A festival celebrating the city’s only river won't happen this year. 

The organization hosting the Duwamish River Festival shut the August celebration down, due to concerns about Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in South Park, the neighborhood where the festival usually takes place. 

We talk about the decision with the head of the Duwamish River Community Coalition, the organization that usually runs the festival.

Guest

Paulina Lopez, executive director of the Duwamish River Community Coalition

Related links

• Seattle festival canceled due to ICE concerns, The Seattle Times
• Envisioning a cleaner Duwamish River in South Park, Soundside (2022)

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Over the last three years, the shortage of public defenders in Washington state has built to a crisis. It’s been taking a toll on the lawyers who represent clients that need representation but can’t afford it. Since that representation is promised in the U.S. and state constitutions, these lawyers are a critical aspect of the legal system. 

When there aren’t enough lawyers, people wait in jail. Last year, the ACLU of Washington sued Yakima County for denying defendants their sixth amendment right to an attorney. The county has struggled to hire new public defenders for years.

To address the lack, public defenders proposed a counterintuitive solution: lower the number of cases public defenders can take on. They say doing so will  reduce burnout and increase recruitment.

This month, the Washington State Supreme Court signed on to dramatically reduced caseload limits for defenders. 

Guests: 

Daniel Beekman, reporter at the Seattle Times

Bob Boruchowitz, professor from practice at Seattle University School of Law and director of the Defender Initiative

Relevant Links: 

Seattle Times: WA Supreme Court orders much lower caseloads for public defenders 

Seattle Times: WA adds public defender dollars but ‘nowhere near’ enough, counties say

Seattle Times: Washington Bar approves much lower caseloads for public defenders

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.

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A ceasefire between Israel and Iran appears to be holding at this hour.

President Trump spoke briefly to reporters this morning on the White House lawn. 

He used an expletive and said he was unhappy that the two countries had both initially violated the agreement to pause attacks.

More than a week after Israel kicked off the new war with Iran, Trump intervened on Saturday by ordering a U.S. strike on three Iranian nuclear sites.

This morning the president has been re-posting messages on social media from supporters calling his handling of the conflict “an overwhelming…victory” and “a historic masterclass.”

But a member of Washington's congressional delegation disagrees. 

Guest:

• Adam Smith is a House Democrat who represents parts of Bellevue and Seattle all the way to Auburn and Federal Way.

Related links:

• Democrats Forge Ahead With Efforts to Reach War Powers Vote Amid Shaky Cease-Fire - NYT

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.

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Washington state is taking quick action to meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

As part of it, last year the state spent $45 million dollars to help lower income people buy or lease electric vehicles. 

To do this, they lowered the barrier for getting a rebate – all you needed to do was self-report your income or say you were enrolled in an assistance program, and the dealer would discount thousands of dollars from the price. 

But a new investigation from Cascade PBS has found that some of the money didn’t go towards the people it was intended for.

Guest:

Elizabeth Whitman, freelance journalist

Relevant Links:

Cascade PBS: WA spent $45M to boost electric vehicle use — with mixed results

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.

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A new book examines the theory that lead and arsenic poisoning may have affected the brain development of serial killers like Ted Bundy and Gary Ridgway. 

Childhood exposure to these poisons might provide a partial explanation for these horrific crimes.

The book is “Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers.” 

It’s part memoir; part examination of anthropology, criminology, and also the ecological history of the Pacific Northwest.

Guest

Caroline Fraser, author of “Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers.” She grew up on Mercer Island and won the Pulitzer Prize for her biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder in 2018.  

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Upstairs at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture, MoPop, right now you can take a trip through the musical genres and artists that trace the arc of Black history in America, from gospel foremothers like Rosetta Tharpe and Mahalia Jackson, to the soul songs of Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder.

The exhibit is called Never Turn Back: Echoes of African American Music.

Soundside host Libby Denkmann caught up with curator Adeerya Johnson for a tour of the exhibit.

GUEST: Adeerya Johnson, Associate Curator at MoPop

RELATED LINK: Never Turn Back: Echoes of African American Music | Museum of Pop Culture

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.

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We are officially in the summer busy season.

Solstice, pride, Juneteenth — if you’re looking for something to do this week, have no fear, there’s something for you.

Soundside is off tomorrow for Juneteenth, so we're bringing you an EARLY edition of the WEEKEND WARMUP. 

Here with stuff to do this weekend is Soundside Producer Jason Megatron Burrows!

LINKS: 

• Juneteenth | Atlantic Street Center
• NAAM | Juneteenth
• Juneteenth — ACLT Summer of Soul Series
• Juneteenth 2025 | Mercer Island, Washington
• Juneteenth 2025 | Shoreline City Hall
• Juneteenth - Stewart Heights Park, Tacoma
• 2025 Juneteenth Commemoration - Washington State Historical Society
• Washington Brewers Fest  
• MOPOP - 25th Anniversary
• Fremont Solstice Parade
• Fremont Fair
• Summer Bonsai Solstice | Pacific Bonsai Museum 
• Marysville Strawberry Festival
• Wenatchee River Bluegrass Festival 2025
• Georgetown Pride 2025

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.

Boys and ghouls, allow me to tell you about the mad doctor who injects himself with an experimental serum, turning the scientist into a hideous monster that terrorizes a hospital.

This twisted tale is from the mind of Richard Lyford, a 19-year-old indie filmmaker in Seattle, who wrote, directed and starred in the short horror film The Scalpel.

But he wasn’t influenced by horror legends like John Carpenter or Wes Craven or George Romero. 

No, The Scalpel was filmed in 1936, and film historians considered it lost for almost 90 years. 

It’s now been restored and re-edited, and been accepted to more than 150 film festivals throughout the country. 

Guest: Composer Ed Hartman

Related Links:

Trailer for The Scalpel

Lost 1936 Seattle film saved by local composer takes festival circuit by storm

Zion Film Fest

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.

The Scalpel Festival Run

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Israel and Iran continue to trade missile and drone attacks as the war stretches into its fifth day. 

This conflict started last week with Israeli airstrikes that targeted top military commanders and nuclear facilities in Iran. 

Here in the Seattle area, members of the Iranian diaspora are experiencing a familiar anxiety: Trying to keep tabs on friends and family during a bloody conflict. 

We talk to four members of Seattle's Iranian diaspora and get additional analysis on the conflict from a Washington, D.C.-based expert. 

Guests

Omid Roustaei, The Caspian Chef, cookbook author and Iranian-American psychotherapist

Rep. Darya Farivar, Washington state Representative, D-46 

Aria Fani, director of the Persian and Iranian Studies Program at the University of Washington 

Faraz Zarghami, also known as DJ Dancing Faraz

Alex Vatanka, senior fellow, Middle East Institute  

Related links

The Washington Post: Israeli attacks leave Iranians fearful and hopeful

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Have you ever walked into a bookstore, lonely and single, and hoped you’d meet the love of your life? 

We know there are at least a few of you out there.

That's part of the setup for Moira Macdonald’s debut novel “Storybook Ending.” It’s a story about loneliness, friendship, reading – and of course, the singular pleasure of spending time between the shelves of a cozy book shop in Seattle.

The spot in question, titled “Read the Room”, is based on Ravenna’s Third Place Books, one of Macdonald's regular haunts. 

We talk to Macdonald, the longtime Seattle Times arts critic, about writing her novel, her recommendations for great summer reads and Seattle's best movie theaters. 

Guest

Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times arts critic and debut novelist 

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