Soundside

Boeing's Starliner spacecraft hit a milestone when it docked at the International Space Station on Thursday morning.  The journey to get this spacecraft off the ground in the first place was bumpy, and expensive. It ended up running seven years behind schedule, and went more than $1 billion dollars over budget. But for many, this mission signifies a turning point for the relationship between NASA...

The Wing Luke Museum in Seattle’s Chinatown International District is working to reopen after roughly two dozen staff walked out in protest. At issue: a new exhibit called “Confronting Hate Together,” which looks at how Seattle’s Black, Asian-American, and Jewish communities have faced prejudice both historically and in the present.  On the day it was set to debut, about half of the Wing Luke’s st...

The Horse Heaven Wind Farm Project near the Tri-Cities could become the largest of its kind in the state.  The project, as originally planned, would span over 24 miles, and include wind turbines, solar panels, and battery storage. But there are concerns: the land has previously been home to the endangered ferruginous hawk. It's also culturally important land to the Yakama Nation. Those kinds of is...

It’s a gift for us in Washington to be surrounded by wildlife. You can catch sight of whales on a ferry commute, coyotes from the back deck, or ospreys diving for fish at the local park. But not all human-animal interactions are without a bit of risk. If you happen to run into a backwoods bear or a concealed cougar, someone like Kevin O’Connor may be sent in for help. O’Connor is a wildlife confli...

A major change to U.S. immigration policy just dropped:  President Biden this morning signed an Executive Order limiting asylum claims from people who cross the border between ports of entry. This is an evolving story today as we get details of the order: but reporters who have been briefed by the Biden team say the new policy would effectively close the southern border after unauthorized crossing...

For 42 years - journalist and newspaper publisher Assunta Ng has been a pillar of Seattle’s Chinatown International District.  After emigrating to the United States at the age of 19 to attend the University of Washington - Assunta, together with her husband George, started two newspapers devoted to serving the local Asian American and immigrant communities: The Seattle Chinese Post, and Northwest...

In April, former Richland School Board Director and military veteran Semi Bird received the GOP's endorsement for governor. He has since faced controversy. Last week, conservative talk show host Jason Rantz published letters pertaining to Bird’s time in the Army . In those letters, a brigadier general reprimanded Bird for wearing medals he did not earn and submitting false performance evaluation d...

The different factions of the Republican Party were clearly on display this past weekend, at the “Cascade Conference” in Yakima.  The conference was hosted by a group called the “Mainstream Republicans of Washington”. Their self-stated mission is to push for the election of more qualified and moderate candidates for public office. Including former congressman and King County Sheriff Dave Reichert,...

Congratulations class of 2024, you've graduated from college. But now what?  If you look at statistics, new graduates today have better than average job prospects.  At a macro level, the US job market is looking good. 175,000 new jobs were added in April, and the unemployment rate remained low - at just 3.9 percent. But, that may not be how it feels to every job seeker. Expedia, Amazon, and Micros...

Soundside host Libby Denkmann sits down with Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell to discuss Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz's removal from his job on Wednesday, under pressure from a series of lawsuits including allegations of discrimination and harassment at the department.  Sue Rahr, the former King County Sheriff and head of Washington State’s Criminal Justice Training Commission is now serving as int...

Seattle's Cheryl Glass was a sprint car racing sensation. She won the season finale at the Skagit Speedway in 1980, took the Pacific Northwest racing world by storm, and had serious aspirations of racing in the Indy 500.  Even today, Glass remains one of the most well known Black female race car drivers in U.S. history. But after a series of accidents and setbacks, she left the racing world. Her l...

Seattle’s Chief of Police, Adrian Diaz, has been dismissed from his job. Diaz and the department have endured a flurry of allegations and lawsuits from employees over the past year. including claims of discriminatory behavior by Diaz toward women and people of color, and rumors of a relationship with an employee that roiled the department.  Hanging over all of this is the department’s ongoing stru...

Seattle Public Library’s services remain limited today after a ransomware attack took much of the library’s technology systems offline.   In a blog post, the Library said it had been preparing to take computer systems down for maintenance over Memorial Day Weekend when workers discovered a ransomware event affecting the entire network. At this point, it is unclear what the ransomware attackers are...

The H5N1 bird flu continues to spread to U.S. dairy cows – affecting dozens of herds in at least ten states. The dairy industry has been hesitant to test cows for the virus. The FDA says pasteurized milk is safe to drink. A team of University of Washington and Fred Hutch Cancer Center researchers is working to track the avian influenza by sequencing the virus’ RNA found in milk from the grocery st...

When author Noé Álvarez was growing up in Yakima, WA he remembers hearing accordion music wafting in the orchards where his parents picked fruit, at dance halls, and at house parties. But his grandfather Eulogio – a traveling accordion player – remained a figure steeped in mystery and infamy.  The path to understanding that “ancestral tragedy” sent Álvarez across state and country borders in searc...

Over the last 18 months, thousands of asylum-seeking migrants have found a temporary home at the Riverton Park United Methodist Church in Tukwila. The church isn’t set up to be a long term shelter - but with few beds open in King County’s family shelters each night - this temporary solution has become a lifeline for asylum seekers. But how did this church become a de facto shelter for so many peop...

Starting in 2018, state and federal officials began moving over 300 mountain goats from the Olympic Peninsula to the North Cascades. It was a joint project with local tribes, the Olympic National Park, Washington Fish and Wildlife, and the U.S. Forest Service. Now, more than five years later, reporting from the Everett Herald indicates the project has had mixed success. Hundreds of goats were...

Washington state has a plan to replace its aging ferry fleet, but it will be years before commuters notice any changes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Whether you’re getting ready to hit the trails for the first time, or you’re a seasoned outdoors aficionado — Soundside is here to help you get prepped for hot hiking summer in the Pacific Northwest. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Late last month, KUOW announced the station was ending its RadioActive Youth Media program. For 20 years, RadioActive brought listeners the stories and perspectives of young people in the Pacific Northwest. Soundside producer Noel Gasca reflects on what the program has meant to the over 6,000 youth who participated - and what will be lost. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Homelessness policy has become a lightning rod in Burien, as the city’s approach toward people sleeping outside has drawn scrutiny and lawsuits. The latest; the city council agreed to build a pallet shelter on land owned by Seattle City Light. King County agreed to give the city a million dollars for the project, but now the city council is considering zoning restrictions that may kill the sh...

In 2015 “Our Children’s Trust” took aim at what they thought was a major contributor to ongoing climate problems: that the U.S. government had continued to permit, authorize and subsidize fossil fuel extraction. So, along with 21 plaintiffs whose ages ranged from 8 to 19 years old, they sued the U.S. government. Even though the "Juliana V United States" has never actually gone to trial after 9 yea...

Author Nora Kenworthy's new book, Crowded Out: The True Costs of Crowdfunding Healthcare, looks at the complex set of experiences of people using platforms like GoFundMe to raise money for medical care and how the platform potentially shapes the world around us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Soundside host Libby Denkmann hosts a panel discussion about the latest update to the way Google search results are presented, and the potential issues the company may face. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The University of Washington reached an agreement with the leaders of an encampment of students protesting the war in Gaza. As part of that agreement, students had until 3 p.m. Monday to clear the area where they’ve been living. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.