Soundside

King County has its first new Executive in 15 years.  Dow Constantine, who held the position since 2009, was chosen as the CEO of Sound Transit earlier this year. He stepped away from the Executive job at the end of March.In his place, Shannon Braddock is leading the county until a new executive is elected this November. Before this she worked mostly behind the scenes in various roles for the county over the last 15 years, including Deputy County Executive.  County business waits for no one and Braddock is holding the position at a challenging time. King County is facing a roughly $150 million dollar general fund budget deficit and is dealing with uncertainty over federal grants. How does Braddock intend to lead the second largest government in the state of Washington? Well, she has a blueprint for that. At yesterday’s council meeting, she released her 200 day plan for her time in office.  Guest: Shannon Braddock, King Count Executive Relevant Links: Seattle Times: Shannon Braddock is King County’s first new leader in 15 years. Who is she?  Seattle Times : Maneuvering and lack of trust as King County seeks a new executive  The Urbanist: King County Council Appoints Shannon Braddock Acting Executive in Constantine’s Wake PublicCola: Could a Sales Tax Hike for Criminal Justice Programs Save the County’s Budget?   Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the face of staff cuts, funding freezes, and threats to zero out its budget – Head Start has survived… for now.  This program serves almost 800,000 kids throughout the country –15,000 in Washington State alone. Many of these children are low-income, disabled or in foster care. A Trump Administration budget proposal leaked in April put all Head Start funding on the chopping block. Providers in multiple states, including Washington, filed a lawsuit last week, aiming to halt the elimination of the program and actions, they say, further undermine it. But on Friday there was a bit of a reprieve: the Administration’s budget summary did not list Head Start as one of their defunding targets, and an official told reporters there would be no changes to the program.  But the lawsuit will continue. And, according to supporters, this dismantling of the program has been in the works for a while.  Guest: Joel Ryan, the Executive Director of the Washington State Association of Head Start. Links: Head Start survives Trump administration budget proposal WA Head Start staff locked out and let go due to Trump cuts Washington ACLU sues Trump administration over attempts to dismantle free Head Start preschool program Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the new Netflix documentary “Bad Influence”, 11 teenagers recount their experiences working with Piper Rockelle, who was herself a child influencer. All of the teens were former “squad members” of the Youtuber. They described performing scripted scenes in front of the camera - like fake “dating” scenarios, or pranks.  They also described feeling violated by some of the videos, and behind the scenes interactions with Rockelle’s mother, Tiffany Smith - who’s also her manager. And they described not knowing how to say “no” when placed in a situation where they felt uncomfortable. “Bad Influence” is one of two recently released documentaries about the impact being a “kidfluencer” can have on children, as well as on their families.  There’s also the new Hulu documentary, “The Devil in the Family: The Ruby Franke Story”.  The documentaries are bringing a lot of attention to the potential dangers of kidfluencing and the work many are doing to rein in the industry. One person who is pushing for changes is Chris McCarty. They founded “Quit Clicking Kids”, a non-profit dedicated to stopping the monetization of minors on social media, as a high school senior.   Now, as a college student at the University of Washington, McCarty has helped shape legislation in multiple states focused on regulating the kidfluencer industry. They were also featured in Netflix’s “Bad Influence: the dark side of kidfluencing”. Guest:  Chris McCarty, founder of Quit Clicking Kids Related stories: Kids, Inc. - NYT Piper Rockelle Has a Lot to Say About That Netflix Documentary - Rolling Stone Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 2010s, the video game industry saw an ENORMOUS boom, with annual revenues jumping from 80 billion dollars to TWO HUNDRED billion over that decade, according to a report by investment research group Epyllion. But in recent years, that exponential growth hit a plateau.  “Games were so successful both prior to & during 2020 & 2021, that they set kind of impossible standards for 2023 & 2024… And when the uptick flattened, it was seen as a tremendous failure.” That’s video game writer and creator Alanah Pearce from her recent video titled, “The games industry is screwed.” While the industry remains profitable, volatility has shaken investors and large game studios – and created major instability for workers.  Last week, EA, which has a local footprint in Kirkland, announced a new round of layoffs – affecting hundreds of employees including workers at Respawn, the studio behind games like Apex Legends and the Star Wars: Jedi series. Things are changing for consumers, too: Microsoft recently announced that it’s raising prices across the entire XBOX platform, … hot on the heels of Nintendo announcing price hikes for its Switch 2 games.  The gaming industry appears to be at a crossroads. GUEST: Jason Schreier, author & reporter at Bloomberg RELATED LINKS:  The games industry is screwed. Electronic Arts Lays Off Hundreds, Cancels ‘Titanfall’ Game - Bloomberg Apex Legends and Star Wars: Jedi Dev Respawn Cancels Another Incubation Project, Around 100 Employees Impacted - IGN Players Have Too Many Options to Spend $80 on a Video Game - Bloomberg PRESENTATION: The State of Video Gaming in 2025 Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle city leaders were met with some less than ideal news this month: the city is facing a $241 million dollar budget shortfall over the next two years. And maybe you’re thinking, hey didn’t city council use the Jump Start tax to fill the $250 million budget gap this year? Surprise: that was a whole other budget deficit.  But Seattle is far from the only municipality facing a shortfall. King County is facing a $150 million gap. Tacoma? It had to fill a $24 million hole late last year. Spokane County? $20 million short. Yakima? $9 million. Cle Elum is filing for bankruptcy (a very rare move that has only happened once in the history of the state).  So what is going on with local governments across the state? Guests: Candice Bock, director of government relations at the Washington Association of Cities John Rennie Short, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Related stories: A fiscal crisis is looming for many US cities - The Conversation Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since May 8, 1792, European colonists have called the large volcano just off the coast of Puget Sound "Mount Rainier." It was given that name by a British explorer, Captain George Vancouver – a gift to his friend, Rear Admiral Peter Rainier.  But prior to Vancouver’s arrival in what eventually became Washington state, the Indigenous peoples in and around the Salish Sea called it by many names. A recent linguistic paper from the Puyallup Tribe of Indians traced those many names for the mountain – where they came from, and what they mean. Guests: Zalmai ʔəswəli Zahir, linguist and Lushootseed language teacher Related Links:  Puyallup Tribal Language - Analysis of the Many Names of the Mountain Puyallup Tribal language consultant publishes first comprehensive analysis of the many Native names for Mount Rainier - ʔuhuyəxʷ ti dᶻixʷ pipa ʔə tiiɫ qa sdadaʔ ʔə tiiɫ skʷatač, ʔux̌alad ti ʔəswəli | Puyallup Tribe Puyallup Tribal Language - Culture Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a week of gloom & drizzle, we’ve finally got a 70 degree day or three in the forecast! We won’t talk about what’s happening with Saturday’s weather, it knows what it did…  THAT SAID - if you need a few more excuses to go out & do things, we’ve got you covered!  Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is here with a VERY SPECIAL Weekend Warmup. LINKS:  May Day in Seattle 2025 Seattle Erotic Art Festival Port Townsend Victorian Festival FCBD 2025 Comic Books Store Locator - Free Comic Book Day Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Spokane Symphony  Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back | bellingham.org  May the Fourth | The Museum of Flight  May the Course be with You 5k  All Ages Star Wars Trivia Night Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For people addicted to fentanyl, the desire to quit is often overshadowed by the fear of withdrawal. Incredible nerve pain, diarrhea, chills, vomiting. It’s been likened to the worst flu you’ve ever experienced.  Buprenorphine, the medication often used to aid in easing addiction, can trigger withdrawal symptoms, making it tough for patients to continue treatment.  Here in Seattle, Downtown Emergency Service Center, or DESC, has been trying a new method of administering buprenorphine to ease treatment and curb cravings -- and it’s showing some promising results.  Guests: Jeremy Hoog, senior nurse manager at DESC's Opioid Recovery and Care Access. Carson Bell is a care navigator at DESC. Related Links:  Substance Use Disorder Treatment - DESC Seattle nonprofit rolling out potential ‘game changer’ for fentanyl addiction | The Seattle Times Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new law waiting to be signed by the governor would give you more options when your technology breaks. House Bill 1483 establishes a “right to repair” for consumer electronics, including tech like phones, laptops, and home appliances. Its partner bill in the Senate (SB 5680) also establishes the right to repair electric wheelchairs. This is part of a larger, nationwide movement to create more accessible technology. If the governor signs these bills into law, Washington will be the seventh state to have a right to repair on the books.  But, what exactly will this mean for Washingtonians? And how could this change things when your phone next takes a dive into Lake Washington? Guests: Representative Mia Gregerson was the lead sponsor of House Bill 1483. She represents Washington’s 33rd district, which includes Burien, Normandy Park, Seatac, Des Moines, and parts of Renton Amanda Miller, Executive Director of South King Tool Library Related Links: Repair Economy Washington Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When tech companies began announcing advanced artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT, there was widespread enthusiasm. AI was going to make mundane jobs more efficient; it was going to reshape entire industries and creative processes; and it was going to free up time for humans to do things that were, well, more human – things like creating art.  But in the last few years, it’s been artists themselves raising the alarm around automation. Some see AI as a cool new tool, or another color on the palette; others argue it’s an existential threat to industries that were already struggling to stay afloat.  For local theater director Ryan Guzzo Purcell, the bleeding edge of AI in art is something we can’t approach from an either/or point of view. His latest production with The Feast is a reinterpretation of “The Adding Machine,” a 100 year old play about automation by playwright Elmer Rice. A new version of the play at Seattle University’s Lee Performing Arts Center updates that notion for modern times, leaning into the question of dealing with automation by incorporating AI at practically every level: the stage design, the production – even the performances.  Soundside producer Alec Cowan spoke with Purcell to learn more about the intersection of technology and stagecraft after attending a showing last October. GUEST: Ryan Guzzo Purcell, artistic director at The Feast, a Seattle theater company, and director of "The Adding Machine: A Cyborg Morality Play." RELATED LINKS:  What's Next | The Feast (the-feast.org) The Adding Machine: A Cyborg Morality Play - Seattle University How Seattle theater company The Feast’s play using AI turned out | The Seattle Times KUOW - Artists vs. AI: where innovation meets unwelcome imitation Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.