A new study out of the University of Virginia combined data from all 50 states to see how COVID restrictions did or didn’t reduce pandemic deaths.

Despite criticism – even today – that COVID restrictions were tyrannical and unnecessary, the paper shows that states with more stringent lockdown restrictions did in fact save lives, and that states with less restrictive lockdown measures could have prevented excess deaths had they followed similar strictures.  

While hindsight is, in this case, literally 2020 – the study should inform our response to future pandemics.

Soundside spoke with the paper's author, Christopher Ruhm, about the findings. Ruhm is a professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of Virginia’s Batten School of Leadership and Public policy. 

Guests:
Christopher Ruhm, professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of Virginia’s Batten School of Leadership and Public policy. 

Related Links:
How State Policies Impacted Death Rates During COVID | Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy | University of Virginia

<a href="https://batten.virginia.edu/about/news/how-state-policies-impacted-death-rates-during-covid">A new study </a>out of the University of Virginia combined data from all 50 states to see how COVID restrictions did or didn’t reduce pandemic deaths.
Despite criticism – even today – that COVID restrictions were tyrannical and unnecessary, the paper shows that states with more stringent lockdown restrictions did in fact save lives, and that states with less restrictive lockdown measures could have prevented excess deaths had they followed similar strictures.  
While hindsight is, in this case, literally 2020 – the study should inform our response to future pandemics.
Soundside spoke with the paper's author, Christopher Ruhm, about the findings. Ruhm is a professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of Virginia’s Batten School of Leadership and Public policy. 
Guests:
<ul>
<li>Christopher Ruhm, professor of Public Policy and Economics at the University of Virginia’s Batten School of Leadership and Public policy. </li>
</ul>
Related Links:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://batten.virginia.edu/about/news/how-state-policies-impacted-death-rates-during-covid">How State Policies Impacted Death Rates During COVID | Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy | University of Virginia</a></li>
</ul>

Soundside

New COVID study finds pandemic lockdowns did, in fact, save lives

0815 SOUNDS-SEG2

For many performers, a missed show can mean a huge pay cut. 

Drag queens, comedians, musicians, and other entertainers are mostly independent contractors, which means no employer provided health insurance or sick time. 

Now, local drag queen Betty Wetter, as well as the dance duo Drama Tops, and Velocity Dance Center, have come together to create the Queer Sick Pay Fund. 

The Fund is meant to provide queer nightlife performers in the Seattle area with sick pay and resources when they have to miss a gig. 

Guest:
Seattle drag queen Betty Wetter

Relevant Links:
Velocity Queer Sick Pay Fund page

For many performers, a missed show can mean a huge pay cut. 
Drag queens, comedians, musicians, and other entertainers are mostly independent contractors, which means no employer provided health insurance or sick time. 
Now, local drag queen Betty Wetter, as well as the dance duo Drama Tops, and Velocity Dance Center, have come together to create the Queer Sick Pay Fund. 
The Fund is meant to provide queer nightlife performers in the Seattle area with sick pay and resources when they have to miss a gig. 
Guest:
<ul>
<li>Seattle drag queen Betty Wetter</li>
</ul>
Relevant Links:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://velocitydancecenter.org/project/qspf/">Velocity Queer Sick Pay Fund page</a></li>
</ul>

For Seattle drag performers, sick days are not an option

The Columbia River is undoubtedly one of the most important rivers in the Northwest. Today, its irrigation provides water for the farms of Central Washington; it’s a vital waterway for salmon; and it provides a critical source of hydroelectric power. 

The river is split between the U.S. and Canada, and its headwaters begin in British Columbia. For the last 60 years, one treaty -- the Columbia River Treaty -- has dictated how the two nations manage the river and its dams. But that treaty is quickly approaching an important deadline this September, and if nothing changes, terms in the treaty become less favorable to the United States.

In the last month, stakeholders on both sides of the border have come to an "agreement in principle" on an update to the Columbia River Treaty. Negotiations over changes in the treaty have been in the works for the last6 years.

It’s probably something you haven’t heard about before – but it’s a critical piece of the future of the Columbia River and everything that depends on it. This week Soundside’s Libby Denkmann caught up on the treaty’s latest with Nigel Bankes, professor emeritus of law at the University of Calgary.

Guests:
Nigel Bankes, professor of law emeritus at the University of Calgary

Related Links:
Agreement in Principle on a Revised Columbia River Treaty | ABlawg
U.S. and Canada update 60-year-old Columbia River Treaty | Cascade PBS
What’s at stake if the Columbia River Treaty were to end - OPB

The Columbia River is undoubtedly one of the most important rivers in the Northwest. Today, its irrigation provides water for the farms of Central Washington; it’s a vital waterway for salmon; and it provides a critical source of hydroelectric power. 
The river is split between the U.S. and Canada, and its headwaters begin in British Columbia. For the last 60 years, one treaty -- the Columbia River Treaty -- has dictated how the two nations manage the river and its dams. But that treaty is quickly approaching an important deadline this September, and if nothing changes, terms in the treaty become less favorable to the United States.
In the last month, stakeholders on both sides of the border have come to an "agreement in principle" on an update to the Columbia River Treaty. Negotiations over changes in the treaty have been in the works for the last 6 years.
It’s probably something you haven’t heard about before – but it’s a critical piece of the future of the Columbia River and everything that depends on it. This week Soundside’s Libby Denkmann caught up on the treaty’s latest with Nigel Bankes, professor emeritus of law at the University of Calgary.
Guests:
<ul>
<li>Nigel Bankes, professor of law emeritus at the University of Calgary</li>
</ul>
Related Links:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://ablawg.ca/2024/07/18/agreement-in-principle-on-a-revised-columbia-river-treaty/">Agreement in Principle on a Revised Columbia River Treaty | ABlawg</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.cascadepbs.org/environment/2024/07/us-and-canada-update-60-year-old-columbia-river-treaty?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter-web-button">U.S. and Canada update 60-year-old Columbia River Treaty | Cascade PBS</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.opb.org/article/2022/09/29/whats-at-stake-if-the-columbia-river-treaty-were-to-end/">What’s at stake if the Columbia River Treaty were to end - OPB</a></li>
</ul>

Updates are coming to this 60-year-old treaty guiding the Columbia River

For 150 years, the United States government operated boarding schools that separated Native American children from their families and communities. The government's goal was to eradicate native languages and culture. At least 17 US Indian boarding schools existed in Washington State.

A new report from the Department of Interior outlines the scale and impact of the government's effort. It identifies by name almost 19,000 native children who were sent to boarding schools across the US and roughly 1000 children who died in the boarding school system, including 60 in Washington State.

While the report is among the first of its kind, native leaders are saying it's just a start towards understanding the impact of these schools. Deborah Parker, a citizen of the Tulalip tribes and Chief Executive of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, talks about where things stand in light of the new report.

Guests: Deborah Parker, Chief Executive of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition

Relevant links: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/60-native-children-from-northwest-died-in-u-s-boarding-schools-among-nearly-1000-deaths-nationwide/

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/30/us/politics/native-american-boarding-schools.html

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. 

For 150 years, the United States government operated boarding schools that separated Native American children from their families and communities. The government's goal was to eradicate native languages and culture. At least 17 US Indian boarding schools existed in Washington State.
A new report from the Department of Interior outlines the scale and impact of the government's effort. It identifies by name almost 19,000 native children who were sent to boarding schools across the US and roughly 1000 children who died in the boarding school system, including 60 in Washington State.
While the report is among the first of its kind, native leaders are saying it's just a start towards understanding the impact of these schools. Deborah Parker, a citizen of the Tulalip tribes and Chief Executive of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition, talks about where things stand in light of the new report.
Guests: Deborah Parker, Chief Executive of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition
Relevant links: <a href="https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/60-native-children-from-northwest-died-in-u-s-boarding-schools-among-nearly-1000-deaths-nationwide">https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/60-native-children-from-northwest-died-in-u-s-boarding-schools-among-nearly-1000-deaths-nationwide/</a>
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/30/us/politics/native-american-boarding-schools.html
Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to <a href="http://kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes">kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes</a>
Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

New COVID study finds pandemic lockdowns did, in fact, save lives

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