Soundside

Latest Episodes:

A stop-work notice for lawyers aiding unaccompanied minors hits close to home Mar 31, 2025

Show notes

In the United States, immigrants do not have the right to legal representation in the same way American citizens do. But it’s a different story for children who come to this country alone, thanks to the federally funded Unaccompanied Children Program. It provides legal representation to more than 26,000 children by contracting with non-profit legal aid organizations throughout the country.

On March 21, the Trump Administration sent out a stop-work notice that some organizations are calling a near-termination of the program. The move means children as young as toddlers may be expected to represent themselves in very complicated immigration hearings. In response, a number of organizations that assist kids in the immigration system sued the Trump Administration.\

Thousands of unaccompanied minors have been placed with sponsors across the Pacific Northwest over the past decade, and the ending of contracts supporting them will have very real impacts on people and courts in our region.

Guests:

Matt Adams, Legal Director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project

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.

Why does Seattle create a comprehensive plan? Mar 27, 2025

Show notes

Seattle is taking on one of the more contentious issues to regularly pass through city hall: the Comprehensive Plan. That plan dictates where and how the city will add more people.

And previous plans concentrated new apartments and condos along busy streets with access to transit.

But why docities like Seattle have to engage in this planning exercise at all? It goes back to a law called the Growth Management Act.

Guests:

Joe Tovar, Associate Professor in the planning department at the University of Washington and Western Washington University

Karen Wolf, Interim Program Director of the College of Built Environments at the University of Washington

John Landis, Professor Emeritus of City & Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania

Relevant Links:

One Seattle Comprehensive Plan: https://www.seattle.gov/opcd/one-seattle-plan

KUOW: https://www.kuow.org/stories/how-will-the-next-comprehensive-plan-shape-seattle

KUOW: https://www.kuow.org/stories/where-should-seattle-build-homes-for-newcomers-49ae

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" - March 27th-31st Mar 27, 2025

Show notes

It has been a long week, we’ve seen SUNSHINE, we’ve had the threat of TORNADOES, and now it’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy our weekend…

Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is here with everything YOU need to know about what to do to beat the rainy blues…

LINKS:

Seattle Mariners OPENING NIGHT! - First pitch is at 7:10
Book Event - TILT w/ Emma Pattee - Third Place Books Ravenna
The Spokane Rock Rollers 64th Annual Gem & Mineral Show
Bellingham Children’s Film Festival
Helles Belles W Girls N Roses
Spelling Bee 2025 | Town Hall Seattle
Seattle Restaurant Week
Lynnwood Dining Month - Starts Tuesday April 1st!

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 you may want to delete your genetic data off 23andMe today Mar 26, 2025

Show notes

23andMe, the San Francisco tech company known for its direct-to-consumer genetic testing, announced Sunday it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

That’s raised a lot of privacy concerns over the genetic records it holds of roughly 15 million customers. The company said that while in bankruptcy court, that data will be handled with the same level of privacy.

But California Attorney General Rob Bonta released a statement that suggested Californians should consider “directing 23andMe to delete their data and destroy any samples of genetic material.”

Guest:

Washington Post tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler

How to delete your 23andMe data after the company filed for bankruptcy

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 to make sure your garden blossoms this spring Mar 26, 2025

Show notes

Yesterday was one of those days that makes you feel like maybe, just maybe, winter is finally over.

Here in Seattle, the sun was shining, the cherry trees blossoming, it was in the 60s… And yes, now there are severe thunderstorms and potential tornado level winds heading our way this afternoon.

But – once those storms are over, it’ll be the perfect time to get back out into the garden and clean up the mess those winds will have left behind. And maybe even start planning your planting for the season.

And we’re here to help.

Guest:

Ciscoe Morris, gardening expert, TV and radio personality, and author

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 Section 230 helped create the internet... and why it may go away Mar 25, 2025

Show notes

"No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider."

You may not totally understand what that means, but some say these are the 26 words that made the internet what it is today. And congress may be ready to repeal them.

Written and passed in 1996, the law Section 230 shields websites from being held responsible for the content users post. In other words, platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Reddit can’t be sued for what people share there. But now, a growing bipartisan group of lawmakers believes Section 230 goes too far and are considering a repeal.

The impact? … It could totally reshape the way the internet works.

Guest:

UW Professor of Political Science Victor Menaldo

Relevant Links:

Section 230: Friend, not foe, of free speech

The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet

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's new Civic Poet finds parallels between political language and verse Mar 25, 2025

Show notes

Dujie Tahat can be described in many ways: a poet, a critic, podcast host, and political consultant. In addition to all those titles, they can now add a new descriptor: Seattle’s Fifth Civic Poet.

Guest:

Dujie Tahat, Seattle Civic Poet

Links:

Poetry Foundation: salat to be read from right to left

Northwest Review: All American Ghuzal

Four Way Review: BALIKBAYAN FILLED WITH THEORY

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.

Decent Social Skills is one of Seattle’s answers to the loneliness epidemic Mar 25, 2025

Show notes

Humans have changed a lot from our cave dwelling days, but one thing that has stayed the same is our need for connections with others.

Maybe it’s not so much the need for protection from animal predators anymore, or cooperating to take down a mammoth. Still, our evolution has instilled in us the need to connect with others. And we don’t do so well when that connection gets tenuous.

Vivek Murthy, the former U.S. Surgeon General, called loneliness an epidemic in this country. Chronic social isolation has been linked to depression, anxiety, heart disease, dementia, and even premature death.

A Gallup poll last year found that one in five people reported feeling lonely every day, making social isolation a public health issue. But there is a cure: making meaningful connections. One program at a Seattle bookshop is stepping in to help.

Guests:

Andrey Sklyar, the creator and host of Decent Social Skills: Steering Personal Conversation

Related Links:

30 Charts That Show How Covid Changed Everything — NYT
Decent Social Skills: Steering Personal Conversations — Ada’s Technical Books
US surgeon general Vivek Murthy: ‘Loneliness is like hunger, a signal we’re lacking something for survival’ — The Guardian

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 Fulbright is a diplomatic and educational feat, and some of its funding has been frozen Mar 24, 2025

Show notes

For the past 80 years, the Fulbright Program has supported scholars, artists, writers, and professionals in connecting with international institutions to do cutting-edge work. At its heart, the Fulbright is an exchange program that funds research and projects outside of participants’ countries. It aims to build international relationships and cultural competency between Americans and the rest of the world. However, the recent federal funding freezes and layoffs have impacted several educational exchange programs, bringing its future into question.

Funding has begun to trickle back in, but many have been affected by the freeze on federal grants to the Fulbright and other programs related to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs—including the Gilman Scholarships, the Critical Language Scholarship, and the IDEAS program and some fear the impacts could have long lasting consequences.

In this segment, we discuss what the Fulbright is, why it matters, and who might be affected by funding freezes affecting international research.

Guests:

Nicolás Kisic Aguirre, sound artist and PhD student at the University of Washington
Anita Ramasastry, the Henry M. Jackson Professor of Law and Senior Advisor and Director of Faculty Engagement in the Office of Global Affairs at the University of Washington.

Related Links:

Study-Abroad Funding Is Paused, Leaving Some Students Stranded — NYT
Funding freeze leaves Fulbright and study-abroad scholars stranded — Washington Post

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.

1960s politician Wing Luke was ahead of his time Mar 21, 2025

Show notes

This Saturday, March 22nd, the Wing Luke Museum will hold a gala that honors its namesake.

Wing Luke was born in 1925 in China. He moved to Seattle at age 6, and grew up helping his family run their laundromat and store. In 1962, he became the first person of color on Seattle’s City Council.

Wing Luke would have turned 100 last month, but he died tragically at an early age.

In his short time, he made lasting impacts to Seattle – many of which are still felt today.

Guests:

Ruby Luke, Wing Luke's sister
Cynthia del Rosario, Wing Luke’s niece
Faith Ireland, former Justice on the Washington State Supreme Court
Ron Chew, journalist and former director of the Wing Luke Museum

Related Links:

The archival audio in that story came from the Seattle Municipal Archives
Wing Luke Legacies: Celebrating Community

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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