Seattle Now
Seattle Now is a smart, daily news podcast for a curious city, from KUOW and the NPR Network. New episodes every weekday morning and evening.
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Episodes
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A Republican donor's $6 million quest to "fix stupid things"
All six of Let’s Go Washington’s initiatives have been certified. The Republican-backed proposals are headed to the state legislature, where Democratic lawmakers will likely decline them, and send them to November’s ballot. The issues are big. Repealing the state’s Climate Commitment Act, the Long-Term Care Tax, and the Capital Gains Tax. Getting the measures on the ballot took a lot: a lot of signatures, a lot of legwork, and a lot of money… That’s where Brian Heywood comes in. Seattle Times politics reporter Jim Brunner is here to tell us more about the hedge fund manager behind these initiatives.
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How P-Patches foster Iu Mien community
Seattle's P-Patch community gardens are in rest mode this time of year, but the gardeners are celebrating a huge success right now. Community gardens just wrapped up a year in which they donated 33,000 pounds to local food banks. That's about 60,000 servings! To celebrate, we’re looking back on a story from last year. 2023 marked the 50th anniversary of Seattle’s P-Patch Community Garden program. For the Iu Mien ethnic group, these small farms sustain a big share of their family’s food. We’ll meet some of them and hear their stories.
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Casual Friday with Vaughan Jones and Andrew Walsh
This week, we learned more about Boeing’s quality control processes from an anonymous employee. The Secretary of State is warning voters to watch out for deepfakes ahead of March’s primary election. And Lily Gladstone was nominated for an Oscar… which left Seattle media wanting a piece of the glory. Too Beautiful To Live Co-Host Andrew Walsh and Seattle Now Producer Vaughan Jones are here to break down the week.
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Seattle’s newest City Council member
The city has a full slate of Councilmembers once again. Tanya Woo was appoin
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Local libraries lead the pack in digital reading
There’s a lot of reading going on around here. And we can prove it! King County Library is 3rd in the world for most digital holds. KCLS’s interim executive director Angie Miraflor is here to tell us about the growing demand for e-books and digital magazines
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The newest California transplant: Redwoods
Washington’s climate is changing, and some of our native trees are struggling to adapt. Western red cedars and Douglas firs aren’t used to warming temperatures and drought conditions. Cue the Redwood tree - chances are, you’ve actually seen them around Seattle already. Seattle Times Climate Reporter Amanda Zhou is here to tell us why the California icon may be a good fit for Washington.
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Republican initiatives you’ll be voting on in Washington state
Washington voters will have some big decisions on their ballot this November. And we're not talking about the presidential election. Six initiatives to alter and repeal state laws are making their way through the legislature. If they pass, everything from school funding to police car chases could be impacted. Northwest News Network reporter Jeanie Lindsay explains what voters need to know about who's behind the initiatives and the possible ripple effects for schools and environmental work in the state.
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Casual Friday with Paige Browning and Jodi-Ann Burey
This week… Seattle is recovering from a weekend of below-freezing temperatures. Delays on the Light Rail are creating chaos EVERYONE’s commute. And a local artist made a touching, but kind of gross, tribute to fired Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. KUOW Reporter and Anchor Paige Browning and Author Jodi-Ann Burey are here to break down the week.
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What's going on with UW football?
Over a few short days, the University of Washington Huskies played in a national championship, ended their last season with the PAC 12, said goodbye to their head coach, and now are welcoming a new leader to the team. The shake up at the school is a sign of things to come as it transitions into the Big 10 and enters a new phase of competition. Freelance Sports Reporter and Husky fan Danny O’Neil puts the university's new role in context.
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Restoring trust is Boeing's big task
Boeing is trying to reassure customers its planes are safe. The company announced this week that it will beef up inspections after a doorplug blew out of a MAX 9 over a week ago. The company has struggled with quality control the last few years. Seattle Times aerospace reporter Dominic Gates is here to talk about how the story’s developing.
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This is the One Line... and it's delayed
Light Rail riders, check your station: Sound Transit will be making repairs over the next few weeks. Time it wrong on a weekday, and you could be waiting more than 20 minutes for a train. On weekends, train service through downtown will stop entirely. It’s the third time in a year that downtown stations have been disrupted by maintenance. Seattle Times Transit Reporter Mike Lindblom will tell us what’s going on.
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Casual Friday with Ishea Brown and Lex Vaughn
This week… We’re still learning more about the door plug that blew out of a Boeing 737 Max 9 mid-flight. And the Seattle area is cold and getting colder, and we may even get some snow this weekend. Local digital strategist Ishea Brown and Needling Editor-in-Chief Lex Vaughn are here to break down the week.