Washington ranked 33rd in preschool access for 4-year-olds. Yet Washington ranks eighth in terms of spending. So, what gives?By Diana Opong

In this encore broadcast, Soundside guest host Diana Opong revisits a conversation with author Stephanie Land. Land had just published a book about her experience of going to college as a single mother, and the struggles she faced working towards her degree. Her second book is titled “Class, A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education.”…

Soundside host Libby Denkmann sits down with NW News Network correspondent Anna King to talk about the impacts drought has on Farmers out in Eastern WA.By Libby Denkmann

Investigative reporter and economist Loretta Napoleoni tracks the rise of 'tech titans' in her new book, “Technocapitalism: the Rise of the New Robber Barons and the Fight for the Common Good." She argues they have used technology to become massively wealthy at a high cost to most of the rest of us. We can only make Soundside because listeners supp…

In Washington state, if a teacher or other certified school staff commits serious misconduct, like abuse, districts are required to report that to the state for investigation – and possibly the revocation of that person’s certification to work in schools.By Libby Denkmann

Four female Seattle police officers have told the city that they intend to sue over sexual discrimination, harassment, and a hostile work environment.By Libby Denkmann

The WIAA, which governs high schools sports in Washington, briefly flirted with loosening transfer rules for student athletes this year. The potential changes raised concerns among coaches. We can only make Soundside because listeners support us. Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW: https://www.kuow.org/donate/soundside…

As Amazon faces a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit, a new book is out with a fresh look at how it went from a Bellevue garage to a sprawling empire of online retail, cloud computing, and logistics — and a political lightning rod.By Libby Denkmann

A new law that could outlaw TikTok in the U.S. in 2025 has content creators in Western Washington worried about the future of their business model.By Diana Opong

A film fest this weekend in Bellingham is dedicated to highlighting distinct and diverse works from women filmmakers from around the world. It’s called The CASCADIA International Women’s Film Festival and it kicked off Thursday, April 25. Soundside guest host Diana Opong caught up with a panel of CASCADIA featured directors to discuss their experie…

Tens of thousands of Providence nurses, technicians, and medical assistants are about to get their slice of a big payout — totaling $220 million. That major chunk of change comes as part of a verdict in a class action wage theft lawsuit. It was filed on behalf of hourly workers against Providence Health & Services.…

Soundside host Diana Opong sits down with UW scientist Fabien Klenner to talk about the recent discoveries from Enceladus, one of the moons of Saturn.By Diana Opong

Scientists gathered on the flight deck of a decommissioned aircraft carrier this month to test a technology to assist with cloud brightening. The idea is basically to make clouds more reflective so they bounce more of the sun’s rays back out to space. Theoretically cooling the earth and combating global warming. It’s the first time such a test has …

In the final episode of Lost Patients, a partnership between KUOW and The Seattle Times, host Will James and reporter Sydney Brownstone look at stories of recovery. Soundside speaks with host Will James and reporter Sydney Brownstone about why they chose to end the series with this topic and how a date at a cemetery was the impetus for this project…

Soundside host Diana Opong sits down with cybersecurity journalist Eric Geller & cybersecurity researcher Quentin Hodgson to talk about the recent report about security issues at Microsoft.By Diana Opong

Washington state Republicans gathered in Spokane over the weekend to throw support behind a candidate for governor and other key offices. After a rowdy back and forth over whether the party would endorse at all, former Richland school board member Semi Bird emerged with the official GOP stamp of approval for the governor’s race. The decision sends …

The investigation into Boeing’s safety culture, and what led up to the 737 Max blowout over Portland in January has made its way to Capitol Hill.By Diana Opong

Soundside host Diana Opong sits down with WSU horticulturalist and fruit breeder Kate Evans to talk about the science behind creating the new WA64 apple.By Diana Opong

Seattle Public Schools is phasing out its highly capable cohort (HCC) model – where advanced learners go to a handful of elementary, middle and high schools in the district with curriculum that is one or two years ahead of their grade depending on the subject. Instead, starting next school year (2024-25), the district’s replacement, called the “hig…

Soundside host Libby Denkmann speaks with NW Insurance Council president Kenton Brice about the rising cost of auto insurance in WA State.By Libby Denkmann

"I think lots of people looking towards this Passover holiday are trying to figure out — how will I sit around a Seder table and talk about what's happening in the world today and this lens of Jewish identity, knowing that my parents, grandparents, my children, or grandchildren see the world through really, really different eyes than I do?"…

Dip into your average grocery or convenience store, and you’ll have your pick of at least a dozen different brands of bottled water.But despite being so ubiquitous in American culture today, the meteoric rise of bottled water isn't by coincidence -- and your average bottle and average tap have more in common than you might think.…

Like sour cream dolloped lovingly on a baked potato, journalist and food writer Rachel Belle finds the delicious nooks and unexpected crannies of the Pacific Northwest culinary scene.By Libby Denkmann

Soundside host Libby Denkmann talks with freelance journalist Andrew Engelson about his reporting in Publicola on SPD Officer Kevin Dave's employment record at the Tucson Police Department in Arizona.By Libby Denkmann

As of last week, a long-running avian influenzas outbreak has affected more than 85 million poultry birds -- making it the deadliest avian flu in U.S. history. If that wasn’t enough cause for concern, cases of avian flu are now showing up in dairy cows and in Texas, at least one case was confirmed to have jumped from a dairy cow to a person.…

By Libby Denkmann

If you headed to a public library in Seattle over the weekend, you may have found your local branch was closed.By Libby Denkmann

A ruling by a King County judge over the sale of timber in Eastern King County points to the increased scrutiny the DNR faces over how it manages public lands. We can only make Soundside because listeners support us. Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW: https://www.kuow.org/donate/soundside…

Former Congressman and King County Sheriff Dave Reichert has raised a substantial amount of cash and shows well in polling against Democratic frontrunner and state Attorney General Bob Ferguson in Washington's race for governor. But as Seattle Times’ Jim Brunner reports, Reichert may be lacking sizzle with the base heading into the state Republican…

Soundside host Libby Denkmann talks with Bill Porter aka "Red Pine" and filmmaker Ward Serril about the new film "Dancing with the Dead."By Libby Denkmann

If the Tolt River Dam failed, it would be catastrophic for the roughly 2000 people that live in Carnation. Fortunately, the city has an alarm system that would alert residents of a dam failure so they could evacuate. Unfortunately, residents have unexpectedly and pointlessly heard that sound eight times in the last four years.…

Soundside host Libby Denkmann talks election security with Jerry Cornfield of the WA State Standard and TrueMedia.org's Dr. Oren Etzioni.By Libby Denkmann

The world’s first Amazon Go store in Seattle opened on Jan. 22, 2018. The New York Times called it “A Store of the Future,” where all customers had to do was pop an item in their cart and walk out. A little over six years in the future, developers for Amazon's “Just Walk Out” technology are facing layoffs, and the technology itself is being fazed o…

Chili crunch is known for its punch, and now, a legal battle over the name has one local foodie fighting back against a culinary giant.By Libby Denkmann

What could bring Republicans and Democrats together? An unlikely political duo from Washington state has teamed up in the name of data privacy.By Libby Denkmann

Across the city of Seattle this month, poems from local writers are on display at storefronts, libraries, and in office buildings. They're part of "Poetry in Place," a project from Seattle Civic Poet, Shin Yu Pai, which runs throughout April. We can only make Soundside because listeners support us. Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW: htt…

The separation of Japanese American families during WWII is the focus of "Currents," a new operetta by local librettist AC Petersen and composer Jeremy Berdin.By Libby Denkmann

About 100 people were selected for a 10-month “Guaranteed Basic Income” pilot in King County that launched in the fall of 2022.By Monica Nickelsburg

Soundside Editor Jed Kim headed up to upstate New York to be in the path of totality for the 2024 solar eclipse.By Libby Denkmann

For a lot of people, our life-long significant other is a friend. And in a society that obsessed with finding a romantic soul mate, these platonic relationships are left in a gray area. It was after forging a strong platonic friendship that author Rhaina Cohen realized we often lack the words to talk about the variety of life-long best-friendships …

A person is guaranteed certain rights when they come to the United States for work. They have a right to fair pay, to humane working conditions.But for fishermen, whose feet never touch solid ground, those rights don’t apply.By Libby Denkmann

Soundside host Libby Denkmann talks with Seattle Times Project Homeless reporter Anna Patrick about the asylum seekers forced to camp at the Garfield HS tennis courts this week.By Libby Denkmann

Three years after Oregon residents voted to decriminalize drugs, the state is walking back that policy. We can only make Soundside because listeners support us. Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW: https://www.kuow.org/donate/soundsideBy Diana Opong

Speaking with Soundside host Libby Denkmann, Gov. Jay Inslee said a GOP-backed initiative to overturn the Climate Commitment Act is an attempt by Republicans to allow unlimited pollution in Washington state.By Libby Denkmann

Soundside host Libby Denkmann talks with Seattle Times reporter Sydney Brownstone about "Deinstitutionalization," and how that effort in the 60's and 70's attempted to refocus mental health support with community care.By Libby Denkmann

The battle between the city of Burien and King County reflects a struggle places up and down the West Coast are experiencing: trying to understand how to regulate the rising number of visibly homeless people on their streets, and what can be done to support those people.By Libby Denkmann

Today, for many people of child-bearing age, the question of whether to have a kid comes down to the simple calculus: will having kids make you happy? Does reproducing add to your overall well-being? We can only make Soundside because listeners support us. Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW: https://www.kuow.org/donate/soundside…

Last month, joblessness our state reached its highest levels since the Covid-19 pandemic – higher than the national average. And the first thing many do when they’ve lost a job is file for unemployment benefits. But Washington’s unemployment system itself is still reeling from the one-two punch of Covid.…

Delivery App companies like UberEats, DoorDash, Instacart and Grubhub are waging a battle over a new Seattle gig worker minimum wage law that took effect in January.By Libby Denkmann

Six years ago, the state set out to create a building code to protect homes in high fire risk areas. That goal has remained elusive. We can only make Soundside because listeners support us. Make the show happen by making a gift to KUOW: https://www.kuow.org/donate/soundsideBy Libby Denkmann