Seattle Now
975 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 days ago - ★★★★★ - 584 ratingsA smart, daily podcast for a curious city. Seattle Now brings you quick, informal, and hyper-local news updates every weekday.
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Episodes
Some answers about young kids and covid
August 10, 2021 12:00 - 13 minutes - 14.3 MBSleepovers, playdates, water parks, even school. These were all things kids couldn’t wait to get back to as vaccination rates went up and cases went down. But with new covid variants circulating, some families are wondering when to press pause on the activities. Guest: Dr. Elizabeth Meade, pediatric hospital medicine physician at Swedish
An escape to one square inch of silence
August 09, 2021 12:00 - 14 minutes - 15.3 MBLooking for some peace and quiet away from city life? From our friends at KUOW's The Wild, we’ll meet a Washingtonian who’s made it his life’s mission to preserve the sounds of nature. We also want to hear from you - we're looking for stories about travel disasters this summer. Call us and leave a voicemail: 206-616-6746.
Casual Friday: Orcas minus Oprah
August 06, 2021 12:04 - 14 minutes - 14.5 MBThe Delta variant continues to mess with summer. Bars around the city pull together to 86 unvaccinated customers. And Oprah sells her Orcas Island digs. Guests: KUOW producer Kristin Leong and Bill Radke, host of KUOW's Week in Review
Your favorite bar might card you twice
August 05, 2021 12:04 - 15 minutes - 16.2 MBOnce to make sure you're not underage, and once to make sure you've been fully vaccinated against covid. KUOW’s Joshua McNichols brings us a look at how asking for proof of vaccination has been playing out on Capitol Hill. The conversation keeps going on our Instagram page. Follow us @SeattleNowPod.
Hello hard pants!
August 04, 2021 12:04 - 14 minutes - 15.1 MBWorried you won't remember how to get dressed once lockdown is lifted? We explore the connection between style and identity, and get some post-pandemic fashion predictions with local designer Jamen Saziru and KUOW's Kristin Leong. Looking for pandemic fashion inspo? Check out local lewks on our Instagram page @seattlenowpod,
'My life and my voice,' the art of FEWOCiOUS
August 03, 2021 12:00 - 12 minutes - 12.8 MBAn 18-year-old artist just recently crashed a Christie’s online auction site. He goes by FEWOCiOUS, he just moved to Seattle from Las Vegas, he's made millions selling his art as NFTs and we'll meet him today. You definitely want to check out the Seattle Now Instagram account to see some of FEWOCiOUS's work! Follow us @seattlenowpod.
How cities can change along with the PNW climate
August 02, 2021 12:04 - 13 minutes - 14 MBThe causes of June’s deadly heatwave are still being studied, but the early science says the usually mild PNW can expect more blistering heat, and more often. We get a picture of how it played out around the city, and hear from a climate scientist about how Seattle can adapt. Guest: Vivek Shandas, professor of climate adaptation at Portland State University
Casual Friday: No J&J, no Tanqueray
July 30, 2021 12:04 - 14 minutes - 15.2 MBSeattle bars say they won't serve anyone without proof of a shot. Governor Inslee asks vaccinated Washingtonians to start masking up again indoors. And Vancouver's Jordan Chiles helps Team USA win silver after Simone Biles bows out. Guests: KUOW director of community engagement Zaki Hamid and Michael-Shawn Dugar, staff writer covering the Seahawks at The Athletic
Why wouldn't someone get vaccinated?
July 29, 2021 12:04 - 13 minutes - 13.8 MBWashington's Department of Health now says vaccination rates can’t keep up with the virus. Nearly one third of Washingtonians haven't gotten their shot, even though they're eligible. So what's stopping them? Guest: KUOW Covid reporter Eilis O'Neill
The Summer Olympics (of local elections) are underway!
July 28, 2021 12:04 - 12 minutes - 13.3 MBBetween wildfires, the delta variant and billionaires flying to space, maybe you missed that Seattle’s primary election is happening next week. Dig out that ballot! Crosscut reporter David Kroman is here to help us figure out what’s at stake. Have something to add to this story? Get in touch! Write to us at [email protected] or DM us on Instagram @seattlenowpod
Trying to do policing differently
July 27, 2021 12:05 - 13 minutes - 13.6 MBPolice departments are under a lot of pressure to rethink their relationship with the communities they serve. Just next door to Seattle, the Tukwila Police Department is trying to lower the number of times police officers use force. And it seems to be working. Guest: KUOW reporter Amy Radil Read Amy's story on the Tukwila PD here.
Be prepared for your next wildlife encounter
July 26, 2021 12:04 - 12 minutes - 12.9 MBIf you’ve tried to get a camping reservation or gone hiking this summer, you already know that the Pacific Northwest is bursting with humans. But we've got plenty of diverse and even dangerous wildlife too. Ecologist and bear expert Chris Morgan shares advice on how and how NOT to act in a wildlife encounter. If you'd like to hear more tips from Chris on what to do if you come across an animal in nature, be sure to check out this episode of THE WILD with Chris Morgan: Animal psychology and...
Casual Friday: 'Radio eye roll'
July 23, 2021 12:04 - 14 minutes - 14.8 MBThis week, Seattle gets to grips with actually having a pro hockey team. Anyone know how to skate out there? Plus, you can time travel back to the 2020 Olympics, happening now. We break it down with co-hosts of the Barbershop podcast Marcus Trufant and Terry Hollimon. Want more Seattle Now? Follow us on Instagram @seattlenowpod, or send us mail at [email protected].
Conspiracy politics on the Peninsula
July 22, 2021 12:04 - 12 minutes - 13 MBQAnon was a chaotic force in last year’s presidential election. Now a new crop of conspiracy-minded candidates are trying to gain a foothold in local politics on the Olympic Peninsula. KUOW politics reporter David Hyde tells us what he found. Want more Seattle Now? Follow us on Instagram @seattlenowpod, or send us mail at [email protected].
How to build a hockey team
July 21, 2021 12:04 - 14 minutes - 14.7 MBSeattle will soon have a fifth pro sports team — the Kraken's debut NHL season starts in October. But how do you build a new hockey franchise from the ground up? Seattle Now producer Clare McGrane explains the answer involves a bit of politicking, a bit of player stealing and a lot of transplanted fans. Hey, we're using Instagram again! Follow the show @seattlenowpod
Get ready for smoke season
July 20, 2021 12:04 - 11 minutes - 11.6 MBAnother week of warm, breezy summer weather here in Seattle. But east of the mountains, they’re dealing with extreme fire danger. We’ll here more about the fast start to this year's wildfire season and what you can do to prepare from Northwest News Network correspondent Anna King. Stay in touch with us! Follow the show on Instagram @seattlenowpod or send us a message at [email protected].
Billionaires in spaaaace
July 19, 2021 12:04 - 11 minutes - 12 MBSpace tourism takes another step closer to reality tomorrow, when the first passenger flight of Kent-based Blue Origin takes off with Jeff Bezos onboard. It's a big step towards space flight becoming accessible to more people, even those of us who can't spend $28 million on a ticket. Guest: Alan Boyle, contributing editor at GeekWire and co-host of the Fiction Science podcast
Casual Friday: 'I have my air purifiers in place'
July 16, 2021 12:04 - 15 minutes - 16.1 MBThis week the state got drier, billionaires went higher and we’re all on the lookout for smoke. GUESTS: KUOW's Zaki Hamid and Crosscut's Hannah Weinberger
Pandemic tattoos
July 15, 2021 12:04 - 13 minutes - 13.6 MBThe pandemic has been brutal, the loss, staggering. Everyone has a story, and some people are telling theirs with a new tattoo. We explore what people are deciding to get and why. GUEST: Nikki Stoops, tattoo artist
'Breakthrough Covid' and your breakout summer
July 14, 2021 12:04 - 14 minutes - 14.9 MBThings are opening up again, you’re fully vaccinated and summer’s here! But so is... breakthrough covid? We get a reality check on the risk. Guest: Dr. Angie Rasmussen, virologist with the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan
This guy just survived 9 days lost in the woods
July 13, 2021 12:04 - 17 minutes - 17.8 MBAndrew Devers set out to hike the Pratt River Trail near North Bend one morning, and didn't come back until he was rescued nine days later. He tells KUOW's Kim Malcolm how he survived on a can of SpaghettiOs and some berries. This interview originally aired on KUOW's All Things Considered.
Gathering to grieve again
July 12, 2021 12:04 - 13 minutes - 14.4 MBIt’s summertime, the restrictions are lifted and people are ready to travel and see each other. Some friends and families are also taking care of some unfinished business, remembering loved ones lost during the months we couldn’t be together. Guest: KUOW reporter Ruby de Luna You can share a memory of someone lost to Covid-19 with us at https://www.kuow.org/remember
Casual Friday: It's summer! (while supplies last)
July 09, 2021 12:00 - 14 minutes - 15.3 MBLive music and mostly carefree crowds return. The city gets a new music festival while Bumbershoot takes another Labor Day off. And a shortage of workers could cramp the summer fun. Guests: Writer/performer David Schmader and Jeannie Yandel, KUOW editor and co-host of Battle Tactics for Your Sexist Workplace
It's easy to be a bird nerd
July 08, 2021 12:04 - 13 minutes - 13.9 MBLockdown gave us plenty of time to observe all the birds and animals in the city. But what does it take to become a true bird nerd? We take a walk with a certified birder to find out. Guest: Olivia Sanderfoot, birder and PhD candidate in avian research at the University of Washington Check out photos from our bird walk and of the Vaux's Swift on our Instagram - @seattlenowpod Or our website - kuow.org/stories/its-easy-to-be-a-bird-nerd
Spilled beer and sweaty strangers
July 07, 2021 12:04 - 11 minutes - 12.3 MBLive shows are back as the city's music scene reopens at full capacity. KUOW's Casey Martin went to last week's sold-out Chong the Nomad show at Barboza to hear how people are feeling. You can see photos from Capitol Hill and let us know what music you're going to see. Follow us on Instagram, we're @seattlenowpod.
What's driving the price of wood through the roof?
July 06, 2021 12:00 - 10 minutes - 11.1 MBBought any 2x4s lately? Then you already know that the cost of lumber is sky high. It's up fivefold over pre-pandemic prices, according to one industry source. We turn to Vox economy reporter Emily Stewart for an explanation of what's going on. We started using Instagram again! Follow us @seattlenowpod.
Couldn't hurt a fly
July 05, 2021 12:00 - 13 minutes - 13.4 MBA story from KUOW's The Wild podcast, appreciating the fascinating biological marvel that is the common housefly. Hear more from The Wild: https://www.kuow.org/podcasts/thewild
Casual Friday: Let's never do that again
July 02, 2021 12:00 - 11 minutes - 12.1 MBThe least air-conditioned city in America endures three straight 100-degree days. We swap stories from Seattle's historic heatwave with KUOW's Jeannie Yandel and Kristin Leong. Want to spend more than 10 minutes a day with Seattle Now? Follow us on Instagram, we're @seattlenowpod.
Reopened and living life again
July 01, 2021 12:04 - 12 minutes - 12.8 MBFifteen months later, it’s a new day in the fight against the coronavirus: Washington is back open and most of the pandemic precautions are lifted. We get perspective from epidemiologist Judith Malmgren.
The disabled community was way ahead on the WFH thing
June 30, 2021 12:04 - 14 minutes - 14.9 MBIt took a pandemic, but America finally did what people with disabilities had been asking for for years and shifted to remote work. Now as we’re trying to figure out how remote we’re going to stay, we’ll hear what working remotely has meant for two Seattlelites with disabilities. Guests: Kaley Dugger & Jae Kim with The Arc of King County
Stuck on St. Helens
June 29, 2021 12:00 - 15 minutes - 16.3 MBSummertime is a great time to explore the mountains, and Washington has tons of breathtaking peaks to climb. But things can change quickly. Seattle Times reporter Melissa Hellmann tells us what she learned from a recent hike on Mount St. Helens. Have something to add to this story? Get in touch! Send us an email or voice memo to [email protected].
It's hot
June 28, 2021 12:04 - 10 minutes - 11.1 MBThis weekend was hot, historically hot. We talk to Seattleites battling the heat and get an update from the National Weather Service. Have something to add to this story? Get in touch! Send us a voice memo or email to [email protected].
Casual Friday: How to survive the heatpocalypse
June 25, 2021 12:04 - 13 minutes - 14.4 MBSeattle prepares for a historic heat wave. A Pride party has to deal with death threats because some people don't like their cover charge. And the pandemic is still here, but we're opening back up next week. Guests: KEXP DJ and Black Tones frontwoman Eva Walker and KUOW producer Brandi Fullwood
So it's climate change, or nah?
June 24, 2021 12:04 - 11 minutes - 12.1 MBThis weekend's forecast is a 'historic' heat wave in Seattle, with temperatures climbing into the 90s, and maybe even hitting 100. The question we’re all asking: "Is this what climate change looks like?" We’ll get an answer from assistant state climatologist Karin Bumbaco. Have something to say about this story? Write us at [email protected], or leave us a message at 206-616-6746.
A note for Apple Podcast listeners
June 23, 2021 19:13 - 43 seconds - 756 KBWe're having some issues with episodes not showing up in Apple Podcasts. We're working on a solution, but if you want to listen another way, here are a few suggestions: Overcast: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/overcast/id888422857 Pocket Casts: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pocket-casts/id414834813 Spotify (requires a subscription): https://open.spotify.com/show/4GzmTI4LWC0AYOdvYoNHNM?si=9_1rL9K3SDmI5BhEWrsrSg&utm_source=copy-link&dl_branch=1 KUOW's website: kuow.org/SeattleNow
At Amazon, you're either in or you're out
June 23, 2021 12:04 - 11 minutes - 12.2 MBWe already knew that Amazon is a competitive workplace. But internal documents obtained by the Seattle Times reveal just how competitive. Guest: Katherine Anne Long, business reporter at the Seattle Times
The city's next housing crisis
June 22, 2021 15:28 - 12 minutes - 13.3 MBThe city’s eviction ban will be around for another three months, meaning folks who are hurting financially can stay in their homes even if they can't afford rent. But the extension only delays a reckoning over housing that could have disastrous consequences. Guest: Abby Vesoulis, Time staff writer covering economic policy Support the show by making a gift to KUOW: http://bit.ly/seattlenow
Seattle's next housing crisis
June 22, 2021 12:04 - 12 minutes - 13.3 MBThe city’s eviction ban will be around for another three months, meaning folks who are hurting financially can stay in their homes even if they can't afford rent. But the extension only delays a reckoning over housing that could have disastrous consequences. Guest: Abby Vesoulis, Time staff writer covering economic policy Support the show by making a gift to KUOW: http://bit.ly/seattlenow
Casual Friday: 'Do I have to pull a busboy aside?'
June 18, 2021 12:00 - 15 minutes - 15.9 MBA top Seattle chef's bad behavior catches up with him. Amazon realizes it could actually run out of warehouse workers. And murder hornets try to replace crows as nature's top local menace. Guests: Eric Rivera, chef and owner of Addo restaurant and The Stranger's senior staff writer Charles Mudede
Amazon's existential problem
June 17, 2021 12:00 - 12 minutes - 13 MBAmazon's success has come from its obsessive focus on customers. But that focus is causing an existential problem for the company - and its huge force of hourly workers. Guest: Karen Weise, Seattle-based New York Times tech reporter Read the Times' full investigation into Amazon's workplace practices: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/06/15/us/amazon-workers.html
Trans identity in the Old West
June 16, 2021 12:04 - 12 minutes - 13.4 MBOur popular image of the American West is that the cowboys were the heroes, Native Americans were the villains, women were frail and treated like property and trans people didn't even exist. Except, of course they did. We hear about a new exhibit at the Washington State Historical Society profiling trans people who lived in the American West, including here in Washington. Guest: Peter Boag, Washington State University history professor and co-curator of 'Crossing Boundaries: Portraits of a ...
'We have to stop celebrating these frickin' chefs'
June 15, 2021 12:04 - 11 minutes - 12.2 MBOne of the city's biggest big-deal chefs is taking a step back after a Seattle Times investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment against him. We talk with Melissa Miranda, chef and owner of Beacon Hill's Musang about how the industry needs to change. Like what you hear? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts! It's like catnip for our producers.
When is the pandemic over?
June 14, 2021 12:04 - 12 minutes - 13 MBSeattle is 70% vaccinated, the state is fully reopening in just a few weeks and Covid cases and deaths are at their lowest point locally in almost a year. Things are looking up. But when can we say the pandemic is finally over? Guest: Dr. John Lynch, infectious disease physician and head of UW Medicine’s clinical Covid-19 response Support the show by making a gift to KUOW: http://bit.ly/seattlenow
Casual Friday: 'Alexa, rescue me from outer space'
June 11, 2021 12:04 - 15 minutes - 16 MBOne Washingtonian wins a quarter-million dollars in the state's first vaccine lottery, assuming they pick up the phone. Jeff Bezos surprises his brother with the gift of suborbital flight. And it's baby crow flight school season in Seattle again. Guests: Terry Hollimon and Marcus Trufant of The Barbershop Show Find out more: https://www.facebook.com/TheOfficialBarbershop
A worker shortage could put the city's restaurants in the weeds
June 10, 2021 12:04 - 9 minutes - 9.77 MBSeattle restaurants are weeks away from a green light to fully reopen for business... if they can find enough cooks, waitstaff and bartenders. We talk about the labor shortage that's hitting the city’s food scene with Seattle Times business writer Paul Roberts. Read Paul's story: https://www.seattletimes.com/life/food-drink/where-have-all-the-waiters-gone-on-the-cusp-of-reopening-a-labor-shortage-threatens-restaurants-recovery Like what you hear? Share this episode with a friend!
It's crow dive-bombing season
June 09, 2021 12:04 - 14 minutes - 14.8 MBSeattle tends to have more crows than the average U.S. city. Mostly we get along fine, but it's the time of year when crows will dive bomb unsuspecting passers by. We head to Seward Park with a crow expert to find out why. Guest: Dr. Kaeli Swift, avian researcher and crow expert Check out photos of Ferdinand on KUOW's website: kuow.org/stories/seattle-now-it-s-crow-dive-bombing-season
12th & Pine
June 08, 2021 12:04 - 13 minutes - 14 MBA year after CHOP, the barricades are gone but Seattle's fight for equal justice is still around. We talk with Marshall Hugh, frontman of the Marshall Law Band, about their album chronicling last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests. Find out more about the Marshall Law Band: https://marshalllaw.bandcamp.com
Why vaccine incentives work
June 07, 2021 12:04 - 9 minutes - 9.42 MBStarting tomorrow, you could win a cool $250,000 from the state... assuming you're vaccinated, of course. Today we ask: Why do these vaccine lottery programs work? Guest: Jane Simoni, psychology professor at the University of Washington
Casual Friday: Vaccinated Washingtonian, come on down!
June 04, 2021 12:04 - 12 minutes - 12.5 MBGovernor Inslee turns to giveaways to get reluctant people to a vaccination appointment. Venerable fruit candy Aplets and Cotlets may not be going out of business after all. And for three glorious days, Seattleites get to complain about how hot it was. Support the show by making a gift to KUOW: bit.ly/seattlenow
Fighting to save our 'downtown orcas'
June 03, 2021 12:04 - 12 minutes - 13.3 MBThere are orcas in every ocean in the world, but the southern resident killer whales who swim in our backyard are the only population of urban orcas. This has been great for local whale lovers, but perilous for members of J, K and L pods who have suffered from the capture era, boat noise, lack of salmon and pollution. Lynda Mapes reports on the environment, including southern resident killer whales, for The Seattle Times. She wrote a book called Orca: Shared Waters Shared Home that explore...