Soundside

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July 20 · 16 min
Primary Elections 2026: Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, candidate for Washington's 3rd Congressional District
Washington’s Aug. 4 primary election is coming up. Here on Soundside, we’re diving into this year’s most competitive races, like the 3rd Congressional District in Southwest Washington. This area includes Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Pacific, Wahkiakum and Skamania Counties. It also covers a small part of Thurston County. It’s a purple district where voters have backed Donald Trump in recent presidential elections. But it’s also where a Democrat has repeatedly defeated a Trump-backed opponent. We heard from that Democratic incumbent who has held this seat for the past two terms. She has positioned herself as a champion of the working class and someone who’s willing to work across the aisle. Guest: Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a U.S. representative for Washington's 3rd Congressional District Related links: House Speaker Mike Johnson fundraises for Joe Kent in Vancouver | Washington State Standard Trump backs Joe Kent in Washington state | KUOW Gluesenkamp Perez’s Farm Bill banana amendment draws mixed reaction | The Seattle Times Gluesenkamp Perez thinks the Democratic Party needs to change, not her | Washington State Standard Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to donate.kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 20 · 6 min
Announcing Soundside's new co-host: David Kroman
If you've listened to KUOW at noon for long, you know the show's open: "You’re listening to Soundside – I’m Libby Denkmann…" Pretty soon, Libby's voice won’t be the only one you hear doing interviews and talking about the news at noon. KUOW is very excited to announce a new co-host for Soundside. He’s a voice you may be familiar with if you’re a regular KUOW listener, and DEFINITELY a byline you know if you read local news here in the Seattle area: David Kroman. RELATED LINK: David Kroman to join KUOW as co-host of Soundside Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to donate.kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 16 · 15 min
Primary Elections 2026: Jerrod Sessler, candidate for Washington's 4th Congressional District
Washington's 4th Congressional District will soon send a new face to D.C. for the first time in over a decade. Representative Dan Newhouse is retiring and there are a slew of challengers who want to take that seat, which covers central Washington, including Yakima, the Tri-Cities and Moses Lake. For this round of interviews before the primary, Soundside is focusing on candidates who have raised more than $50,000 to fund their campaign. GUEST: Jerrod Sessler Related Links: Meet the 11 people who want to replace Dan Newhouse in Congress - Yakima Herald-Republic 4th Congressional District candidates discuss healthcare, cost of living - Columbia Basin Herald Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to donate.kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 16 · 5 min
Weekend Warmup: Whippy Shows, Sand Sculptures, and the CID Celebration!
It all comes down to this: The World Cup ENDS this weekend as France faces off against England for 3rd place on Saturday, while Spain takes on FIFA favorite Lionel Messi & Argentina on Sunday afternoon. But, that’s not ALL that’s happening this weekend. There’s LOTS more to do! HOST: Jason Megatron Burrows LINKS: FINALS - Salmon Bay FC vs Vermont Green FC USL W Playoff Bracket Seattle Mariners vs SF Giants Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire GeekFest West Game Expo Capital Lakefair Sandsations Sand Sculpture Festival Sequim Lavender Festival Vashon Strawberry Festival CID Celebration Chinatown Parade Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to donate.kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 15 · 18 min
Documentary showcases the hope and beauty in the West's dwindling theaters
In 1929, there were twenty-two thousand movie theaters across the United States. Now… we’re down to fewer than three thousand. In his new documentary “The Last Picture Shows,” local filmmaker Rustin Thompson chronicles the life, death, and resilience of many of these small town theaters across the American West. Thompson drove through ten states and visited scores of theaters… both open AND closed… to tell the story of small town cinemas, and the people who keep them running. People like Tiny Pedersen, of the Desert Historic Theater in Burns, Oregon: “ We don't have anything else here. There's not a bowling alley. There's not a video game machine. There, there's absolutely nothing else for high school kids or teenagers or even young adults to have a night out on the town with a date.” The film is a postcard of American life and a love story to a part of it that seems to be fading. GUEST: Rustin Thompson RELATED LINKS: The Last Picture Shows The Last Picture Shows - Trailer Seattle filmmaker’s documentary finds hope in small-town movie theaters Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to donate.kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 15 · 15 min
The Western District of Washington chose a new US attorney... Trump fired him an hour later
Roger Rogoff is the new U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Washington. Or he was. He started this morning, but was fired by President Trump less than an hour after being sworn in. Rogoff is a former King County Superior Court judge and a former federal prosecutor. He was appointed to be the U.S. Attorney by the Western District’s federal judges. His firing has set off an expected legal fight that will once again pit the President against the judiciary with no clear idea what the future holds. Guest: UW Professor of Law Liz Porter Related Links: Seattle Times: Judges appoint new U.S. attorney in Seattle, setting up Trump showdown Seattle Times: Judges seek to appoint U.S. attorney in Seattle as Trump pick’s term nears end Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to donate.kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 15 · 14 min
Primary Elections 2026: John Duresky, candidate for Washington's 4th Congressional District
Washington's 4th Congressional District will soon send a new face to D.C. for the first time in over a decade. Representative Dan Newhouse is retiring and there are a slew of challengers who want to take that seat, which covers central Washington, including Yakima, the Tri-Cities and Moses Lake. For this round of interviews before the primary, Soundside is focusing on candidates who have raised more than $50,000 to fund their campaign. Guest John Duresky, retired Air Force major and former project control officer at the Hanford nuclear site Related Links Meet the 11 people who want to replace Dan Newhouse in Congress - Yakima Herald-Republic 4th Congressional District candidates discuss healthcare, cost of living - Columbia Basin Herald Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 14 · 22 min
Take a tour of Seattle's first ever social housing building
In 2023, Seattle voters were presented with a new approach to housing: Mixed income public housing where rent from higher earning tenants would offset the rent of people making below the area median income. It was dubbed social housing by its supporters. Seattle voters approved the idea and then, a couple years later, chose to give it a lot of money through a new tax on employers who pay individual salaries over $1 million dollars. Now, the rubber is hitting the road, Seattle’s Social Housing Developer purchased its first property in June. Soundside recently went to see the apartment building in Belltown and met with Tiffani McCoy, the interim CEO of the social housing developer. Guest: Tiffani McCoy, interim CEO of the Seattle Social Housing Developer Relevant Links: Seattle Times: Seattle’s first social housing building draws more than 10K applicants The Urbanist: Seattle Social Housing Developer Acquires First Building near Pike Place Market Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 14 · 16 min
Primary Elections 2026: Matt Boehnke, candidate for Washington's 4th Congressional District
Washington's 4th Congressional District will soon send a new face to D.C. for the first time in over a decade. Representative Dan Newhouse is retiring and there are a slew of challengers who want to take that seat, which covers central Washington, including Yakima, the Tri-Cities and Moses Lake. For this round of interviews before the primary, Soundside is focusing on candidates who have raised more than $50,000 to fund their campaign. Guest Republican State Senator Matt Boehnke Related Links Meet the 11 people who want to replace Dan Newhouse in Congress - Yakima Herald-Republic 4th Congressional District candidates discuss healthcare, cost of living - Columbia Basin Herald Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 14 · 30 min
How this UW prof’s father predicted urban architecture's future
By pure chance, University of Washington architecture professor Vikram Prakash was in his home city of Chandigarh, when his father passed away. His father was the architect Aditya Prakash, one of India’s most notable modern architects. He worked on Chandigarh's futuristic design with architect Le Corbusier. The city is now considered a living laboratory for modernism, climate responsiveness and post-independence social transformation. Vikram Prakash wrote about the death of his father in a new book called "Death of a Modernist" The short book combines memoir, fiction, and a primer on Indian architecture. "Soundside" host Libby Denkmann talked with him about the book. Guest Vikram Prakãsh, professor of architecture, University of Washington Related Links A son’s reflection on the death of his beloved father, ‘Death of A Modernist’ is a compact gem of a book - The International Examiner Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 13 · 20 min
Front Page: A new owner for the Seahawks, a round-up of what's happening with fire season, and more
Every week we talk about the most fascinating stories in the news and what they say about the Pacific Northwest. We call it Front Page. It’s our chance to talk about the latest news with a rotation of plugged-in journalists and guests, taking a look at the headlines from the weekend and the stories that we'll be following as the week moves forward. Guest: KUOW host Kim Malcolm Related Links: Seahawks sale: Answers to five key questions about what’s next Khosla-led group agrees to buy Seattle Seahawks Washington wildfire season turns deadly Northwest Large Fire Interactive Web Map Bison Attacks Tourist at Yellowstone National Park, Tossing Him Into the Air East Whatcom community leader hospitalized after bison rampage in Yellowstone Mariners snap skid, enter All-Star break on high note The Road Trip from Hell Ends with a Bang Mariners’ Julio Rodríguez unlikely to return from concussion IL before All-Star break Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 9 · 13 min
Primary Elections 2026: Will Chen, candidate for Position 1, Legislative District 32
One of Washington’s hottest statehouse races is for a district representing northwest Seattle, Shoreline, parts of Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood. Legislative District 32 has an open seat, because longtime representative Cindy Ryu is challenging for a state senate seat. For Position 1, the candidate field in this solidly-blue district is crowded with Democrats. For this round of interviews before the primary, Soundside is focusing on candidates who have raised more than $50,000 to fund their campaign. Guest Will Chen, Edmonds city councilmember Related Links Six candidates vie for open House seat in 32nd District - The Daily Herald Seattle-area state House race draws crowded field of Democratic hopefuls - The Washington State Standard Soundside's interview with Keith Scully, candidate for Position 1 - KUOW Soundside's interview with Chris Bloomquist, candidate for Position 1 - KUOW Soundside's interview with Danica Noble, candidate for Position 1 - KUOW Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 9 · 6 min
Weekend Warmup: Get your Saunter on through West Seattle or brave the Bare Buns Fun Run!
We’ve reached the end of another lovely week here in the Pacific Northwest, and while the barge has officially sailed away since we don’t have any more World Cup games HOSTED here in Seattle, there IS still a ton to do! Here with SO MUCH weekend excitement is Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows! LINKS: Walla Walla Movie Crush SIFF - In Theaters road to everywhere - Screenings The Last Picture Shows | Rustin Thompson Oregon Country Fair West Seattle Summer Fest Ballard SeafoodFest Kent Cornucopia Days PNA's PhinneyWood Garage Sale Day World Soccer Fan Celebration: Watch Parties Event Calendar | Seattle FIFA World Cup 26™ Seattle Reign v Portland Thorns Grudge Match BOGO The West Seattle Saunter Bare Buns Fun Run - Tiger Mountain Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 8 · 18 min
Hundreds of children are headed to 'mega' immigration hearings this week
This week at Seattle’s federal building downtown, hundreds of kids are showing up to court. They’ve been summoned to appear for immigration hearings. On Tuesday, more than a hundred juveniles appeared before a single judge. By the end of the proceeding, many received removal orders – a big step on the path to deportation. Since late June, adults and families have also been packed into immigration hearings much larger than normal, some scheduled on short notice. They’ve been dubbed “mega master” hearings. Guest: Seattle Times reporter Nina Shapiro Related stories: Seattle Immigration Court starts ‘mega’ hearings, ‘welfare checks’ for kids - Seattle Times Seattle Immigration Court launches new Trump tactic: ‘Mega’ hearings - Seattle Times Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 8 · 12 min
Primary Elections 2026: Danica Noble, candidate for Position 1, Legislative District 32
One of Washington’s hottest statehouse races is for a district representing northwest Seattle, Shoreline, parts of Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood. Legislative District 32 has an open seat, because longtime representative Cindy Ryu is challenging for a state senate seat. For Position 1, the candidate field in this solidly-blue district is crowded with Democrats. For this round of interviews before the primary, Soundside is focusing on candidates who have raised more than $50,000 to fund their campaign. Guest Danica Noble, former attorney with the Federal Trade Commission Related Links Six candidates vie for open House seat in 32nd District - The Daily Herald Seattle-area state House race draws crowded field of Democratic hopefuls - The Washington State Standard Soundside's interview with Keith Scully, candidate for Position 1 - KUOW Soundside's interview with Chris Bloomquist, candidate for Position 1 - KUOW Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 8 · 12 min
How UW scientists built an archiving technology as old as life itself
How do you store a TON of data in a very small package for 250 years? Do you copy it onto a flash drive? Record it onto a voice message? Or, heaven forbid, write it down on a piece of paper? That’s a question that the Library of Congress considered when it put together a time capsule meant to be opened in the year 2251. We don’t know what the world will look like in that year and technology like servers and USB drives may be out of date. They could go the way of the floppy disc or CD. So, to give the time capsule the best chance of being understood by future generations, the Library of Congress turned to an archiving technology that is as old as life itself: DNA. And they did it with the help of a team from the University of Washington. GUEST: Chris Takahashi - Principal Investigator at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. RELATED LINKS: With a ‘hello,’ Microsoft and UW demonstrate first fully automated DNA data storage Library Treasures Stored on Synthetic DNA Demonstration of End-to-End Automation of DNA Data Storage Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 8 · 13 min
Washington state sees it as restitution, opponents call it racial discrimination
In 2024, Washington state took a novel approach to undoing some of the historical damage caused by racist housing policy. That’s the year the state launched the Covenant Homeownership Program. It provides no-interest loans to descendents of people impacted by redlining or racially restrictive covenants. Those loans can be used for down payments and closing costs. So far, more than 1,500 home buyers have benefited from the program. And supporters say it’s giving people the chance at home ownership their ancestors were deprived of. But the program has opponents: After it was established, a nonprofit group quickly sued, alleging racial discrimination. And earlier this year, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development launched an investigation into the program. Guest: Susan Shain, freelance writer reporting for The New York Times Related Stories: Washington State Tried to Make Up for Redlining. Then It Was Sued. HUD launches investigation into WA’s Covenant Homeownership Program Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 7 · 13 min
Primary Elections 2026: Chris Bloomquist, candidate for Position 1, Legislative District 32
One of Washington’s hottest statehouse races is for a district representing northwest Seattle, Shoreline, parts of Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood. Legislative District 32 has an open seat, because longtime representative Cindy Ryu is challenging for a state senate seat. For Position 1, the candidate field in this solidly-blue district is crowded with Democrats. For this round of interviews before the primary, Soundside is focusing on candidates who have raised more than $50,000 to fund their campaign. Guest Chris Bloomquist, startup founder and the owner of a recruiting firm Related Links Six candidates vie for open House seat in 32nd District - The Daily Herald Seattle-area state House race draws crowded field of Democratic hopefuls - The Washington State Standard Soundside's interview with Keith Scully, another candidate for Position 1 - KUOW Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 7 · 20 min
XBox layoffs tell a larger story about a video game industry in transition
The gaming industry in the Pacific Northwest has been dealt some major blows in the past few weeks. Monday, Microsoft announced it would be cutting thousands of full time employees and “restructuring” their XBox division, where 1,600 jobs were cut. It’s not immediately clear how many of those are Washington-based. Last month, Bellevue based game studio Bungie announced it would be laying off almost 300 full time employees here in the state. What's behind the upheaval in gaming right now? And what does this mean for our favorite franchises? GUEST: Sam Machkovech RELATED LINKS: XBox CEO Asha Sharma's letter posted on X Xbox to cut 20% of workforce, plans to divest of five studios Microsoft cuts 4,800 across Xbox, sales divisions, redeploys hundreds more A Studio Shattered: The Aftermath Of The Mass Bungie Layoffs Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
July 6 · 13 min
Primary Elections 2026: Keith Scully, candidate for Position 1, Legislative District 32
One of Washington’s hottest statehouse races is for a district representing northwest Seattle, Shoreline, parts of Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood. Legislative District 32 has an open seat, because longtime representative Cindy Ryu is challenging for a state senate seat. For Position 1, the candidate field in this solidly-blue district is crowded with Democrats. For this round of interviews before the primary, Soundside is focusing on candidates who have raised more than $50,000 to fund their campaign. The first of four interviews is with Keith Scully, a Shoreline councilmember and a lawyer. He’s also Shoreline’s former mayor. He lives in Richmond Beach with his family. Guest Keith Scully, Shoreline councilmember, lawyer Related Links Six candidates vie for open House seat in 32nd District - The Daily Herald Seattle-area state House race draws crowded field of Democratic hopefuls - The Washington State Standard Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.