Northwest Reports

Investigating Complaints at a Seattle VA Building

Lizz Giordano and Lauren Gallup discuss their reporting on Puget Sound Veterans Affairs clinic complaints. Plus, what’s changing with Northwest Reports.
Patients and staff have navigated a myriad of concerning conditions in a building on the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System campus in South Seattle.    
Earlier this month, Northwest Public Broadcasting reporter Lauren Gallup and Cascade PBS reporter Lizz Giordano published their joint investigation into the conditions in Building 18, from leaky ceilings to inadequate ventilation during the pandemic.  
In this episode of Northwest Reports, host Maleeha Syed speaks with Gallup and Giordano about their investigation, including how they learned about the story; why they chose to showcase their investigation in different mediums; and their plans for future reporting on this topic.  
Also, we have an update about Northwest Reports: This will be the final episode that we publish on a weekly schedule, because we’re going to start releasing limited series several times a year – with our first one coming out this fall. So keep following us wherever you get your podcasts and be on the lookout for that upcoming series! 
Learn more about the findings from this investigation here and here. 
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Credits 
Host/Producer: Maleeha Syed and Sara Bernard
Reporters: Lizz Giordano and Lauren Gallup
Story editor: Ryan Famuliner
Executive producer: Sarah Menzies
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If you would like to support Cascade PBS, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Cascade PBS. 

Finding and Losing Housing in Washington

After being forced to move from Seattle and, this year, Snohomish, Sandra Mears and her partner are still searching for a place to call home as renters.
Sandra Mears rented in Seattle for years – until she and her partner had to leave their home because it was getting torn down. 
They moved to a spot in Snohomish, where they could go to the farmers market, walk to restaurants and feel a sense of community.  
They lived there for years, but in January they learned that their house was being sold and they had to leave within 90 days. Suddenly they found themselves scrambling to find a new place – again. 
In this episode of Northwest Reports, host Maleeha Syed speaks with Mears about what it was like to get pushed out of her home once more; the ongoing struggle to find affordable housing in the region; and the toll this most recent move took on her and her partner.  
Read more about Sandra's story here.
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Credits 
Host/Producer: Maleeha Syed and Sara Bernard
Guest: Sandra Mears
Story editor: Ryan Famuliner
Executive producer: Sarah Menzies
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If you would like to support Cascade PBS, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Cascade PBS. 

A Chat With the Seattle UFO Network

Ahead of World UFO Day, we spoke with Carole Williams about the community she’s found with others who share her interest in extraterrestrials.
We’re talking aliens – and community – ahead of World UFO Day.  
People generally celebrate World UFO Day on July 2 – though historically the celebration has also been held on June 24, thanks to a 1947 event involving a pilot’s report of nine flying objects near Mount Rainier.   
This incident spawned a flurry of sightings and popularized the phrase “flying saucers.”   
In this episode of Northwest Reports, host Maleeha Syed speaks with Carole Williams, an organizer with the Seattle UFO Network, about her interest in UFOs – and the community she’s found with others who share this interest.  
Learn more about Washington's ties to UFOs here. 
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Credits 
Host/Producer: Maleeha Syed and Sara Bernard
Guest: Carole Williams
Story editor: Ryan Famuliner
Executive producer: Sarah Menzies
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If you would like to support Cascade PBS, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Cascade PBS. 

KEXP Host Kevin Sur on the Limits of an Acronym

May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander month. KEXP host Kevin Sur shares why broad terms don’t always speak to communities like his own.
AANHPI Heritage Month is coming to a close. 
May is widely recognized as a time to celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, or AANHPI, communities. There have been different versions of this acronym over the years – from Asian Pacific American (APA) to Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI).  
For some community members, these acronyms are a little too broad.  
In this episode of Northwest Reports, host Maleeha Syed speaks with Kevin Sur, a Native Hawaiian who co-hosts Sounds of Survivance, a KEXP show that spotlights global Indigenous music. Sur talks about why he thinks terms like AAPI fall short in capturing the nuances of the communities they cover.   
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Credits 
Host/Producer: Maleeha Syed and Sara Bernard
Guest: Kevin Sur
Story editor: Ryan Famuliner
Executive producer: Sarah Menzies
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If you would like to support Cascade PBS, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Cascade PBS. 

Meet Samuel Wolfe, Director of Origins Season Three

Wolfe and his team will focus the five-part docuseries on reefnet fishing and its significance to PNW Indigenous communities.
Cascade PBS has just revealed what’s to come in the third season of Origins. 
The company recently announced Samuel Wolfe as the director chosen to take on the newest season of Origins, a project that awards regional filmmakers $40,000 to create a docuseries on communities they belong to. Previous seasons have focused on refugees in the state and the experiences of growing up Black in Seattle.  
For the third season, Wolfe is going to explore the relationship between Pacific Northwest Indigenous communities and reefnet fishing.  
In this episode of Northwest Reports, host Maleeha Syed talks to Wolfe about how he plans to bring his five-part docuseries to life. Wolfe explains what reefnet fishing is; how his identity impacts his perspective; and what he hopes will come out of the project.  
Read more about the upcoming season of Origins here. 
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Credits 
Host/Producer: Maleeha Syed and Sara Bernard
Guest: Samuel Wolfe
Story editor: Ryan Famuliner
Executive producer: Sarah Menzies
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If you would like to support Cascade PBS, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Cascade PBS. 

Swimming in Idaho as a Transgender Man

After taking steps to affirm his gender, Torrey Stephenson decided to take a plunge – and became a triathlete in the process.
Torrey Stephenson was born biologically female.  
Over the years he realized that he identifies as a man, and took measures to align with his gender — for example, getting top surgery in 2020.  
As he grew more comfortable in his body, he wanted to try something new: swimming.  
In this episode of Northwest Reports, host Maleeha Syed speaks with Stephenson about how he took the plunge into the sport; why, even though he’s more comfortable with his body, he still has nerves about being trans in Idaho; and how, in just a few months, he went from learning the ropes to competing in a triathlon.   
Read more about Torrey's swimming journey here. 
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Credits 
Host/Producer: Maleeha Syed and Isaac Kaplan-Woolner
Guest: Torrey Stephenson
Story editor: Ryan Famuliner
Executive producer: Sarah Menzies
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If you would like to support Cascade PBS, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Cascade PBS. 

A Chat With Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell

Cascade PBS anchor Paris Jackson hears from the mayor about key issues facing his administration, such as public safety and Downtown revitalization.
The mayor of Seattle talked all things Emerald City in his recent conversation with Cascade PBS.  
Bruce Harrell was first elected to lead the city in 2021, though he had served as interim mayor in 2017. He also spent years on Seattle’s City Council, including as its president.  
Since taking office, Harrell has faced big-picture questions on public safety and Downtown revitalization.  
In this episode of Northwest Reports, Cascade PBS anchor Paris Jackson sits down with the mayor to talk about some of the topics that are top of mind for Seattle – from policing to the NBA.  
Read more about the conversation with Mayor Harrell here. 
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Credits 
Host/Producer: Maleeha Syed
Reporter: Paris Jackson
Story editor: Ryan Famuliner
Executive producer: Sarah Menzies
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If you would like to support Cascade PBS, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Cascade PBS. 

Black Arts Legacies: From Its Creation to Its Latest Season

Phillips, one of the advocates behind the Cascade PBS project that highlights Black artists in Seattle, discusses its origins — and the new season.
Black Arts Legacies has returned for its third season.  
The project dedicated to documenting the impact and stories of Black artists in Seattle has showcased dozens of people — from dancers and musicians to architects and curators — through written and video profiles, podcast episodes and photography.  
Artists featured this season are being unveiled one at a time each week, with two profiles, on Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence and Tee Dennard, already published.  
In this episode of Northwest Reports, host Maleeha Syed sits down with Vivian Phillips, one of the arts advocates who brought the idea for Black Arts Legacies to Cascade PBS, about the project’s beginnings; what Black Arts Legacies means to her; and this latest season.  
Check out the written and video profiles, photography and podcast episodes for Black Arts Legacies here. 
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Credits 
Host/Producer: Maleeha Syed and Isaac Kaplan-Woolner
Guest: Vivian Phillips 
Story editor: Ryan Famuliner
Executive producer: Sarah Menzies
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If you would like to support Cascade PBS, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Cascade PBS. 

Behind the Scenes of the Mossback Podcast

Producer Sara Bernard offers a peek into how the moss is made and teases what lies in wait for listeners in the podcast’s fifth season.
Mossback’s back!  
The beloved video series has returned, and host Knute Berger continues to explore Pacific Northwest history. The fifth season of the companion podcast that Knute co-hosts with Stephen Hegg is back, too.  
A couple of episodes are already out – about deadly avalanches and the effort to cover up a Boeing plant during WWII. There’s a Northwest Reports connection, too: Host Sara Bernard has been producing this latest season of the podcast.  
In this episode of Northwest Reports, host Maleeha Syed catches up with Sara to get a behind-the-scenes peek at how this season is shaping up. The two talk about the insight Sara got into PNW history; her work to bring the show to life through audio; and what it was like to try clam nectar for the podcast.  
Listen to the fifth season of the Mossback podcast here. 
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Credits 
Host/Producer: Maleeha Syed and Isaac Kaplan-Woolner
Reporter: Sara Bernard
Story editor: Ryan Famuliner
Executive producer: Sarah Menzies
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If you would like to support Cascade PBS, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Cascade PBS. 

How Dan Evans Shaped Washington

After Evans' appearance at a Northwest Power and Conservation Council meeting, Venice Buhain and Knute Berger discuss his impact on Washington.
Dan Evans has been a force in Washington for decades.  
The public figure, now 98, has plenty of titles under his belt: Engineer. Washington governor. U.S. Senator.  
In this episode of Northwest Reports, host Maleeha Syed speaks with Cascade PBS associate news editor Venice Buhain about the former three-term governor’s impact on Washington. She recently went to an event attended by Evans, put on by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (which Evans once chaired) at Evergreen State College (where Evans once served as president).    
Syed also speaks with Cascade PBS editor-at-large Knute Berger, who grew up in Washington, about what it was like watching Evans’ legacy develop over the years. 
Read more about the former governor's energy and conservation work here. 
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Credits 
Host/Producer: Maleeha Syed and Isaac Kaplan-Woolner
Reporter: Venice Buhain and Knute Berger 
Story editor: Ryan Famuliner
Executive producer: Sarah Menzies
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If you would like to support Cascade PBS, go to crosscut.com/membership. In addition to supporting our events and our daily journalism, members receive complete access to the on-demand programming of Cascade PBS.