Soundside

Americans are at the polls right now voting for the next president – among a lot of other important state and local races. And if you’re highly engaged in the outcome of Donald Trump versus Kamala Harris – you’re not just casting a ballot. You’re reading, watching and listening to tons of content about this presidential race, and in some cases agonizing over public polling in the weeks leading up...

He was one of the greatest musical minds of the 20th century… and he hailed from Seattle. Songwriter, composer, arranger and producer Quincy Jones, died yesterday at the age of 91.  The 28-time Grammy winner moved to the Pacific Northwest at the age of 10 and eventually graduated from Garfield High School.  Jones credited Seattle's musical openness with shaping his style. He met Ray Charles here....

Boeing machinists are voting today on a new contract offer that could end their seven week-old strike. More than 33,000 workers walked off the job on September 13 – after they overwhelmingly voted to reject an offer from Boeing that included a 25 percent pay increase over 4 years. In late October, Machinists also voted down Boeing’s second offer – which would have raised wages 35 percent over four...

Seattle’s Public School District is grappling with a nearly 100 million dollar budget shortfall, as student enrollment in the district has dropped in recent years. In a letter last month, Superintendent Brent Jones said that SPS was proposing the closure of North Beach, Sacajawea, Sanislo, and Stevens elementary schools next year , pending school board approval. The district says the latest plan w...

Famous fiends like zombies, vampires, and werewolves are hallmarks of All Hallow's Eve. But how much do you know about why that is, and where those creatures come from?  It’s an origin story that’s fascinated University of Washington professor Charity Urbanski. Charity teaches medieval history at the UW, and she wrote a new book based on her research and seminars on the origins and meaning behind...

Do you have weekend plans yet? On Soundside, we figure it’s never too early to make plans, plus, we’re not on the air Fridays... We’ve been looking at some of the exciting things happening around the region over the next few days.  Producer Jason Megatron Burrows has this roundup for you, in a segment that, for now, we’re calling the “Early Weekend Guide.”   Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, yo...

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD is often perceived as a static diagnosis– one that people carry with them throughout their lives with little to no change. But, new research may just change that view of ADHD all together. A recent study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry suggests that ADHD symptoms can actually fluctuate over time due to influence from environmental factors. In...

The Everett AquaSox's home for 40 years, Funko Field, is no longer in compliance with new stadium regulations implemented when Major League Baseball took over the minor leagues in 2020.  Now the city of Everett is exploring a replacement stadium that could cost up to $120 million. The city isn't shouldering the whole burden of this stadium, the state has chipped in money, along with Snohomish Coun...

Mount Adams has been a little more active than usual lately. That’s according to researchers with the United States Geological Survey.  Now, it’s not uncommon for our northwest volcanoes to shake things up a bit. But Adams tends to be one of the sleepier “chill” giants... until now. So what’s the deal? To dig into what these seismic shenanigans mean– and hopefully set all of our minds at ease – So...

The investigation continues into attacks on two ballot drop boxes in Washington and Oregon.  Hundreds of ballots were damaged or destroyed early Monday morning at a drop box at a transit center in Vancouver, Washington, the other attack was on a box outside Multnomah County election officers in Portland. Washington’s Secretary of State, Steve Hobbs called the incidents “acts of terror that aim to...

Former Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz was placed on administrative leave yesterday. Diaz, who served as chief for four years, was demoted in May amid allegations that he’d hired a romantic partner to a top level advisor role. Diaz is also the subject of a handful of lawsuits asserting he discriminated against SPD staff. Guest: Ashley Hiruko, KUOW Investigative Reporter Relevant Links: KUOW: Form...

Three of the seats on our state’s Supreme Court will be on the ballot next week. Two of them have incumbent justices running unopposed;  the race Washington voters will actually decide is for Washington Supreme Court Position 2. The incumbent, Justice Susan Owens, who turned 75 in August, is aging out of the position because of a rule in the state’s constitution.   The position is non-partisan, so...

Derrik was a 16 year old student when he was given a walk-behind trenching machine to guide through through a field.  Derrik was earning school credit with the Battle Ground School District for his work off site with the construction company Rotschy. With no training or oversight, Derrik was severely injured by the machine, eventually losing both of his legs. He survived the work accident, and is...

The Boeing machinist’s strike is now in its seventh week. Last Wednesday, the machinist's union rejected the latest contract from the company. A major sticking point continues to be union members’ insistence that the company reinstate a pension, also called a defined-benefits plan.  This is a long-held grievance. Union president Jon Holden said that the damage from a 2014 agreement— which froze pe...

Washington voters will decide next week is who will fill the lone open seat on the Washington Supreme Court. Supreme Court Position 2 is an open race - the incumbent, Justice Susan Owens, is retiring at the end of this year due to the state constitution’s requirement that all justices retire after the year they turn 75. The position is non-partisan. Soundside is talking to both candidates vying fo...

There’s one seat up for grabs on Seattle’s city council this November.  Typically city council seats are filled during odd-year elections. But, when former councilmember Teresa Mosqueda was elected to the King County Council in 2023, she left a vacancy that needed filling. Tanya Woo was appointed by the council to fill the seat, until this year’s special election could determine a replacement to s...

There’s one seat up for grabs on Seattle’s city council this November.  Typically city council seats are filled during odd-year elections. But, when former councilmember Teresa Mosqueda was elected to the King County Council in 2023, she left a vacancy that needed filling. Tanya Woo was appointed by the council to fill the seat, until this year’s special election could determine a replacement to s...

In 2018, The North American Post, Seattle’s oldest Japanese-language newspaper, printed the final strip of Seattle Tomodachi , a comic created by Sam Goto. Goto was a second generation Japanese-American, born in the Seattle area in 1933. He raised two girls here, working for most of his life as a dental technician.  He passed away at the age of 84, just a few months before his final comic strip wa...

Perinatal Support Washington is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. The organization was started in 1989 as a way for parents to connect and find support during those really tough and bewildering years after a new baby arrives.  The organization may be best known for its “Warm Line,” where callers are connected with peers to talk about the challenges they face – including postpartum depres...

Let’s do a quick exercise. How are you feeling? Heart rate good? Optimistic about the rest of the day? Now, how do you feel after I say the words:  JURY DUTY? Ugh! What is it about that summons in the mail that makes us cringe so much? The disruption to our schedule? The waiting around? The other jurors?  One thing that certainly doesn’t help is the insultingly low pay. Most jurors in the state of...

For over a century, the deli meat company Boar’s Head has built its brand on a promise to customers - to only sell products based on the most exacting standards.  Boar's Head is ubiquitous in the Pacific Northwest, especially if you shop at Kroger stores. You know that logo. But in September, Boar's Head liverwurst was uncovered as the source of the deadliest listeria outbreak in over a decade.  T...

“Run, Hide, Fight."  That's the advice given to many students in the event of an active shooter at their school. Both the U-S Department of Homeland Security and the FBI support run/hide/fight as a safety protocol. It could save a lot of lives, theoretically. According to the Gun Violence Archive and Education Week this year in the U.S., there have already been 30 school shootings that resulted in...

Halfway through the season, college football has been a whirlwind for local sports fans this season.  Some may still be basking in the glory of the Washington Huskies beating the Michigan Wolverines earlier this month. And the Cougars deserve a tip of the hat for successfully keeping the Pac-2 alive…. or maybe it’s the PAC-6 now? The 6-PAC ?  While fans of Washington schools are still wrapping the...

There are some things that just scream Mondays. A fresh pot of coffee, fresh laundry, and a deep dive into the latest proposal for Seattle’s ongoing city growth plan. If you’re unfamiliar, Seattle’s 20-year growth plan is basically a zoning blueprint showing how the city will make room for new residents. Mayor Bruce Harrell’s first draft came out in March, and the proposal wasn’t exactly what hous...

The Urban Raptor Conservancy's Ed Deal and Patti Loesche are running a decades long study on the population health of Cooper's Hawks in Seattle. What does that involve? Spending a lot of time looking for and observing the city's hawks. Guests: Patti Loesche, co founder of the Urban Raptor Conservency Ed Deal, co founder of the Urban Raptor Conservancy Relevant Links: Urban Raptor Conservancy Websi...