Soundside

Dr. Robert Jones is the new president of our region’s largest educational and research hub. He took the helm at the University of Washington in August, and when we sat down recently, he shared a bit about his background and path to Seattle. Jones says his parents were sharecroppers farming peanuts and cotton in southwest Georgia. “Where most people would tell you the last thing you should have anything to do with if you grew up as a son of sharecroppers. I was innately curious about science, and particularly became very curious about plants” It’s ultimately what set him on his academic path: Crop physiology. “And in my case, it was corn, and the whole goal was to understand the impact of environment on physiological processes that would be disrupted and cause a reduction in the yield of a major agricultural crops under a global climate change scenario.  This was before the term global climate change was coined, and so that's what I spent 34 and a half years trying to understand, how do we make corn more tolerant to heat and drought stress?  And that basic physiological research has led to what is now most of the major agricultural crops being able to withstand temperatures and drought longer than they ever had before in the modern history of production agriculture.” Jones spent more than three decades teaching and doing research at the University of Minnesota. He later led the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where the enrollment grew by 25% and they launched a new medical school during his tenure.  The University of Washington has a similar enrollment size to Illinois – more than 60-thousand students and 30-thousand faculty and staff. So Soundside wanted to hear from the new university president… Roughly 100 days into his tenure, what’s his read on the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the school?  We should note we are a self-sustaining service of the University of Washington, with editorial independence. GUEST: University of Washington President, Dr. Robert Jones 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.

On the show today, we’re getting you ready for Thanksgiving leftovers with a little leftovers of our own. We’re pulling some of our favorite segments from Soundside past out of the fridge, and warming ‘em up for you. Up first: edible plants are all around us in the Pacific Northwest. We'll hear how one local author became obsessed with helping people identify tasty greens and stay safe foraging for mushrooms and leafy goodies. Also on the show: for over 60 years the quiz game show Jeopardy has been a beloved part of people’s lives. Washington native Ken Jennings says, growing up, the show sparked his love of trivia. It’s a passion that led him to a 74 game winning streak in 2004, and eventually a job behind the podium as host.  Meanwhile he’s translated his trivia expertise into his own game - called Kennections. It’s a weekly puzzle he writes for Mental Floss. GUESTS: Natalie Hammerquist, herbalist, expert forager, and author of Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest and Medicinal Plants of the Pacific Northwest Ken Jennings, host of Jeopardy and author of The Complete Kennections: 5,000 questions in 1,000 puzzles RELATED LINKS: The many joys (and a few potential dangers) of foraging in the PNW Soundside "kennects" with Ken Jennings 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 week we’re going back into the archives to dig up some of our favorite Soundside segments. And with Thanksgiving just days away, this episode is all about food and drink!  We'll revisit conversations we had this year on the trend of people drinking less alcohol these days....  .... The sweet apple variety that has left a bitter taste in some farmers’ mouths (spoiler: it's the honeycrisp).... ...And the shortage of matcha, which has blown up on social media and dominated coffee shop menus lately.  GUESTS: Emily Ritchie, executive director of the Northwest Cider Association. Malcolm Purinton, assistant teaching professor of history at Northeastern University. Bill Clark runs the Diamondback Acres farm with his wife, Angell, in Chelan.   Jeannie Liu, owner of Miro Tea. Bettina Makalintal, senior reporter at Eater. RELATED LINKS: Liquor before beer, best to steer clear? Why people are drinking less these days Honeycrisp apples are the worst (just kidding, but they are tough to grow) A lot of people love matcha... And that's causing some problems 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 week, we’re re-airing some of our favorite stories from the past year.  First up on today's show: The Seattle Torrent played their very first professional women’s hockey game on Friday night, but before they even had a name, we talked with their General Manager Meghan Turner about bringing the team to the city. Later, we’ll play an interview with the author of the literary mystery “Murder by the Book.” Finally, we’ll get a peek inside a Pow Wow through the lens of a kid who just wants to play his game! GUESTS:  Meghan Turner - General Manager, Seattle Torrent Amie Schaumberg Joey Clift RELATED LINKS: No name, lots of game: Women's pro hockey comes to Seattle Spoiler Alert: Someone dies in Amie Schaumberg's "Murder by the Book" Filmmaker Joey Clift talks about the inspiration behind the animated short POW! Watch POW! via First Nations Experience - Pow! 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.

A big controversy is gripping many Washington towns right now: automated license plate readers. Flock Safety, a technology and surveillance company, operates cameras in cities and counties across the nation.  Those license plate readers take pictures of vehicles and their license plates – pictures that can be used by police to solve crimes.  But questions about who has access to the cameras is leading several jurisdictions to turn off their automated licence plate readers. GUESTS: KUOW producer Hans Anderson Flock Safety chief legal officer, Dan Haley Phil Neff, a research coordinator at the University of Washington Center for Human Rights Redmond Police Chief Darrell Lowe Beryl Lipton, a senior investigative researcher at the Electronic Frontier Foundation RELATED LINKS: Washington Court Rules That Data Captured on Flock Safety Cameras Are Public Records - Electronic Frontier Foundation Redmond turns off Flock Safety cameras after ICE arrests - The Seattle Times Immigration agencies accessed WA law enforcement license plate data, report finds - 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 NetworkSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yes, turkey is an iconic centerpiece. But it’s a challenge.  Turkeys take hours to cook (let alone, defrost!). The results can be dry, flavorless slabs of meat.  If you believe online discourse, a growing number of bold omnivores are calling it quits on Thanksgiving turkey.  And from an animal welfare perspective, there’s a lot of waste and carnage associated with "the national holiday of meat-eating." We asked Soundside's audience about whether they're moving on from turkey -- and what they might make instead.  GUESTS: Marina Bolotnikova, deputy editor, Vox's Future Perfect Thanks to KUOW’s Paige Browning for all her help and hard work on this segment.  RELATED LINKS: 8 million turkeys will be thrown in the trash this Thanksgiving 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 NetworkSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Monday, Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez stood on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and fought her own party. The subject of the disagreement? Whether or not a fellow Democratic member of congress, Chuy Garcia of Illinois, had crossed ethical lines and rigged the 2026 election for his chief of staff. By, among other things, announcing his retirement after the filing deadline.  Gluesenkamp Perez introduced a nonbinding resolution to disapprove of the maneuver, to the apparent surprise of Democratic leadership.  After speaking out, she was skewered by many of her fellow party members. One called her opposition a “cheap political stunt” Gluesenkamp Perez is known for bucking the party. Just last week she was one of only 6 House Democrats who voted to end the federal shutdown. She also represents one of the few purple districts in the country: Washington’s 3rd, which includes Lewis, Cowlitz, Clark and Skamania County. GUEST: Marie Gluesenkamp Perez represents Washington’s 3rd congressional district, which includes Lewis, Cowlitz, Clark and Skamania County RELATED LINKS: Scoop: House Dem infighting poised to get even worse - Axios After fierce fight, WA lawmaker secures US House rebuke of fellow Democrat - WA state standard End of shutdown ignites new round of sparring among WA’s congressional lawmakers - WA state standard 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 NetworkSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While it has been so nice being back behind the microphone this week after a little time off, we’ve got Thanksgiving ahead of us!  And since we won’t have a show NEXT Thursday, Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is doing double duty this week with an extra large Weekend Warmup… THIS WEEK: Seattle Christmas Market Julefest 21+ Night Market Renegade Craft Fair - Seattle Winter Warren Miller's Sno-ciety | McCaw Hall Heart - Climate Pledge Arena NEXT WEEK: SPORTS PWHL Home Opener! Seattle Torrent vs Minnesota Frost - Fri 11/28 UW Men’s Football vs Oregon Ducks - Sat 11/29 Kraken vs Edmonton - Sat 11/29 Seahawks vs Vikings - Sun 11/30 Seattle Marathon - Sun 11/30 GeekCraft Expo NOVEMBER ART MARKET — Duwamish Tribe 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 NetworkSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the week since Katie Wilson officially became Seattle’s mayor-elect, there have suddenly been a lot of think pieces about her from the national press. Editorial boards at the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal have taken a certain “doom mongering” stance on another socialist winning office. The President of the United States added his two cents, and called her a communist. Wilson’s election is making waves in a year when both democrats and democratic socialists scored high profile wins across the country. But let’s be honest: national reporting is usually scant here in the PNW, and pretty late to the game. KUOW listeners – many of them, have been clued into this race for weeks if not months. What we haven't heard is the inside story of the Wilson campaign – how the team took a newcomer to electoral politics – a policy wonk, whose style she herself has called “pretty dumpy” – and got her elected mayor.   And what does the future look like for progressives in a city with a historically fickle electorate? Two key figures from the Wilson campaign team joined Soundside to share their view on how it all went down. GUESTS:  Katie Wilson campaign manager Alex Gallo Brown WinPower strategies political consultant, and Katie Wilson’s consultant, Jake Simpson RELATED LINKS:  Trump threatens Seattle’s World Cup, calls Mayor-elect Wilson ‘communist’ - Seattle Times Seattle’s coming socialist experiment - Washington Post Seattle Elects Mamdani West - Wall Street Journal Katie Wilson is the new mayor but confronts the same challenges - Seattle 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.

Earlier this year, researchers at the University of Washington published a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on the spotted ratfish, sometimes called a ghost shark. It’s one of the most common fish you’ll find in the Puget Sound and it has teeth in an unexpected place. The study’s authors say that, not only is this unusual, but it also tells us something very interesting about evolution.  GUEST:  Karly Cohen, post-doctoral researcher at Friday Harbor Labs RELATED LINKS: PNAS: Teeth outside the jaw: Evolution and development of the toothed head clasper in chimaeras Smithsonian: This Deep-Sea Fish Has Teeth on Its Forehead—and It Uses Them for Sex  University of Washington: This common fish has an uncommon feature: Forehead teeth, used for mating   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.