Soundside

Surge pricing. When there is a lot of demand for rideshares, fares can double or triple their usual rate – or even more.  But a first-of-its-kind bill is looking to slow the surge in Washington State. SB 5600 would cap surge pricing and make sure drivers get more of a share of those extra dollars.  The bill was inspired by the expected flood of attendees Seattle will be handling du...

On Sunday, comedian Bowen Yang joined other actors onstage at the Academy Awards, dressed in his costume from the movie 'Wicked' -- to praise the artist who dreamed it up. It’s hard to list all the projects the award-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell has been responsible for on Broadway, but here’s a sample:  Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk, The Color Purple musical, In T...

President Trump will address a joint session of congress tonight – it is his first major speech since his inauguration.  Washington Democrats have been reeling since he took office a month and a half ago. The latest issue they are sounding the alarm on is tariffs: taxes on Mexican and Canadian goods went into effect this morning. President Trump ordered a 25% tax levied on foreign goods...

The Democratic Republic of Congo is a country in the center of Africa. It’s home to spectacular things, like: a majority of the Congo Basin rainforest, the second largest in the world, with magnificent flora and fauna found nowhere else on earth, and a population of one hundred million people belonging to 250 ethnic groups who speak more than 200 languages. The country also has an estimated...

As a Mariner’s fan, it’s tradition to quibble with offseason moves.  But there has been ONE personnel change that the majority of longtime fans are cheering. Not on the field, mind you… but in the Broadcast booth.  Angie Mentink is joining a roster of former players providing color commentary during TV broadcasts, becoming the first woman in Mariners history to have th...

How much will Seattle change under the Trump administration? And what options does the city have to keep the policies it prioritizes? The city depends on the feds for millions of dollars in funding -- impacting services like transportation, law enforcement and emergency preparedness. Threats to cut off federal grants have left some local politicians considering how to prepare for an uncertain futu...

There is a lot going on in D.C. right now, and elected officials are working overtime to negotiate ahead of a looming government shutdown deadline. As the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the senior senator from Washington state, Senator Patty Murray is leading the charge on funding negotiations.  At the same time, budget talks are happening about how much the federal g...

Clad in a big, bulky menswear suit, “Julia” Mozhdeh Rahmanzaei stomps around the stage at the Theater off Jackson in Seattle’s Chinatown International District.  She glares over a fake beard, holding audience members’ gazes, and shakes the program for this very play in one hand. The actor and playwright is channeling the censorship she experienced in her home coun...

It’s the end of the week, the sun is shining, and maybe you’re thinking “I’m ready to get out there and explore! Meet new people, make new friends… at least until it starts raining again.”   Well, rain or shine - If you’re searching for something to keep you occupied this weekend, you’re in the right place.  Soundside Producer Jason M...

Seattle Public Schools is considering closing Stevenson Elementary School amid declining enrollment.  One longtime parent there is pushing back and trying to change its name to better reflect the school’s Japanese-American history.  That’s the kind of opening line you might hear on Soundside if the events of the book Supersonic were real. The book is fiction, but it reflects...

What do The Brutalist, Emilia Pérez, Dune Part II, and A Complete Unknown have in common? Yes, they’re all films nominated for Oscars at this Sunday’s ceremony. But they share something else – all of these films used Artificial Intelligence tools in some form during production. For the Brutalist and Emilia Pérez, AI was employed to alter actor’s voices wh...

Earlier this year Edmonds state Representative Strom Peterson put forward a bill to potentially change the state’s flag.  HB 1938 would have created a committee tasked with redesigning the Washington’s iconic green and yellow banner – which is the only one with a presidential profile on it. According to the bill’s language, the due date for a new design would be someti...

Imagine if, after being convicted of a crime as an adult, you were forced to serve additional time for crimes you committed as a minor. That is the reality for many incarcerated people in Washington state.  You might remember hearing about the passing of a state law back in 2023 that prevented people’s juvenile felonies from increasing their sentence terms as an adult. Well, that bill h...

Have you checked your mail today? It’s that special time, every two years, when Seattleites get 100 bucks from the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission. I’m talking about democracy vouchers! That money’s not for you, though. It’s for political candidates you want to support in November’s election.  And it’s a big one: Not only is the Mayor up for reelect...

Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal has made clear he has no intention of changing course based on one of the new directives from the Trump Administration. Earlier this month, the Department of Education issued a so-called Dear Colleague letter, which stated that any institutions receiving federal funds from that Department would be required to eliminate all race-ba...

Today marks the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. More than 500 Ukrainians and supporters gathered this weekend in Downtown Seattle to show solidarity and share their fears about Ukraine’s future. The third anniversary of the war comes as President Donald Trump has mused over upending America’s commitment to Ukraine’s defense. U.S and Russian officials met in...

KUOW has uncovered a controversial period in the life of Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell -- one that he's rarely discussed in public. In 1996, while at a casino in Iowa, Harrell brandished a gun in a late-night confrontation over a parking spot. Harrell was arrested over the incident before the charges were dismissed five months later. He says he was racially profiled in the events leading up to...

Wednesday on Soundside, host Libby Denkmann asked if your shopping habits had changed in recent months. Recent polling by the Guardian found that a large portion of Americans have changed where they're purchasing due to their political affiliations or beliefs. Have you changed where you spend cash based on the political situation?  Lots of you responded, and Soundside shares your comments. Th...

If you enjoy skiing, you probably know it takes more than just some skis, boots and poles to slide down a hill.  It also takes money, sometimes a lot of it.  Tickets at Washington's big ski resorts run from $65 to $150 a day.  That's not the case at Badger Mountain ski area in Central Washington. There, the price is a mere $15 a day.  That's because the hill is a nonprofit enti...

It’s the end of the week, and the first time in a while where there’s not a Super Bowl, Valentine, or President’s Day to keep you busy.  If you’re searching for something to keep you occupied this weekend, you’re in the right place.  Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is here in the nick of time to give you all the highlights…  LINKS:&nbsp...

DEI policies – short for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – have been in the crosshairs since President Donald Trump arrived back in the White House. Many corporations have been proactively choosing to downsize their DEI programs or eliminate them completely. But one company is facing a unique level of backlash: Target.  The retail giant announced last month it would eliminate mult...

KEXP DJ Tory J (AKA Tory Johnston) is the co-host of Sounds of Survivance , a show featuring indigenous artists from all over the world.  Johnston explains how he ended up feeling inspired to host the show, why he feels it's important to showcase these artists, and he plays some of the incredible music that can be heard on his show.  Guest: Tory Johnston (DJ Tory J), host of Sounds of Su...

It hasn’t even been a month since President Donald Trump was sworn into office, but the sudden and drastic changes he – and Elon Musk – have ordered are being felt at every level of the federal government.   Thousands of federal workers got notice over the weekend that they were being terminated – in departments ranging from the U.S. Forest Service to the CDC and...

For decades, a Washington law has empowered prosecutors to pursue felony charges against those who assault healthcare workers. Which, on a base level, makes sense. Healthcare workers don’t want to be harmed while doing their jobs. But some are worried that a potential felony charge – which would apply to both physical attacks, and typically minor offenses like spitting on someone &ndas...

Today, there is a Spotify playlist for any genre, mood, or activity you could ever think of. But, in the not-so-distant past, you’d have to tune your AM or FM radio until you found a sound you liked.  If you wanted to hear soul music in Seattle circa 1970, there was one local station that would never disappoint. It was called KYAC, and it was a true rarity at the time. The station was B...