Soundside

Five people have died and thousands of homes have burned in wildfires sweeping across the Los Angeles area.  Five separate fires are burning in the county - the Palisades fire, Eaton fire, Hurst fire, Lidia and Sunset fires. The Palisades and Eaton Fires are some of the most destructive in the region’s history.  Local resources are stretched thin – but some help is on the way from Washington.  Dozens of engines and more than 100 firefighters from local agencies have committed to travel to help battle the blazes in L.A. Many are already on their way.  Guests: Ben Peeler, Assistant Chief for Clark Cowlitz Fire Rescue Hilary Franz, Washington state's Public Lands Commissioner. She heads the Department of Natural Resources, which is also sending engines to Southern California  Relevant links: What to know about thousands of evacuations and homes burned in Los Angeles area fires - AP 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.

President Elect Donald Trump has promised mass deportations of undocumented immigrants on day one of his administration. Removing the approximately 11.7 million people living in the United States without authorization would take a massive operational effort -- and likely require cooperation from both state and local governments. Right now, most Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests in the U.S. happen because of a hand off from local law enforcement. But that kind of cooperation is restricted in Washington state.        2019’s Keep Washington Working Act  broadly limits state and local law enforcement from assisting with federal immigration proceedings. But Trump allies are already ramping up the pressure on local leaders in places like California and D.C. with similar sanctuary laws in place: Stephen Miller’s America First Legal Foundation announced last month that it had identified hundreds of elected officials in sanctuary jurisdictions who it claimed could be held civilly liable for obstructing federal immigration enforcement.   As the new Trump Administration takes office, Washington state’s elected sheriffs will be among those officials feeling the squeeze between federal agencies, and state law.  Guest: Steven Strachan, Executive Director of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs Relevant Links:  WASPC Statement on local law enforcement involvement in immigration issues   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.

Will James, a seasoned KUOW Audio Documentary Producer, dives into the contentious debate over the Housing First approach to homelessness. He reveals personal success stories that highlight the transformative impact of stable housing, contrasting this with traditional treatment models. The podcast explores the backlash against Housing First, driven by critics, and raises critical questions about its effectiveness amidst rising homelessness. James emphasizes the importance of understanding mental health and addiction within the context of supportive housing, fostering an engaging discussion on potential paths forward.

In an effort to curb gun crime, Tacoma announced last year that it was turning to a tool called ShotSpotter. ShotSpotter is a form of Gun Detection Technology (GDT), which uses a series of acoustic microphone sensors to track loud bangs, booms, and pops in a designated area. Once those "dynamic events" are triggered, a human classifier verifies the sound was a gunshot and alerts local police. The entire process happens within 60 seconds or less.  The idea is that it’s a faster and more accurate way to alert police to gunshots, compared with relying on 911 calls. That, then, allows police to get to a more targeted crime scene sooner, and have more evidence to ideally solve the crime. SoundThinking, the company that runs ShotSpotter, says the technology has been used in more than 180 cities globally. However, the technology has been controversial in several large cities. Houston’s mayor called ShotSpotter a “gimmick” when he announced plans to scrap the city’s contract. After years of debate over its effectiveness, Chicago ended its use of Shotspotter in September. Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell advocated for years for using an acoustic gunshot detection technology in Seattle before backing off his plan to fund a pilot program last year.  Tacoma is moving forward with ShotSpotter, thanks to an $800,000 grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. That grant will fund three different kinds of technology aimed at improving the city’s ability to investigate gun crimes. The police department is on the verge of piloting ShotSpotter in a two square mile area around Hosmer Street, in South Tacoma. Tacoma Police told us the city's ShotSpotter rollout is now slated for Spring 2025.  But some in the city are concerned about the cost and accuracy of ShotSpotter, and say it might lead to greater police presence and surveillance in communities that have long suffered from over policing.  To learn more, Soundside spoke with a group of community advocates who've spoken against the technology at ShotSpotter information sessions in Tacoma; Alfred Lewers Jr., the Senior Director of Trauma Response and Community Engagement at SoundThinking; and Eric Piza, a professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Northeastern University in Boston who's studied the use of ShotSpotter in major cities like Chicago and Kansas City.  Guests: Latasha Palmer, community advocate and board secretary of the Hilltop Action Coalition. Bunchy Carter, minister of defense for the Black Panther Party in Tacoma. Oneida Arnold, long term member of The Conversation 253, a Tacoma and South Sound community group. Alfred Lewers Jr., senior director of trauma response and community engagement at SoundThinking, the company that oversees ShotSpotter.  Eric Piza, professor of criminology and criminal justice at Northeastern University in Boston. Related links:  Tacoma residents voice concerns about gunshot detection pilot program during public forum | king5.com ShotSpotter FAQs - City of Tacoma I studied ShotSpotter in Chicago and Kansas City – here’s what people in Detroit and the more than 167 other cities and towns using this technology should know Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell shelves plans for ShotSpotter technology | The Seattle Times  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon employees are back in the office five days a week, five years after Covid-19 shook up work as we know it; as the company’s so-called Return-To-Office policy took effect on Thursday, January 2nd.  Amazon is the largest private employer to roll back its pandemic-era work from home policy. So, what will this mean for both employees AND local businesses in the hubs where Amazon resides?  Monica Nicklesburg tackled this question for KUOW as the resident Labor & Economy Reporter, she’s also the co-host of the KUOW podcast BOOMING, and she joined Soundside host Libby Denkmann to break down how those employees are feeling about this shift. 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. RELATED LINK:  Culture-building or cost-cutting? Amazon's return-to-office order raises questions, fears  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been five years since Covid 19 began spreading around the world from its origin in Wuhan, China. In that emergent time of the pandemic, there was widespread concern about clusters of the virus, in Italy, then Iran, then an outbreak at a nursing home in the Pacific Northwest. By March of 2020, an unprecedented international phenomenon took place: countries began closing their borders. When the World Closed its Doors by Laurie Trautman and Edward Alden looks at how this international effort disrupted the lives of people who had grown reliant on movement between countries; from migrant workers to cross-border families. Guest: Laurie Trautman, Director of the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University   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.

Washington lawmakers are facing an estimated $12 billion dollar budget deficit as they prepare to go back to work next week. How to cover that gap is the big story heading into the session. Majority Democrats are already floating possibilities for new taxes to bridge the difference between spending and revenue. And while the budget is undoubtedly the biggest challenge – lawmakers are also expected to be tackling sticky issues like rent increase caps and education funding.   Guest: Washington State Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen (WA 43 - Seattle) Relevant Links: KUOW: ‘A perfect storm’: Inside Washington’s massive budget gap Washington State Standard: Making sense of Washington’s multi-billion dollar budget hole Seattle Times: WA’s 2025 legislative session will feature new faces, big budget gap   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.

2025 is officially here - and with that comes a whole lotta new: new resolutions, new goals, and a new page a day pull away calendar on your desk at work.  But even with all this new to look forward to - at least one thing will stay the same in 2025: we’ll be here to bring you the news coverage you rely on and trust every day. Soundside reached out to the KUOW newsroom to ask reporters about the big stories they’ll cover this year.  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.

He’s no longer rolling up to Franklin High School in a blue Oldsmobile Super 88 with homemade white wall tires, or knocking out accounting tests on the University of Washington campus, but Kenny G is still in touch with his Seattle roots -- even after selling more than 75 million records worldwide. The iconic sax-man played a run of sold-out shows at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley over the turn of the new year. In case you couldn’t make it to a show, the story of how Kenneth Gorelick of Seward Park became one of the best-selling instrumentalists of all time is chronicled in Kenny G’s new memoir, “Life in the Key of G.” The book explores the craft of saxophone playing and the mind of a meticulous artist, always striving to improve. Readers also get some unexpected stories -- like how Kenny G once tried his best to get fired from Whitney Houston’s tour, or the time Elton John gave him a “pinch” of approval. Soundside's Libby Denkmann caught up with Kenny from his LA studio ahead of his return to Jazz Alley. Guests: Kenny G Related Links:  Kenny G   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Soundside will be off the air on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. We will be back with some fresh new stories Jan. 2.  For today, we’ve revisiting a mix of some of Soundside producer Alec Cowan's favorite segments from this past year, including his patrol with a pair Seattle's "real-life superheroes" and the musicians keeping jazz music alive in Seattle.  We also have one new story for you, courtesy of producer Jason Megatron Burrows. 2024 was the 50th Anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons. Burrows explored how the game is staying up to date after 5 decades of gameplay, and its attempt to stay relevant in 2025. Hear and read the original stories below.  Stories Featured: KUOW - A night on patrol with Seattle's 'real-life superheroes' KUOW - Jazz has a storied past in Seattle. But what about its future? KUOW - Soundside looks back at the 50th Anniversary of D&D 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.