Soundside
Get to know the PNW and each other.
Episodes
Have you ever walked into a bookstore, lonely and single, and hoped you’d meet the love of your life?
We know there are at least a few of you out there.
That's part of the setup for Moira Macdonald’s debut novel “Storybook Ending.” It’s a story about loneliness, friendship, reading – and of course, the singular pleasure of spending time between the shelves of a cozy book shop in Seattle.
Th...
From new statewide legislation freezing rent hikes at up to 10 percent for most tenants, to the Seattle City Council banning the use of algorithmic rent fixing, there's a lot of news to keep in mind if you’re a renter or a landlord.
And summer is moving season – prompting lots of questions about the rights for renters regarding repairs, fees and beyond. We review some frequently asked questions for renters in Seattle.
Libby may be out today, but … We’ve made it to the end of the work week!
And since tomorrow is a holiday, you’re probably trying to figure out what to do with a whole THREE DAYS of free time in front of you… But don’t worry, I’ve got the big list of everything to do on the 4th of July and BEYOND!
WELCOME to the Weekend Warmup!
LINKS:
- FIREWORKS!!!
- Arlington — Qua...
The Senate passed the Big Beautiful Bill, sending it back to the House of Representatives for a final vote on Donald Trump’s sweeping spending package.Aside from extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, the legislation includes cuts to Medicaid and food assistance, caps on student loans, and higher fees on people going through the legal immigration process. It also increases spending on defense and border security, limits taxes...
On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that a Maryland couple could pull their child out of classes where the material involved books with LGBTQ themes.
The six conservative justices ruled that parents should not be required to expose their children to class materials that go against their religious beliefs.
Coincidentally, almost exactly one hundred years ago – in July 1925 – there was another famous legal deba...
2025 has been a busy year for Danni Askini.
As Executive Director of the Gender Justice League, Askini is involved in multiple lawsuits fighting Trump Administration policies related to trans rights.
She’s also the co-chair of the Washington Families for Freedom coalition, created this year to fight potential state ballot measures that could impact trans youth.
And – by the way – she’s the Executive Director...
Idaho’s governor has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff following the killing of two firefighters, and wounding of a third, in Coeur d’Alene yesterday.
Firefighters were responding to a grass fire in a natural area with hiking and mountain biking trails.
When they arrived, a man opened fire, in what the local county sheriff is calling an ambush.
And a note: this interview was taped at 11:30am. Information m...
Skamania County Sheriff Summer Scheyer says she has a problem.
As more visitors get into the great outdoors in her rural Washington county, more and more people are calling for help, and requiring search and rescue operations.
Scheyer says things need to change:
She’s announced plans for an ordinance that would impose a fine on anyone who requires a search and rescue due to what she terms “reckless” or &ldqu...
Civil rights groups are scrambling to get ahead of a looming change to the status of babies born to immigrant parents without permanent legal status.
Unless additional legal actions are successful, there are just a few weeks until the Trump administration’s restrictions on birthright citizenship are set to take effect in a majority of states across the country, following a Supreme Court ruling on Friday.
Washingto...
We’ve been celebrating Pride all month with a TON of events across the state, but now, we’ve hit critical mass, because it’s PRIDE WEEKEND! There is SO MUCH happening, so let's get to it:
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Voters will pick a new King County Executive this November.
And the race has taken a dramatic turn as candidate and current King County Assessor John Wilson has been repeatedly accused of stalking and harassment. Last month his ex fiancee and domestic partner Lee Keller was granted a second restraining order against him.
Members of the King County Council have called on Wilson to resign, which he has rebuffed.
Wilson has vehe...
Bankruptcy is an unfortunate reality for thousands of Americans every year, but cities declaring bankruptcies are far more rare.
Since the 1930s, municipality bankruptcies have only happened around 700 times in the U.S. And in Washington State it’s only happened once, until this week when the city of Cle Elum declared itself insolvent in bankruptcy court, saddled with significant debt.
How significant? 26 million d...
Washington State started conducting all-mail elections in 2014 and it’s mostly been smooth sailing since then.
But a national explosion of vote-by-mail during the 2020 election due to Covid sparked a partisan backlash against the practice. President Trump made claims that voting by mail would lead to widespread fraud, accusations that grew louder after he lost that election to President Biden. Now the Washington State R...
A festival celebrating the city’s only river won't happen this year.
The organization hosting the Duwamish River Festival shut the August celebration down, due to concerns about Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in South Park, the neighborhood where the festival usually takes place.
We talk about the decision with the head of the Duwamish River Community Coalition, the organization that usually runs the...
Over the last three years, the shortage of public defenders in Washington state has built to a crisis. It’s been taking a toll on the lawyers who represent clients that need representation but can’t afford it. Since that representation is promised in the U.S. and state constitutions, these lawyers are a critical aspect of the legal system.
When there aren’t enough lawyers, people wait in jail. Last year...
A ceasefire between Israel and Iran appears to be holding at this hour.
President Trump spoke briefly to reporters this morning on the White House lawn.
He used an expletive and said he was unhappy that the two countries had both initially violated the agreement to pause attacks.
More than a week after Israel kicked off the new war with Iran, Trump intervened on Saturday by ordering a U.S. strike on three Iranian nucle...
Washington state is taking quick action to meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
As part of it, last year the state spent $45 million dollars to help lower income people buy or lease electric vehicles.
To do this, they lowered the barrier for getting a rebate – all you needed to do was self-report your income or say you were enrolled in an assistance program, and the dealer would discount thousands of doll...
A new book examines the theory that lead and arsenic poisoning may have affected the brain development of serial killers like Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgway.
Childhood exposure to these poisons might provide a partial explanation for these horrific crimes.
The book is “Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers.”
It’s part memoir; part examination of anthropology, criminology, and also t...
Upstairs at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture, MoPop, right now you can take a trip through the musical genres and artists that trace the arc of Black history in America, from gospel foremothers like Rosetta Tharpe and Mahalia Jackson, to the soul songs of Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder.
The exhibit is called Never Turn Back: Echoes of African American Music.
Soundside host Libby Denkmann caught up with curator Adeerya Johns...
We are officially in the summer busy season.
Solstice, pride, Juneteenth — if you’re looking for something to do this week, have no fear, there’s something for you.
Soundside is off tomorrow for Juneteenth, so we're bringing you an EARLY edition of the WEEKEND WARMUP.
Here with stuff to do this weekend is Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows!
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