Northwest Reports

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. 

Spokane's New Mayor on First Months in Role

Cascade PBS reporter Mai Hoang talks with the former state legislator about her newest gig, including key issues affecting the city's community members.
This week, Lisa Brown officially passed the 100-day mark in her new role as Spokane’s mayor. 
Brown started her term at the beginning of the year after defeating incumbent Nadine Woodward. She has worked in several different capacities over the years, including as a lawmaker in the State Legislature.  
In this episode of Northwest Reports, Cascade PBS reporter Mai Hoang checks in with Mayor Brown to see how these first months have gone.  
The two touched on major issues impacting Spokane — homelessness, the opioid crisis and recent police shootings.   
Read more about how Brown is approaching her new role as mayor here. 
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Credits 
Host/Producer: Maleeha Syed and Isaac Kaplan-Woolner
Reporter: Mai Hoang
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. 

Saying Bye To Beloved Third Places in Seattle

We spoke with Cynthia Brothers, founder of the project that highlights disappearing institutions and cultures in the city, about losing public spaces.
Coffee shops. Churches. Gyms.   
These are just a few examples of what you might consider your “third place” – a spot you go outside of work and your home to hang out and connect.  
The concept of third places isn’t new, but it has seen renewed interest in recent years as we navigate the social fallout of COVID-19 and increased screen time.  
In this episode of Northwest Reports, host Maleeha Syed chats with Cynthia Brothers of Vanishing Seattle, a media project that highlights disappearing institutions and cultures around the city, about why we’re seeing some of our third places disappear and what it means to lose them.  
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Credits 
Host/Producer: Maleeha Syed and Isaac Kaplan-Woolner
Reporter: Maleeha Syed
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.

Covering an Alleged Labor Trafficking Case in WA

Lizz Giordano takes us behind the scenes on how dozens of foreign Filipino fishermen wound up stranded on a boat in Grays Harbor.
A fishing company allegedly left two dozen Filipino men stranded at the Westport Marina for months last year, according to the latest reporting from the investigative team at Cascade PBS.  
The men were contracted with McAdam’s Fish, which decided to dock their boats in September amid a slow season. None of the fishermen had a visa, meaning they could be fined if they stepped off the boats at all.  
Consequently, the workers relied on the California-based company for basic needs and to return home. They also didn’t get a majority of their pay in the three months they were living on the vessels.   
In this episode of Northwest Reports, host Maleeha Syed goes behind the scenes with reporter Lizz Giordano to talk about how this story ended up on her radar; what it was like to collaborate on it with reporters Farah Eltohamy and Jaelynn Grisso; and the trip they all took to Westport to see where the fishermen were living.  
Find out more about the investigation into what happened at the Westport Marina here. 
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Credits 
Host/Producer: Maleeha Syed and Isaac Kaplan-Woolner
Reporter: Lizz Giordano, Jaelynn Grisso and Farah Eltohamy
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.

Relaunching The Black Lens in Spokane

The newspaper’s future was in question after founder Sandy Williams died. Reporter Mai Hoang talks about the push to get it up and running again.
For years Black readers in Eastern Washington could rely on The Black Lens, a Spokane-based newspaper, for community news.  
That changed in 2022, when founder Sandy Williams died in a floatplane crash. 
Suddenly the fate of the publication — which had already been on hiatus — was left hanging in the balance. 
In this episode of Northwest Reports, Mai Hoang talks about the push to revive The Black Lens, the publication’s value to community members and the legacy of Sandy Williams.   Read more about the relaunch of The Black Lens here. 
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Credits 
Host/Producer: Maleeha Syed and Isaac Kaplan-Woolner
Reporter: Mai Hoang
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.

Palestinian, Israeli Women on Friendship, Hope

The two, who met years ago through a peace organization, spoke about their lives before and after Oct. 7 at a Town Hall Seattle event on Friday.
All eyes have been on Gaza since October 7, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel that killed around 1,200 people. Since then, Israel has killed upward of 30,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.  
The war between Israel and Hamas has sparked global outrage, triggered widespread calls for a cease-fire and led some Americans to vote “uncommitted” in the presidential primary – an attempt to get President Joe Biden to take a harsher stance on Israel.  
Still, there have long been efforts to build connections between communities tied to the war. One example is Tomorrow’s Women, an organization dedicated to facilitating dialogue and empowering young Israeli and Palestinian women to work toward peace.  
This episode of Northwest Reports is an edited version of a live event at Town Hall Seattle where Lana Ikelan, a Palestinian journalist, and Noga Bar Oz, a Jewish Israeli musician, shared stories about growing up in a divided world, their work as peacemakers and the ways the war has impacted them. Afterward, the women, who met in 2016 through Tomorrow’s Women, spoke with Northwest Reports co-host Sara Bernard about their relationship, their experiences before and after the war began, and what they continue to hope for.  
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Credits 
Host/Producer: Sara Bernard and Scot Michael 
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.

Climate Change Is Putting Us in a Funk

The environmental crisis has brought on anxiety, grief and a reluctance to have kids, says UW Bothell professor Jennifer Atkinson. 
 
It’s hard to miss the signs of climate change.   
The ocean’s heating, ice sheets are melting and – in places like Washington – wildfire seasons are getting longer.  
But climate change isn’t just impacting our landscape: It’s also affecting our mental health.  
In this episode of Crosscut Reports, host Maleeha Syed talks with Jennifer Atkinson, an associate teaching professor at the University of Washington Bothell, about the difficult emotions many of us experience with these changes – and what we can do to navigate them.  
To learn more about the impact that climate change is having on our mental health, check out this episode of Human Elements.  
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Credits 
Host/Producer: Maleeha Syed and Isaac Kaplan-Woolner
Reporter: Maleeha Syed
Story editor: Ryan Famuliner
Executive producer: Sarah Menzies
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If you would like to support Crosscut, 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 Seattle’s PBS station, KCTS 9.