Soundside

What does the Northwest sound like to you? It’s a question we’re asking local sound artists. And, over the next week, we’ll be hearing some of those sounds. Yesterday, Perri Lynch Howard shared the sound of coyotes in the Methow Valley.  Today’s sound has a bit more of a metropolitan flare. This sound originally appeared on a compilation called phongraphy.org 1 on and/OAR records  Guest:  Christopher DeLaurenti, Seattle born composer and phonographerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Breakups are always hard. Especially when you’re two of the largest grocery mega-conglomerates in the country.  Last week two judges – including a federal judge in Oregon and a superior court judge based in Seattle – officially blocked a merger between grocery chains Kroger and Albertsons. The companies had argued they needed to unite to compete with the likes of Wal-Mart.  While an appeal is possible, Albertsons has backed out of the merger altogether and is now suing Kroger for $600 million over legal fees and the shareholder value it claims it lost in the merger attempt.  It’s a big deal for the state of Washington, and not only because Governor-Elect Bob Ferguson sued to stop the merger as Attorney General. He argued it would lower competition in the industry and raise grocery prices. It was also a big deal because it would’ve meant the likely sale of 124 grocery stores here – the most of any state – to a third-party company. So... the big grocery merger is dead a major victory for Ferguson and FTC chair Lina Khan, who’s credited with reviving the federal government’s role in antitrust enforcement.  But this is also an inflection point for the future of antitrust. President Trump has tapped new leaders for the FTC and the Justice Department’s antitrust division. Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee is wrapping up a hearing on “A Bipartisan Path Forward for Antitrust," where Senator Amy Klobuchar says she hopes to highlight the ways Democrats and Republicans can work together on tackling anti-competitive monopolies, including in the tech industry.     So what happened to spoil the Kroger-Albertsons partnership plans, and will the next big merger go forward under Trump?  Soundside spoke with John Kirkwood, a professor at Seattle University School of Law. He’s a nationally-renowned antitrust expert and established the first antitrust policy office at the FTC.  Soundside also spoke with Stacy Mitchell, the co-executive director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. The group opposed the Albertsons-Kroger merger. Mitchell wrote two recent articles in The Atlantic exploring the history of food deserts what the merger's failure means for the FTC going forward.  Guests: John Kirkwood, professor at Seattle University School of Law. He’s a nationally-renowned antitrust expert and established the first antitrust policy office at the FTC.  Stacy Mitchell, co-executive director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. Related links:  Read Stacy Mitchell's story in The Atlantic here: The Hidden Cause of Food Deserts - The Atlantic Lina Khan Goes Out With a Bang - The Atlantic Building an oasis in a rural WA ‘food desert’ | The Seattle Times KUOW - Albertsons calls off merger with Kroger. Now what? 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.

Emily Randall has been a “person to watch” in Washington politics for a while now.  Randall’s first electoral victory was in 2018, when she flipped a Republican held state Senate seat in the 26th district.  Now, Randall is headed to Congress. Last month, she won the election to become the U.S. Representative-elect for Washington’s 6th district. That includes both peninsulas, most of Tacoma, and counties including Kitsap, Mason, and Grays Harbor. Randall is heading to the other Washington where, unlike this one, Republicans control the House, Senate and executive branch. And Democrats are weighing their options for how to maintain any semblance of power in the new administration. Guest: Emily Randall, U.S. Representative-elect for Washington's 6th district    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.

What does the Northwest sound like to you? Is it light drizzle on you window? The sound of waves pushing against rocky beaches or dry grass blowing in the Palouse.  It’s a question that we’ve asked local sound artists in the area. And, over the next week, we’ll be hearing some of those sounds.  Today, we take you to the Methow Valley. Guest:  Perri Lynch Howard - Independent artist based in the Methow Valley       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 State has a brand-new Superfund site: the Upper Columbia River. It’s the latest development in the federal government's attempts to force a Canadian company to pay for pollution that flowed down stream into U.S. waters. So what’s the next step for cleaning up the river? Well, it’s a long process, which Seattle-ites can see in their own backyard. Cleanup is also beginning on another Superfund site, the Duwamish Waterway, nearly a decade after the EPA released a plan.  Guest: Isabella Breda, Seattle Times Environment Reporter Links: Seattle Times: Upper Columbia River in northeast WA listed as a Superfund site Seattle Times: Full cleanup begins at Lower Duwamish Superfund site   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 the first time in 24 years, Washington has a new state Insurance Commissioner stepping into the role. Patty Kuderer is currently a state senator representing the 48th district, which covers areas including Redmond, Bellevue, and Medina.  She’ll become Washington’s 9th insurance commissioner in January. It’s a big job - Kuderer will be in charge of licensing and regulation for every insurance industry in the state, as well as handling consumer complaints, and lobbying the legislature to change laws that impact Washingtonian’s insurance policies. Today, we’re focusing on just one part of the job: health insurance. Because Kuderer is jumping in at an interesting time: she’ll be taking office at the same time the second Trump term begins – which could have major implications for how healthcare is managed. The president-elect has tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and changes are expected to subsidies and regulation under the new administration.  Meanwhile, the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson and subsequent wave of vitriol toward the healthcare industry is bringing problems in the American healthcare industry into sharper focus.  Guest: Patty Kuderer, currently a state senator representing the 48th district.  She’ll become Washington’s 9th insurance commissioner in January. 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.

Once again, thanks for listening to Soundside during our Winter Fundraising Drive! Here at Soundside, we work really hard to bring you the news, like our conversation with Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson, and shows like Sound Politics, but we also like to keep things fun! So, in that spirit, here’s somebody who loves fun: producer Jason Megatron Burrows with a few sneak peeks of things to keep you occupied this weekend…  LINKS:  Christmas Parade of Boats - Friday - South Lake Union to the Ballard Bridge & Back! Back to the Future The Musical - Now through Dec 22nd.  THE SNOW QUEEN - Spokane, Friday Night Handmade LEGO Ornaments - Bellingham, Saturday SIFF Cinema Downtown’s First Birthday Bash: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - Saturday If you would like to suggest events for us to talk about in upcoming "Weekend Warmups," please send Jason an email at SOUNDSIDE@KUOW.ORG 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.

Toxicity. Gaslighting. Undermining.  These are some of the ways Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales has described the behavior of her colleagues since she announced her resignation last week. She’s vacating her position three years before her term ends. "When I raise the issues on the dais, I am met with this seething anger just for expressing my policy priorities or my perspective," Morales said. Morales’ resignation letter raised red flags about the inner workings of city hall, and highlighted several concerns she had about the council behind the scenes. That includes allegations that the current council interfered with non-partisan Council Central Staff who provide objective policy analysis, and an observation that she had witnessed a significant departure of institutional knowledge over the last year because of staff departures. Now, Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson is responding to Morales' allegations.  GUEST: Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson RELATED LINKS: 'Gaslighting and manipulation.' Why Tammy Morales is leaving Seattle City Council - Soundside  Seattle City Councilmember Tammy Morales steps down, citing harmful work environment - 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.

Spokane mayor Lisa Brown is raising red flags about a plan to move liquid nuclear waste from Hanford through her city.  She wrote a letter to the federal Department of Energy, the EPA, and Washington’s Department of Ecology asking those agencies to reconsider a plan for trucks filled with the waste to travel Eastbound I-90 out of Washington on their way to Utah and Texas.  The 2,000 gallons set to be moved are just a tiny portion of the 56 million gallons sitting under the Hanford site, north of the Tri-Cities, that needs to be disposed of.  This may feel like a Cold War-era legacy but today, nuclear energy is making a comeback. And as the Hanford story shows, even with all of this new buzz around nuclear, there is still no long-term place to put all the radioactive byproduct. Guests: John Stang, reporter covering Hanford for Cascade PBS Allison Macfarlane, director at the University of British Columbia’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and a former chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Links: Crosscut: Spokane doesn’t want feds to truck nuclear waste through the city Scientific American: Nuclear Waste Is Piling Up. Does the U.S. Have a Plan?   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.

Come January, when lawmakers sit down for the new legislative term in Olympia , there will be several new faces. More than a dozen legislators make up the new freshman class, and they’ll be facing what some have described as a ‘perfect storm’: the state is bracing for an anticipated 10 to 12 billion dollar budget gap. It’s been nearly 15 years since Washington faced a fiscal shortfall this significant. Back then, at the center of finding the cuts, and compromises, to deal with it -- was state representative and then-Speaker of the House -- Frank Chopp, of Washington’s 43rd Legislative District. But lawmakers won’t be drawing on Chopp’s negotiating expertise this time around. He announced back in March that he would not be running for reelection. Throughout his tenure in Olympia, Chopp championed new laws related to housing, homelessness, and mental health – still just as relevant today as when he was first elected, in 1994. GUEST: Representative Frank Chopp 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.