Soundside

For a year and a half, Monisha Harrell served as Senior Deputy Mayor of Seattle – the number two position in the executive office. The last name she shares with the Mayor, Bruce Harrell, is no coincidence. Monisha Harrell is the mayor’s niece.  She was the first Black lesbian senior deputy mayor in the City of Seattle’s history, and she also says that her tenure with the city was marred by bullying and sexism.  Guest:  Ashley Hiruko - KUOW investigative reporter Links: KUOW: Monisha Harrell breaks silence on her uncle – and former boss – Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell   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.

WWAMI is an acronym for Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho… and it refers to a program created by the University of Washington that allows dozens of medical students from those states to study at the UW School of Medicine.  The aim is to produce highly-skilled doctors who will go back and practice in rural, underserved areas of the Western U.S. But not everyone is happy with the 54-year-old program.  Two bills have been introduced in the Idaho legislature: one that decreases the state’s participation in WWAMI and one that severs it completely.   Guest:  Emina Gulbis, an Idaho native and WWAMI student and in her fourth-year of medical training, who recently wrote in defense of Idaho’s participation in WWAMI Relevant Links: WWAMI has a vital role in the health care infrastructure of the state of Idaho Idaho considers end to 50-year physician-training partnership with University of Washington over ‘Idaho values’See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The state’s Department of Natural Resources says it’s coming up with backup plans to address the growing threat of serious wildfires in Washington. This, as it's typically close working relationship with federal forest managers has frayed under the Trump Administration.  Some of this started in mid-February, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut thousands of probationary employees at the U.S. Forest Service. The USDA is in charge of stewarding places like the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and the Gifford-Pinchot National Forest. Altogether, about 2,000 employees across the country were fired. The USDA emphasized that no “operational firefighters” had been let go, and argued the critical work of responding to wildfires would not be interrupted.  But an organization called Grassroots Wildland Firefighters estimated that three-quarters of the employees laid off had secondary wildland firefighting duties, meaning firefighting wasn’t their primary job, but they were pulled in to fight fires as needed. Soundside has heard directly from laid off workers at the Forest Service based here in Washington who have wildland firefighting certifications of various levels. They say they are in limbo right now, even after there have been multiple court orders to reinstate fired federal workers -- at least, temporarily.  They’re ringing alarm bells about the loss of manpower for this fire season. All of this puts Washington’s DNR into a tough spot. The department oversees wildfire prevention and response on state lands, usually working closely with the federal government. Soundside was joined by Dave Upthegrove, Washington's Commissioner of Public Lands, and State Forester George Geissler.  Guests:  Dave Upthegrove, Washington's Commissioner of Public Lands State Forester George Geissler Related Links:  Fired Forest Service, Park Service workers say cuts will be felt on fire lines - ABC News USDA Reinstates Terminated Forest Service Workers with Pay | News | bozemandailychronicle.com USDA Status Update on Probationary Employees | Home 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.

The federal government will be funded through September after several Senate Democrats joined Republicans in passing a continuing resolution late last week. However, the deal provoked a huge backlash against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who organized a handful of Democrats to avert a government shutdown. House Democrats from Nancy Pelosi to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wanted their Senate counterparts to maximize one of the party’s only points of leverage under a Republican-controlled Congress and White House. And if that meant shutting the government down, then so be it. But it was not to be. Guests: Congresswoman Emily Randall of Washington’s 6th district. Related Links: Trump signs spending bill to avoid a government shutdown — NPR Trump says the U.S. is in a 'period of transition' — and more takeaways from this week — NPR Pramila Jayapal says a government shutdown would be GOP's mess. "That's on them"— KUOW 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.

TGIF, amirite? I mean, yeah, it’s Thursday, but I know you’re thinking about it.   Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is here to help you make your weekend epic. LINKS: Taste Washington - Every day, from March 13–17 The Grand Tasting Nosferatu with Radiohead: A Silent Synced Film Seattle Reign FC - Home Opening Match vs Gotham FC Seattle Reign FC Game Days | Hatback Sports Bar & Grill - ALL AGES Rough & Tumble Pub - ALL AGES St. Patrick's Day Dash SIFF 'n' Stitch: Hairspray A Trip to Outer Space - Seattle Symphony - NEXT SATURDAY See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Breakthrough Energy, a collection of organizations founded by Bill Gates in 2015, announced a slew of staffing cuts this week.  These organizations focus on accelerating things like sustainable energy and other environmental technologies. They had a promising beginning with a range of wealthy investors joining Gates to provide funding.  But now, dozens of employees have been let go. And according to some, it’s a signal that one of the world’s most climate-conscious billionaires is rethinking  his strategy in the face of an adversarial Congress and President.  Guest: David Gelles, a climate reporter for The New York Times  Related Links: Climate Group Funded by Bill Gates Slashes Staff in Major Retreat - The New York 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.

The One Seattle Comprehensive Plan is working its way through city council. It dictates how the city will grow over the next twenty years, including where density is allowed.  While the details are still being worked out, the comprehensive plan has a new type of zoning: Neighborhood Centers. This part of the plan could affect up to 30 neighborhoods in Seattle – including places like Montlake, Madrona and Queen Anne – and has met with vocal opposition from many residents.  But there is one constituency that sees these neighborhood centers, and more density in general, as a lifeline: people with disabilities. Guests: Cecelia Black, organizer with Disability Rights Washington Related Links:  Why Seattle’s housing density plans are a disability-rights issue | Cascade PBS 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.

Huckleberries appear in any number of Northwest products like ice cream, syrups, jams, teas, pies, tinctures, and vodka, but they are incredibly difficult to grow on farms.  Instead, huckleberries grow at high elevations in fields, and are found mostly in forests that have recently burned.  Native people have been picking huckleberries for generations and huckleberry harvests in the mountains are one of the major food gathering events for Tribes. But many say a combination of federal forest management practices and commercial picking operations infringe on their treaty rights. Guests:  Josephine Woolington, writer based in Portland Elaine Harvey, Ḱamíłpa band member, one of the 14 bands that comprise the Yakama Nation Relevant Links:  High Country News: The True Cost of the Huckleberry Industry 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.

The Washington state House on Tuesday approved $100 million in funding aimed at helping local police departments hire more officers.  House Bill 2015 aligns with Governor Bob Ferguson’s priorities, and he’s threatened to torpedo any state budget that doesn’t include increased police funding.  It’s been a contentious budget cycle in Olympia. The state’s facing a massive shortfall -- but the progress on police funding may indicate state democrats’ willingness to cooperate with the new governor.  To break down the police funding bill, Soundside was joined by Jake Goldstein-Street, reporter for the Washington State Standard.  Guests: Jake Goldstein-Street, reporter with the Washington State Standard Related Links:  $100M plan for police hiring gets greenlight from Washington House • Washington State Standard Debate heats up over Ferguson’s request for $100M to hire more police in Washington • Washington State Standard House Bill 2015 Senate Bill 5060 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.

Behold the Rain-beers, a herd of giant bottles with human legs galloping majestically across the Cascade foothills.  This motif was part advertisement, part cinema — the brainchildren of Heckler Associates, a local ad agency that made Rainier Beer’s personality and brand into the stuff of Seattle legend.  Today Rainier is no longer an entirely local product — it’s owned by Pabst and brewed in California — but go to any antique shop and you’re destined to find beer memorabilia sporting that red calligraphy “R” hearkening from the golden age of Rainier Beer.  It was this mythologizing that drove director Isaac Olsen to make a full documentary film about the commercials and the small firm that put them on the national stage.  Rainier: A Beery Odyssey is showing at SIFF Film Center this week through Thursday, March 13, and other Washington locations through April.  Soundside host Libby Denkmann caught up with Olsen to hear more about his odyssey of making the film.  Guests: Isaac Olsen, director of Rainier: A Beer Odyssey.  Related Links: Find showtimes and locations for the film here: https://www.rainierbeermovie.com/   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.