The Sound of the Pacific Northwest

Have you ever wondered about the people you see all the time, like your bus driver, your baker, your garbage collector? What’s interesting or fun about their jobs? What ticks them off? What makes them smile? Well, we thought it would be a great idea to talk to them. This week, we talked to a Community Transit bus driver in Washington. We had a great conversation and learned a lot about him and his job. Listen to our conversation with David Scroggins of Community Transit here...

There’s a Volunteer Expo coming up on September 4th at Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland. To talk about this event, we’ve invited Melissa Wilmot, Public Relations & Social Media Manager, Community Relations at The Standard Insurance Company.

Poverty Bay Blues and Brews is on Saturday, August 23rd. To learn about this great event, we have invited Brian Snure, who has been in charge of the festival since the beginning, 16 years ago, and Steve Swank, AKA the Music Man; he’s the one that has booked the bands since they started the festival!

Get your tickets here: https://www.drinktomusic.org/

 Our guest today is Jared Walker. He founded “Dollar For” in 2012 in Portland, Oregon. He created it to prevent medical crises becoming financial crises. He wants to make charity care known, easy, and fair.

If you’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest in the last 3 decades and you like listening to radio, you’ll recognize the name Georgine Rice… She’s the host of the Georgene Rice, Mon-Fri at 4 pm on 820 AM, The Word, and she’s been in KPDQ in Portland for over 30 years!

Today on the Sound of the Puget Sound, we had the chance to talk to Greg Roth. He is the Director & Executive Producer of the movie “We Ride Why.” 

He is also the founder and Creative Director of the local music website Seattle Music Insider. Greg was raised in a musical family, and, like his brothers John and Robert, played in various bands, as well as writing and producing his own projects. 

Each year, hundreds of thousands of children grow up in America’s $30 billion foster care system, only to leave and enter its prisons, where a quarter of all inmates are former foster youth.

Seattle author Claudia Rowe has ideas on how to fix this problem, and she wrote a book about it. 

In Wards of the State: The Long Shadow of American Foster Care, Claudia Rowe paints a visceral survival narrative showing exactly where, when, and how the system channels children into locked cells.

Gina Tarnacki is a local travel writer, and the author of “100 Things to Do in Washington State Before You Die.” She gave us amazing tips on some of the things to do in Washington before we die. 

In 2018, Yori, a 3-year-old from Seattle, drowned in a pool when he was just 3 years old. We’re talking to his mom today. Chezik, his mom, knew she had to do something to honor her child. That’s how “No More Under” was born.  Chezik Tsunoda is the founder of this organization and she’s talking to us today.

Music Aid Northwest was created by a group of very successful musicians in the Puget Sound to raise and provide funds for music programs in Washington State. Why, you may be asking yourself… Well, to answer this question, we have invited the Music Aid Northwest Executive Director, Bob Tomberg.

Recently, one of our co-workers gave us the shocking news that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. We knew it was a serious illness, but what else did we know about it? Not much… We know that’s what Michael J. Fox has… I guess that’s it. We started learning a little bit from our co-worker but we thought it would be beneficial for our audience if we talked to the experts about it. Today we’ve invited to the show, Dr. Marci Nemhauser, who’s in charge of Social Services at The Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation.

Richard Ramos is the author of Parents on a Mission: How Parents Can Win the Competition for the Heart, Mind, and Loyalty of Their Children. In Parents on a Mission, Richard Ramos explains the importance of healthy parent-child relationships and parents' role in shaping their children's lives.

We continue our conversation with Steve Edmiston about the Maury Island UFO Incident and the Men In Black Birthday Bash Fest.

Do you know where Maury Island is? Have you ever heard of the Maury Island incident? Well, today we have a guest that knows all about the Maury Island incident…

Did you notice how there are UFOs and rockets featured all around Des Moines? Did you ever wonder why? Today’s the day I will blow your mind, Pedro. Well, not me, our guest. Steve Edmiston is a business, entertainment, intellectual property lawyer; indie film writer/producer; and toy/game industry consultant. AND, as he calls himself, a micro-historian. Today, Steve will tell us about the Maury Island UFO Incident.

There’s a group of women in West Seattle that were just featured in the news… Why? Because they have a grassroots organization that has just reached a major milestone: They have surpassed a half a million dollars in donations to local organizations! Where is that money coming from? Well, their own pockets! They are Impact West Seattle, and, to talk about their success, we have invited one of their co-founders, Rachel Lazar.

Next week, we have a donor campaign on 820 AM “The Word.” It’ll be on Wednesday and Thursday, and we’ll be raising money for an organization called GFA, Gospels for Asia. We could tell you all about this, but we’d rather invite someone very important for GFA. We’re talking about Bishop Daniel Timotheos. Bishop Daniel is a global Christian leader who serves as president of GFA World and is a consecrated bishop of Believers Eastern Church. In his role as President of GFA World USA, Bishop Daniel serves as the primary link between thousands of Christian workers and missionaries serving throughout Africa and Asia and the rest of the church worldwide.

Growing Veterans provides multiple opportunities through sustainable agriculture for veterans to strengthen themselves and their local community. Growing Veterans exists to provide a healthy transition opportunity for returning military veterans, a platform for older veterans to get involved with the new, and to leverage all US military veterans to change the way communities think about food.

To talk about Growing Veterans we’re joined today by Logan A. Hilgers, Community Outreach Coordinator for Growing Veterans.

There’s an organization called “Loose Ends,” and this is what they do. They finish knitting or sewing projects that may have been left unfinished. And here’s the good news, not only can you submit a project, but you can also become part of their network of volunteer finishers. To talk about Loose Ends, we’ve invited Jen Simonic, Co-Founder and Director of Partnerships & Community Outreach for Loose Ends.

You know, Pedro we missed something last weekend… It was National Puppy Day! We have a cat now, but we both grew up with dogs. I had Guaguito, Solita, Ninguno and Manchita. What dogs did you have? Do you miss having dogs? What if I told you there is a way you can have a puppy and help raise it to become a service dog? What do you think of the name Felipe, for a dog. Well, there’s an organization in the United States and of course, here in the Puget Sound, called Canine Companions. And they need people like us to help. To talk about Canine Companions we have invited Julia Schuehle, their Field Marketing and Media Coordinator.

On March 11th 2025, one of the biggest Seattle radio legends passed away. Bob Rivers, known all over the country for his amazing Christmas Twisted Tunes, had been a radio personality in Seattle since the 90's. Bob touched countless lives with his humor, kindness, and passion for storytelling. His voice may be silent, but he will remain in the hearts of those who know him and those who for years followed him on the radio. We had the chance to work with him for many years. Not long ago, we did an interview with him on our radio show, and we decided to replay it, to honor such an amazing person. Bob, rest in peace!