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Seattle Now

KUOW News and Information

Seattle Now is KUOW's flagship daily news podcast. Seattle Now brings you quick headlines, smart analysis, and award-winning local news. New episodes every weekday morning and afternoon. Start and end your day with Seattle Now, from KUOW and the NPR Network.

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Yesterday · 12 min
As renters fight for more rights, landlords say they're struggling too
Both Seattle and Tacoma have a lot of renters. And when it comes to affordability, both renters and landlords say they’re going through it. In Seattle, a lawsuit could help landlords and in Tacoma a ballot measure could ease pains for renters. Seattle Times reporter Heidi Groover will break it down. Read her reporting here, here, and here. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sunday · 13 min
Seattle Symphony timpani player gets his day in the sun
As a percussionist with the Seattle Symphony, Eric Schweikert says you have to be willing to be silly. “All the ridiculous stuff ends up in the percussion section. If you want bird whistles or pop guns, sound effects, trash cans falling on the ground, we're the guys that have to do it.” But as the Seattle Symphony’s principal timpanist, Schweikert’s got chops. He’ll get to show off his musicality when the Seattle Symphony world premieres a timpani concerto on November 19, 2026, by composer Joseph Pereira. It’s called Virtù. Schweikert tells KUOW’s Gabriel Spitzer how he explains his job to strangers – “The copper kettle drums, that's what I do.” And why some of his biggest influences have been high school drummers and Animal from The Muppets. He also shares some of his all-time favorite timpani parts, including the theme from the 1960s television show, George In The Jungle. And of course, the theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey”, which is a tone poem originally composed by Richard Strauss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Saturday · 50 min
Trans girls in sports, on the ballot. The arguments for and against I-638
Today, we’re helping you prep for next week’s election with KUOW’s “Soundside.” Don’t forget, your ballot is due in a ballot box on Tuesday night. This year, Washington voters will decide if they want to ban transgender girls from participating in girls' sports. Initiative 638 has become one of the state's most contentious items of the ballot and it reflects a broader cultural divide on this issue across the country. Parents, lawmakers and more shared their thoughts with Soundside, on what this initiative would mean for girls' sports. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Friday · 13 min
Friday Evening Headlines
Gov. Ferguson urges voters to use drop boxes, 90-unit tiny home community opens in South Park, and clocks in WA and B.C. will soon be out of sync. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Vaughan Jones. Read more from KNKX about the race for WA's 3rd Congressional District, here. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Friday · 23 min
Casual Friday with Michael Wong and Danny Ball
This week… New data says Washington residents are surprisingly financially healthy. We're gearing up for a rare Saturday Halloween. And when a musician says no phones allowed... Why not bring a courtroom sketch artist? Asianverified Creator Michael Wong and Simply Seattle’s Danny Ball are here to break down the week. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Friday · 10 min
Thursday Evening Headlines
ICE awards 10-year contract to a private prison company that runs Tacoma detention center, WA's elections chief says non-citizens are not voting en masse, and a historic family home in the Chinatown-International District is now open for public tours. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Patricia Murphy. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Thursday · 15 min
Understanding WA's vote-by-mail system amid federal scrutiny
In the final week before election day, Washington has been making a lot of news – and not because of the candidates is on the ballot. Instead, questions about election security and illegal voting are swirling around. We’ll take a closer look at how our mail in voting system works with UW Professor Scott Allard. Learn more about his research here. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Thursday · 9 min
Wednesday Evening Headlines
Immigrant families urge lawmakers to push back against mass ICE deportations, Seattle City Attorney could get more funding to clear case backlog, and dogs are now allowed on light rail trains. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Vaughan Jones. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wednesday · 11 min
Microsoft is letting 60,000 employees choose whether to jump ship
Don’t call it a buyout… Microsoft is offering what they’re calling a “voluntary exit offer” to a quarter of its global workforce. After a slew of layoffs, the company is allowing some employees to choose whether or not they want to stay. We’ll hear more from KUOW Tech Reporter Monica Nickelsburg. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 27 · 10 min
Tuesday Evening Headlines
Home Depot parking lots are a hot spot for immigration arrests, the city council is still hashing out changes to Mayor Wilson’s budget, and Gov. Ferguson issues an executive order to tackle fraud. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Patricia Murphy. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 27 · 14 min
King County honors people who die with no one to bury them
Earlier this month, King County held a special ceremony at Mt. Olivet cemetery in Renton. Faith leaders read the names of people who didn't have anyone to bury them. This year’s ceremony set an all-time record for the number of people who were laid to rest: 626. Seattle Now’s Senior Producer Andy Hurst attended the ceremony, and is here now to tell us about it. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 27 · 8 min
Monday Evening Headlines
Microsoft is offering buyouts to a large portion of its workforce, Washington is facing accusations of illegal voter registration and voting, and the Hawaii General Store might be starting a new chapter. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Patricia Murphy. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 26 · 14 min
Mayor Wilson has a new-ish plan to address homelessness
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson has a new plan to address homelessness. It’s not completely new, instead it expands on some earlier efforts that have shown success. We’ll break it down with KUOW politics reporter Scott Greenstone. Read his reporting here. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 25 · 17 min
Death, ghosts, and AI with George Saunders
KUOW's Katie Campbell speaks with writer George Saunders about his latest novel, "Vigil." It's set at the deathbed of an 87 year old oil tycoon and climate change denier named KJ Boone. While Boone is dying, an angel comes to get him to revisit some of his most harmful decisions. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW app. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 24 · 35 min
As PAC money pours in, two Democrats fight to represent the Eastside
Today, we’re helping you prep for next month’s election with KUOW’s “Soundside.” One of the closest races in Washington state elections this year is between two Democrats on the Eastside… Despite their party alignment, they disagree on a key issue facing the state. Following a “no” vote on Washington’s millionaires tax in March, incumbent state house Representative Amy Walen (WALL-in) found she was facing a challenge from her own party, from Redmond city council member Jessica Forsythe. A measly 17 votes separated the two candidates in the primary. Meanwhile, the race has attracted hundreds of thousands of dollars of independent expenditures in support of both campaigns. They’re vying to represent the 48th Legislative District, one of the wealthiest districts in the state which includes parts of Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, and all of Clyde Hill, Medina, Yarrow Point, and Hunts Point. Walen and Forsythe answered questions about their candidacy as part of a debate moderated by Soundside’s David Kroman. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 23 · 13 min
Friday Evening Headlines
DOJ is sending election monitors to King County, drought conditions are affecting salmon runs in WA, and we look into safety concerns at WA's pulp mills. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Vaughan Jones. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 23 · 21 min
Casual Friday with Geraldine DeRuiter and Nathalie Graham
This week… Sound Transit says it needs $10 billion to get the Light Rail to Ballard. King County is no longer sending out “I Voted” stickers with your ballot. And some of Seattle’s best athletes gathered for a marathon with a burger-filled twist. Author Geraldine DeRuiter and Stranger Editor Nathalie Graham are here to break down the week. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 22 · 11 min
Thursday Evening Headlines
Investigators probe Bend school shooter’s connection to violent extremist groups, Seattle voters will decide whether to pay more for expanded bus service, and 250,000 WA residents could become uninsured in 2027. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Patricia Murphy. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 22 · 16 min
Parents' rights, trans athletes, and taxes: we break down the ballot
There are 3 big, somewhat confusing statewide ballot initiatives in Washington right now. Two of the initiatives are repeals. And one would create a new law governing girls sports. We’ll break them all down with KUOW’s Sarah Mizes-Tan. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 21 · 9 min
Wednesday Evening Headlines
15-year-old Bite of Seattle shooting suspect released to his family, Mayor Wilson unveils new homelessness strategy, and Seattle restricts overnight RV parking. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Vaughan Jones. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online or on the KUOW App. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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