Soundside

The Horse Heaven Wind Farm Project near the Tri-Cities could become the largest of its kind in the state.  The project, as originally planned, would span over 24 miles, and include wind turbines, solar panels, and battery storage. But there are concerns: the land has previously been home to the endangered ferruginous hawk. It's also culturally important land to the Yakama Nation.Those kinds of issues led a state energy council to approve the project – but scaled back, to about half the original scale. But last month, Governor Inslee essentially rejected the council’s recommendation for a smaller project.  In a letter to the Energy Facility Siting and Evaluation Council, Inslee directed the council to reconsider its recommendation – and pushed for the maximum allowable energy generation. He says that would provide about 5% of the new electricity the state will need over the next decade. Now, the state energy council has less than 90 days to respond to the Governor’s rejection. Inslee will decide whether or not to approve what they send him. Washington’s energy needs could grow by 20 percent by 2030… and could double by 2050. What does an ideal energy plan look like for Washington, and what would it take to get there? Guests: Courtney Flatt, correspondent for NWPB and the Northwest News Network focusing on environmental, natural resources and energy issues in the Northwest Darrin Magee, Director of the Institute for Energy Studies at Western Washington University See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a gift for us in Washington to be surrounded by wildlife. You can catch sight of whales on a ferry commute, coyotes from the back deck, or ospreys diving for fish at the local park. But not all human-animal interactions are without a bit of risk. If you happen to run into a backwoods bear or a concealed cougar, someone like Kevin O’Connor may be sent in for help. O’Connor is a wildlife conflict specialist with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and he joined Soundside to break down what you should know when it comes to our common wildlife encounters. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A major change to U.S. immigration policy just dropped:  President Biden this morning signed an Executive Order limiting asylum claims from people who cross the border between ports of entry. This is an evolving story today as we get details of the order: but reporters who have been briefed by the Biden team say the new policy would effectively close the southern border after unauthorized crossings exceeded 2,500 in a day – so it would take effect almost immediately. Under the order, people who cross would instead be returned to their home country or Mexico. They would still be allowed to request an appointment to seek asylum at a legal port of entry. There are exceptions for unaccompanied children and victims of trafficking. This comes after months of negotiations on a bipartisan border bill in congress – a compromise deal that was ultimately rejected by Republican members. Soundside host Libby Denkmann spoke with both Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and Northwest Immigrant Rights Project Executive Director Malou Chávez about today’s order, and what it will mean for the immigrants here in Western Washington who are seeking asylum.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For 42 years - journalist and newspaper publisher Assunta Ng has been a pillar of Seattle’s Chinatown International District.  After emigrating to the United States at the age of 19 to attend the University of Washington - Assunta, together with her husband George, started two newspapers devoted to serving the local Asian American and immigrant communities: The Seattle Chinese Post, and Northwest Asian Weekly.  Assunta reported for the papers, and served as publisher - until last Friday. Soundside producer Noel Gasca went to Ng's farewell party to understand the work and legacy of a woman often called "the unofficial mayor of Chinatown."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In April, former Richland School Board Director and military veteran Semi Bird received the GOP's endorsement for governor. He has since faced controversy. Last week, conservative talk show host Jason Rantz published letters pertaining to Bird’s time in the Army. In those letters, a brigadier general reprimanded Bird for wearing medals he did not earn and submitting false performance evaluation documents. On Soundside, Bird pushed back on those claims and said his meritorious service, including earning a Bronze Star and Purple Heart, are being overshadowed by these politically motivated attacks.  Guests: Semi Bird, candidate for Washington governor Scott Greenstone, KUOW politics reporter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The different factions of the Republican Party were clearly on display this past weekend, at the “Cascade Conference” in Yakima.  The conference was hosted by a group called the “Mainstream Republicans of Washington”. Their self-stated mission is to push for the election of more qualified and moderate candidates for public office. Including former congressman and King County Sheriff Dave Reichert, who took the spotlight as keynote speaker.    Mainstream Republicans of Washington has endorsed Reichert in the gubernatorial election. That’s in opposition to the official state GOP, which tapped former Richland School Board member Semi Bird.   It points to an ideological split in the party as it tries to rally to be competitive in a state where Republican support has steadily eroded in recent years.  Guest: Jeanie Lindsay, Northwest News Network state government reporter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Congratulations class of 2024, you've graduated from college. But now what?  If you look at statistics, new graduates today have better than average job prospects.  At a macro level, the US job market is looking good. 175,000 new jobs were added in April, and the unemployment rate remained low - at just 3.9 percent. But, that may not be how it feels to every job seeker. Expedia, Amazon, and Microsoft are just a few of the local tech companies that have laid off employees recently.  And it’s not just tech: there have also been layoffs at REI, Dollar Tree, and at local media organizations - like KUOW. There are ripple effects of these layoffs. Workers with more experience are now also looking for work, along with new graduates. And that’s leading some recruiters, and job candidates, to say that finding a job is getting harder, and taking longer. Guests: Hart Hodges: a Professor in the Department of Economics at Western Washington University and Director of Western's Center for Economic and Business Research Bonnie Dilber: a recruiting manager at the tech company Zapier, and content creator who talks about job searches, recruiting, and the workplace. Briana Randall: executive director of the career and internship center at the UW Seattle campus See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Soundside host Libby Denkmann sits down with Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell to discuss Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz's removal from his job on Wednesday, under pressure from a series of lawsuits including allegations of discrimination and harassment at the department. Sue Rahr, the former King County Sheriff and head of Washington State’s Criminal Justice Training Commission is now serving as interim chief, as a national search begins for the next head of the Seattle Police Department.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle's Cheryl Glass was a sprint car racing sensation. She won the season finale at the Skagit Speedway in 1980, took the Pacific Northwest racing world by storm, and had serious aspirations of racing in the Indy 500.  Even today, Glass remains one of the most well known Black female race car drivers in U.S. history. But after a series of accidents and setbacks, she left the racing world. Her life came to a tragic end in 1997.  Soundside spoke with author Bill Poehler about his new book "The First Lady of Dirt: The Triumphs and Tragedy of Racing Pioneer Cheryl Glass."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle’s Chief of Police, Adrian Diaz, has been dismissed from his job. Diaz and the department have endured a flurry of allegations and lawsuits from employees over the past year. including claims of discriminatory behavior by Diaz toward women and people of color, and rumors of a relationship with an employee that roiled the department.  Hanging over all of this is the department’s ongoing struggle to recruit and retain officers. Soundside spoke with KUOW Online Managing Editor Isolde Raftery to break down the latest. Raftery and KUOW’s Ashley Hiruko have been out in front doing watchdog reporting about Seattle’s Police Department and its chief.  Related: Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz out; former Sheriff Sue Rahr interim ‘Appearance of segregation’ at Seattle Police Department, captain says in lawsuit Seattle cop accuses Chief Diaz of ‘predatory behavior’ and ‘grooming’ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.