Soundside

As a resident of a state, you are guaranteed certain rights by your state constitution. In Washington, for example, we have a right to religious freedom and free elections. Oregon is looking at guaranteeing the right for all citizens to live in a healthy environment  – including a stable climate. The state legislature is debating whether to have voters weigh in on the change.  If t...

The Washington State Legislature is in the process of hammering out the  transportation budget, which is estimated to have a BILLION dollar shortfall over the next two years. according to Transportation Committee Chairman Senator Marko Liias . Down in Olympia, both the House and Senate have each been working on their own respective bills aimed at addressing the funding gap to get things like...

Bellevue-based startup OneCourt says its devices enable the “first  tactile sports broadcasts." The goal is to give a deeper game experience for sports fans who are visually impaired, and to deliver it in real time.  A social media influencer recently went viral when he took the tablet for a spin at a Trailblazers game. Portland was the first NBA team to provide OneCourt devic...

The fight over fluoride in drinking water is not new – it’s been around ever since public programs began in the 1940s. But now, there is a push to end fluoridation programs. United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr has criticized fluoridation, claiming it contributes to a host of afflictions, including bone cancer and thyroid disease.  Around the co...

In the United States, immigrants do not have the right to legal representation in the same way American citizens do. But it’s a different story for children who come to this country alone, thanks to the federally funded Unaccompanied Children Program. It provides legal representation to more than 26,000 children by contracting with non-profit legal aid organizations throughout the country. O...

Seattle is taking on one of the more contentious issues to regularly pass through city hall: the Comprehensive Plan. That plan dictates where and how the city will add more people. And previous plans concentrated new apartments and condos along busy streets with access to transit. But why do cities like Seattle have to engage in this planning exercise at all? It goes back to a law called the...

It has been a long week, we’ve seen SUNSHINE, we’ve had the threat of TORNADOES, and now it’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy our weekend…  Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is here with everything YOU need to know about what to do to beat the rainy blues…  LINKS: Seattle Mariners OPENING NIGHT! - First pitch is at 7:10 Book Event - TILT w/ Emma...

23andMe, the San Francisco tech company known for its direct-to-consumer genetic testing, announced Sunday it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.  That’s raised a lot of privacy concerns over the genetic records it holds of roughly 15 million customers. The company said that while in bankruptcy court, that data will be handled with the same level of privacy.  But California Attorney G...

Yesterday was one of those days that makes you feel like maybe, just maybe, winter is finally over. Here in Seattle, the sun was shining, the cherry trees blossoming, it was in the 60s… And yes, now there are severe thunderstorms and potential tornado level winds heading our way this afternoon. But –  once those storms are over, it’ll be the perfect time to get back out int...

"No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider." You may not totally understand what that means, but some say these are the 26 words that made the internet what it is today. And congress may be ready to repeal them. Written and passed in 1996, the law Section 230 shields websit...

Dujie Tahat can be described in many ways: a poet, a critic, podcast host, and political consultant. In addition to all those titles, they can now add a new descriptor: Seattle’s Fifth Civic Poet. Guest: Dujie Tahat, Seattle Civic Poet Links:  Poetry Foundation: salat to be read from right to left Northwest Review: All American Ghuzal Four Way Review: BALIKBAYAN FILLED WITH THEORY...

Humans have changed a lot from our cave dwelling days, but one thing that has stayed the same is our need for connections with others. Maybe it’s not so much the need for protection from animal predators anymore, or cooperating to take down a mammoth. Still, our evolution has instilled in us the need to connect with others. And we don’t do so well when that connection gets tenuous.&nbs...

For the past 80 years, the Fulbright Program has supported scholars, artists, writers, and professionals in connecting with international institutions to do cutting-edge work. At its heart, the Fulbright is an exchange program that funds research and projects outside of participants’ countries. It aims to build international relationships and cultural competency between Americans and the res...

This Saturday, March 22nd, the Wing Luke Museum will hold a gala that honors its namesake.  Wing Luke was born in 1925 in China. He moved to Seattle at age 6, and grew up helping his family run their laundromat and store. In 1962, he became the first person of color on Seattle’s City Council.  Wing Luke would have turned 100 last month, but he died tragically at an early age. ...

Last year, pro-Palestinian “liberation zones” popped up all over American campuses, demanding that universities divest from Israel and advocating for an end to the war in Gaza. Now, ICE’s arrest and detainment of Mahmoud Khalil, a leader in Columbia University’s student protests, has created a climate of fear and frustration among student protesters across the country.&nbsp...

If you are looking outside, seeing a little sunshine peeking through the rain, some tulip bulbs starting to sprout, maybe you have some buds on your flowering trees... You might be thinking, "What can I do to really get in the Spring spirit today?"  Well, Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is here to help you fill your weekend with whimsy and get out there and enjoy the first day of Spring. LINK...

Washington’s Democratic lawmakers are pushing forward with a promise they made last year to change a law they saw as problematic … but that they helped pass anyway.  The law in question came from a voter initiative, commonly known as the Parents’ Bill of Rights. It was a Republican-led effort to increase parents’ ability to monitor their kids’ school records, in...

Every Monday, Demar, Red, Cambo, Anthony and Vik give listeners a glimpse of life inside the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla on their podcast Concrete Mama.  The show focuses on the experience of being incarcerated. Three of the hosts are currently at Washington State Penitentiary, two were formerly incarcerated there. They all share their perspectives and explore the complexitie...

For a year and a half, Monisha Harrell served as Senior Deputy Mayor of Seattle – the number two position in the executive office. The last name she shares with the Mayor, Bruce Harrell, is no coincidence. Monisha Harrell is the mayor’s niece.  She was the first Black lesbian senior deputy mayor in the City of Seattle’s history, and she also says that her tenure with th...

WWAMI is an acronym for Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho… and it refers to a program created by the University of Washington that allows dozens of medical students from those states to study at the UW School of Medicine.  The aim is to produce highly-skilled doctors who will go back and practice in rural, underserved areas of the Western U.S. But not everyone is happ...

The state’s Department of Natural Resources says it’s coming up with backup plans to address the growing threat of serious wildfires in Washington. This, as it's typically close working relationship with federal forest managers has frayed under the Trump Administration.  Some of this started in mid-February, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut thousands of probationary emp...

The federal government will be funded through September after several Senate Democrats joined Republicans in passing a continuing resolution late last week. However, the deal provoked a huge backlash against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who organized a handful of Democrats to avert a government shutdown. House Democrats from Nancy Pelosi to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wanted their Senate cou...

TGIF, amirite? I mean, yeah, it’s Thursday, but I know you’re thinking about it.   Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is here to help you make your weekend epic. LINKS: Taste Washington - Every day, from March 13–17 The Grand Tasting Nosferatu with Radiohead: A Silent Synced Film Seattle Reign FC -  Home Opening Match vs Gotham FC Seattle Reign FC Game Days...

Breakthrough Energy, a collection of organizations founded by Bill Gates in 2015, announced a slew of staffing cuts this week.  These organizations focus on accelerating things like sustainable energy and other environmental technologies. They had a promising beginning with a range of wealthy investors joining Gates to provide funding.  But now, dozens of employees have been let go. And...

The One Seattle Comprehensive Plan is working its way through city council. It dictates how the city will grow over the next twenty years, including where density is allowed.  While the details are still being worked out, the comprehensive plan has a new type of zoning: Neighborhood Centers. This part of the plan could affect up to 30 neighborhoods in Seattle – including places like Mon...