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Seattle Now

Seattle Now is KUOW's flagship daily news podcast. Seattle Now brings you quick headlines, smart analysis, and award-winning local news. New episodes every weekday morning and afternoon. Start and end your day with Seattle Now, from KUOW and the NPR Network.

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Episodes

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    Paying to pollute

    For the 3rd time this year, Washington’s companies are getting ready for a chance to buy permission to pollute. It’s part of the state’s plan to cut emissions by 95% over the coming decades…. And it all goes down in a carbon auction tomorrow. The first 2 auctions made over 800 million dollars for climate-focused work. Freelance environmental writer Ashli Blow is here to tell us what these carbon auctions aim to do against pollution and what to look out for from the new program.

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    The Bat House: When living close to nature brings nature too close

    Imagine finding your dream home… a cozy spot, in a beautiful area, and better yet… in your price range. It’s everything you were looking for. Now imagine moving in… and finding out the walls are literally filled with bat guano. That happened to one local couple… and their four month old baby. They’re now working to rehome the hundreds of bats that became their roommates overnight. This story originally aired from our friends at Soundside.

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    Casual Friday with Rachel Belle and Andrew Walsh

    This week… Seattle got Smoky, and with wildfires burning across the Pacific Northwest, we probably haven’t seen the last of the soot. Government employees on the San Juan Islands are moving to a 32-hour work week. And the paper mill behind the Aroma of Tacoma is shutting down. Your Last Meal Podcast Host Rachel Belle and Too Beautiful to Live Podcast Co-Host Andrew Walsh are here to break down the week.

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    Smoke, we just have to live with it

    It's back. After a bit of relief, more smoke could be on the way. We’re deep into wildfire season.. And the state is parched. Crosscut’s Hannah Weinberger is here to talk to tell us what we need to know about our fifth season..

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    Saying goodbye to Tokitae

    The world lost Tokitae on Friday. She was the last living Southern Resident Orca in captivity. Organizers were trying to return her to the Salish Sea from Florida where she spent more than 50 years in the Miami seaquarium. Lummi Nation member Jay Julius is here along with Seattle Times reporter Lynda Mapes to talk about her life as part of the story of endangered Orcas.

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    Don't get scammed buying concert tickets

    Seattle’s been busy this summer. Taylor Swift came through, we had the MLB All-Star Game, and we’re back to our pre-Covid music festival schedule. If you bought a ticket to any of these shows, you almost certainly ran into mark-ups on the resale market, or even scammers trying to make a quick buck. Seattle Times Arts Economy Reporter Margo Vansynghel reported on the difficult process of buying a ticket to a concert in Seattle, and how some in Washington are trying to make it easier.

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    Our aging ferries want to retire

    The twenty one available Washington State Ferries are old. Some are long overdue for retirement. But thousands of people still depend on them every day, and new ferries are not coming anytime soon. Seattle Times Reporter David Kroman talks about the state of our ferries, and why it’s been so hard to build new ones.

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    Casual Friday with Casey Martin and Vaughan Jones

    This week… It was hot, but Seattle has been stocking up on A/C. Two major celebrities stopped by Washington, VP Kamala Harris and pop culture icon Dolly Parton. And the state wants to speed up with funds for a bullet train, but the city wants to slow down by putting in more traffic cameras. KUOW Reporter Casey Martin and Seattle Now Producer Vaughan Jones are here to break down the week.

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    Seattle's City Council election gets spicy

    Election officials certified the results of our local primary this week. That means we know which City Council candidates are vying for your votes. As KUOW Politics editor Cat Smith puts it, things are getting spicy in some of the races. In others, we saw some surprising shifts after the initial round of results. She breaks the results down race-by-race.

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    New social housing plan gets first startup money

    Seattle’s social housing initiative just got some startup money. It’s been over six months since voters approved the new approach to affordable housing. Seattle Times reporter Anna Patrick will tell you about the early stages of the program and the prospects for paying for it in the long term.

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    Seattle tries to keep cool

    It’s hot outside, in case you haven’t noticed. We’re right in the middle of a short heat wave in the Emerald City. While it’s not breaking records like back in 2021, it’s still important to stay safe, and check on your neighbors to see that they’re alright. KUOW’s Casey Martin went out in the streets yesterday to see how people are beating the heat.

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    A WA library might close over book fight

    A library in rural Southeast Washington could be the first in the nation to close over a fight about removing books. The debate revolves around a group of books in the library’s kids and young adult sections that some residents say aren’t age-appropriate. Seattle Times reporter David Gutman is here to explain how things got to this point, with some help from life-long Dayton resident John Hutchens.