Soundside

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 i...

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...

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...

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 g...

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 b...

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 R...

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 h...

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 foll...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 cr...

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,...

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 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...

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 CHO...

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, fan...

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.  G...

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-O...

So far in 2025, Seattle is on track for a decline in homicides for the second year in a row.  The city’s finally catching up to other parts of the country that started to see drops in lethal violence a few years ago, according to a new story published in The Seattle Times.  The country saw a surge in homicides when the pandemic hit. Seattle was no exception , and the violence conti...

Pre-season football is here. The Seattle Seahawks have a rejuvenated roster, but they are far away from being a pre-season favorite for the Superbowl. So, let’s remember some good times: I’m talking a Superbowl win, a Superbowl loss, the Legion of Boom, Beast Mode ... in the early 2010s, the Seahawks were a football juggernaut. And now, they’re the subject of a new book called&nb...

Two familiar Republican names from last year’s election are back in the news: Joe Kent and Pete Serrano. They’re not running for election, but they may be finding success instead with federal appointments.  Kent is a former Green Beret who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House twice in District 3. The Senate approved his appointment as director of the National Counterterrorism Cen...

Sound Transit has a busy few years ahead.  Trains are set to start running to Federal Way in December, but a long-awaited east side expansion across Lake Washington has been delayed again – to at least April 2026.  That comes as riders and public transit enthusiasts alike are clamoring for additional light rail service to Ballard, West Seattle and beyond. Amid all of this, Sound Tr...

Salmon recovery efforts have had mixed success in Washington, where salmon habitat and spawning routes have been disrupted for generations. But what if human consumption wasn't part of that equation? What if the salmon we eat were no longer wild-caught in the ocean or pulled out of a farm?  What if that salmon was grown in a lab? Starting in late August, you could try some at one Seattle rest...