Episodes
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The Soundside team is on a break this week for the 4th of July holiday, so we’re revisiting some of our favorite segments of the year.
First up, when Seattle writer and illustrator Tessa Hulls started drafting the story of her grandmother’s life, she wanted to take on the role of neutral narrator, but that didn't last long.
We’ll hear about her graphic novel, Feeding Ghosts, and the complicated family history she unraveled.
And then, we'll speak with the director of a documentary about renowned translator Bill Porter aka Red Pine.
Guests:
Tessa Hulls, author of Feeding Ghosts Ward Serrill, filmmaker behind Dancing with the Dead Bill Porter, translator and authorRelevant Links
KUOW: In 'Feeding Ghosts,' author, illustrator Tessa Hull recounts a healing journey across generations KUOW: A Port Townsend man went searching for hermits. Now he's a celebrity in ChinaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The Soundside team is taking some time off this 4th of July week; some of us are on vacation, and others are working on upcoming shows.
We’re going to revisit some of our favorite segments, and the hardworking producers who make Soundside, will be making the picks.
Producer Noel Gasca's picks:
Lily Gladstone chronicles Blackfeet Nation's reunion with buffalo in new SIFF documentary In 'Thunder Song,' a Coast Salish punk creates her own form of medicineGuests:
Lily Gladstone, Oscar nominee and executive producer of Bring Them Home Sasha taqwšəblu LaPointe, author of "Thunder Song: Essays" and “Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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For months, one creature of the night has been drawing the fascination and exasperation of city leaders, police officers, and residents of one of Seattle’s trendiest neighborhoods. Some call him The Belltown Hellcat.
Maybe you’ve caught a glimpse of his souped-up 2023 Dodge Charger Hellcat zipping by, or the car’s revving and backfiring has kept you from getting a decent night of sleep. Or you could be one of his roughly 760 thousand Instagram followers – watching as he posts clips of his late night or early morning drives - going upwards of 100 miles per hour.
Needless to say, city officials and police are not pleased. And requests of him to quiet down - have been ignored. Since March, Hudson has been hit with two charges of reckless driving.
And last week, a Seattle Municipal Court Judge fined him over $83 thousand dollars for not removing the noise-enhancing modifications that violate the city’s noise laws.
Seattle Times reporter Paige Cornwell joins Soundside host Libby Denkmann to share an update on how the Hellcat ended up in hot water.
Guests:
Paige Cornwell - Reporter for The Seattle TimesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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When it comes to Presidential elections, Washington state's electoral votes are about as blue as you can get. But there are still big stakes here when it comes to how national political conversations affect local races.
A recent analysis from the Cook Political Report says that the 2024 Washington gubernatorial race is shaping up to be competitive, even though a Republican hasn't been governor since the 1985.
While it may be assumed Democrats will get the votes they need to clinch the governor's mansion in Olympia, that doesn't mean voters are enthusiastic about democratic candidates, or the party's platform.
Soundside host Libby Denkmann caught up with KUOW politics reporter Scott Greenstone about his trip to the Washington state Democratic convention, where he talked to delegates about what it'll take for the party's messaging to land with voters.
Guests:
Scott Greenstone - KUOW politics reporter Michael Kazin - Historian and professor at Georgetown University, author of "What It Took to Win: A History of the Democratic Party."Relevant Links:
KUOW - WA Democratic Party will send ceasefire letters to Biden, party leadershipSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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For weeks, Seattle Public Schools families have been waiting for news about school closures. In May, the district announced plans to close 20 elementary schools to shore up its budget.
And that left parents, and students, wondering if their local school was on the chopping block. Last night was supposed to be the night they would learn which schools will close, but they’ll have to wait just a little longer to find out.Guest:
Sami West, KUOW education reporterRelevant Links:
KUOW: Families won't know which Seattle schools may close until fall KUOW: Will closing schools really balance the budget for Seattle Public Schools? Parents have their doubtsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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After a four year hiatus, the reality television show “Cops” is returning to Spokane County.
If you had a TV anytime in the last few decades, you know the show: shaky cameras following police busting drug deals, stopping thefts, chasing down the “bad boys”.
Paramount canceled Cops in 2020, amid the George Floyd protests.
But it didn’t take long for the show to return. ‘Cops’ began airing again in 2021 as part of Fox Nation -- Fox’s streaming service.
Now, after four years away from the limelight, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels says now is the time to start filming again.
Guests:
Nick Gibson - county reporter for the Spokesman Review
Sean Campbell - independent investigative journalist and contributing reporter with the Garrison Project. An independent, nonpartisan organization addressing the crisis of mass incarceration and policing
Relevant Links:
Spokesman Review: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2024/jun/18/resurrected-reality-tv-series-cops-to-return-to-sp/ Slate:https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/11/reality-tv-cops-on-patrol-live-pd.html
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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After an 8 month search, the Seattle Art Museum has a new director and CEO: Scott Stulen comes to Seattle from Tulsa, Oklahoma where he led the Philbrook Museum.
In their announcement, SAM touted Stulen’s work expanding the role of museums in civic life by using the Philbrook as a polling place and vegetable garden.Stulen’s hire comes at an important time for the SAM, arts organizations are still recovering from the pandemic, the museum is engaged in union negotiations with security guards, and carrying out a new strategic plan.
Guests:
Scott Stulen, incoming director and CEO of the Seattle Art MuseumRelevant Links:
KUOW: Seattle Art Museum has a new leader after 8-month CEO search GeekWire: Seattle Art Museum’s new CEO brings innovation mindset — with an openness to AI and other techSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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An influential research team with a focus on fighting false and misleading election information online has reportedly collapsed under pressure from conservative critics.
The Stanford Internet Observatory’s future is uncertain now that the team has lost most of its staff. While Stanford told reporters in a statement that the Observatory’s work will continue under new leadership, it appears the rapid analysis work identifying election misinformation that researchers conducted during the 2020 election will not continue.
The announcement comes as disinformation work has come under fire in recent years.
Some Republicans in congress, conservative groups and influencers have said academic research designed to track and better understand rumors online amounts to a censorship campaign and a violation of their First Amendment rights. Stanford's Internet Observatory (SIO) and University of Washington researchers have also been the subject of a lawsuit from a conservative pundit and a vaccine skeptic, represented by former Trump Administration advisor Stephen Miller’s group America First Legal.
That’s a troubling development for those who are continuing the work of studying our online information ecosystem, including researchers at the University of Washington.
Soundside spoke with Kate Starbird, the co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington, about what the cracks in the SIO's foundation say about the field at large.
Guests:
Kate Starbird, co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public at the University of Washington. Starbird's work focuses on misinformation and disinformation.Links:
The Washington Post: Stanford’s top disinformation research group collapses under pressure Politico: Challenge to Biden hectoring of social media firms appears doomed at Supreme Court Platformer: The Stanford Internet Observatory is being dismantledSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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A King County Superior Court Judge has hit the pause button on a few elements of the Parents Bill of Rights, also known as I-2081. The Friday order comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU of WA in May.
LGBTQIA advocacy groups and civil liberties organizations raised concern about the legality of the Parents Bill of Rights and its effect on students.
Jeanie Lindsay joined Soundside host Libby Denkmann to talk about which parts of the bill have been put on hold, and what this means for schools, students, and their parents.
GUEST: Jeanie Lindsay, Olympia correspondent for Northwest News Network
RELATED LINKS:
New police pursuit rules, 'parents bill of rights' become law in Washington - Northwest News Network ACLU sues Washington to stop 'parents bill of rights' initiative from becoming law - Northwest News Network Washington's 'parents bill of rights' law partly on hold - KUOW Washington's Public Schools Will Continue to Protect Student Privacy and Safety - OSPI StatementSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Families of people who died on Boeing jets are renewing their calls for criminal prosecution of the company after Boeing’s CEO appeared before Congress this week.
The families are asking the Justice Department to fine Boeing the maximum – 24 billion dollars – for the dual 737 Max 8 crashes in 2018 and 2019.The letter to the DOJ comes the day after Boeing’s David Calhoun testified before on a series of safety lapses and whistleblower complaints at the company.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee hearing was the first time Calhoun had faced lawmakers since the door plug of a MAX 9 ripped off an Alaska Airlines plane back in January.
Members of congress have already heard from a bevy of whistleblowers, as well aviation and engineering safety experts testifying on what’s gone wrong at the company.Tuesday’s hearing was a rare instance of bipartisan agreement on the Hill: Calhoun faced the heat from Democrat and Republican lawmakers.
Guest:
Richard Aboulafia, managing director of AeroDynamic AdvisorySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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For the first time in 25 years, the Makah Tribe of Neah Bay will once again be allowed to hunt the Eastern Pacific Gray Whale.
The tribe, which is located in the northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula, has the only treaty in the US that explicitly includes the right to hunt whales for cultural and sustenance purposes.
But, in the past 90 years, they have only been allowed to exercise that right once, in 1999, when tribal members harpooned a whale.
The ceremony was controversial: there were threats of violence, protestors on boats tried to stop the hunt. At vigils, activists held signs that said “Save the whales, kill a Makah.”
It also sparked decades of court battles, scientific reviews, and bureaucracy.
Now, following the 2021 recommendation of a judge to grant the Makah a waiver, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, also known as NOAA, has authorized a return of whaling.
Guest:
Makah Tribal Council Chairman Timothy J. Greene Sr
Relevant Links:
KNKX: https://www.knkx.org/makah-tribe-waiver-noaa-whale-hunt-marine-mammal-act-washington The New York Times:https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/13/us/makah-whales-hunting-noaa.html
NOAA: https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/noaa-fisheries-authorizes-makah-tribe-to-resume-gray-whale-huntSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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School is out for the summer, and when students of two Seattle schools return in the fall, there will be some changes. Cell phones will be banned at Robert Eagle Staff Elementary and Hamilton International Middle School.
Students will check their cell phone into a small lockable pouch when they arrive at school. Districts across the state and country have taken similar actions. Florida and Indiana have passed laws requiring districts to create policies that restrict phone usage during the school day
This all comes amid a growing body of research on the impacts that smartphones have on teen learning and mental health.
Guests:
Lucía Magis-Weinberg, assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Psychology Kris Hagal, executive director of digital learning at Peninsula School DistrictLinks:
Seattle Times: Two Seattle schools ban cellphones WA State Standard: Should Washington’s public schools ban students from using cellphones? Tacoma News Tribune: Local school district bans social media use at school. Here’s how they’ll enforce itSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Employees of Everett’s Daily Herald are on strike today. They’re protesting the management decisions that led to a dozen staffers being laid off from the newspaper last Wednesday.
Back in March, Carpenter Media Group purchased Black Press Media, which owned 43 publications in Washington and Alaska, including the Herald. Carpenter says the restructuring is part of plans to improve the economics of the paper and better serve the community.
The Daily Herald covers nearly 1 million residents in Snohomish and Island counties. Carpenter reportedly has plans to eliminate 62 positions across Sound Publishing, of which the Herald is its largest publication.
This decision comes amid years of contraction within local journalism.
To get more on the potential impacts, Soundside spoke with Caleb Hutton. He’s the local news editor of the Everett Herald, and is among the newsroom members who is being let go.
KUOW requested to speak with representatives from Carpenter Media Group, but they have not responded.
Caleb Hutton - Local News Editor, Everett's Daily Herald
Guests:Relevant Links:
HeraldNet.com - ‘This breaks my heart’: Roughly half of Everett Herald news staff laid off KUOW - Everett Herald’s new owner appears to censor story about layoffs WA State Standard - At one of WA's oldest papers, deep cuts and an uncertain futureSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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$395 million -- that is one judge’s estimate of how much the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community should receive in a trespassing case. The judgment is not only a monetary victory for the tribe, but points to the legal leverage Tribal governments have when it comes to protecting their sovereignty.
Guests:
Isabella Breda, environment reporter at the Seattle TimesRelevant Links:
Seattle Times: Judge orders BNSF to pay WA tribe $400M for oil train trespass Seattle Times: A WA tribe will get paid by a railroad that trespassed. The question is how much KUOW: BNSF Railway ordered to pay $395 million after years of trespassing on Swinomish landSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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To make room for the new Sageview High School, Pasco school board members needed to make a decision: which students would go to the shiny new school, and which would stay at one of the older schools: Pasco High School, or Chiawana High?
This isn’t the first time Pasco’s school board has had to make a decision like this.
When Chiawana High opened in 2009, the district began busing some students across the city to attend the new school, instead of the nearby, much older, Pasco High.
The school boundaries they drew back then were aimed at evening out the share of lower income students at Pasco schools. To create economic diversity at the schools.This time, the Pasco school board has taken a different approach - listening to parents value proximity over economic diversity. That's raising bigger questions about how demographics like race and income affect student learning and school performance.
Guests:
Eric Rosane: civic accountability reporter for the Tri-City Herald
Saba Bireda: Co-Founder of Brown's Promise, an organization that works to end racial and economic segregation in K-12 schools.
Related Links:
Tri-City Herald:https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/education/article289202959.html
Tri-City Herald:https://www.tri-cityherald.com/news/local/education/article288980625.html
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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This year marks the 25th anniversary of the WTO protests in Seattle, a raucous action by 50,000 protesters who descended on the city in the fall of 1999. Their aim? shutting down a conference of top decision makers at the World Trade Organization.
When this coalition of activists succeeded in stopping the WTO’s opening ceremonies, the “Battle of Seattle” became an inflection point in a growing struggle between advocates for free trade and groups fighting for the rights of labor, farmers, the environment and more.Comprising over 100 interviews, author DW Gibson’s new book, “One Week to Change the World,” tells a new oral history of the protest through the eyes of people who participated.
Guests:
DW Gibson, journalist based in New York and author of "One Week to Change the World."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The U.S. Coast guard says it is still investigating the cause of a catastrophic implosion that destroyed the Titan submersible on a dive in the North Atlantic, killing all five passengers onboard.
Titan was built and operated by Everett-based OceanGate. The company was a player in the nascent deep sea tourism industry, shuttling people to the site of the Titanic wreck at a cost of $250,000 a ticket.
A new article in WIRED magazine details that, for years before Titan disappeared, engineers and experts in the submersible industry had warned OceanGate, and its CEO Stockton Rush, that Titan had potentially fatal design problems.
Guests:
Mark Harris, investigative tech journalistRelated Links:
Wired: The Titan Submersible Disaster Shocked the World. The Exclusive Inside Story Is More Disturbing Than Anyone ImaginedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Since the Supreme Court struck down the right to an abortion in 2022, Idaho has enacted some of the strictest abortion laws in the country. For Idaho medical students at the University of Washington, the near total abortion ban creates uncertainty about whether they will go back home to practice.
Guests:
Dr. Sarah Villarreal, associate professor at the University of Washington and practicing OB/GYN Emina Gulbis, 4th year Idaho WWAMI medical studentRelated Links:
Cascade PBS Medical residents are avoiding abortion-ban states, survey finds KUOW Post-Roe, WA is a health care ‘sanctuary’ — for both patients and providers Boise State Public Radio 'Idaho will suffer for this:' Doctors worry about attracting medical residents due to abortion bansSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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It’s been a tumultuous few years for rental laws in Washington state.
When the pandemic caused widespread job and income losses, state, county, and city governments passed a series of protections to keep tenants housed. That included funds for back-paying rent and moratoriums on evictions.
But many of those protections have ended, and over the last year, eviction cases have spiked in the state. In King County’s court system specifically, that massive demand is leading to delays ranging from six months to a year.
Some see this bottleneck as a frustrating bureaucratic mess; but others see it as growing pains in a system that's shifting from favoring landlords to more equally representing tenants.
Soundside host Libby Denkmann spoke with Philippe Knab from the Office of Civil Legal Aid and Sean Flynn of the Rental Housing Association of Washington.
Guests:
Philippe Knab, eviction defense and re-entry program manager at the Washington State Office of Civil Legal Aid Sean Flynn, executive director of the Rental Housing Association of WashingtonRelated links:
Seattle Times: King County aims to speed up some eviction casesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Microsoft continues to face tough questions about its security protocols and commitment to safety after a whistleblower says he warned the company about a serious vulnerability involving third party software years ahead of it being exploited in the infamous SolarWinds attack.
Experts believe that it was in September of 2019 that Russian hackers gained access to SolarWinds - a network infrastructure monitoring software relied on by hundreds of thousands of computer systems across the country.
By inserting malware in a SolarWinds update, hackers got a backdoor to those systems, including Microsoft and its customers: the largest of which is the U.S. government.
They gained access to sensitive federal agencies, like the departments of Energy and Treasury.When the hack was discovered 14 months later – it brought home the threat of cyber warfare and the ability of malicious foreign actors to find tiny weaknesses in computer code to cause major damage.
Now, new reporting by ProPublica sheds light on what Microsoft knew about the SolarWinds vulnerability before the attack – and the extent of the hackers’ access. including breaching the agency that maintains America’s nuclear weapons stockpile.
Guests:
Renee Dudley, a tech reporter at ProPublicaRelated Links:
ProPublica: https://www.propublica.org/article/microsoft-solarwinds-golden-saml-data-breach-russian-hackers ProPublica: https://www.propublica.org/article/microsoft-solarwinds-cybersecurity-house-homeland-security-hearingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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