Soundside

This week we’re going back into the archives to dig up some of our favorite Soundside segments. And with Thanksgiving just days away, this episode is all about food and drink!  We'll revisit conversations we had this year on the trend of people drinking less alcohol these days....  .... The sweet apple variety that has left a bitter taste in some farmers’ mouths (spoiler: it'...

This week, we’re re-airing some of our favorite stories from the past year.  First up on today's show: The Seattle Torrent played their very first professional women’s hockey game on Friday night, but before they even had a name, we talked with their General Manager Meghan Turner about bringing the team to the city. Later, we’ll play an interview with the author of the liter...

A big controversy is gripping many Washington towns right now: automated license plate readers. Flock Safety, a technology and surveillance company, operates cameras in cities and counties across the nation.  Those license plate readers take pictures of vehicles and their license plates – pictures that can be used by police to solve crimes.  But questions about who has access to th...

Yes, turkey is an iconic centerpiece. But it’s a challenge.  Turkeys take hours to cook (let alone, defrost!). The results can be dry, flavorless slabs of meat.  If you believe online discourse , a growing number of bold omnivores are calling it quits on Thanksgiving turkey.  And from an animal welfare perspective, there’s a lot of waste and carnage associated with "the...

On Monday, Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez stood on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and fought her own party. The subject of the disagreement? Whether or not a fellow Democratic member of congress, Chuy Garcia of Illinois, had crossed ethical lines and rigged the 2026 election for his chief of staff. By, among other things, announcing his retirement after the filing deadline....

While it has been so nice being back behind the microphone this week after a little time off, we’ve got Thanksgiving ahead of us!  And since we won’t have a show NEXT Thursday, Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is doing double duty this week with an extra large Weekend Warmup… THIS WEEK: Seattle Christmas Market Julefest 21+ Night Market Renegade Craft Fair - Seattl...

In the week since Katie Wilson officially became Seattle’s mayor-elect, there have suddenly been a lot of think pieces about her from the national press. Editorial boards at the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal have taken a certain “doom mongering” stance on another socialist winning office. The President of the United States added his two cents, and called her a communist...

Earlier this year, researchers at the University of Washington published a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on the spotted ratfish, sometimes called a ghost shark.  It’s one of the most common fish you’ll find in the Puget Sound and it has teeth in an unexpected place. The study’s authors say that, not only is this unusual, but it also tells us so...

Air traffic controllers are getting paid again, now that the longest government shutdown in U.S. history is over. Air traffic controllers dominated headlines during the shutdown as they continued to work their stressful jobs without pay. Some of them took on side gigs to make up for lost income. And as the shutdown dragged on, controller shortages led to flight delays and cancellations around...

If you purchased or rode an e-bike in the last 10 years, there’s a good chance it was a Rad Power Bike.  The company, based in Seattle, was one of the first to popularize e-bikes with the general public, and grew to be the largest electric bike company in North America. But now, the company is on the brink of collapse. A spokesperson told Geekwire last week that Rad faces potential clos...

In 2023, Bellevue organizer Mubarak Elamin made the decision to bring his mother to the United States. At the time, she was living in Sudan, where a brutal war had broken out between the country’s army, the Sudanese Armed Forces, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The situation deteriorated into what the U.N. has called one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Thous...

Unionized Starbucks workers have started their fourth day on strike.  Workers walked off the job in over 40 cities last week .  And this year’s strike has gotten attention from high-profile politicians. Both Seattle mayor-elect Katie Wilson and New York's mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani called on customers to boycott the coffee chain.  Last week, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) urged S...

You’re probably heard the term “microplastics.” And you’ve probably also heard that they’re bad for you.  A write up from Stanford Medicine says, quote, “they’re in the water we drink, the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the air we breathe.” But what exactly are they?  A local doctor is helping us understand what exactly these partical...

In early October, film buffs around the region received some bittersweet news… The historic Egyptian Theater in Capitol Hill – which had been closed for repairs – would not reopen as a public theater. The Seattle International Film Festival decided to end its lease, saying it was a difficult decision but that it just wasn’t financially feasible.  This comes on the bac...

Here at Soundside, we've got lots of plans this weekend. Paige Browning is playing in a Kickball tournament, while Jason is planning on cheering for her... Supervising Producer Sarah Leibovitz is doing LAUNDRY... What joy! As for YOU, here are all your options from this week's Weekend Warmup...  LINKS:  SIFF Cinema Italian Style 2025 Sew, Quilt, Needlework, Craft, Expo & Festival in...

Seattle has been a target of anti-car activism since at least the early 1960s, when the construction of I-5 carved up the Chinatown International District. Washington architect Paul Thiry said the creation of the freeway signaled when Seattle started to lose its identity as a city. But what would a less car-centric Seattle actually look like? Whom would it benefit? And is it even feasible?  T...

Seattleites have been closely watching election results for nearly a week since polls closed. That’s because the city’s mayoral candidates were in a tight race. Longtime Seattle politician and current Mayor Bruce Harrell is trying to win a second term. His challenger is Katie Wilson, a Democratic socialist who has never held elected office before.  Last night’s vote tally ga...

Bruce Lee holds a special place in Seattle’s heart – and Seattle played a key role in Bruce Lee’s life. He attended the University of Washington. He taught martial arts around the city. And after his tragically young death, at the age of 32, Lee was buried at Lake View Cemetery on Capitol Hill.   A biography by author Jeff Chang traces this journey alongside the cultura...

After a monthslong search, the Seattle Public Schools district finally has a new superintendent.  The Seattle School Board voted to name Ben Shuldiner as the lone finalist for the role. Shuldiner is currently the superintendent of the Lansing School District in Michigan.  He’ll be the fourth superintendent in the last decade.  Back in March, former superintendent Brent Jones a...

Seattle's pro women's soccer team have returned to the National Women's Soccer League playoffs. Seattle Reign play the Orlando Pride on Friday in a win-or-go-home match. But do the Reign have the potential to make a deep playoff run?  Soundside producer Gabrielle Healy gets into it. Plus, everything you need to know about coach Laura Harvey and ChatGPTgate .  Guest Susie Rantz , writer f...

It’s weekends like these where you WANT a solid plan for what to do, so you’re not just stuck sulking about the weather.  And while Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows may be on his way to sunny Florida AS WE SPEAK for a weekend in Tampa, he still left us with a smattering of potential options: LINKS: Port Gamble Ghost Conference Best of the Northwest Fall Show 2025 - Seattl...

It’s getting harder for unhoused people in Tacoma to find a place to spend the night. Last week, the city council there voted narrowly, 5-to-4, to expand buffer zones where encampments are not allowed.  The new ban, which went into effect this week, includes areas within two blocks of public schools, parks, libraries, and most of downtown and Hilltop. Critics say this only makes it hard...

In April, 25-year-old Alex Kuhnhausen died of a bacterial infection he contracted at Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. This isn’t unheard of – last year, there were 39 deaths reported in Washington prisons.  But the details of Alex Kuhnhausen’s decline and death raise questions about decisions by prison officials and medical staff; decisions that many believe con...

When you step into the Seattle Asian Art Museum’s new exhibit… you feel small. You’re surrounded by light, blocks of color reaching across the floor, creeping up the walls. The art takes up space, immersing you in light and shadow, as though you’ve entered another world. Steel cubes carved with meticulous designs hang from the ceiling. Papercraft covered in embroidery...

As voters head to the polls amid a contentious mayoral race in Seattle, we’re looking to the past to try to answer a lingering question.  It’s hard to win reelection as a Seattle mayor. The last time it happened was nearly two decades ago.  Why has it been so long?  We're going directly to the source for more: Democrat Greg Nickels was mayor of Seattle for two terms, bet...