Soundside

Addressing homelessness is looking a little different in Thurston County these days. The county, which includes Olympia, just became the fifth community in the nation to collect data on every single adult experiencing homelessness. The county’s partner organization says that data includes the names and circumstances of each person counted. And the county vows to update the information monthly. It’...

We know a few things about the woman known as Lou Graham, for sure:  She was a brothel madam in Seattle at the turn of the century. And she’s immortalized in one of the city’s popular ghost tours.  Maybe you’ve even felt her spiritual presence while passing through tunnels underneath Pioneer Square. Beyond that, facts are sparse. But plenty of legends about Graham’s life and impact on Seattle are...

Last winter, federal officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a program to save the perpetually threatened northern spotted owl. The problem? Invasive barred owls are crowding out our local forest -- they're bigger, and more aggressive. The solution? Culling half a million of those owls over the next 30 years. On its face, the issue seems pretty straightforward: barred owls are...

At this point, most of Washington’s primary election results have been called. Bob Ferguson will face Dave Reichert in the race for governor. Tanya Woo and Alexis Mercedes Rinck are vying for a spot on the Seattle City Council. Goodspaceguy once again failed to get onto the November ballot. But – in one race, the drama has remained at a fever pitch as votes trickle in. Nearly 2 million people cast...

When some people picture political conventions, they might imagine a grand stage lit up with dazzling lights, a seemingly never ending stream of speeches - and a sea of enthusiastic supporters cheering their hearts out, waving lots and lots of American flags. Since Monday, the Democratic National Convention has been underway in Chicago.  There have been speeches and high-profile moments. like a vi...

Chances are high that you’ve never been to McNeal Island before. Few have - the island, located in the Puget Sound, southwest of Tacoma, isn’t accessible to the general public. The only people that are allowed are staff and pre-screened visitors at the Washington State Special Commitment Center - the first post-prison institution for people designated as sexually violent predators. Around 515 peop...

Picture a historic church in Tacoma’s Proctor neighborhood, bathed in afternoon sunlight, poised for a dramatic transformation. Julie Cain, who purchased the church in 2021, envisions turning it into affordable housing for young adults. The project aims to address local housing needs and foster a supportive community, with plans for shared rooms and communal spaces. However, the ambitious plan has...

When Fitz Cahall started his “Dirtbag Diaries” podcast in 2007, he was an avid outdoorsman struggling to make ends meet as a travel writer. At the time, this whole ‘on demand audio storytelling’ thing was kind of new, and Fitz saw it as a way of bringing new life to his joy of the outdoors.  Today, he’s replaced his wild life bouncing around in a van with the concrete landscape of Seattle, where h...

Imagine you are renting a property and your grass dies and gets brown (this is the Pacific Northwest, where, aside from some unseasonable August rain, it’s pretty dry all summer). Then you get a note from your management company that letting that grass die violates the property’s rules and fines you $125. Then, on top of that, the company charges you an additional $125 for the trouble it took to p...

The Washington State Department of Corrections has pledged to stop the use of solitary confinement in state prisons, in most cases. And the agency says it has made progress on that goal. But a recent report from the agency’s own independent watchdog, the Office of the Corrections Ombuds, says isolating inmates for extended periods of time is still a widespread practice. The findings, published in...

The summertime is usually the peak season for tourists in Stehekin, Washington – a small community of around 100 people at the north end of Lake Chelan. It’s only accessible by boat or floatplane, making it an ideal place for a lakeside getaway or entry into the North Cascades wilderness.  But the geography and topography that make Stehekin unique are now posing challenges as the Pioneer Wildfire...

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families, which oversees the state’s foster care system, celebrated a milestone last week: The number of children in foster care has dipped below 5,000. That’s down significantly from 9,171 kids in foster care in 2018 – a reduction of more than 50% in six years.  This is seen as progress among experts who have pushed for states nationwide to keep children wit...

For decades, the road to recovery after a spinal cord injury has meant years of physical therapy. The goal is often small but meaningful improvements in body function.  Being able to stretch your fingers that much farther, or grip just a bit harder.  Jon Schleuter’s path began after he broke his neck diving into a pool 20 years ago.  Soundside's Libby Denkmann and Alec Cowan spoke with Schleuter i...

A new study out of the University of Virginia combined data from all 50 states to see how COVID restrictions did or didn’t reduce pandemic deaths. Despite criticism – even today – that COVID restrictions were tyrannical and unnecessary, the paper shows that states with more stringent mask and vaccine mandates did in fact save lives, and that states without those measures could have prevented exces...

For many performers, a missed show can mean a huge pay cut.  Drag queens, comedians, musicians, and other entertainers are mostly independent contractors, which means no employer provided health insurance or sick time.  Now, local drag queen Betty Wetter, as well as the dance duo Drama Tops, and Velocity Dance Center, have come together to create the Queer Sick Pay Fund.  The Fund is meant to prov...

The Columbia River is undoubtedly one of the most important rivers in the Northwest. Today, its irrigation provides water for the farms of Central Washington; it’s a vital waterway for salmon; and it provides a critical source of hydroelectric power.  The river is split between the U.S. and Canada, and its headwaters begin in British Columbia. For the last 60 years, one treaty -- the Columbia Rive...

For 150 years, the United States government operated boarding schools that separated Native American children from their families and communities. The government's goal was to eradicate native languages and culture. At least 17 US Indian boarding schools existed in Washington State. A new report from the Department of Interior outlines the scale and impact of the government's effort. It identifies...

A new show from Cascade PBS looks at the way artists in the Pacific Northwest incorporate their surroundings into drawings, tapestry, and pottery.  ‘Art by Northwest’ showcases local artists inspired by the landscapes and culture of their communities. Each episode explores the stories behind their work, reflecting the unique essence of the Pacific Northwest.  "What I hope for the series is that pe...

There are a lot of stories about the financial challenges facing schools right now: Seattle School District has a $100 million budget gap they need to close and they’re going to be shuttering schools to make ends meet.  Bellevue School District also closed schools to shore up its budget last year. Other districts are looking at million dollar shortfalls and considering school closures or ending pr...

Two NASA astronauts named Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, are currently stuck in space. The pair launched in the Boeing Starliner earlier this year.  Malfunctions have delayed their return from what was originally meant to be an 8 day trip to the International Space Station. Now, they may not be back on Earth until February. And – most galling for Boeing: They may have to hitch a ride with its co...

While ballots are still being counted, most of the races in last week’s primary election have been decided. But one contest in particular – the race to become the next Commissioner of Public Lands for Washington state – has become surprisingly close.  The Commissioner of Public Lands runs the state Department of Natural Resources – think forest and wildfire policy, along with issues like fish hatc...

We wanted to round out today’s show by remembering a man described as the greatest music journalist Seattle ever had - Charles R. Cross. For over 40 years, Cross tracked the pulse of Seattle through its music.  He was also known for his biographies of local rock legends: Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart. Cross’ family confirmed in a statement that he died on Aug. 9 of n...

Primary election results continue to roll in. And sure, your head may have been turned by that flashy State Lands Commissioner race. But if you’re a Seattle resident, a very consequential city council contest should also be on your radar.     The at-large 8th district seat is up for grabs this November. The citywide position was formerly held by Teresa Mosqueda. Last year, she won a spot on the Ki...

Across vast stretches of rural Washington, large boxy warehouses have popped up between fields of potatoes. They contain the humming infrastructure that the tech industry and users rely on to store documents in the cloud, access streaming videos, or perform internet searches.  It’s easy to see why companies put data centers in this part of the state: cheap hydro electricity, available land, and a...

Summer is in full swing with clogged hiking trails, packed ferries, and the smells of backyard barbeques.  But while many of you might be visiting tourist towns in the Cascades or near a Puget Sound Island, one Washington tourist town has been struggling: Point Roberts, our favorite local exclave. It’s a peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides, and its fourth side borders Canada. Summers are...