John Roderick was born in the Seattle area, but spent much of his youth living in Anchorage, Alaska. “Growing up in Alaska, you’re an American, you know you're an American. But you’re also thousands of miles away from America. So we fetishized America," said Roderick, who these days fronts the indie band, The Long Winters. After high school, Roderick decided that the way to see America, and absorb the wisdom and freedom of the open road, was to stick out his thumb and hitchhike across the

Les Zaitz was a reporter for the Oregonian in the early 1980s, when he began covering a group of people, known as the Sinyasins who were followers of the enigmatic Indian guru, Baghwan Shree Rajneesh. They arrived in the Northwest with visions of creating a whole new city in the middle of the Oregon desert. They called themselves a religion. Many others have called them a cult. The story Zaitz was covering soon transformed from a curiosity to an epic drama, complete with massive fraud, betrayal

Living in a city, there are signs everywhere to help organize, control and regulate our behavior. But, if you’re in Seattle and you keep your eyes peeled, you might happen upon an official-looking directive on sheet metal that tells you something completely unexpected, such as " Caution: If I Could Love Anyone Again, It Would Be You." This "caution" sign was spotted hanging from a chain link fence in Wallingford Park. It is guerilla artwork, created and stealthily placed on the fence by April

Rasheena Fountain and Tiffany Adams met at Antioch University in Seattle, where they were both working on their masters degrees. Rasheena, who grew up on the west side of Chicago, and Tiffany, originally from downtown New York, quickly found they had a shared interest in nature. Before long, they were helping each other: Tiffany encouraged Rasheena’s newfound love of birding, and Rasheena cheered Tiffany on in her studies. That support was important, considering that birding is not the most

Have you ever known someone whose life revolves around their pet? This was the case for the Walker family and their two poodles, Sasha and Bazi. A few days before Christmas in 2017, they took the dogs on their family ski trip. But when the dogs spotted a few deer and took off into the snowy woods, the holiday vacation turned into a frantic search. As the days passed, and temperatures dropped, hope faded that they would find the dogs alive. All they could do was hope for a sighting--or a phone

If you live in Seattle, you don't have to travel too far to feel like you are in the country. Yes, there are large P-Patches dotted throughout the city and there are many parks that still feel a little wild, but there is also a 20-plus acre horse farm . It's called the Seattle Farm and it's tucked up against a green belt in South Seattle near Rainier Beach. Gloria Sferra's grandparents, Amador and Visitación Seijas , settled the property in 1919. Their descendants have lived here ever since.

This week on Sound Effect , urban dwellers try to make it in the country, and a little bit of nature takes root in the city. We begin in the last large-animal farm within the city of Seattle, atop a chestnut mare named Star, as host Gabriel Spitzer gets a ride and a history lesson. Then we hear how a couple of sophisticated urban poodles became the talk of the town in rural central Washington. We hear a conversation between two birding enthusiasts about finding a place for themselves as black

This story originally aired on April 29, 2017. Seattle writer Michael Long was a terrible student in grade school. It wasn't that he couldn't do well; it was just that he had no interest in it. Instead of studying or paying attention in class, he would often be caught doodling or staring off into space. Michael's parents had tried just about everything, including doctors and medication. But nothing seemed to work. Then Michael's parents found a doctor who suggested that one of the reasons kids

This story originally aired on April 29, 2017. We are changing all of the time. We are shaped by new experiences, people we meet, the work that we do. You might start a career thinking you love what you do - and years later have a completely different opinion. This is what happened to Father Antonio Illas. He is the pastor for Saint Matthew-San Mateo Episcopal Church in Auburn, Wash. But for more than two decades, Illas was an immigration agent for the U.S. Federal Government. “It was very

This story originally aired on April 29, 2017. Lane Czaplinski has been the artistic director at On The Boards, a Seattle-based contemporary performing arts organization since 2002. He has basically been working in the arts since he graduated college. But in his senior year of college, a series of unusual circumstances led to him climbing the ranks of one of the most historic and decorated college basketball programs in the country. Lane chose to go to the University of Kansas, but not to play