Episode 219: When we saw Nate Kahaiali’i’s story on the CBS Evening News, we had to have him on our show to share his story. Nate is a middle school teacher in Lahaina, Hawaii, who was training for the 2023 Chicago Marathon when his home was destroyed by fire. Nate managed to grab his running shoes before fleeing his home and used those shoes to pu…

At the turn of the 20th century, Asahel Curtis was a prolific photographer who traveled throughout Washington. His work captured the state as it underwent big changes, owing to rapid industrialization. For decades, a massive collection of Asahel’s glass plate negatives has been held at the Washington State Historical Society in Tacoma. The plates a…

If someone asked you to name three Rock musicians that are Black, could you? Some people might be able to, but in general there aren’t a lot of them. This is despite the fact that the genre traces its roots back to Black blues, gospel, and rhythm and blues artists in the United States. The rock music industry and academic scholarship of the genre i…

Brett White is a seasoned sports coach and leadership expert with over 17 years of experience in football (soccer) coaching. He currently serves as the Head Coach for Bonnet Bay FC’s First Grade team in the SSFA Premier League. He has a rich history of fostering talent and managing large teams, having served as the Coach & Player Development Coordi…

There’s a new wrinkle in the debate over homelessness policy in the city of Burien. Last September, Burien passed a controversial ordinance banning camping in much of the city, Meanwhile, a local church decided to step in and offer its property as a temporary encampment for the homeless. Burien requested that the church, the Oasis Home Church, get …

Spokane County Commissioner Al French is facing a recall effort over his handling of disclosures of contaminated groundwater in the West Plains. The “Clean Water Accountability Coalition” is sounding the alarm about PFAS—sometimes called 'forever chemicals’—in well water. And let's not forget to mention that French is also running for re-election t…

One of the best coffee spots in Bellingham isn’t a cafe, at least according to some of the folks in the city’s unhoused population. Instead, it’s a casual coffee cart that pops-up twice a week, at a free lunch program, known as the Maple Alley Inn. While the coffee is decent, the main attraction is the person running the cart. 85 year-old Ursula De…

Riders packed trains on Friday to see four new stations on the One Line, which now stops in Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace, and Lynnwood. At the 148th Street Station, Shoreline celebrated the occasions with a marching band, speeches, and bubble machines. The suburb has been planning for this moment for years, that’s apparent when you step off the tra…

The Ladies are BACK! AGAIN! For the 238th time! First, Emily celebrates the Olympics by covering Olympian Matilda 'Lida' Scott Howell, who found love and success through archery, making history at the first Olympic Games to be held in the U.S. Then, Kelley tells the story of Susan Ahn Cuddy, a Korean American woman who proved just what a woman coul…

Being a sports fan in Washington State is akin to riding the Extreme Scream at the fair: big highs, and REAL SUDDEN LOWS. Yes, I’m looking at you, Seattle Mariners… With the Seahawks kicking off their regular season at home this weekend against the Denver Broncos, hope springs eternal! And it felt like a good time to check in on what’s been cooking…

Members of the King County Council have moved to officially say the county’s youth jail should remain open. The council voted last week eight-to-zero in favor of a non-binding resolution to declare its support for keeping the Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center in operation – with some improvements. The move comes just over four ye…

The Democratic party is riding the Good Vibes Express after its Chicago convention. And a look at polling averages gives them reason to celebrate: Since becoming the nominee, Vice President Harris has shaken up a relatively static presidential race: She’s now running slightly ahead of former President Trump nationwide. In swing states, she has pull…

Washington State University's MT James Entomological Collection is the largest insect museum in the state, it holds around three million specimens. In 2022, state legislators allocated $50,000 for the collection to digitize pollinators, like bees, moths, flies, butterflies and other insects that carry pollen. Adding the 30,000 pollinators in WSU’s …

Dr. Joe Baker (@bakerjyorku) is the Tanenbaum Research Chair at the University of Toronto, Canada. He is a world-leader in research on talent identification, developing sport expertise, relative age effect, and high performance athlete development and has held visiting researcher/professor positions in the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany. His…

Last year, the Yakima City Council made a landmark decision by passing a proclamation to designate the month of June as LGBTQ+ Pride month. Less than a year later, the council voted to reverse that decision. The move was celebrated by far right religious leaders like Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk and Sean Feucht, who took to X to applaud the dec…

For many Washington students, and parents, the school year is just about to start - if it hasn’t already. And they're not the only ones gearing up for the new year. Teachers and school staff are about to step into a new year with all sorts of new questions about how their respective school systems will be run. So, we wanted to check in with a panel…

Earlier this month, City of Seattle workers were told most of them will have to return to the office at least 3 days a week starting this fall. Meanwhile… a certain large tech and online retail company (named after a river in South America) has reportedly started a mulling the minimum number of hours employees must stay on site to count towards its…

In the early 90s, Seattle was at the center of a sonic revolution. Grunge, a homegrown sludgy rock sound, became a global commodity. At the same time, another sound was making its mark on Seattle. The Gits were a band on the precipice of national stardom, standing out with their punk sensibility and charismatic female vocalist, with music labels ci…

Addressing homelessness is looking a little different in Thurston County these days. The county, which includes Olympia, just became the fifth community in the nation to collect data on every single adult experiencing homelessness. The county’s partner organization says that data includes the names and circumstances of each person counted. And the …

We know a few things about the woman known as Lou Graham, for sure: She was a brothel madam in Seattle at the turn of the century. And she’s immortalized in one of the city’s popular ghost tours. Maybe you’ve even felt her spiritual presence while passing through tunnels underneath Pioneer Square. Beyond that, facts are sparse. But plenty of legend…

Last winter, federal officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a program to save the perpetually threatened northern spotted owl. The problem? Invasive barred owls are crowding out our local forest -- they're bigger, and more aggressive. The solution? Culling half a million of those owls over the next 30 years. On its face, the is…

At this point, most of Washington’s primary election results have been called. Bob Ferguson will face Dave Reichert in the race for governor. Tanya Woo and Alexis Mercedes Rinck are vying for a spot on the Seattle City Council. Goodspaceguy once again failed to get onto the November ballot. But – in one race, the drama has remained at a fever pitch…

In this excellent conversation from 2021, we are joined by Rasmus Ankersen (@RasmusAnkersen), an internationally known author, speaker, and film producer and one of the worlds leading experts on talent identification and development. Today he is one of the founders of Sport Republic, which is the majority shareholder of Southampton FC, where he als…

In this episode we welcome back Amy Goldsmith, RD, to discuss the Women’s Olympic Marathon, the impact of under fueling on injury, particularly among endurance athletes, and what we as amateur runners can learn from the 2024 Olympics. Amy Goldsmith, RD, has worked with hundreds of athletes in her practice, Kindred Nutrition. Amy specializes in spor…

When some people picture political conventions, they might imagine a grand stage lit up with dazzling lights, a seemingly never ending stream of speeches - and a sea of enthusiastic supporters cheering their hearts out, waving lots and lots of American flags. Since Monday, the Democratic National Convention has been underway in Chicago. There have …

Chances are high that you’ve never been to McNeal Island before. Few have - the island, located in the Puget Sound, southwest of Tacoma, isn’t accessible to the general public. The only people that are allowed are staff and pre-screened visitors at the Washington State Special Commitment Center - the first post-prison institution for people designa…

Picture a historic church in Tacoma’s Proctor neighborhood, bathed in afternoon sunlight, poised for a dramatic transformation. Julie Cain, who purchased the church in 2021, envisions turning it into affordable housing for young adults. The project aims to address local housing needs and foster a supportive community, with plans for shared rooms an…

When Fitz Cahall started his “Dirtbag Diaries” podcast in 2007, he was an avid outdoorsman struggling to make ends meet as a travel writer. At the time, this whole ‘on demand audio storytelling’ thing was kind of new, and Fitz saw it as a way of bringing new life to his joy of the outdoors. Today, he’s replaced his wild life bouncing around in a va…

Imagine you are renting a property and your grass dies and gets brown (this is the Pacific Northwest, where, aside from some unseasonable August rain, it’s pretty dry all summer). Then you get a note from your management company that letting that grass die violates the property’s rules and fines you $125. Then, on top of that, the company charges y…

The Washington State Department of Corrections has pledged to stop the use of solitary confinement in state prisons, in most cases. And the agency says it has made progress on that goal. But a recent report from the agency’s own independent watchdog, the Office of the Corrections Ombuds, says isolating inmates for extended periods of time is still …

The summertime is usually the peak season for tourists in Stehekin, Washington – a small community of around 100 people at the north end of Lake Chelan. It’s only accessible by boat or floatplane, making it an ideal place for a lakeside getaway or entry into the North Cascades wilderness. But the geography and topography that make Stehekin unique a…

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families, which oversees the state’s foster care system, celebrated a milestone last week: The number of children in foster care has dipped below 5,000. That’s down significantly from 9,171 kids in foster care in 2018 – a reduction of more than 50% in six years. This is seen as progress among experts who have …

For decades, the road to recovery after a spinal cord injury has meant years of physical therapy. The goal is often small but meaningful improvements in body function. Being able to stretch your fingers that much farther, or grip just a bit harder. Jon Schleuter’s path began after he broke his neck diving into a pool 20 years ago. Soundside's Libby…

Ken Rouff and Jean Linscott are the authors of What is the Goal? The Truth About the Youth Sports Industry. Today we discuss their new, book, many of the problems with the youth sports industrial complex and how it more often than not negatively effects children and drives them out of sports. Ken, jean and John share their own parenting experiences…

After discussing the Olympic Marathon events, we welcomed one of our very special runners, Susan Spencer, who had been running for over 40 years and continues to improve upon her age-graded times. Susan shares how she is joyfully running marathons after an 18-year hiatus. Susan also shares her tips for staying motivated and avoiding the comparison …

A new study out of the University of Virginia combined data from all 50 states to see how COVID restrictions did or didn’t reduce pandemic deaths. Despite criticism – even today – that COVID restrictions were tyrannical and unnecessary, the paper shows that states with more stringent mask and vaccine mandates did in fact save lives, and that states…

For many performers, a missed show can mean a huge pay cut. Drag queens, comedians, musicians, and other entertainers are mostly independent contractors, which means no employer provided health insurance or sick time. Now, local drag queen Betty Wetter, as well as the dance duo Drama Tops, and Velocity Dance Center, have come together to create the…

The Columbia River is undoubtedly one of the most important rivers in the Northwest. Today, its irrigation provides water for the farms of Central Washington; it’s a vital waterway for salmon; and it provides a critical source of hydroelectric power. The river is split between the U.S. and Canada, and its headwaters begin in British Columbia. For t…

For 150 years, the United States government operated boarding schools that separated Native American children from their families and communities. The government's goal was to eradicate native languages and culture. At least 17 US Indian boarding schools existed in Washington State. A new report from the Department of Interior outlines the scale an…

A new show from Cascade PBS looks at the way artists in the Pacific Northwest incorporate their surroundings into drawings, tapestry, and pottery. ‘Art by Northwest’ showcases local artists inspired by the landscapes and culture of their communities. Each episode explores the stories behind their work, reflecting the unique essence of the Pacific N…

There are a lot of stories about the financial challenges facing schools right now: Seattle School District has a $100 million budget gap they need to close and they’re going to be shuttering schools to make ends meet. Bellevue School District also closed schools to shore up its budget last year. Other districts are looking at million dollar shortf…

Two NASA astronauts named Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, are currently stuck in space. The pair launched in the Boeing Starliner earlier this year. Malfunctions have delayed their return from what was originally meant to be an 8 day trip to the International Space Station. Now, they may not be back on Earth until February. And – most galling for …

While ballots are still being counted, most of the races in last week’s primary election have been decided. But one contest in particular – the race to become the next Commissioner of Public Lands for Washington state – has become surprisingly close. The Commissioner of Public Lands runs the state Department of Natural Resources – think forest and …

We wanted to round out today’s show by remembering a man described as the greatest music journalist Seattle ever had - Charles R. Cross. For over 40 years, Cross tracked the pulse of Seattle through its music. He was also known for his biographies of local rock legends: Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, and Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart. Cross’ family con…

Primary election results continue to roll in. And sure, your head may have been turned by that flashy State Lands Commissioner race. But if you’re a Seattle resident, a very consequential city council contest should also be on your radar. The at-large 8th district seat is up for grabs this November. The citywide position was formerly held by Teresa…

We are excited to be back after a July break filled with racing, travel, and summer training. Speaking of which, we discuss in this episode how to overcome common summer setbacks to set yourself up for a successful fall racing season. We also discuss our favorite Olympic moments and what we can all learn from so many of our amazing Olympians. You c…