Soundside

Washington voters will decide next week is who will fill the lone open seat on the Washington Supreme Court. Supreme Court Position 2 is an open race - the incumbent, Justice Susan Owens, is retiring at the end of this year due to the state constitution’s requirement that all justices retire after the year they turn 75. The position is non-partisan. Soundside is talking to both candidates vying for the seat on the state's highest court. Up first: attorney Sal Mungia. Mungia is a partner at Gordon Thomas Honeywell, a law firm based in Seattle and Tacoma. He has specialized in medical malpractice, serious injury, personal injury and real estate litigation. He has also served as the President of the Washington State Bar Association.  Guest: Sal Mungia, candidate for Washington Supreme Court Position 2. 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.

There’s one seat up for grabs on Seattle’s city council this November.  Typically city council seats are filled during odd-year elections. But, when former councilmember Teresa Mosqueda was elected to the King County Council in 2023, she left a vacancy that needed filling. Tanya Woo was appointed by the council to fill the seat, until this year’s special election could determine a replacement to serve through 2025. Position 8 represents all of Seattle, as opposed to just one geographic district. This week, Soundside is speaking with both candidates for the office. Today, we're speaking with incumbent councilmember Tanya Woo.  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. Guests: Tanya Woo, candidate for Seattle city council position 8 Relevant Links: The Stranger’s Endorsements for the November 5, 2024 General Election See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s one seat up for grabs on Seattle’s city council this November.  Typically city council seats are filled during odd-year elections. But, when former councilmember Teresa Mosqueda was elected to the King County Council in 2023, she left a vacancy that needed filling. Tanya Woo was appointed by the council to fill the seat, until this year’s special election could determine a replacement to serve through 2025. Position 8 represents all of Seattle, as opposed to just one geographic district. This week, Soundside is speaking with both candidates for the office. Up first is Alexis Mercedes Rinck.  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. Guests: Alexis Mercedes Rinck, candidate for Seattle city council position 8 Relevant Links: The Times recommends: Tanya Woo for Seattle City Council Position 8  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2018, The North American Post, Seattle’s oldest Japanese-language newspaper, printed the final strip of Seattle Tomodachi, a comic created by Sam Goto. Goto was a second generation Japanese-American, born in the Seattle area in 1933. He raised two girls here, working for most of his life as a dental technician.  He passed away at the age of 84, just a few months before his final comic strip was printed. For 5 years, Goto used his pen to illustrate the Japanese American experience in the Pacific Northwest. The strips could be funny and whimsical. But his work could also be somber and reflective, as the main character, a young boy, grows up as an outsider straddling two worlds – caught between assimilating and preserving his heritage. These are struggles the real Sam Goto faced in his life. Now, a retrospective of Sam’s art and life has been compiled and published in a new book, called Seattle Samurai: A Cartoonist’s Perspective of the Japanese American Experience. Guest: Kelly Goto, author of Seattle Samurai: A Cartoonist’s Perspective of the Japanese American Experience, and Sam Goto's daughter. Relevant links: Seattle Samurai book website Remembering Sam Goto - Seattle Tomodachi cartoonist left lasting legacy - The North American Post  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.

Perinatal Support Washington is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. The organization was started in 1989 as a way for parents to connect and find support during those really tough and bewildering years after a new baby arrives.  The organization may be best known for its “Warm Line,” where callers are connected with peers to talk about the challenges they face – including postpartum depression and infertility.  Childcare is a central issue in the 2024 presidential election, during the vice presidential debate last month between Senator JD Vance and Governor Tim Walz, there was an extended conversation about the challenges of raising children in the United States.  There was something familiar in the fact that they were two fathers, talking about support for mothers. That’s pretty common on the Warm Line, people who work there say dads often call in with concerns about a partner before realizing they need support, too. A recent survey from the Washington Fatherhood Council found that dads are in need of emotional and mental health support and face stigma around their roles in families, but dads are often conditioned to suppress or avoid feelings that are challenging around parenthood, which makes acknowledging the need for assistance difficult. Guests: Victoria Cherniak, senior warm line manager at Perinatal Support Washington Nathan Friend, dad specialist at Perinatal Support Washington Relevant Links: Perinatal Support Washington (1-888-404-7763) National Maternal Health Hotline   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.

Let’s do a quick exercise. How are you feeling? Heart rate good? Optimistic about the rest of the day? Now, how do you feel after I say the words: JURY DUTY? Ugh! What is it about that summons in the mail that makes us cringe so much? The disruption to our schedule? The waiting around? The other jurors?  One thing that certainly doesn’t help is the insultingly low pay. Most jurors in the state of Washington have been paid $10 per day since 1959. For people just getting by, serving can be a huge financial burden. And that’s contributing to a lack of diversity among jury pools.  Pierce County Superior Court is trying out a way to make serving more attractive… by paying jurors $100 per day, in a first-of-its kind state-funded pilot program, running likely through next May. 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. GUESTS: Chris Gaddis - Pierce County Superior Court Administrator Laurie Sale - Project Manager with the Administrative Office of the Courts with the Pierce County juror pay pilot program RELATED LINKS:  Pierce County Launches Juror Pay Pilot, New Daily Rate Will be $100 Through May - WA State Courts Pierce County to begin paying jurors $100 a day • Washington State Standard 2023 Statewide juror demographic survey See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For over a century, the deli meat company Boar’s Head has built its brand on a promise to customers - to only sell products based on the most exacting standards.  Boar's Head is ubiquitous in the Pacific Northwest, especially if you shop at Kroger stores. You know that logo. But in September, Boar's Head liverwurst was uncovered as the source of the deadliest listeria outbreak in over a decade.  The problems at Boar's Head stretch up to the C-suites – where a messy family feud may be affecting the company’s response to the safety crisis. Guest: Chloe Sorvino, a staff writer for Forbes covering food and agriculture. She’s also the author of Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed, and the Fight for the Future of Meat. Related links: Inside The Chaos At Boar's Head - Forbes Boar's Head Has Faced Multiple Lawsuits Claiming Sexual Harassment and Racial Discrimination - Forbes See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Run, Hide, Fight."  That's the advice given to many students in the event of an active shooter at their school. Both the U-S Department of Homeland Security and the FBI support run/hide/fight as a safety protocol. It could save a lot of lives, theoretically. According to the Gun Violence Archive and Education Week this year in the U.S., there have already been 30 school shootings that resulted in injury or death. But - what happens when you can’t run, hide, or fight? What are you supposed to do in any kind of emergency - especially at school? 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.  Guests: Jae Kim, an Information and Referral Program Manager with The ARC of King County. Michele Gay, co-founder of Safe and Sound Schools, a non-profit school safety advocacy and resource center. Michael Berkenwald, Principal of Loyal Heights Elementary in Seattle See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Halfway through the season, college football has been a whirlwind for local sports fans this season.  Some may still be basking in the glory of the Washington Huskies beating the Michigan Wolverines earlier this month. And the Cougars deserve a tip of the hat for successfully keeping the Pac-2 alive…. or maybe it’s the PAC-6 now? The 6-PAC?  While fans of Washington schools are still wrapping their heads around conference moves and changes to who and where their teams play, the entire college sports world is adjusting to the new reality of how players get paid. In 2021 it became legal for athletes to make money off of their image. This is called "Name, Image, Likeness" – or NIL. And it’s changed the ability of schools to recruit top talent, in part because of how much boosters are able to offer prospective players.  It’s something Thilo Kunkel has thought a lot about. Kunkel is a professor in the school of sport, tourism, and hospitality management at Temple University. He joined Soundside to discuss the upsides and drawbacks of the new NIL system, and how teams, schools, and the NCAA can keep up with the rapidly growing influence of money on athletics.   Guests: Thilo Kunkel, professor in the school of sport, tourism, and hospitality management at Temple University.  Related Links:  How NIL money is paid to college athletes - Washington Post Is NIL a good thing or a bad thing? Sports industry expert weighs in | Temple Now KUOW - What's behind a banner season for the UW Huskies? It could be a fan 'collective' 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.

There are some things that just scream Mondays. A fresh pot of coffee, fresh laundry, and a deep dive into the latest proposal for Seattle’s ongoing city growth plan. If you’re unfamiliar, Seattle’s 20-year growth plan is basically a zoning blueprint showing how the city will make room for new residents. Mayor Bruce Harrell’s first draft came out in March, and the proposal wasn’t exactly what housing advocates were hoping for.  Soundside was joined by Ryan Packer, contributing editor to the Urbanist, who helped break down the latest proposal and how it could reshape Seattle's neighborhood density.   Guests: Ryan Packer, contributing editor at The Urbanist.  Related Links:  Updated Seattle Growth Plan Adds Five Neighborhood Anchors, Bigger Fourplexes - The Urbanist Mayor Harrell Releases Details of One Seattle Comprehensive Plan Update  - Office of the Mayor 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.