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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.