Soundside

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 and communal spaces. However, the ambitious plan has sparked mixed reactions from neighbors concerned about traffic, parking, and neighborhood changes.Back in June, the city issued a permit for converting the church – albeit with some limitations. Neither side liked that outcome, and both sides requested a reconsideration. Yesterday, the city denied both requests. Now, no one is happy. 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. Guests: Becca Most, Pierce County reporter for the Tacoma News Tribune Relevant Links: Tacoma News Tribune: Affordable young adult housing proposed for old Tacoma church Tacoma News Tribune: Proctor church conversion to shared youth housing hits snag Tacoma News Tribune: Amici House youth project in Tacoma hits development hurdle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 van with the concrete landscape of Seattle, where he continues to host his podcast with his wife, Becca, and their team of producers. And 17 years after they first began, Fitz and crew have now adapted 30 of their favorite “Dirtbag Diaries” into a new book titled States of Adventure: Stories About Finding Yourself by Getting Lost. Cahall recently joined Libby Denkmann to discuss the book, the last 17 years of podcasting, and how he continues to find inspiration in the great outdoors. Guests: Fitz Cahall, author of States of Adventure. Related Links: The Dirtbag Diaries - The original outdoor adventure podcast : The Dirtbag Diaries States Of Adventure - The Dirtbag Diaries : The Dirtbag Diaries See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 you an additional $125 for the trouble it took to put that note on your door.  These fines, so called “junk fees,” are allowed in Washington State.  A few cities like Seattle and Olympia have banned them. But those living outside areas with regulations can be subjected to a myriad of fines.  Renters claim it is a way to penalize them to the point of moving.  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.  Guests: Kelsey Turner, reporter at InvestigateWest Relevant Links: InvestigateWest: WA renters say unregulated ‘junk fees’ are being used to retaliate, discriminate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 a widespread practice. The findings, published in June, showed more than 1 in 5 people incarcerated in state prison at the time of the report had served a significant amount of time in solitary.  The Ombuds also highlighted 176 suicide attempts over the last decade by people in solitary. 14 of those were fatal. The report was requested by WA State lawmakers who are working to END solitary confinement because of its effects on the mental health of inmates. To find out more, Soundside talked to WA State Standard reporter Grace Deng. GUEST: Grace Deng - WA State Standard RELATED LINKS:  Prisoners still routinely isolated in WA, despite efforts to cut solitary confinement - WA State Standard https://oco.wa.gov/sites/default/files/OCO_SolitaryConfinementReport_Part1_June2024.pdf  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 are now posing challenges as the Pioneer Wildfire continues to threaten the town. Since it started June, the fire has grown to tens of thousands of acres, and at one point spread to within 100 feet of buildings near Stehekin. Many of the areas residents have stayed, but no structures have burned. Soundside caught up with Stan Hinatsu about the latest on the fire. Hinatsu is the public information officer on the latest incident management team -- one of six -- responding to the Pioneer and Easy Fires. Guests: Stan Hinatsu, Public Information Officer with the Pioneer/Easy Fire incident response team Related Links: Stehekin residents prepare to defend their town as Pioneer fire nears | The Seattle Times Pioneer fire moves into Stehekin, comes within 100 feet of buildings | The Seattle Times See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 pushed for states nationwide to keep children with their parents whenever possible. Splitting up families can do lasting harm to kids and disproportionately affects people of color.  But critics of the approach say the policy shift has created a situation where the state may be leaving children in harmful situations too long, especially when parents struggle with addiction or mental health issues.  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.  Guests: Nina Shapiro, social issues reporter at the Seattle Times Relevant Links: Seattle Times: Why WA’s foster care system is shrinking fast Seattle Times: Is Washington state taking too many children from their parents? Movement seeks to overhaul foster care See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Denkmann and Alec Cowan spoke with Schleuter in May.  You can check out the original story, complete with photos here: https://www.kuow.org/stories/things-are-happening-new-tech-offers-groundbreaking-recovery-in-spinal-injuries  GUESTS:  Jon Schlueter Chet Moritz RELATED LINKS: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-02940-9 https://www.onwd.com/therapy/arc-ex/  https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65689580https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65689580   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 without those measures could have prevented excess deaths had they followed similar strictures.   While hindsight is, in this case, literally 2020 – the study should inform our response to future pandemics. Soundside spoke with the paper's author, Christopher Ruhm, about the findings. Ruhm is a professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of Virginia’s Batten School of Leadership and Public policy.  Guests: Christopher Ruhm, professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of Virginia’s Batten School of Leadership and Public policy.  Related Links: How State Policies Impacted Death Rates During COVID | Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy | University of Virginia See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 Queer Sick Pay Fund.  The Fund is meant to provide queer nightlife performers in the Seattle area with sick pay and resources when they have to miss a gig.  Guest: Seattle drag queen Betty Wetter Relevant Links: Velocity Queer Sick Pay Fund page See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 the last 60 years, one treaty -- the Columbia River Treaty -- has dictated how the two nations manage the river and its dams. But that treaty is quickly approaching an important deadline this September, and if nothing changes, terms in the treaty become less favorable to the United States. In the last month, stakeholders on both sides of the border have come to an "agreement in principle" on an update to the Columbia River Treaty. Negotiations over changes in the treaty have been in the works for the last 6 years. It’s probably something you haven’t heard about before – but it’s a critical piece of the future of the Columbia River and everything that depends on it. This week Soundside’s Libby Denkmann caught up on the treaty’s latest with Nigel Bankes, professor emeritus of law at the University of Calgary. Guests: Nigel Bankes, professor of law emeritus at the University of Calgary Related Links: Agreement in Principle on a Revised Columbia River Treaty | ABlawg U.S. and Canada update 60-year-old Columbia River Treaty | Cascade PBS What’s at stake if the Columbia River Treaty were to end - OPB See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.