Soundside

Latest Episodes:

Soundside's "Weekend Warmup" - June 6th-9th Jun 05, 2025

Show notes

If you’re not up for driving all the way to Astoria Oregon for the Goonies, and would rather stick closer to home this weekend, never fear - we’ve got you covered!

Here with almost every event, festival, and concert happening this weekend is Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows!

LINKS:

Steel Magic Northwest - "Here Comes the Sun"
Northwest Pinball and Arcade Show - Tacoma
Indigenous People Festival - Seattle Center
Kent Nerd Party 2025
Duvall Days Festival
SCOTTISH GATHERING - Blaine
Maritime Gig Festival - Gig Harbor
2025 Anacortes Waterfront Festival
Seattle Pride in the Park 2025
Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival
Fiber Fusion Northwest - Monroe
The Stranger's Burger Week

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.

How a Spokane woman became a hall of fame foosball player Jun 04, 2025

Show notes

Let’s talk foosball. You know, the table top game with the little soccer guys. Maybe you’re a hot shot at your local bar. You have a few tricks up your sleeve. And maybe they’ve even won you a couple beers over the years.

But we warn you: You are in an entirely different league from Spokane resident Lotus Leong-Chesbrough. She has won real money playing foosball. She’s been coy about saying how much, but it's at least in the six figures.

She’s also claimed two foosball world titles and, in 2018, was inducted into the Table Soccer Hall of Fame. Later this month she's headed to Spain for the World Cup. And she expects to win.

Guest:

Lotus Leong-Chesbrough

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.

An ex-Republican has rejoined the party to fight for the future of the GOP Jun 04, 2025

Show notes

Chris Vance was a Republican for 37 years. During that time he served as the chair for the Washington State Republican Party, a Metropolitan King County Councilmember and a state representative.

But then Donald Trump descended down that golden escalator.

Vance left the GOP in 2017 as President Trump was reshaping the Party in his image. Since then Vance has considered himself in exile… flirting with independent candidates and openly supporting Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

So it might come as a surprise that he is returning to the party and calling himself a Republican once again. This time, though, he’s part of a new group called Our Republican Legacy. They say they want to establish a big tent inside the Party to advance a more traditionally Republican agenda.

Guest:

Chris Vance, a senior adviser for the group Our Republican Legacy

Our Republican Legacy

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.

Why a Vietnamese man was deported to South Sudan Jun 04, 2025

Show notes

Last month Pierce County resident Tuan Thanh Phan was deported.

That wasn’t unexpected for Tuan or his family - he was planning on starting a new life in Vietnam after he was deported. His permanent residency was revoked in 2009, nearly ten years after he was convicted of first degree murder and second degree assault.

The surprise was where he went. He wasn’t going to Vietnam, his birth country.

Instead, Tuan ended up on a flight to South Sudan. That was redirected to Djibouti.

The flight was part of a push by the Trump administration to remove convicted visa holders from the U.S. – back to countries that aren’t their own.

Now Phan's wife is sounding the alarm - she hasn't heard from her husband since he was sent to Djbouti.

Guest:

KUOW Race, Identity, and Immigration Reporter Gustavo Sagrero Álvarez

Related Stories:

A Pierce County man expected to be deported to Vietnam. Instead, ICE routed him to South Sudan - 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.

Those little red hummingbird feeders are driving the bird's evolution Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

In D.C. the president’s Big Beautiful Bill is facing a contentious fight in the Senate. Governor Ferguson recently signed over 400 bills into law.

But there was other bill related news in recent weeks and we went to see someone who has been right in the middle of it.

Alejandro Rico Guevara is one of the foremost researchers on hummingbird bills. He has spent years studying how hummingbirds use their beaks to feed and fight.

But his latest research looked at how human actions seem to be driving a high-speed example of evolution in hummingbird bills.

Alejandro is an Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Washington, and he’s the co-author of a study published last month in Global Change Biology. It shows how hummingbird feeders have influenced the size and shape of hummingbird bills in a matter of decades.

Guest:

Alejandro Rico Guevara, Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Washington

Relevant Links:

NPR: Backyard feeders changed the shape of hummingbird beaks, scientists say

Global Change Biology: Supplemental Feeding as a Driver of Population Expansion and Morphological Change in Anna's Hummingbird

Smithsonian: California’s Hummingbirds Have Changed Their Beaks in Response to Backyard Feeders, Study Finds

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.

Seattle City Councilmember Cathy Moore resigns Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

Cathy Moore is stepping down from the Seattle City Council.

She announced the decision yesterday afternoon, citing health and personal reasons.

Moore has been in office for a year and a half, and leaves district 5 - which includes Greenwood, North Gate and Lake City - down an elected representative.

Why has Moore decided to step down after such a short tenure, and what does it mean for Seattle’s city council?

Guest:

David Kroman, city hall reporter for the Seattle Times

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.

How the black market is cashing in on the state's inability to track weed "from seed to sale." Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

When Washington state legalized marijuana back in 2012, one of the big goals was to displace the black market, bring weed out of the shadows, and take the power away from dealers and traffickers.

But more than a decade later, the ILLEGAL weed industry is still thriving in Washington, and that’s taking a toll on LEGAL cannabis businesses.

Meanwhile, the SYSTEM for keeping track of legally produced weed is broken. That has raised concerns about diversion into the black market, as well as lost money, product safety, and more.

Tim Gruver Wrote about the “fuzzy math of tracking dark weed” for The Washington Observer

GUEST: Tim Gruver - Washington Observer

RELATED LINK: The fuzzy math of tracing dark weed

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.

Memory loss is lonely; this improv class helps change that. Jun 03, 2025

Show notes

Fifteen years ago, actor Pam Nolte received a phone call from a friend who worked at the Greenwood Senior Center in Seattle. Her friend asked if she’d be willing to create an improv class specifically for people with early stage memory loss.

Pam was intrigued. She had zero experience with improv. But had personal experience dealing with her mother’s experience with Alzheimer's disease.

Pam eventually created a gentle and slower-paced improv class. Participants play improv games that tap into their long term memories and their senses, and instructors ask them questions like “what are some sounds you hear in the springtime?” or “what was an activity you loved to do as a kid?”

The class then builds off these prompts, to create longer form improv games.

Students and instructors say the class is a unique experience for people with early stage memory loss, who in the real world are often told “no.” For example, when their doctor tells them they can no longer drive. But in improv class, students are met with a resounding “yes!” to whatever ideas they come up with. And they’re given space and time if they forget what they’re saying mid-sentence.

Experts say improv class offers real benefits for anyone who wants to keep their mind and memory in good shape.

GUESTS:

Pam Nolte, actor and co-founder of Taproot Theatre Company
Dr. Danny Fisher, Memory and Brain Wellness Center at Harborview
Students and instructors from the “improv for memory loss” class

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.

The new food that has beekeepers "buzzing" Jun 02, 2025

Show notes

When you buy a fruit, a vegetable, a carton of almond milk - you might assume it’s an animal free product.

But all of those foods, and many more, rely on one small but mighty member of the animal kingdom: the bee.

Bees – especially honeybees – are an important part of any working farm. They pollinate everything from papayas to cucumbers to coffee beans.

Like cows, pigs, or chickens, these little buzzy workers are considered livestock: cared for and managed by farmers and beekeepers so that you can have food on your plate.

But, unlike other livestock, there is one thing farmers haven’t been able to do for their bees: provide nutritious, human-made feed when flowers aren’t blooming.

Until now.

Last month scientists unveiled a new food source designed for livestock bee colonies. They say it could help bee survival rates across the world.

Guest:

Brandon Hopkins is the P.F. Thurber Endowed Distinguished Professor of Pollinator Ecology at Washington State University, and ran the trials for this new food. He also co-authored a study on the food source

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.

You may buy Nintendo's Switch 2, but you won’t own the games Jun 02, 2025

Show notes

GAMERS REJOICE - The day that Mario, Pokémon, & Zelda fans have been looking forward to is right around the corner: The Switch 2 from Nintendo is out on THURSDAY, June 5th!!

The second generation of Nintendo’s flagship console has been highly anticipated for years, but the launch announcement was NOT without controversy.

Nintendo announced the new console back in January, but it wasn’t until last month that details came out about games, pricing, and licensing.

It was revealed that instead of buying the GAMES THEMSELVES at your friendly local game store, the cartridge you buy is merely a KEY to download the game from Nintendo’s digital storefront, which caused quite the stir among the Nintendo faithful…

We reached out to Nintendo of America last week to get their response to the question about “right to repair” in WA State, and we’ll update this story as soon as they respond.

GUEST: Ryan DiVittorio - Writer at CBR.com

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.

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