Soundside

Washington’s great outdoors are famous for breathtaking mountain views, crystal blue lakes and…. roads? You could start seeing more of that last one on your hikes and camping trips in the coming years.  That’s because President Trump is trying to get rid of the Roadless Rule. It’s a 2001 federal policy that prohibits road construction and logging in protected national...

A new school year has started; kids are sharpening pencils and breaking in backpacks. Many are also getting used to another new tool: Artificial Intelligence.  A slew of tech companies have been offering free or low-cost AI products to schools that will purportedly engage students and help them learn, while also aiding teachers with their day-to-day responsibilities. In a survey by the Consor...

In May, King County prosecutors filed sexual assault charges against a King County sheriff’s deputy. They said he raped a 17-year-old girl.  Prosecutors claim the abuse started while the two were alone on a ride-along in his police SUV while she was participating in Explorers, a national youth mentorship program, with the Burien Police Department.  And that allegation mirrors a dis...

A Senate seat in Washington’s 26th district is looking like a barn burner. The district covers Gig Harbor, Bremerton, Port Orchard and the Key Peninsula. And Democrats are hoping to keep that district from flipping.   Democratic state Senator Deb Krishnadasan is the appointed incumbent in this fight. She finished the primary about 1,000 votes ahead, setting up an incredibly tight r...

This is a story about the internet and our country’s political polarization. It’s also a story about our thirst for answers, and the race to score ideological points following a tragedy. And that rush to blame and to explain creates an environment where totally innocent people are run over by the runaway train of internet speculation, viral misinformation, and prejudice. That’s w...

At 11am on Monday, September 15th, students at high schools across Seattle walked out of class, and headed to Seattle Public Schools’ district office downtown. They were protesting changes to lunch times, announced last week by the district, that they say will negatively affect student experience at school. KUOW reporter Noel Gasca was at the Seattle Public Schools district office, where stu...

Since May 8, 1792, European colonists have called the large volcano just off the coast of Puget Sound "Mount Rainier." It was given that name by a British explorer, Captain George Vancouver – a gift to his friend, Rear Admiral Peter Rainier.  But prior to Vancouver’s arrival in what eventually became Washington state, the Indigenous peoples in and around the Salish Sea called it b...

You know what time it is. It's WEEKEND WARMUP TIME! Links:  SPORTS Mariners -  LA Angels - 9/11-14 Sounders -  LA Galaxy - 9/13 Reign -  Racing Louisville FC - 9/14 Seahawks -  AWAY vs Pittsburgh 10am 9/14 Wallingford Bratwurst Festival The Chehalis Flying Saucer Party Seattle — Cider Summit Hops & Crops Music and Beer Festival - Kent Sip Suds & Si - North Be...

November’s general election could bring a group of new faces to Seattle City Government.  Today we’re diving into the race for City Council’s Position 8 seat. That’s a city-wide post, representing ALL of Seattle, as opposed to just one geographic district. The incumbent in this race is Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck.  She won the seat after a special election...

A brand new contemporary art space opened up last month 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 be...

November’s general election could bring a group of new faces to Seattle City Government.  Today we’re diving into the race for City Council’s Position 8 seat. That’s a city-wide post, representing ALL of Seattle, as opposed to just one geographic district. Our first candidate in this Position 8 race is Rachael Savage. She’s a small business owner in Capitol Hill...

What will it take to save the Lake City Fred Meyer? Is it even possible? Lawmakers and local shoppers are asking those questions after Kroger announced last month that the Lake City location would be part of a wave of regional closures.  Local residents remain worried about where people will go for prescriptions and fresh produce, especially elderly and low-income residents, who may not have...

He’s back. Well, he never really left. Conservative megadonor Brian Heywood wants to put two new policy proposals in front of the Washington state Legislature next year.  Both deal with kids in schools, specifically, with parents’ access to school records, and trans kids playing sports.  Heywood spent millions of dollars on a slate of initiatives last year. Some of them passe...

Almost a year ago, an Israeli soldier shot and killed Ayşenur Ezgi Eygi in the West Bank. She was a Seattle resident and a University of Washington graduate.  We spoke to her family about their memories of her and their push for an independent investigation into her killing.  Guest Hamid Ali, Ayşenur's husband Ozden Bennett, Ayşenur's sister Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help...

School starts up this week for some districts in our region, others started last week – before Labor Day! For some students, gym classes may include a surprising throwback: The Presidential Fitness Test.  President Trump reestablished the program over the summer. It had been quietly phased out in 2013 by President Obama, and people are split over the value and impact of this test. Teach...

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 Tow...

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...

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 t...

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&hel...

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 u...

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...

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 s...

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. ...

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 t...

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...