Soundside

Across vast stretches of rural Washington, large boxy warehouses have popped up between fields of potatoes. They contain the humming infrastructure that the tech industry and users rely on to store documents in the cloud, access streaming videos, or perform internet searches.  It’s easy to see why companies put data centers in this part of the state: cheap hydro electricity, available land, and a friendly legislature in Olympia that provides tax breaks. But now, all those data centers are gobbling up electricity, which will only intensify with the growth of AI technology.  And the growing demand is stretching the grid in rural counties, moving them farther away from green energy mandates from the state.  Lulu Ramadan and Sydney Brownstone are reporters at the Seattle Times who looked into the effects of data centers on the electrical grid and rural communities in a two part series. Guests: Lulu Ramadan, investigative reporter at The Seattle Times and a distinguished fellow with ProPublica's Local Reporting Network Sydney Brownstone, investigative reporter at The Seattle Times Relevant Links: Seattle Times: Data centers guzzle power, threatening WA’s clean energy push Seattle Times: Data centers got a huge tax break to create WA jobs. Is it paying off? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Summer is in full swing with clogged hiking trails, packed ferries, and the smells of backyard barbeques.  But while many of you might be visiting tourist towns in the Cascades or near a Puget Sound Island, one Washington tourist town has been struggling: Point Roberts, our favorite local exclave. It’s a peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides, and its fourth side borders Canada. Summers are usually the high points for Canadian tourists who flock to "The Point’s" beaches, or maybe they just want the cheaper gas.  But since the pandemic closed down the border, traffic and tourism has struggled to rebound. A lot’s been written about Point Roberts and its predicament. Soundside producer Alec Cowan wanted to know how locals see the situation. He took a trip across the border and back to see how this isolated town is dealing with the dip – and all the stories about its decline. Guests:  Brian Calder, president of the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce Neil King, co-owner of Kora's Corner in Point Roberts Emma Jones, Point Roberts local Rick Hoole, Point Roberts local with the Bald Eagle Golf Club Tracy Evans, Point Roberts local with the Bald Eagle Golf Club Dave Duncan, manager at the International Market in Point Roberts Related Links:  KUOW - After two years of isolation, Point Roberts is open for business — sort of KUOW - Ferry service boosted to U.S. exclave of Point Roberts, which is cut off by Canada    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday, thousands of Washingtonians dug through the pile of mail sitting on their hallway table. They found their primary ballot - maybe even their voter pamphlet - and took time to vote. Congratulations to all who did. Wear that new “I voted” sticker with pride. Because there were a lot of important things to consider in this year’s primary election: come January we’ll have a new Governor, a new Attorney General, and a new Commissioner of Public Lands, to name just a few of the big jobs up for grabs.  Today, we’re going to figure out: what we know so far about how yesterday’s primary went, and what we're still waiting to learn.   Guests: Former Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna Democratic political consultant Cathy Allen Relevant Links: Washington Primary Election Results See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have your friends been canceling on you because they’re sick? Coworkers on prolonged absence because your entire team came down with a bug? Feeling a sniffle yourself lately?  This summer, The CDC says more than a dozen states across the US are seeing “very high” spikes  in COVID cases. But now that we’re a few years past the pandemic, what’s the responsible amount of time to stay home from work, avoid the grocery store, or get the latest booster?  To help answer those questions and get the latest in covid-ettiquette, Soundside reached out to an expert. GUEST: Dr. Amanda Casto - Infectious Disease Specialist with the University of Washington School of Medicine RELATED LINKS:  Most people don't care about COVID anymore. That's good — and bad.  The Science Behind Why COVID-19 Tends to Spike During Summer Months See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s track and field week at the Paris Olympics. Yesterday, the women’s 800 wrapped up with Keeley Hodgkinson of Great Britain taking the top spot.  As exciting as an Olympics track event always is, it didn’t compare with nearly 100 years ago, when women were first allowed to run this race. Then, it was a media frenzy.  And not because of the pure awe at elite runner’s abilities. Instead, at the Amsterdam Olympics of 1928, the media and many sports officials were concerned about women running competitively at all. The Boston Globe’s John Hallahan described “six competitors [who] were so exhausted that they were near collapse at the finish. All fell flat on the ground.” But the truth of that race, and the history of women’s running, is far more complex than popular accounts would lead you to believe.  It’s a story that author Maggie Mertens tells in her new book, Better, Faster, Farther: How Running Changed Everything We Know about Women.  Guests: Maggie Mertens, journalist and author of Better, Faster, Farther: How Running Changed Everything We Know about Women Relevant Links: WSJ: The Long Road to Olympic Equality for Women See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Paris 2024 Olympics are in full swing. Tomorrow (Wednesday the 7th) is the final day of competition for the artistic swim teams - better known to many by the sport’s old name: synchronized swimming. This is the first time in 16 years that the American team has qualified for the Olympics. And, two members of that team come from right here, in Seattle. They both got their start at the same club - called Seattle Synchro.   Guest: Daniela Garmendia, Head Coach at Seattle Synchro   Relevant links: Seattle Synchro team website See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s primary election day. Over a million Washingtonians have already turned in their ballots.   If you’re not one of those early voters, you’re not alone. About 80% of registered voters have opted to wait until the last few hours, if they’re voting at all.  Perhaps it’s procrastination; perhaps you plumb forgot. Maybe you just really prefer casting a ballot in-person on election day, you traditionalist, you.     Or maybe you just don’t think primary elections are all that crucial, and you’re saving it up for November.  Well, we wanted to get an update on voter participation so far for this primary… So we’ve brought in some experts to help us go through the numbers. Their teams are busy RIGHT NOW with the huge logistical work of collecting, counting and securing ballots to provide accurate results later this week. GUESTS:  Pierce County Elections Manager, Kyle Haugh Clark County Auditor, Greg Kimsey RELATED LINKS: Current Ballot Return Statistics - WA Secretary of State A trickle of ballots so far for Washington’s primary - WA State Standard See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When I say the one percent, what do you think of? Is it the ultrawealthy? A phrase coined during the Occupy Movement? Is it the second wateriest form of milk on the market? This story is about a different group of one percenters, it’s primary election season, after all, and we’re talking about voters who have their ballots rejected in Washington. Over the last decade, around 99 percent of cast ballots were accepted.But of those one percent that were disqualified, the Secretary of State's office noticed a trend: certain demographic groups had higher rates of rejections than others.  That’s something the office wanted to know more about, so they teamed up with University of Washington researchers to better understand whose ballots were rejected and why. Guest: Scott W. Allard, Associate Dean for Research & Engagement at the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington Relevant Links: Washington State Ballots Project See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fueled by dry weather and high temperatures, wildfires across the Northwest have now burned more than 1 million acres. On Friday, Governor Jay Inslee declared a statewide emergency to unlock more firefighting resources.  As of now, those dozens of fires across Washington and Oregon have put thousands of people under evacuation notice. But for cattle ranchers across the plains of the Northwest interior, moving their families – and their herds – is getting more and more difficult.  Soundside was joined by Anna King, who has been following a number of ranchers as they work to get their cattle away from fire. King is a Senior Correspondent with Northwest Public Broadcasting and has spent more than a decade covering ranching in the remote corners of the Northwest. Guests:  Anna King, Senior Correspondent with Northwest Public Broadcasting  Kayce Faulkner, rancher in Burns, OR Matt McElligot, president of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association Mitch Baker, rancher north of Burns, OR Related Links: Burnt over cattle and lands: In southeast Oregon, grief-stricken ranchers are exhausted and frustrated by wildfires - Northwest Public Broadcasting (nwpb.org) Anna King's video on cattle fences: Good Fences (youtube.com) Map of current Northwest fires: Wildfires rage in Oregon, Washington: Map the Pacific Northwest wildfires, evacuations (msn.com) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison and Councilmember Cathy Moore say they have a plan to give the city a new tool to help fight drug trafficking and prostitution.  Last Thursday they introduced a pair of ordinances that would create a number of “safe zones” in the city -- typically called Stay out of Drug Areas (or SODA) and Stay Out of Areas of Prostitution (or SOAP) zones. The legislation hearkens back to previous Seattle laws that were REPEALED by the Seattle City Council four years ago. So, why bring them back now? Soundside host Libby Denkmann sits down with KUOW reporter Amy Radil to get the latest. She covers politics, government, and law enforcement for the station. GUEST: Amy Radil RELATED LINKS:  Seattle officials revisit ‘exclusion zones’ to disrupt drug activity, sex trafficking - KUOW Council Proposes Creating Huge New Zone Where Sex Workers Aren't Allowed - Publicola See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.