Bassist Melissa Auf der Maur on joining Hole and why she stepped away from music

If you look on the cover of Hole's album "Celebrity Skin," you'll see her right away.  Melissa Auf der Maur is standing to the left of Courtney Love. The 1998 album is the first one she recorded with the band. She joined in 1994 after bassist Kristen Pfaff died, and she played with them around the…

Why Washington's credit outlook dropped to 'negative'

What happens when a state spends beyond its means?  Moody’s and Fitch, two of the three major credit rating agencies, recently moved Washington’s credit outlook from “stable” to “negative.”  So it turns out that you're not the only one keeping your spending in check and trying to bump up your cre…

What Stacey Abrams thinks about a recent SCOTUS decision and the Voting Rights Amendment

The nation is still reckoning with a Supreme Court decision last week that critics say renders a key aspect of the Voting Rights Act useless. The court ruled that Louisiana illegally used race in the way it drew its district map.  It has wider implications for how all such maps are drawn. Some st…

Hiking and camping could look different this year after budget cuts

This year, Washington cut more than $500,000 from the state’s Department of Natural Resources.  These budget cuts are going to mean campground closures, less trail maintenance and dirtier bathrooms at a lot of popular trailheads.  Many are wondering how it’ll impact their outdoors time, because t…

Bringing R2-D2 from the screen to real life with Pacific Northwest Droid Builders

May the Fourth Be With you, because today is Star Wars Day! For nearly 50 years, the Star Wars franchise has captured the hearts of SO MANY sci-fi and fantasy fans. And for a lot of people, it’s all about the droids… R2-D2 and C-3PO, to be precise. This past weekend, that love of droids was on fu…

Rep. Michael Baumgartner on why he supports Trump's approach to the Iran war

Members of Congress from Washington state are almost unified in their condemnation of the Iran war, which passed the two-month mark this week. But the two House Republicans on the east side have been supportive of President Trump’s decision to strike Iran starting Feb. 28th. One of them is Rep. M…

Soundside's Weekend Warmup: Star Wars, Sequim, SEAF!

If you still don't have any plans for this weekend, fear not. The Weekend Warmup is here to help with a whole bunch of ideas for fun things to do around the region this weekend. LINKS:  Seattle May Day 2026 Seattle Black Film Festival Sequim Irrigation Festival Mariners vs KC Royals Kentucky Derby…

Front Page: Tacoma ICE facility, AI tech layoffs, City Council on public drug use

Every week we talk about the most fascinating stories in the news and what they say about the Pacific Northwest. We call it Front Page. 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 storie…

Ask A Doc: What is perfect skin, anyway?

A plethora of social media influencers and affordable, high-quality products means the quest for so-called “perfect skin” seems more attainable than ever. Poreless, plump, unwrinkled, acne-free: Companies are ready to sell you something to make those attributes a reality for you. But does anyone …

What does the future of Sound Transit light rail look like in the region?

Sound Transit is looking at potential cuts and readjustments to its ST3 plan. Voters approved the vision for the next phase of regional transit nearly a decade ago.  But last year, Sound Transit announced it was somewhere between 30 and 40 billion dollars in the hole. At a Sound Transit retreat in…