Christmas Eve begins our holiday break here on Soundside. We’re taking some time off to enjoy the holidays with our friends and family… or to just eat lots of good food while staying indoors.

But we’ve still got plenty of jam packed shows ready for you.

Today - we’re focusing on local businesses here in the Pacific Northwest.

RELATED LINKS:

• A tech startup helping the visually impaired "watch" sports with their fingertips
• Will people always love Costco?
• At 75, Cougar Gold canned cheese is still a Washington state favorite
• The lights go down... for now... on the Grand Illusion Cinema

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lot has changed during Sara Nelson’s time in Seattle government.

She was a centrist outlier on a progressive city council when she was first elected in 2021. But the dynamics changed: Nelson became the center of power, and ended up running the show as council president, after a moderate slate of candidates swept the 2023 election. 

She helped oversee pandemic-era recovery, worked with two different mayoral administrations and two very different presidential administrations during her time on the council. 

Now - her time in office is coming to an end.

Next month, there will be a new, more progressive representative in the citywide Position 9 seat that Nelson’s held the past four years. Nonprofit leader Dionne Foster will take Nelson’s place after winning by a wide margin of votes in November. 

Between passing a police contract, approving phase one of the city’s Comprehensive Plan, and putting forward a bill to change how consultants work with the city – Nelson has been busy during her last month in office.

And last week she spent an hour with Soundside to reflect on her tenure and the direction Seattle politics is moving.

GUESTS:

• Sara Nelson, outgoing position 9 Seattle City Councilmember and City Council President

RELATED LINKS: 

• Seattle passes new transparency law aimed at political consultants - Seattle Times
• New Seattle Police contract includes pay boost, increased use of unarmed crisis responders - KUOW

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every Monday on Soundside we catch you up on the top stories that are fascinating right now – and what they say about the Pacific Northwest.

It’s our chance to talk about the latest news with a rotation of plugged-in journalists and guests, taking a look at the headlines from the weekend and the stories that we'll be following as the week moves forward.

GUEST: Former KIRO-FM host Dave Ross

TODAY'S TOPICS:

• Flooding
  • Seattle Times: A damaged King County levee awaited fixes for years. Then it failed.
  • NBC News: Federal grants for flood mitigation work sat on hold as storms inundated Washington state
• Affordability
  • NYTimes: How Democrats Used One Word to Turn the Tide Against Trump
  • NYTimes: These Young Adults Make Good Money. But Life, They Say, Is Unaffordable.
• Dave Ross parody songs

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The holidays: a time to gather with friends and family, to enjoy one another’s company as we light candles or sit by a tree and contemplate the year’s passing.

It’s also a time to argue with said friends and family about some really dumb stuff.

Is Die Hard a holiday movie? Should Mariah Carey officially be crowned “Queen of Christmas?” Has there ever been a good Hanukkah song? 

You’ll be debating hard hitting questions like this. And on Soundside, we’re here to help you win the argument.

It’s our gift to you.

Today – We’re pitting three movies, songs, and local events against each other to determine a winner, in a totally original game we’re calling “Kiss Merry Kill.”

And of course that’s merry like Santa is - with an E.

HOLIDAY FARE DISCUSSED:

Movies

• Deck the Halls (2006)
• The Happiest Season (2020)
• A Diva’s Christmas Carol (2000)

Music

• The Christmas Shoes by NewSong
• Mistletoe by Justin Bieber
• Puppy for Hanukkah by Daveed Diggs

Events

• The Bait Shop holiday light show
• SantaCon
• The Seattle Christmas Market
• Sitting on Santa's lap at the Bellevue Square Mall

GUESTS:

• Betty Wetter is a Seattle drag queen, and host of monthly drag variety show Tush! at the Clock-out Lounge
• Juno Men is a comedian, and co-host of the Moth Storytelling Slam here in Seattle

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle may have to say goodbye to a longstanding vintage shop in the new year. 

Red Light Vintage & Costume sits in the heart of the University District. It has been a fixture in Seattle’s fashion scene since it opened in the mid 90s.

Now the shop could close because owner Niz Marar is retiring.

He’s hoping to sell the business before his lease expires at the end of January. If he can’t find a buyer, fashion lovers will have to let go of this cherished spot. 

We talk to Marar about his final few weeks at Red Light... and hear from the person who's trying to keep it alive by buying the shop before the lease ends.  

GUESTS:

• Niz Marar, owner of Red Light Vintage & Costume
• Tacee Webb, co-founder of Red Light Vintage & Costume

RELATED LINKS: 

• Red Light Vintage – vintage & costume
• Red Light Revival: New classes, events, & memberships! — Kickstarter

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are only a few weeks left in 2025. That means for those of you who resolved, at the beginning of the year, to do more reading — it's crunch time. 

Did you actually put down your phone long enough to get through a book this year? It's not too late. 

Many great books came out this year. If you need suggestions for something to read or to give to someone who really ought to be reading more, we've got you covered. 

GUESTS:

• Misha Stone, reader services librarian, Seattle Public Library
• Spencer Ruchti, author events manager, Third Place Books

RELATED LINKS: 

• Our list of books we loved! Yes, it's a Google Doc.

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The end of the year is just around the corner, and with the next two Thursdays each being holidays, this is the final Weekend Warmup of the Year!

LINKS:

• TNF! Seahawks vs Rams
  • Thurs 12/18
• The 29th Annual Model Train Festival - Washington State Historical Society
  • Opens Fri 12/19 - runs through Jan 1, 2026
• 2025 Winter Beer Fest – WA Brewers Guild 
  • Fri/Sat - 12/19-20
• Hell’s Belles at the Croc
  • Sat 12/20
• United Indians Native Art Market » United Indians of All Tribes Foundation - Daybreak Star
  • Sat/Sun - 12/20-21
• Seattle Torrent vs Boston Fleet
  • Sun 12/21 - 2pm

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Skagit County has been hit by multiple waves of catastrophic flooding over the past week.   

Amid the devastation, there is a bright spot: A floodwall in Mount Vernon successfully held off the Skagit River as it rose to a record 37.7 feet. That floodwall only exists because it sits in an area determined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be at highest risk of flooding. 

Many residents of Skagit county might be unaware of the current flooding risk to their homes or businesses –  because, according to The Seattle Times, Skagit County’s flood maps haven’t been updated in 40 years. 

We'll hear from Lulu Ramadan, who reported on these flood maps, before turning to Kristiana de Leon, who had to evacuate malamutes amid flooding along the Puyallup River last week.   

GUESTS:

• Lulu Ramadan, an investigative reporter at The Seattle Times 
• Kristiana de Leon of the Washington Alaskan Malamute Adoption League

RELATED LINKS: 

• Skagit County flood maps showing high-risk areas are 40 years old | The Seattle Times 
• Washington Alaskan Malamute Adoption League – We pull for them 

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Approximately 10,000 people are still under evacuation notice after multiple levee failures across Western Washington.

In King County: flood controls have breached in the last 48 hours. As of this morning, residents in the city of Pacific, east of Tacoma, are under a "go now" evacuation order after a flood control breach on the nearby White River. A levee was breached yesterday in Tukwila and Kent, the evacuation order for the area is no longer in effect. 

Guests:

Casey Martin, KUOW reporter

Josh Baldi, water and land resources division director for King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks

Relevant Links: 

KUOW live updates

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Department of Homeland Security may be shifting its approach to deportation flights by ICE. 

According to reporting by the Washington Post, DHS recently signed a contract to purchase six Boeing 737 planes.

Currently, ICE primarily uses charter planes for deportations. This purchase suggests the agency has plans to expand its capacity to deport people using its own fleet.

What implications does this have for immigration enforcement and the way detainees are moved in and out of the United States? 

GUEST:

• McKenzie Funk - Reporter at ProPublica covering immigration, privacy and climate change

RELATED LINKS: 

• DHS inks contract to create its own fleet of 737 jets for deportations
• Inside ICE Air: Flight Attendants on Deportation Planes Say Disaster Is “Only a Matter of Time”
• At Seattle’s Boeing Field, Real-Time Video Offers a Rare Glimpse of America’s Troubled Deportation Flights
• Avelo Airlines, a New ICE Air Contractor, Faces Backlash in Connecticut

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.