Soundside

Seattle Public Schools have only been back in session for about a month, but it’s already been a busy year for the district.  We wanted to get caught up on what’s been happening, so we reached out to Interim Superintendent Fred Podesta for a conversation last week.  We talked with him about school lunch protests, the budget, and a proposed pilot program to bring a school engagement officer back to one Seattle high school.  Guest Fred Podesta, interim superintendent, Seattle Public SchoolsThank 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.

Last week renowned primatologist Jane Goodall died at the age of 91.  Goodall spent 65 years studying wild chimpanzees in Tanzania. Her work showed that chimpanzees make and use tools, and have emotions, empathy and their own culture. She changed our understanding of the world around us.  But it went far beyond just that - in her later life Goodall was an advocate: for conservation, human rights, animal welfare, and a number of other issues.  Myron Shekelle is a primatologist and senior instructor at Western Washington University. And he previously worked with Goodall - he assisted with founding the Jane Goodall Institute in Singapore. Guest: Myron Shekelle, is a primatologist and senior instructor at Western Washington University Related stories: WWU primatologist spearheaded campaign to nominate Jane Goodall for Nobel Peace Prize - Cascadia Daily News 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.

We’re talking about the future of a big job today: King County Executive.Whichever candidate is elected to this position will oversee the sheriff’s department, manage public health, transportation, public housing, and jails… according to the King County website, they’ll lead one of the largest regional governments in the United States. The last time we had an open race for King County Executive, Barack Obama was about to become President. And everyone was talking about some new Washington-based movie called “Twilight.” Today, two county leaders are vying for the job. Guests: Claudia Balducci is a member of the King County Council. She represents District 6, which includes Bellevue, Mercer Island, and Redmond. She is an attorney who previously served as Mayor of Bellevue, she was a Bellevue city council member, and Director of the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention for King County. Girmay Zahilay is chair of the King County Council, representing District 2, which includes Skyway, Allentown, and the University District. He’s also an attorney and founded the non-profit Rising Leaders, which offers mentorship and leadership training for middle school students. 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 Major League Baseball playoffs started this week and the Mariners, once again, did not take the field.  But this year, that’s actually a good thing.  Your Seattle Mariners finished on top of their division for the first time in nearly a quarter century and have a first round bye in the playoffs. The team’s first ALDS game is Saturday.  It has been an absolute rollercoaster of a season. Cal Raleigh led the charge and put up an impressive 60 home runs in the regular season.  He’s one of the favorites to win the American League MVP.  The M’s have had a few new faces join the team, notably trade deadline acquisition Josh Naylor, and the vibe got a shot in the arm as the team brought Geno Suarez back…  The last time the Seattle Mariners won the American League West pennant, Ichiro was in his rookie year, the team won 116 games, and a guy named Dan Wilson was the catcher.  Dan Wilson is NOW the Manager of the M’s, and he’s led the team to their first AL West championship since 2001. He sat down with Soundside host Libby Denkmann Thursday morning. GUEST: Mariners Manager Dan Wilson RELATED LINK: Official Seattle Mariners Website 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.

We didn't have time on the broadcast, but don't worry... Soundside producer Jason Megatron Burrows has all the events for you to enjoy this weekend. LINKS: Oktoberfest Northwest - Washington State Fair Event Center Oktoberfest - Leavenworth Washington OktoBEARfest - Woodland Park Zoo 2025 Tacoma Greek Festival  OysterFest The Northwest Chocolate Festival U District Chow Down & Street Party HAUNTED HOUSES: Haunted Forest of Maple Valley Nile Nightmares Haunted House - Mountlake Terrace Georgetown Morgue - SoDo My Haunted Forest - Kitsap Stalker Farms - Snohomish Maris Farms Haunted Woods | Haunted Adventure in Buckley, WA 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.

Who is an apology for? The answer is more obvious when the person you’re apologizing to is standing in front of you. You want their forgiveness. Or for them to feel better. Or for you to feel better. But when the people who were hurt, or those who hurt them, are long gone – what does apologizing actually accomplish? That’s one of the questions behind a recent essay in the New Yorker. It’s called “The Ritual of Civic Apology,” by Beth Lew-Williams. Lew-Williams is a Professor of History and Director of the Program in Asian American Studies at Princeton University. She begins her essay by recounting a talk she gave in Tacoma, a few years ago. It was about the forced expulsion of Tacoma’s Chinese residents in November 1885. And the city’s attempts to apologize for it, generations later. Guest: Beth Lew-Williams is Professor of History and Director of the Program in Asian American Studies at Princeton University. Her new book “John Doe Chinaman: A Forgotten History of Chinese Life under American Racial Law” published in September of this year Related stories: The Ritual of Civic Apology - The New Yorker 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.

It’s finally fall, which means the return of colorful flannels, blundstones, and the occasional raincoat. These are the clothes that have come to define Seattle fashion… which, if you haven’t heard, is bad. That’s at least according to a longheld stereotype about our city’s aesthetic.  People like to make fun of the way Seattle-ites dress. They’ve labeled our fashion sense as Normie. Uninspired. Boring.  We’re asking two local fashion experts to weigh in on whether Seattle is an unstylish city… or if locals just earned a bad rap in their attempt to stay warm and dry.   Guest: Clara Berg, a fashion historian and Curator of Collections at the Museum of History & Industry. Andrew Hoge, a creative director and fashion writer in Seattle. Related stories: KUOW - Seattle: Do you dress like you're going to have a 'hiking emergency'? Seattle Is a Fashion Capital: The History of Its Grunge, Gorp, and Graffiti Scenes 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 federal government is headed for a shutdown. Congressional leaders from both parties met with President Trump yesterday at the White House. They failed to make progress towards a funding deal. Democrats say they want to reverse some Medicaid cuts that Republicans passed earlier this year – and extend tax credits for people on Obamacare plans. Meanwhile, Republicans falsely claim that their colleagues across the aisle are shutting down the government to fund healthcare for unauthorized immigrants.  Barring a last minute breakthrough in the Senate, the government will shut down for the first time in almost 7 years just after midnight tonight.  Guest: Representative Suzan DelBene (WA-01) Relevant Links: NPR: Here's what a government shutdown could affect around the country Politico: Johnson, Jeffries dug in ahead of shutdown deadline NYT: The deadlock over funding the government is growing uglier. 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.

President Trump designated antifa as a domestic terrorist organization last week.  He followed up with a memo directing the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force to investigate individuals and groups engaged in political violence and intimidation. Trump cited antifa as a reason to mobilize 200 Oregon National Guard troops, which are expected to arrive in Portland within the next week. The president claimed ICE facilities in the city “were under siege from attack by Antifa and other domestic terrorists.” So what is behind these anti-antifa moves by the White House? And what exactly is antifa?  Correction: At 15:26, the event Mathias is talking about actually takes place in Forks, the town where Twilight is set. It did not take place in the town in which Twin Peaks was set. Read more about what happened here. Guest Christopher Mathias, reporter, author of the upcoming book “To Catch a Fascist” Related links Trump's new anti-antifa panic is the start of something much more dangerous — MSNBC 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.

When homicide detective Ian Carter arrives at the scene of a murder, the victim is posed to look like  Ophelia from Hamlet. Not that any of the detectives on the scene realize that...The person who will crack open that clue, and other twisted literary references, is on the other side of their Oregon college town; English professor Emma Reilly. She’s struggling to get  to class on time, and sensitive about avoiding the “absent minded professor” trope. It’s the beginning of the new novel “Murder by the Book,” by author Amie Schaumberg… who lives in Spokane and happens to be an English professor herself. The narrative shifts between the perspectives of Detective Carter and Professor Reilly, and as the mystery unfolds, we see the crime through different lenses - Literary, Artistic, and Forensic… GUEST: Amie Schaumberg RELATED LINKS:  Amie Schaumberg, Author Writing Neurodivergence in Crime Fiction Murder by the Book – HarperCollins Washington author’s debut novel admires and interrogates literature 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.