Soundside

For 16 years, Ada’s Technical Books in Capitol Hill was THE place to find eclectic books, grab a coffee and co-work with other folks in the neighborhood, play a game out on the street side tables, or just hang out and read a book.  But like a lot of our favorite books, the ending often arrives before you’re ready,  and Ada’s story is no different. The bookstore and cafe...

Washington is more than five months into a new pilot program that has been using AI to screen requested procedures for people enrolled in Medicare. It’s called the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction (WISeR) program, which incentivizes private companies to deny procedures.  Washington lawmakers and medical professionals say the program has led to denials and delays in care for...

We won’t have a full explanation for the implosion at a Longview paper processing mill for a while. The disaster left 11 people dead, and released thousands of gallons of white liquor, which is a highly corrosive chemical used to break down wood chips into pulp.  The tragedy highlights the risks when people work in close proximity with large quantities of dangerous chemicals. The plant...

Every week we talk about the most fascinating stories in the news and what they say about the Pacific Northwest. We call it Front Page. It’s our chance to talk about the latest news with a rotation of plugged-in journalists and guests, taking a look at the headlines from the weekend and the stories that we'll be following as the week moves forward. Guest : David Kroman, Seattle Times city ha...

Just like many other celebrities, Bill Gates has a stylist. His sweaters, button-downs and glasses are meant to portray someone calm and approachable, current and former employees say. His clothing choices show how carefully he's crafted an image as a global philanthropist, in the decades since co-founding Microsoft. But maintaining Gates’s image has become more difficult, due to persistent...

The dream of light rail to Ballard just took a big hit. The Sound Transit Board voted last week on how to move forward with expanding the system and how to cover a $34 billion dollar budget shortfall over the next two decades. After a marathon voting session, the board moved forward with several major projects. Those include: finishing rail to Everett and Tacoma, building a West Seattle extension,...

Every week we talk about the most fascinating stories in the news and what they say about the Pacific Northwest. We call it Front Page. It’s our chance to talk about the latest news with a rotation of plugged-in journalists and guests, taking a look at the headlines from the weekend and the stories that we'll be following as the week moves forward. Guest Angela Poe Russell, a veteran journal...

The men’s FIFA World Cup starts next week! Seattle will host six games, including one featuring the U.S. team.  Soundside has discussed the politics of the World Cup, how these giant events can impact a city, and other weighty FIFA-related topics. You can find all of those conversations below. But we haven't talked about the actual game yet. Who’s playing, who’s expected to...

This case was seen as a test case for harsher enforcement by the Trump administration against protestors, and now there’s a verdict. Three anti-ICE protestors have been found guilty of federal conspiracy charges. The case had to do with a demonstration outside of the Spokane ICE office last June.  The protest was part of a wave of anti-immigration actions that popped up across the count...

What do you think of when you see Mount Rainier?  Some of us think, "Oh wow, I can see Mount Rainier. Must be really clear out today. Pretty." Some people, though, look at its snow-capped peaks and see a challenge, a life goal -- something they may climb one day, braving cold and oxygen deprivation. To able to say they've done it.  And then there is Simon Kearns, who looks at Mount Raini...

As many as 11 people are dead in Longview, Washington after a chemical tank implosion at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Plant earlier this week.  Officials also confirmed yesterday that the Columbia River is contaminated due to the disaster.  Washington’s governor is calling this the deadliest industrial tragedy in the state’s modern history.  Guest:  Erik Neumann, t...

It’s the FINAL Thursday in May, meaning that we’re just mere MOMENTS away from the BEST WEEKEND OF YOUR LIFE, so far, this week. Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is here with more stuff than we can fit in a normal Weekend Warmup: LINKS: Bark! The Musical HONK! Fest West Mason County Forest Festival Glazer's PhotoFest Battle on the Bank Sally Ride: A New Opera About Queer Love...

It’s a drug you see doctors on “The Pitt” give patients in the ER for pain relief or sedation.  It’s also what cast members on the reality show “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” take to connect with their spouses.   And it's what some Americans use to treat their depression.  Ketamine has gotten negative press in the past few years, like in...

In Spokane, an ongoing federal trial is raising questions about the Trump administration’s legal strategy regarding political protesters. Three people are charged with conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers during an anti-ICE protest last June.  They were part of a demonstration that was trying to stop ICE agents from moving two Venezuelan immigrants from the ICE office in Spok...

This whole thing started because Sedro-Woolley high school teacher Linsey Kitchens saw the people in her life struggle with the Internet. Specifically, she saw them struggle with what to believe and how to engage their critical thinking skills. Whether that was a teenager in her classroom, convinced that if they bought a protein powder from their favorite influencer, it would make them stronger an...

The organization charged with managing the regional response to homelessness is facing an existential crisis. Some local elected leaders have called for the dissolution of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority after a damning forensic audit from consulting firm Clark Nuber released last month. The audit reported the agency has lost track of at least $8 million dollars, incurred $4 millio...

Every week we talk about the most fascinating stories in the news and what they say about the Pacific Northwest. We call it Front Page. It’s our chance to talk about the latest news with a rotation of plugged-in journalists and guests, taking a look at the headlines from the weekend and the stories that we'll be following as the week moves forward. Guest Todd Bishop, editor and co-founder of...

Ultra-processed foods are everywhere. But we aren’t supposed to eat them. At least, that’s the current discourse around these foods, which can include soda, instant oatmeal and sliced bread.  Research has found that diets high in ultra-processed foods are linked to diabetes, obesity, heart disease and many cancers.  That's a hard pill to swallow, considering that roughly...

What a week, right? But hey… We’ve got a long weekend ahead of us, and since Memorial Day is the unofficial start of Summer, it’s exciting to see that there’s… rain in the forecast for Monday.  Well, either way - rain or shine, Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is here with a ton of fun stuff to do this weekend! LINKS: Inaugural Ballard Book Crawl Lost...

Black women face higher rates of uterine fibroids compared to white women. They’re less likely to get accurate diagnoses for endometriosis.  And they’re twice as likely to die from uterine cancer than white women.  Dr. Kemi Doll considers these disparities part of the evidence for a broader health crisis in gynecological care for Black women. Why hasn’t the medical comm...

Every week we talk about the most fascinating stories in the news and what they say about the Pacific Northwest. We call it Front Page. It’s our chance to talk about the latest news with a rotation of plugged-in journalists and guests, taking a look at the headlines from the weekend and the stories that we'll be following as the week moves forward. Guest Jim Brunner , political reporter for...

Sports superfans may seem to have been born bleeding their teams’ colors, but really, they’re created.  It happens around formative events: a buzzer-beating come-from-behind win, a once-in-a-generation athlete or a championship season.  This year probably saw a few Seattle uberfans get converted during the Seahawks’ dominating Superbowl performance.  Tonight, some...

Tacoma author Tamiko Nimura's father died when she was just 10 years old.  Among the things he left behind was an unpublished manuscript about his family’s incarceration at the Tule Lake camp for Japanese Americans .  Nimura ultimately made a pilgrimage to Tule Lake in 2014, to see where her father was forced to spend part of his childhood. She used her father's manuscript and her...

In April 2024, the Everett School District launched a third-party investigation into a teacher at Henry M. Jackson High School over allegations of an inappropriate physical relationship with a student.  Later that year, the teacher resigned. Not long after, he voluntarily gave up his K-12 teaching license. That decision stopped further investigation and the gears of oversight meant to provide...

From high ticket prices to questions about how the games are used by authoritarian leaders to bolster nationalism, the World Cup coming to town raises questions about the organization running the event. FIFA has also been dogged by scandal over host country selection and TV marketing rights.  But, it's the World Cup – probably the biggest sporting event of all – and one that is so...