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Alec Cowan

Producer, Soundside

About

Alec Cowan is a producer for Soundside. His interests have brought many eclectic stories to the program, and his segments gravitate toward history, technology, arts and culture, and the environment. After reporting a handful of stories aboard Puget Sound, he's proud to be KUOW's unofficial "boat guy."

Prior to joining Soundside, Alec wore many hats at KUOW. He was a producer for The Record with Bill Radke, and was the producer of Primed season two and three. He also reported and produced an episode of SoundQs detailing how prohibition forever changed Seattle policing and assisted with reporting a breakthrough cold case solved with the use of genetic genealogy.

Before joining KUOW Alec worked in NPR's Story Lab, where he helped pilot the Louder Than A Riot podcast on hip-hop and mass incarceration and assisted in producing a story on volunteerism in Iraq for Rough Translation. Originally from Grand Junction, Colorado, his roots in the Northwest begin in Eugene, where he studied English and philosophy at the University of Oregon and worked as a news reporter for NPR member station KLCC. He is likely neglecting his saxophone, growing book collection, and expanding personal project list in favor of boosting his online Xbox ranking instead.

Location: Seattle

Languages Spoken: English

Pronouns: he/him/his

Stories

  • caption: A row of RVs and cars line the side of a road in Kirkland on Saturday, May 20, 2023.
    Homelessness

    Safe parking lots are trending, but can the Seattle area meet the need?

    Safe parking programs have gained traction in recent years – there are now an estimated dozen lots available across the state, many sponsored by churches. They’re responding to an often invisible problem: people who sleep in their vehicles, with nowhere to legally park and access a restroom. But identifying the need – and ramping up services – are two different challenges.

  • caption: The Capitol building is seen on the first day of the legislative session at the Washington state Capitol Monday, Jan. 8, 2024 in Olympia, Wash.
    Government

    WA bill aims to make dancing in strip clubs safer. What would change?

    Dancers say working in Washington strip clubs carries a lot of risks, from the physical danger of aggressive customers to the thin financial margins that put dancers at an increased risk of sex trafficking. To try and mitigate some of these issues, Washington legislators are considering SB 6105 – what some are calling the “strippers' bill of rights.”

  • caption: Homes and cars destroyed by the Gray Fire are shown on Sunday, September 3, 2023, along the west side of Silver Lake in Spokane County. Over 10,000 acres and 240 homes burned in the fire.
    Government

    Investigation finds utility's security light at fault for devastating Gray Fire

    In a report released last week, the Washington Department of Natural Resources says the initial sparks came from a security light mounted on an Inland Power and Light pole. Those sparks ignited nearby brush and the fire quickly raged out of control. The Gray Fire burned 10,000 acres last August, forcing thousands to evacuate and destroying hundreds of homes.

  • caption: Anchors in the side of a rock face for rock climbers.
    Government

    Rock climbing could change to protect the wild — but will that make it more dangerous?

    What does it mean for land to be “wild?” It’s a question that federal land managers have thought about since the Wilderness Act of 1964, which defined wilderness as areas “...untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” Our national parks and public lands have visitor centers, fire lookouts, and other approved "installations" that help us enjoy the wild safely. But just what defines an installation has become the center of a recent debate between rock climbers and conservationists.

  • caption: This undated photo made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a strain of Candida auris cultured in a petri dish at a CDC laboratory.
    Health

    Four cases of rare fungus found in WA. Here's what you should know about it

    Last month the first-ever local outbreak of Candida auris, a deadly fungus, was reported in Washington State. So far, four cases of infection from the fungus have been linked to Kindred Hospital in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood. Cases of C. auris -- which was first identified in Japan in 2009 -- have risen throughout the United States since 2016.

  • dog puppy generic
    Science

    Could studying how dogs age help us understand the ways humans do?

    Dogs share so much of their lives with humans and can develop the same health conditions we do, like dementia or diabetes. Those similarities drove researchers to wonder if our medical science can help dogs live longer — and if maybe, our furry friends could tell us something about how we age, too.

  • caption: Siem Slhelhni' 'i' tu Sqwiqwmi's (High Ranking Young Woman and Her Wool Dogs), 2020

Art by Eliot White-Hill, Kwulasultun.
    Science

    Woolly dogs once provided fleece for Coast Salish tribes. What happened to them?

    Outside of alpacas, woolly dogs were one of the few indigenous animals providing wool in the Americas. And for centuries, woolly dogs were at the center of tribal life throughout the Coast Salish world. Since the 19th century, however, these dogs are considered extinct. Today, a resurfaced specimen at the Smithsonian Institution is helping broaden the scientific and tribal understanding of the woolly dog's genetics and role in Coast Salish life.