Seattle Now

Generative AI is the source of a lot of angst.  For students, for workers, for artists.  We’ll talk to Bellevue-based science fiction writer Ted Chiang about how he thinks about it as a writer. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s election season. So today, we’re bringing you the first in a series of candidate debates hosted by KUOW. This week, we’re looking at the candidates running for King County Executive Whoever wins this race will lead one of the largest regional governments in the United States.  And, for the first time in 16 years, there isn’t an incumbent on the ballot. Two county leaders are vying for the job. Soundside’s Libby Denkmann hosted the two candidates — Claudia Balducci and Girmay Zahilay — for a debate at the KUOW studios. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed.  Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Starbucks to lay off nearly 1,000 more local employees, healthcare costs could double for some WA residents, and the Mariners are set to play their most important game in two decades. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Patricia Murphy. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week… A group of Mexican restaurants in Washington are asking for stricter enforcement against unpermitted food carts. The city has Mariners fever as the team prepares for a do-or-die game this evening. And what’s the first rule of Fight Club? A backyard fighting organization in Gig Harbor is giving people a place to blow off steam. UW Business Professor Jeff Shulman and Factal Editor Joe Veyera are here to break down the week. Read up on King County Mental Health Services We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elected Dems denounce Trump's deployment of federal troops, SIFF will no longer operate the Egyptian Theater, and Westlake Park is closed until May. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Paige Browning. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Election day is less than a month away.  The stakes are high in Seattle’s mayoral race as the city grapples with affordability, policing, and homelessness. Seattle Times reporter David Kroman is here to talk about how the race between incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell and challenger Katie Wilson is playing out. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Troops can't deploy to Portland yet, appeals court rules, Mayor Harrell signs executive orders amid National Guard escalations, and a massive heat wave is hitting the Pacific Ocean. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Patricia Murphy. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In late 2023, Seattle International Film Festival took a big swing - reopening the Cinerama, bringing back the chocolate popcorn, and rebranding the building as SIFF Cinema Downtown. But how is it working out?  New reporting suggests that the restored theater hasn’t been meeting expectations, as the organization tries to find financial footing. We’ll hear from arts reporters Margo Vansynghel and Chase Hutchinson. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mayor Harrell to sign executive orders on potential troop deployments, Starbucks lays off nearly 370 WA workers, and WA signature gatherers for GOP-backed initiatives say people are interfering with the process. It’s our daily roundup of top stories from the KUOW newsroom, with host Paige Browning. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the years following the pandemic, the city of Seattle leaned into a strategy to convert hotels into shelters. At one point, the Civic Hotel was full of residents. But later, many of the rooms sat empty, even though the City of Seattle was still paying the rent. KUOW investigative reporter Ashley Hiruko is here to tell us what happened. Her new story is co-published by ProPublica. We can only make Seattle Now because listeners support us. Tap here to make a gift and keep Seattle Now in your feed. Got questions about local news or story ideas to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at seattlenow@kuow.org, leave us a voicemail at (206) 616-6746 or leave us feedback online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.