Soundside

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New documentary looks at why shipwrecks led to conflict in the PNW Oct 28, 2025

Show notes

If you’ve ever hung out in Oregon’s Fort Stevens State Park, you’ve probably come face to face with the Peter Iredale shipwreck.

The British vessel crashed onto the coast in 1906 and has stayed there ever since. Today it has become quite the tourist attraction.

But for all its notoriety, the Peter Iredale is just one of more than 2,000 shipwrecks that happened along a dangerous stretch of coastline in the Pacific Northwest. And with many of these wrecks came conflict.

A new documentary explores how shipwrecks led to tension - and, sometimes, violence - between Indigenous communities and colonists in the Pacific Northwest.

Guest:

Anna King, a senior correspondent for Northwest Public Broadcasting and the director of “WRECKED.”

Related stories:

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.

Will people always love Costco? Oct 28, 2025

Show notes

At a time when Starbucks is closing 200 of its stores and Amazon plans to replace half a million jobs with robots, one Seattle business has been surprisingly resilient: Costco.

In 1983, Costco opened its first store in Seattle and today it’s the third largest retailer in the world, with more than 900 stores globally. But while Costco is known for its devoted customer base and generosity towards its employees, how long is that kind of growth, and good will, sustainable?

Guest: New Yorker reporter Molly Fischer

Related Links: Can the Golden Age of Costco Last?

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.

Soundside's "Weekend Warmup" - Oct 23-27 Oct 23, 2025

Show notes

We may not be watching the Mariners in the World Series this weekend, but that doesn't mean there aren't awesome things to do...

LINKS:

SPOOKY STUFF:

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.

What's actually happening in Portland Oct 23, 2025

Show notes

It can be easy to make jokes about the split realities of the “Portlandia” sketch you could make out of those images, and the scene President Trump describes when he talks about the Rose City- a place, quote, “where they kill people and destroy the city.”

But, with an appeals court ruling this week clearing the way for Oregon National Guard troops to deploy to Portland – what are things like in the city right now?

And what can we learn from the people attempting to find common ground between the realities described by Portlanders, and the dire tales spun by our President?

Guest

Anna Griffin, Pacific Northwest bureau chief, New York 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.

This Seattle playwright's latest show is about his terminal illness. But don't worry, it's funny. Oct 23, 2025

Show notes

Consider yourself cordially invited to Brendan Healy’s memorial service.

That’s because the Seattle playwright is sharing his experience of living with, and dying from, a terminal illness.

His newest play is called "Eulogy, or How to Plan Your Own Funeral (and have fun doing it!)"If you go, you’ll get a front-row seat to remembrances of Healy’s life. But the play also promises audiences pictures of puppies, so there’s a little bit of something for everyone.

He’s putting the production on through Pony World Theatre, which he co-founded in 2009. It opens on October 23 at 12th Avenue Arts, so we caught up with Brendan before he hits the stage.

Guest:

Brendan Healy, the Seattle playwright behind "Eulogy, or How to Plan Your Own Funeral (and have fun doing it!)"

Related links:

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.

What to know about Seattle's sales tax increase, plus the latest city hall news Oct 22, 2025

Show notes

Today, we heard an announcement of a proposed Seattle Police union deal that could open the door to expanded use of police alternatives.

There’s also been some positive news on the city budget – to the tune of about $14 million in unexpected revenue on the horizon. And the City Council recently approved a sales tax increase to fund public safety priorities.

Lots of City Hall business to review with Seattle Times reporter David Kroman — and we also talk elections.

Guest

David Kroman, reporter, The Seattle Times

Seattle council approves sales tax increase for public safety

Seattle officers ‘undermining’ city’s police alternative, report says

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.

The many joys (and a few potential dangers) of foraging in the PNW Oct 22, 2025

Show notes

What do dwarf mallow and dandelion have in common? Sure, most people would consider both of these plants weeds, but they're also both found in Natalie Hammerquist's new book, Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest. Hammerquist is an expert forager who makes YouTube videos about plants in the PNW. We took a trip with her to sample a veritable salad bar growing in between pavers and along the path of the Beacon Food Forest.

Guest:

Natalie Hammerquist, herbalist, expert forager, and author of Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest and Medicinal Plants of the Pacific Northwest

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.

Election 2025: Seattle mayoral candidate debate Oct 21, 2025

Show notes

Seattle hasn't had a two term mayor since Greg Nickels, who won a second term nearly two decades ago.

Incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell is trying to break the streak of one term mayors. He was elected to the position in 2021. He previously served on the Seattle city council for 12 years.

His opponent is Katie Wilson. She founded the nonprofit Transit Riders Union and serves as its chair.

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.

Honeycrisp apples are the worst (just kidding, but they are tough to grow) Oct 20, 2025

Show notes

Wanna scare an apple farmer?

Just say one word: “Honeycrisp.”

We're kidding…. But they do make farmers' lives harder.

That’s according to a recent story in the Wall Street Journal calling the variety a “farmer’s nightmare.” And that’s tough because they’re one of the most popular apples on the market. People can’t seem to resist their sweet, crunchy flavor.

So there’s high demand for the apple… but honeycrisps are pretty demanding in return: They’re apparently thin-skinned. They bruise easily. And they’re susceptible to disease.

Washington is the biggest apple producer in the entire country, so we asked a farmer in Chelan if this apple variety is rotten right to the core.

Guest:

Bill Clark runs the Diamondback Acres farm with his wife, Angell, in Chelan.

Related links:

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.

Is the future of healthcare decision making in the hands of AI? Oct 20, 2025

Show notes

In a few months, Washingtonians on Medicare could see additional hurdles when it comes to getting approval for their procedures and care. .

That’s because the Trump Administration is exploring the use of prior authorizations to assess whether medical services are necessary for a patient. If it isn’t, the procedures may not be covered.

Prior authorization is a common practice in the insurance industry but not in Medicare. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says the tool will help weed out waste and fraud. And it says it will use AI to help make eligibility decisions.

Washington is one of six states that will pilot the program, starting in January.

GUEST: Darius Tahir - Correspondent for KFF News

RELATED LINKS:

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.