What to know about Seattle's sales tax increase, plus the latest city hall news

We may not be watching the Mariners in the World Series this weekend, but that doesn't mean there aren't awesome things to do...  LINKS: Tacoma Holiday Festival Dustin Nickerson at the Neptune Seattle Kraken vs Edmonton Oilers 2025 PSMS Annual Wild Mushroom Show Seattle Coffee Festival AI & Democracy - Women’s University Club SPOOKY STUFF:  Washington State Horror Con Fashionably Undead: The Goopening KEXP Kids' Halloween Dance Party Pumpkin Bash - Woodland Park Zoo The Museum of Fright GWAR | Showbox Presents 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 can be easy to make jokes about the split realities of the “Portlandia” sketch you could make out of those images, and the scene President Trump describes when he talks about the Rose City- a place, quote, “where they kill people and destroy the city.” But, with an appeals court ruling this week clearing the way for Oregon National Guard troops to deploy to Portland – what are things like in the city right now? And what can we learn from the people attempting to find common ground between the realities described by Portlanders, and the dire tales spun by our President? Guest Anna Griffin, Pacific Northwest bureau chief, New York Times 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.

Consider yourself cordially invited to Brendan Healy’s memorial service.  That’s because the Seattle playwright is sharing his experience of living with, and dying from, a terminal illness.  His newest play is called "Eulogy, or How to Plan Your Own Funeral (and have fun doing it!)" If you go, you’ll get a front-row seat to remembrances of Healy’s life. But the play also promises audiences pictures of puppies, so there’s a little bit of something for everyone.  He’s putting the production on through Pony World Theatre, which he co-founded in 2009. It opens on October 23 at 12th Avenue Arts, so we caught up with Brendan before he hits the stage.  Guest:  Brendan Healy, the Seattle playwright behind "Eulogy, or How to Plan Your Own Funeral (and have fun doing it!)" Related links:  Seattle playwright navigates living with terminal illness in new show | The Seattle Times Pony World Theatre 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.

Today, we heard an announcement of a proposed Seattle Police union deal that could open the door to expanded use of police alternatives.  There’s also been some positive news on the city budget – to the tune of about $14 million in unexpected revenue on the horizon. And the City Council recently approved a sales tax increase to fund public safety priorities.  Lots of City Hall business to review with Seattle Times reporter David Kroman — and we also talk elections.  Guest David Kroman, reporter, The Seattle Times Related Links Election 2025: Mayor Bruce Harrell and challenger Katie Wilson debate Seattle council approves sales tax increase for public safety Seattle officers ‘undermining’ city’s police alternative, report says 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.

What do dwarf mallow and dandelion have in common? Sure, most people would consider both of these plants weeds, but they're also both found in Natalie Hammerquist's new book, Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest. Hammerquist is an expert forager who makes YouTube videos about plants in the PNW. We took a trip with her to sample a veritable salad bar growing in between pavers and along the path of the Beacon Food Forest.  Guest:  Natalie Hammerquist, herbalist, expert forager, and author of Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest and Medicinal Plants of the Pacific Northwest   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 hasn't had a two term mayor since Greg Nickels, who won a second term nearly two decades ago.  Incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell is trying to break the streak of one term mayors. He was elected to the position in 2021. He previously served on the Seattle city council for 12 years.  His opponent is Katie Wilson. She founded the nonprofit Transit Riders Union and serves as its chair.  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.

Wanna scare an apple farmer?  Just say one word: “Honeycrisp.”   We're kidding…. But they do make farmers' lives harder.  That’s according to a recent story in the Wall Street Journal calling the variety a “farmer’s nightmare.” And that’s tough because they’re one of the most popular apples on the market. People can’t seem to resist their sweet, crunchy flavor.  So there’s high demand for the apple… but honeycrisps are pretty demanding in return: They’re apparently thin-skinned. They bruise easily. And they’re susceptible to disease.  Washington is the biggest apple producer in the entire country, so we asked a farmer in Chelan if this apple variety is rotten right to the core.   Guest:  Bill Clark runs the Diamondback Acres farm with his wife, Angell, in Chelan.   Related links:  About Us – Chelan Ranch America’s Favorite Apple Is a Farmer’s Nightmare - WSJ Gala is Washington state's top apple this season - Axios 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.

In a few months, Washingtonians on Medicare could see additional hurdles when it comes to getting approval for their procedures and care. .  That’s because the Trump Administration is exploring the use of prior authorizations to assess whether medical services are necessary for a patient. If it isn’t, the procedures may not be covered. Prior authorization is a common practice in the insurance industry but not in Medicare. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says the tool will help weed out waste and fraud. And it says it will use AI to help make eligibility decisions.  Washington is one of six states that will pilot the program, starting in January. GUEST: Darius Tahir - Correspondent for KFF News RELATED LINKS:  AI Will Soon Have a Say in Approving or Denying Medicare Treatments Health Care  AI reviews rolling out for Medicare in WA for some procedures WISeR (Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction) Model 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.

Shelley Fairweather-Vega is a Seattle-based translator.  She’s responsible for the English edition of Uzbek writer Hamid Ismailov’s novel “We Computers.” For that work, Fairweather-Vega is a finalist for a 2025 National Book Award in the translated literature category.  She wrote in the afterword to “We Computers,” that she tried to find room in the plot for the poetry, and room for the poetry in the plot.  We talk with her about her work and the community of translators around the Puget Sound. Guest  Shelley Fairweather-Vega Related Links We Computers: A Conversation with Hamid Ismailov and Shelley Fairweather-Vega - Yale University Press 2025 National Book Awards: Seattle writer, translator longlisted - The Seattle Times 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.

Who will be Seattle’s next top lawyer?  The city attorney enforces Seattle’s laws, prosecutes misdemeanor crimes and defends the city in court. After a summer primary, former assistant U.S. attorney Erika Evans emerged as the challenger to incumbent City Attorney Ann Davison.  They debate at KUOW in front of a live studio audience.  Guests Ann Davison, incumbent Seattle city attorney Erika Evans, candidate for city attorney Related links City Inside/Out: Seattle City Attorney Race Will Seattle reelect its conservative City Attorney? (published before the summer primary) - Cascade PBS Trump has become the focal point in Seattle city attorney race - The Seattle Times 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.