rita Meher about what everyone can expect for this year's festival, and what exciting things they've got coming soon! Then producer Jason Burrows takes it away with the standard issue warmup. LINKS: Tasveer Film Festival SPORTS! Mariners vs Tigers -...