The Seattle City Council is considering a change to the city’s parking zone program. Currently, permits are only available to residents who live in certain areas. The changes would allow some employees who work in these areas – and are getting slapped with expensive tickets – to purchase permits as well. But some residents are opposed. 

Ross Reynolds talks with Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who's backing the change.

  Experts are increasingly concerned about pro-eating disorder content, which is proliferating on the Internet, including Twitter hashtags like #thinspiration and #pro-ana.

KUOW’s Ross Reynolds talks with Dr. Jillian Lampert, senior director at The Emily Program, about the role of the Internet and other factors that contribute to the problem of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating.

Boeing 787 Back In The Air
Boeing’s 787 has returned to the sky after a four-month grounding by the FAA when an United Airlines Dreamliner took off this morning from Houston en route to Chicago’s O’Hare airport. Richard Aboulafia, aerospace analyst with Teal Group Corporation explains the impact of the 787 on Boeing and its flight future. 

In Search of the Ancient Maya
Archaeologist William Saturno has spent decades studying, excavating and documenting the ancient Mayan culture. He was the first person in 2,000 years to see the San Bartolo murals, and he recently discovered proof that the Maya did not believe the world would end in 2012 as commonly thought. What did that feel like? How did ancient Maya become the center of his work? What can we learn from the Mayans?  

Medical Interventions and the End of Life    
As science and technology improves, medicine changes. As Americans, we’ve come to expect that medical interventions can give us a new knee, help us survive cancer and help extend our lives far longer than in the past. But is intervention always a good idea? Retired doctor Jim deMain blogs about how to make decisions on when to end or extend life. 

This Week In Olympia
The state Legislature begins week two of the special session today. Everett Herald reporter Jerry Cornfield joins us with a look at what to expect.

Traumatic Brain Injury
Sarah was hit by a drunk driver in her 20s.  Over the years, her brain has exhibited more and more signs of damage. Traumatic brain injury can present challenges and frustrations for partners as well. Sarah's long-term partner, Julie Hall, shares her personal story of loving, caring and coping with a partner with a brain injury.

The Autistic Brain
Temple Grandin is one of the world’s most accomplished and well-known adults with autism.  In her new book “The Autistic Brain,” Temple Grandin explores what current brain science has revealed about autism and the possibilities it offers.

Seattle City Council Member Tim Burgess is stepping down as a mayoral candidate.  His disclosure came as the filing deadline loomed for the November election. Burgess said he won’t yet endorse anyone. But he said he’s leaving the race to make it easier for another candidate to unseat incumbent Mayor Mike McGinn. 

The Moscow mausoleum where you can see Vladimir Lenin's body has reopened, following a major renovation project. But most Russians now say it's time Lenin received a proper burial — in the ground.

Perhaps they've come to believe, as Americans seem to believe, that it's a little creepy to have someone's body preserved with chemicals and put on display for all to see. It makes him seem like some character from a fairy tale, like Snow White or Sleeping Beauty.

KUOW headed over to what may be the only publicly displayed statue of Lenin in America, in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood, to see how Lenin's reputation is faring here.

Full list of stories from KUOW Presents, May 17:

Driving around Seattle this weekend will be trickier than normal. The Seattle Department Of Transportation plans to close parts of Aurora and Mercer Street around South Lake Union as part of the effort to convert Mercer into a two-way street. The city's now focusing on the Mercer West project, the section of Mercer between Dexter Avenue and West Fifth Avenue.

Today is National Bike to Work Day and The Conversation’s Hannah Burn asked people in the neighborhood how they got to work or school today. The Census Bureau reports that in 2011, about half a percent of commuters biked to work in the United States. Seattle seems to trend higher as of the 14 people Burn talked to, 28 percent were cyclists.

We’re in the full swing of spring here in Seattle, and with the season come certain rituals like spring cleaning. A lot of the stuff we get rid of ends up at garage sales and yard sales. David Hyde poses the question: What’s the most amazing thing you’ve ever found at a garage sale? Listeners and local garage sale enthusiasts weigh in.