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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Voting on how we vote
Next month, Seattle residents will not only get to vote in the midterms, but they’ll also get to vote on how they vote in future primary elections. Two alternative forms of voting are on the ballot for consideration, approval and ranked choice. Or we could just keep things the same. Seattle Times Reporter Sarah Grace Taylor is here to break down these options.
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Casual Friday with Naomi Ishisaka and Rich Smith
This week we learned Seattle lags way behind other cities when it comes to workers returning to the office. We're also getting rid of our state of emergency, and lo hey! How about those M’s.
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How to make Covid boosters cool again
An updated Covid-19 booster shot came out last month, but as of last week, only 1 in 10 people have gotten one. Maybe we’re all a little booster fatigued. Dr. Shireesha Dhanireddy is the director of the Infectious Diseases Clinic at Harborview, and the Clinical Lead at UW Medicine’s COVID-19 Vaccines and Therapeutics program. She’s here to tell us why people have been slow to get their next booster, and what might happen if more people don’t get theirs soon.
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After incarceration, these voters have a voice
A new group of voters are eligible to participate in the upcoming midterms. Voting rights were restored to formerly incarcerated felons in Washington when new legislation went into effect early this year. Christopher Poulos from the Department of Corrections is here to talk about the new law and its impact on the community.
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Our homeless system has a worker problem
Our response to homelessness hinges on a network of people working all over the region, in shelters, supportive housing, and on the street. These jobs are tough and they don’t pay much. That’s causing a worker shortage in the industry. A new state program will hand two thousand dollar grants to workers as a stop-gap for the system, and a first step towards a long
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Not your grandma's weed
Cannabis is a very popular subject here in Washington. It’s been legal for recreational use for almost a decade now. But this isn’t your grandma’s weed. Cannabis has changed, and demand has risen for more potent products, with much higher THC percentages than what can be grown naturally. Seattle Times reporter Hannah Furfaro is here to talk us through the concerns researchers have about this high-potency cannabis, especially its effects on inexperienced users.
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Casual Friday with Naomi Tomky and Paige Browning
The Mariners are going to the playoffs, and everyone in the city seems to be excited. Some thigns not lighting us up ht
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The fight for Washington's Latino voters
Donald Trump performed better than expected nationally with Latino voters in 2020. Now, Republicans in Washington are trying to build on that success for November’s primary, while Democrats are fighting to reverse a potential shift to the right. KUOW politics reporter David Hyde has been covering this, and he’s here to tell us more.
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Teachers have a contract, but there's no plan to fund it yet
The new contract for Seattle Public School increases teacher pay, reduces class sizes for some programs, and adds more support for student mental health services. The current school district budget isn’t enough to cover it. Crosscut education reporter Venice Buhain is here to breakdown the contract and the challenge of paying for it.
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JULIOOOO! and the end of the Mariners' playoff drought
The Mariners playoff drought has ended, and a big reason why is Julio Rodriguez, a 21 year old from the Dominican Republic with big ambitions. Seattle Now’s Caroline Chamberlain Gomez talks about what it means to end the postseason drought and how Julio Rodriguez helped make it happen.
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Is Washington Protecting Outdoor Workers?
Washington’s dealt with historic heat these past two summers. So, the state’s enacted some new protections for people who work outside in the summer, in jobs like agriculture and construction. This work can be dangerous during extreme heat, but many workers are reluctant to report violations. KUOW's Eilis O'Neill will tell us why.
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Casual Friday with Eula Scott Bynoe and Andrew Walsh
This week, Mayor Bruce Harrell unveiled a new budget that doubles down on policing. A new study determined a lot of people love Seattle and that a lot of people hate it too, and the Kraken is getting ready to introduce a new mascot. hmmm wonder what that’s going to look like. Podcaster Eula Scott Bynoe and TBTL’s Andrew Walsh break it all down.