Soundside

In 2024, Washington state took a novel approach to undoing some of the historical damage caused by racist housing policy. That’s the year the state launched the Covenant Homeownership Program . It provides no-interest loans to descendents of people impacted by redlining or racially restrictive covenants. Those loans can be used for down payments and closing costs.  So far, more than 1,5...

One of Washington’s hottest statehouse races is for a district representing northwest Seattle, Shoreline, parts of Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood. Legislative District 32 has an open seat, because longtime representative Cindy Ryu is challenging for a state senate seat. For Position 1, the candidate field in this solidly-blue district is crowded with Democrats.  For this r...

The gaming industry in the Pacific Northwest has been dealt some major blows in the past few weeks. Monday, Microsoft announced it would be cutting thousands of full time employees and “restructuring” their XBox division, where 1,600 jobs were cut. It’s not immediately clear how many of those are Washington-based. Last month, Bellevue based game studio Bungie announced it would b...

One of Washington’s hottest statehouse races is for a district representing northwest Seattle, Shoreline, parts of Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood. Legislative District 32 has an open seat, because longtime representative Cindy Ryu is challenging for a state senate seat. For Position 1, the candidate field in this solidly-blue district is crowded with Democrats.  For this r...

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 newscaster Paige Browning Relat...

The Enchantments are on the up and up.  Or at least, things are looking better than last year.   The 18-mile stretch in the Cascades has long been a popular destination for hikers and backpackers in Washington. But federal cuts and staffing shortages last year made the Enchantments pretty disenchanting.   In 2025, only one ranger was in charge of patrolling the Okanogan-We...

Last summer, hundreds of people protested outside of an ICE facility in Spokane. They were trying to stop agents from taking two asylum seekers to an ICE detention center in Tacoma.  As the day wore on and the protest grew in size, law enforcement ordered demonstrators to disperse… and then deployed pepper balls and smoke grenades on the crowd. The mayor issued a curfew.  By the e...

It’s official, Team USA WILL be playing against Belgium in Seattle’s FINAL World Cup match… but that’s not until Monday.  We’ve got the entire 4th of July weekend ahead of us, and I’ve got a feeling there will be a LOT of fireworks in our future.  Here with a Holiday Edition of the weekend warmup is Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows!! LINKS: 4...

In May of 2001, a building on the University of Washington’s Seattle campus went up in flames, in the middle of the night.  It was the work of arsonists. An eco-sabotage group known as the Earth Liberation Front took credit for the attack. For group members, voting and publicly demonstrating wasn't enough to allay their fears of climate catastrophe. The group had three core principles:...

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 Politics Editor Cat Smith Relat...

Revenue in Washington State’s cannabis industry has been declining since it’s peak in 2021. What’s going on? Marijuana farmers say part of the problem is, they have too much pot. Guest:  Aaron Pickus - Media Spokesperson for Washington CannaBusiness Association Michael Dykstra - Mount Baker Homegrown (Marijuana grower based in Bellingham)  Relevant Links:  Oversupp...

Comics publisher Fantagraphics is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It began as “The Comics Journal” – one of the first magazines that reviewed comics with a critics eye. At the time, it took an adversarial role against the big players in the comic industry: DC and Marvel. It tried to push comics into the realm of art instead of idle time waster for kids. And then it gr...

How much soccer have you been watching these days? For millions of American soccer fans (and probably billions elsewhere), the World Cup has already been memorable: Cabo Verde advancing against the odds, Messi setting records, the U.S. team displaying some world-class offensive magic. In fact ALL of the host countries’ teams – USA, Canada and Mexico – have made it to the knockout...

The 21st Century Road to Housing Act, is kind of like a Washington D.C. unicorn, because it passed on a bipartisan basis. Both Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D) and Rep. Dan Newhouse R) were part of strong majorities supporting the legislation.  The bill is a collection of measures focusing on the supply side of the housing equation: things that might make it easier for prospective owners to buy a hom...

Hiking can be hard. So can trail running. Even harder than both of those? Performing a rescue in the woods.  That’s why Seattle Mountain Rescue is using exoskeleton legs, under the brand name Hypershell, that you can wear on your legs to basically...  help you move .  The hope is that these mechanical legs will help the volunteer rescue team navigate rough terrain and steep in...

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: sports journalist and author of the...

A new estimate for the number of unhoused people in King County is out.  Over the past two years, the new data shows a 9% increase in the homeless population on any given night in King County, and over 18,000 homeless people in the region. One of the standout data points?  The new count also suggests a nearly 11 percent decrease in the number of Indigenous people who are unhoused in our...

Seattle will celebrate Pride this weekend: there's the parade downtown on Sunday and Pride Fest on Broadway in Capitol Hill. It's the culmination of a month of celebrations across the state, including one of the units at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. We caught up with one of the organizers of Pride there, which took place earlier this month. Guest:  Jennifer Jaylee, one of...

Our Thursday tradition continues with a big list of all the things to do outside of the Pride & World Cup of it all this weekend... That said, there ARE a ton of Pride & World Cup events, so don't miss out if that's your jam too! LINKS: Trans Pride Seattle   Seattle PrideFest   Seattle PrideFest - Capitol Hill   Seattle PrideFest - Seattle Center   Seattle Pride - Parad...

Has something like this happened to you before?  You’re on a hike with someone, maybe a romantic partner, and you start slowing down, or want to take a break, but your partner wants to push on. Eventually, you’re left behind as your partner goes ahead without you. And this situation has consequences for the relationship. If so, you’re not alone.  The phrase “Alpin...

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 political reporter Jim...

What do you know about Bellingham? Possibly that it’s renowned for its proximity to outdoor activities like skiing, mountain biking, and hiking, or it’s home to Western Washington University and a robust music and craft beer scene.  What about that it has a thriving boomerang throwing community? It’s not only thriving, but world renowned. Western Washington University is sen...

New data from King County shows putting people in housing without preconditions like drug treatment has had some significant benefits .  The report comes from the King County Department of Community and Human Services and shows a decrease in jail bookings among those in permanent supportive housing programs between 2021-2025.  Seattle has been a national leader in using such “ Hous...

As Americans age, they have a few options for care in their later years, like moving in with a family member or into an assisted-living facility.  Or aging in place.... Increasingly, with the assistance of AI.  Steven Blum is a writer from Seattle now based in Austria. He published a piece about his aging father, who lives alone in Seattle and is being monitored through Sensi. ...

The long saga of whether Seattle can or should allow housing to be built near the stadiums in Sodo is ... still going.  This wrestling match has to do with a couple blocks to the south of T-Mobile Park. The debate was restarted in 2025, when the Seattle City Council passed a bill from then-Seattle City Council president Sarah Nelson. It allowed residential use in the small strip of land next...