The Democratic Republic of Congo is a country in the center of Africa. It’s home to spectacular things, like: a majority of the Congo Basin rainforest, the second largest in the world, with magnificent flora and fauna found nowhere else on earth, and a population of one hundred million people belonging to 250 ethnic groups who speak more than 200 languages. The country also has an estimated $24 trillion worth of untapped minerals. 

That fact has put Congo in the center of international conflict for generations. However, over the last few months, a rebel militia called M23 has taken control of multiple cities in Eastern Congo. These conflicts have reverberated far and wide, as Congolese people displaced by fighting have sought refuge around the world. For those escaping conflict, being granted asylum is only the first step in building a new life.

Guests:

•  Floribert Mubalama, the founder and CEO of the Seattle-based Congolese Integration Network
• Francoise Milinganyo, the Executive Director of Congolese Integration Network 
• University of Washington lecturer Dr. Francis Abugbilla

Related Links:

Why Are Congo and Rwanda at War? —NYT

Martin Gordon, Anglican bishop of Goma, calls for peace in the DRC —NPR

Congolese Integration Network 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.

As a Mariner’s fan, it’s tradition to quibble with offseason moves. 

But there has been ONE personnel change that the majority of longtime fans are cheering.

Not on the field, mind you… but in the Broadcast booth. 

Angie Mentink is joining a roster of former players providing color commentary during TV broadcasts, becoming the first woman in Mariners history to have this regular gig.

There’s been lots of shifting around on the broadcast side for the M’s: Longtime voice of the Mariners Dave Sims left us for the Yankees, (just like Ichiro, THE PAIN,) so Aaron Goldsmith will take over the main play-by-play position.

And joining Angie as analysts are, Mariner Hall of Famer Jay Buhner, former catcher Dave Valle, and former pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith.

Angie Mentink is one of the first women to play professional baseball, in addition to being a hall of fame UW softball player. She’s been a member of the organization for nearly 30 years and is making history as the first permanent female analyst in the booth for the M’s.

GUEST: Angie Mentink

RELATED LINKS: 

• Angie Mentink to make Mariners broadcasting history; Jay Buhner returns, Mike Blowers out | The Seattle Times
• Angie Mentink Breaks Barriers as Seattle Mariners’ First Female Color Analyst

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.

How much will Seattle change under the Trump administration? And what options does the city have to keep the policies it prioritizes?

The city depends on the feds for millions of dollars in funding -- impacting services like transportation, law enforcement and emergency preparedness.

Threats to cut off federal grants have left some local politicians considering how to prepare for an uncertain future.

This week, Seattle city councilmember Alexis Merceredes Rinck will chair the first meeting of the council’s new Select Committee on Federal Administration and Policy Changes.

In other words - she’s gathering together a group of people to try to answer what happens next under the Trump administration’s many changes.

Guest:

• Alexis Mercedes Rinck, Position 8 city councilmember

Related Links:

• Seattle City Council to host first committee meeting on safeguarding city from federal policy changes - Seattle City Council Blog
• How will Seattle prepare for potential Trump cuts? - 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.

There is a lot going on in D.C. right now, and elected officials are working overtime to negotiate ahead of a looming government shutdown deadline.

As the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the senior senator from Washington state, Senator Patty Murray is leading the charge on funding negotiations. 

At the same time, budget talks are happening about how much the federal government will spend and on what priorities. Looming over all of this is the question of whether the government will meet its obligations because federal funding expires on March 14th. 

Guests:

• Senator Patty Murray

Related Links:

Senate Democrat: Musk, Trump ‘proving every single day they do not know what they are doing’ — The Hil

Sen. Patty Murray on the state of the Senate —1A

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.

Clad in a big, bulky menswear suit, “Julia” Mozhdeh Rahmanzaei stomps around the stage at the Theater off Jackson in Seattle’s Chinatown International District. 

She glares over a fake beard, holding audience members’ gazes, and shakes the program for this very play in one hand. The actor and playwright is channeling the censorship she experienced in her home country of Iran. 

As a young artist in Tehran, her theater work repeatedly ran up against the strict rules of government monitors – who shut down several of her shows, including her master’s thesis and performance, which discussed limitations of physical performance for women actors. 

Julia left Iran three and a half years ago to study for a Masters of Fine Arts in Acting at the University of Washington. In Seattle, she’s acted in several local productions, including “The Moors” at the University of Washington and “The Forgotten History of Mastaneh,” at Taproot Theater and Seattle Public Theater. 

This weekend is the debut of her autobiographical solo show, called, “I am an Actress, Where is my Country?” It traces her struggle to express herself under Iran’s repressive theocratic regime – and find her place both legally and as an artist in the U.S.

Libby Denkmann sat down with Julia Rahmanzaei and director and dramaturge Leah Adcock-Starr during rehearsals this week.

Guests:

• Julia Rahmanzaei, actor and writer for "I am an Actress, Where is my Country?"
• Leah Adcock-Starr, director and dramaturge 

Related Links: 

• I am an Actress, Where is my Country? - Theatre Off Jackson

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.

It’s the end of the week, the sun is shining, and maybe you’re thinking “I’m ready to get out there and explore! Meet new people, make new friends… at least until it starts raining again.”  

Well, rain or shine - If you’re searching for something to keep you occupied this weekend, you’re in the right place. 

Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows is here in the nick of time to give you all the highlights.

Nat Geo Live: From Roots to Canopy, Nalini Nadkarni, Thurs 27 February, Port Angeles

A fascinating exploration of the science and wildlife hanging out above us in the forests. Featuring NatGeo explorer & tree canopy ecologist, Nalini Nadkarni, a UW alum and the inspiration for the Explorer Barbie Dolls.

Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE | Meany Center, Thursday 27 February - Sunday 2 March, U-District, Seattle

The performance focuses on the integration of traditional African dance with contemporary choreography and spoken word. Brown uses movement as a way to reinforce the importance of community in African American culture and to acquaint audiences with the beauty of traditional African forms and rhythms.

Seattle International Dance Festival, Friday 28 February - Saturday 1 March; Thursday 8 - Friday 9 March, Capitol Hill, Seattle

This year’s mini-fest will fuse Urban, Ballet, Modern, and traditional Indian forms in a riveting mix of cultures and movement.

Good Time Girls History In The Spotlight, Friday 28 February, Bellingham

Sip cocktails in a cabaret setting while these sassy storytellers present well-researched theatrical tales and historic photographs from Bellingham's beloved and only remaining historic playhouse, the Mount Baker Theatre. Enjoy illustrated tales of celebrated moments, iconic performances, colorful characters, and local lore.

James Dean Movies at The SIFF Downtown, Friday 29 February - Thursday 6 March, Downtown, Seattle

If you’ve never seen any of them, like our host Libby Denkmann, get yourself to the theater & check them out. These movies are legends for a reason…

Whatcom Farm Expo, Saturday 29 March, Lynden

A plethora of speakers and events with topics ranging from “Holistic Pasture Management,” to “Buying your first Tractor,” and “Getting started with Beef!”

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 Public Schools is considering closing Stevenson Elementary School amid declining enrollment. 

One longtime parent there is pushing back and trying to change its name to better reflect the school’s Japanese-American history. 

That’s the kind of opening line you might hear on Soundside if the events of the book Supersonic were real.

The book is fiction, but it reflects the very real ethos of a city constantly reinventing itself through boom and bust cycles across generations. 

At the center of the story is Sami Hasegawa-Stalwarth, a PTA president with a deep history in the city.

But Supersonic also takes us through the city’s history, to see the connections across generations. We meet a gold rush conman, aerospace workers building the Supersonic transport, a stay at home dad trying to open the city’s first legal cannabis dispensary, and the Native people who have called this area home since time immemorial.  

Guest:

Thomas Kohnstamm, author of Supersonic

Links:

Third Place Books event info for Thomas Kohnstamm reading on Thursday, February 27

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do The Brutalist, Emilia Pérez, Dune Part II, and A Complete Unknown have in common?

Yes, they’re all films nominated for Oscars at this Sunday’s ceremony. But they share something else – all of these films used Artificial Intelligence tools in some form during production.

For the Brutalist and Emilia Pérez, AI was employed to alter actor’s voices while singing, or speaking Hungarian. For Dune and A Complete Unknown, AI tools changed actor or stunt double’s appearances.

AI usage in film has been controversial for years. In 2023, both the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, the screen actors guild, went on strike – picketing in part over concerns regarding AI.

But now, the red carpet will be full of directors and producers who relied on AI in small ways in their journey to the Oscars.

So what does this say about the state of the film industry? Will this lead, as some have warned before, to the death of the movies?

Guest:

• Brett Halperin is a University of Washington doctoral student in human centered design and engineering, and cinema and media studies. 
  

Related Links:

• ‘AI is Soulless’: Hollywood Film Workers Strike and Emerging Perceptions of Generative Cinema - ACM Digital Library
• Q&A: How AI is changing the film industry - UW News
• Oscars Consider Requiring Films to Disclose AI Use After ‘The Brutalist’ and ‘Emilia Pérez’ Controversies - Variety

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.

Earlier this year Edmonds state Representative Strom Peterson put forward a bill to potentially change the state’s flag. 

HB 1938 would have created a committee tasked with redesigning the Washington’s iconic green and yellow banner – which is the only one with a presidential profile on it.

According to the bill’s language, the due date for a new design would be sometime in 2028 – after which, voters would decide through a referendum whether to adopt it. 

Peterson says his idea isn’t about controversy over our state’s namesake; it’s mainly about the way it looks. Peterson says that the times, and the state, have changed in the century since then. So maybe it’s time the flag changes too. 

But HB 1938 has hit a roadblock. The bill failed to pass out of committee last week, meaning Peterson will have to wait another year before trying again. 

There’s been a recent wave of flag redesigns across the United States. Minnesota and Utah adopted new state flags in 2024. Maine voters went the other way and rejected a new sleeker design for their flag. Mississippi also recently updated its state flag – it included the Confederate battle flag up until 2021.

But even with the bill tabled, what makes for a good flag? It’s something that vexillologist Ted Kaye thinks a lot about. Kaye is the author of “Good Flag, Bad Flag: how to Design a Great Flag" and is also the secretary for the North American Vexillological Association. 

Soundside was joined by Rep. Peterson and Kaye to discuss the state's banner legislation.

Guests:

• State Representative Strom Peterson, D-Edmonds, sponsor of HB 1938. 
• Ted Kaye, secretary for the North American Vexillogical Association and author of "Good Flag, Bad Flag: How to Design a Great Flag." 

Related Links: 

• Bill summary: Washington State Legislature
• Home - North American Vexillological Association
• Bills that didn’t survive the WA Legislature’s first major deadline • Washington State Standard

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.

Imagine if, after being convicted of a crime as an adult, you were forced to serve additional time for crimes you committed as a minor. That is the reality for many incarcerated people in Washington state. 

You might remember hearing about the passing of a state law back in 2023 that prevented people’s juvenile felonies from increasing their sentence terms as an adult. Well, that bill had a catch. It excluded those who are currently incarcerated, leaving behind more than 700 eligible people. 

A few weeks ago, a new bill was introduced to amend this oversight. Some say implementing the law could be complicated—and problematic. Others feel strongly that it would help address the disproportionalities in our justice system.  

Guests:

• Rep. Chris Stearns of Washington’s 47th Legislative District
• Investigate West reporter Aspen Ford

Related Links:

WA bill that would reduce sentences for inmates with juvenile felonies moves through Legislature — Investigate West

Washington lawmakers debate who benefits from juvenile sentencing reforms — 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.