Soundside

Lucidity is a new opera staging its west coast premiere at the Seattle Opera tonight.   The performance takes a deeper look at the personal impacts that a dementia diagnosis has on an individual, and their family.  The opera follows Lili, a former singer who has a bit of a diva streak. Her adopted son, Dante, pauses his career as a pianist to care for his mom. Together, they navigate Lili’s declin...

Seattle has a rich jazz history -- and you can’t talk about it without mentioning legends like Ray Charles and Quincy Jones. Both artists knew each other, as they grew their music chops right here in Seattle. Of course, we can’t forget to mention Kenny G. In the 1920s and 1930s jazz clubs were an escape during prohibition, and many of them lasted long after prohibition ended. For almost 45 years,...

Bird flu has spread at astonishing speed and with little discretion for what it infects. Since first emerging, the strain of H5N1 has infected wild birds, commercially raised chickens, seals, dairy cows, and, yes, even humans. Late last week, Woodland Park Zoo announced that a red breasted goose died in a suspected case of bird flu. The zoo quickly isolated birds and restricted access to them.  Me...

Back in 2021, following calls for police reform after the murder of George Floyd, Washington state did something unique. Legislators created a state-funded agency to investigate instances of serious or fatal police use of force – even ones that had happened in the past. Many believe the Office of Independent Investigations has potential to improve trust between marginalized communities and law enf...

In the aftermath of the 2024 election, Democrats are confronting a possible existential threat: The erosion of support among important demographic groups, particularly Latinos.  An example close to home helps illustrate the shift: In the 14th Legislative District, in the Yakima Valley, a newly redrawn map was supposed to strengthen Latino representation in the state House and Senate. Republicans e...

One of the most closely watched congressional races of the 2024 election happened here in Washington State, with Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez facing off once again against Donald Trump-endorsed Republican Joe Kent.  The district went for Trump in the presidential race, but held on to the Auto Shop owner-turned-Congresswoman for another term. And she’s here to talk about the win, what Democrats...

Washington state is about to get a new top lawyer.  Former U.S. Attorney Nick Brown defeated Pasco Mayor Pete Serrano earlier this month to become the state’s next Attorney General.  Brown is an Army veteran who also served as general counsel to Governor Jay Inslee.  When he’s sworn in in January, he’ll be stepping into the high-profile job just as the stakes get even higher: Washington state had...

Washington voters just upheld the state’s new capital gains tax — which places a 7% tax on the sale of long-term assets like stocks and bonds.   Now, the Seattle City Council is looking at a proposal to create its own capital gains tax for the city itself. Instead of benefitting schools, like the state tax, this revenue would fund things like rental assistance. But so far, the idea is not being un...

Canoe journeys are rigorous, challenging trips that go for hundreds of miles.  Each year, canoe “families” from different tribal nations paddle between villages on the Salish Sea, joining local celebrations and ceremonies along the way. They camp at each stop until reaching that year’s destination tribal site.  For indigenous people who take part, it’s an important way to connect with their cultur...

Students, parents, and educators are still waiting to find out how the Seattle School Board will vote on a proposal to close four elementary schools in the district. But in the meantime - a group of SPS parents believe it's time to take matters into their own hands: they’ve launched an effort to recall school board president Liza Rankin. Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show...

Soundside host Libby Denkmann is still on a high from her experience at the USHER show on Sunday, but we're looking forward to what’s happening THIS weekend...  Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is here to help you get a jump on making plans with “THE WEEKEND WARMUP!”  LINKS:  SIFF Presents SHREK WEEK !! Shrek the Musical - Spokane Shrek the Musical - Bellingham First Annual Veteran Art Show - Spoka...

Back in 2017, President Donald Trump arrived in office touting big promises about immigration. Remember building a wall and making Mexico pay for it? Or defunding sanctuary cities? Trump had mixed success fulfilling those pledges, though not for lack of trying. Many of his policy goals couldn’t get past the courts, or Congress. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump made even more immigratio...

Election results are still coming in for Washington’s tightest races. Most of the voter initiatives went down to defeat this year. But one -- Initiative 2066 -- is poised for success. It targets natural gas regulations by rolling back pieces of a big law forcing Puget Sound Energy to explore electrification and likely knocking down new building codes that makes installing natural gas in new constr...

Donald Trump has vowed to take a number of actions on his first day in the oval office. He’s promised mass deportations, increased tariffs, and deregulation.  While some home builders see a potential silver lining in deregulation, other policies could raise the cost of building and that might affect housing supply in an area with a housing shortage.  Guest: Heidi Groover, real estate report at the...

Getting an interview for a new job has always been tough.  For candidates, the challenge is crafting a cover letter and resume that make you stand out. For employers, the challenge is often volume. Finding the right candidate with the right qualifications – in a stack of applications.  Now, inject AI into the mix. Large Language models (LLMs for short) are being used to help automate some of the t...

Washingtonians voted down three tax-related initiatives that would have repealed the state’s cap and trade program, made the state’s long term care program optional, and repealed the state’s new capital gains tax.  Those lost by large margins. One initiative passed, it protects access to and use of natural gas.  All four initiatives were backed by hedge fund manager Brian Heywood, who put $6 milli...

A 37-year old man remains in custody at King County Jail at this hour, held on $2 million dollars bail. He’s awaiting charges connected to the stabbing of up to 9 people in Seattle’s Chinatown International District and South Jackson street on Thursday and Friday.   While setting bail, the judge noted the suspect had a warrant out for his arrest and a history of multiple felonies, including robber...

It’s been a big week. I know many of you listeners would like it to end. Or maybe you’re just always really excited for the weekend.  Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is here with the “Weekend Warmup” to help you get a jump on making plans.  LINKS:  SIFF!! The Art of Studio Ghibli Cinema Italian Style Seattle Polish Film Festival GeekGirlCon USHER - Saturday & Sunday BELLINGHAM - Bellwood Farms...

U.S. stocks soared after Donald Trump clinched the presidency early Wednesday morning.  And another market jumped to a record-high as well: cryptocurrency. The price of Bitcoin has topped $76,000 as of Thursday morning, and behind this record breaking value is a belief from digital currency enthusiasts that the president-elect will roll back Biden-era regulations on cryptocurrency.  And the crypto...

As Donald Trump’s transition team gears up for his second administration, Democrats are spending the days after the election processing their major defeats – with a dash of second-guessing and finger-pointing about what went wrong for Kamala Harris.  Here in Washington, Governor-elect Bob Ferguson held a press conference this morning laying out plans to battle Trump on a number of fronts, includin...

“Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you”. In the weeks before the election, it was a line that echoed over and over in advertisements that ran during football games, the World Series, and prime time network television. It was paired with footage of border crossings, claims about trans girls participating in youth sports, and Vice President Harris talking about federal prisoners having...

Democrats across the country today are waking up to a sea change in national politics and a realignment of political coalitions once considered solidly blue.   But closer to home, Washington state is moving further to the left.  Local Democrats appear headed for a sweep of statewide offices, and most of the conservative-backed initiatives on the ballot are losing.   But, not everything is so clear...

We’re continuing to watch election results today, but many things are clear: Donald Trump will retake the presidency, and he’ll be backed by a Republican controlled Senate. Control of the House of Representatives remains up in the air. Dozens of races around the country are too close to call .  We might not know the outcome of these battleground contests for several days or even weeks, but the pot...

It’s election day … officially.  But don’t hold your breath, everyone. We’re still possibly days away from knowing the results of many races, both local and national.  Even so, we wanted to get a sense of how voters in Washington have been feeling and thinking about the choices on the ballot this season. KUOW has been speaking with people across the political spectrum, to get their takes on what’s...

Months and months of anticipation – or maybe dread? – have led to today. Election day.  Over the coming days and weeks, there will continue to be a lot of talk about candidates, polls, the state of democracy. But we also want to recognize the emotional difficulty of election day... of election season .  Politics can leave a lot of people bitter and divided. It’s cost treasured relationships and le...