A good way to picture Autumn Adams is in her crimson cap and gown. This was last spring, as she graduated from Central Washington University in Ellensburg. By her side were two people: her 14-year-old brother John and her 10-year-old sister Kaya. Nothing unusual about family showing up for a big milestone like this. But, Adams’ family is a little different from the other young grads there that day with their moms and uncles and grandmas. Autumn’s younger siblings have been there with her, on

The theme of this week’s Sound Effect is “Gatekeepers” — stories about people with power over who comes and goes. First, we hear what it’s like for a prison guard to be locked in with the inmates. Next, a story of escape and betrayal in one of the world’s most repressive countries. Then, the chilling words of a man ready to confront his fate — and his complicated journey to execution. Finally, we hear from a woman who once was tasked with helping determine who was approved to resettle from

In the fall of 1989, in Vancouver, Washington, a short, 29-year-old man named Westley Allan Dodd raped and murdered three young boys. The boys were brothers Cole and William Neer, ages 10 and 11, and 4-year-old Lee Iseli. A few weeks later, police arrested Westley at a movie theater after he tried and failed to abduct another boy. He quickly confessed to the three murders. The prosecution sought the death penalty, and Dodd pled guilty. Death penalty cases take a long time due to all the appeals

Grace Jo was 6 years old when her mom scooped up her and her older sister, and set out to cross the Tumen River into China. “We walked three nights and four days,” Jo said, recalling the trek along rocky mountain trails. “A lot of tree branches were hurting our skin. A lot of wild animal sounds we could hear at night, and we had to hide from people.” At the river’s edge, the water level went up to her mother’s hips. “My mom managed, and all three of us able to cross river and come to China.” But

The Vietnam War officially ended in 1973, but people continued to flee the country well into the 1980s. Hundreds of thousands of people escaped the country on boats. Thousands died at sea. It was an international humanitarian crisis. The men, women and children fleeing were called boat people. “After the Vietnam War, people in South Vietnam who had supported the United States presence and war effort, you know, they were treated like the enemy,” said Alison Krupnick, who lives in Seattle. Today,

Seattle-born band Soundgarden and Seattle resident Dave Matthews are among the 16 acts nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 2020 class, alongside the late musical icons Whitney Houston and Notorious B.I.G.

Hundreds gathered in downtown Seattle today to recognize Indigenous Peoples' Day with a rally and march to City Hall. Seattle is one of more than 100 cities in the United States that has re-named the second Monday in October to honor Native American cultures and traditions, rather than calling it "Columbus Day." The Seattle City Council voted to create Indigenous Peoples' Day five years ago. It's also observed in Tacoma, Olympia and other cities. But it's not a state-recognized holiday.

The theme for this week’s episode of Sound Effect is “Found in Translation” — stories of making ourselves understood, for better or for worse. First, we meet a Kenyan woman who was pleased to meet a white woman familiar with her home country and tribe — until she learned why. Then, we visit a landmark that’s become a flashpoint between a mostly white city government and a changing community. Host Gabriel Spitzer takes us back to a remote village in Alaska where he experienced an unlikely racial

Dominic Sivitilli grew up on a farm. “It was a beautiful place to grow up," Dominic said. "We had all ranges of animals, with a really ancient forest, with a really majestic river there. And so there was just an incredible amount of adventure to my childhood. That was my backyard. And so my mind always kind of drifted to ‘where the hell did this all come from?’” Dominic is a graduate student at the University of Washington these days. What drew him there was his fascination with biodiversity —

(An essay from Sound Effect host Gabriel Spitzer) He looked wildly out of context. This was a place of ice and tundra, of weathered brown skin and tan Carhartts. But this guy showed up in neon-colored rain gear with hippie jewelry and zero explanation of why he was there. And he couldn’t really tell us — he only spoke Japanese. I was an outsider too — a reporter, based in Anchorage, Alaska. I’d traveled hundreds of miles to this remote community up against the Arctic Circle. The village is made