Booming – Details, episodes & analysis

Washington's gas prices are among the highest in the country. Some blame the state’s efforts to reduce climate change for the extra cost at the pump. This November, they’ve put those concerns on the ballot.

Initiative 2117 aims to cut prices at the pump by cutting the state's plan to reduce fossil fuels. But would killing that plan -- known as the Climate Commitment Act -- result in even higher prices?

In this episode of Booming, we look at the economics and hidden costs of our addiction to fossil fuel... and the surprising lesson we can draw from past efforts to curb pollution.

Want a recipe with Cabrales cheese? (It'll make sense once you listen to the episode...) Check this out: Roasted Sweet Onions with Cabrales Blue Cheese

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Jennie Cecil Moore and Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Lucy Soucek, filling in for Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maybe you’ve noticed: Seattle traffic is back. And not just during rush hour. It’s busy all the time. But there's a transportation levy on the ballot in Seattle this November, and it's the biggest one we’ve ever seen. So, will $1.55 billion buy us better commutes?

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/boomingnotes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producers are Jennie Cecil Moore and Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Lucy Soucek, filling in for Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Boeing's hiring of its new CEO of Commercial Airplanes is the latest in a series of women who finally break through the glass ceiling at male-dominated companies, but only when there's a crisis to solve. Researchers call this the glass cliff. It can be a once-in-a-career opportunity for women, but it can also be a huge professional liability.

This week on Booming, we ask an expert why the glass cliff exists, and what the future looks like for the first woman to lead Boeing's Seattle-based jet manufacturing department.

Plus, the Department of Justice goes after landlords for an alleged price fixing scheme that uses AI to artificially inflate rates. And the Booming team tries to guess which crises forced companies to finally let women into the boys club.

A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/booming. Thank you.

"Booming" is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who killed the 15-minute city? And what will it take to get it back?

Seattle leaders have a plan to turn NIMBYs into YIMBYs. They're betting they can get residents to say "yes in my back yard" to growth if Seattle becomes a 15-minute city. That means changing laws so that everything you need is a 15-minute walk, bike, or bus ride from your home. This week on Booming, we travel to Georgetown, which could become a 15-minute neighborhood under Seattle's new Comprehensive Plan.

Plus, local content creators are sounding off on federal lawmakers' plan to ban TikTok if it doesn't cut ties with its Chinese parent company. And producer Lucy Soucek makes her Booming debut to share what listeners say is missing from their ideal 15-minute neighborhoods.

A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/booming. Thank you.

"Booming" is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More American women with young children are working than ever before, thanks in part to the rise of remote work. That has clear benefits for the economy and individuals. But hybrid work may not be a golden ticket to career advancement and satisfaction we think it is.

Plus, Seattle leaders unveil their long awaited 20-year plan for the city, and we go back in time to see what housing and child care cost previous generations.

"Booming" is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

A special thanks to all you listeners out there who financially support KUOW. You make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/booming. Thank you.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Washington State ferry system is down by a third of its fleet. That’s leaving people up and down Puget Sound stranded, intermittently severing them from their jobs, schools and doctors. But out of this crisis, a solution is gaining steam: “mosquito fleets” of smaller, more efficient passenger-only ferries. And they’re helping shape downtowns like Bremerton into more walkable communities.

Plus: Adult dancers in Washington fight for a 'Strippers' Bill of Rights' that could set the standard for workplace protections in their industry.

And can you guess which movies these iconic PNW ferry scenes come from?

"Booming" is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gen Z and millennial workers have become a punchline for media pundits and TikTok comedians. Young people get a bad rap for refusing to go above and beyond at work. Is this just the latest battle in an endless generational war, or do young people really have less work ethic? And if so, what's driving the shift? KUOW's economy reporters Monica Nickelsburg and Joshua McNichols have answers in this episode of Booming.

Plus, Seattle's urban ghost town sees sparks of life. See if you can guess which artists, makers, and pop-up businesses are moving into vacant storefronts downtown.

"Booming" is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seattle is running out of room. Could tiny, Tokyo-style apartments be part of the solution?

How much space do we really need? Residents of a new Seattle-area micro-apartment building say not much. Units go for less than studios in the same neighborhood, allowing barbers, seniors, and other folks on low incomes to live in an expensive tech hub. State lawmakers think micro-apartments could be one solution to the region’s affordable housing crisis. The catch? Rooms are about the size of a single dorm, and residents share kitchens and common spaces. In this episode of Booming, KUOW economy reporters Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg will take you inside a couple Seattle-area micro-apartments and discuss what we could gain -- or lose -- by bringing this kind of housing back.

Plus, find out why an aviation disaster expert says Boeing is in “Jaws" territory and see if you can guess the cities with the biggest – and smallest – average home sizes.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.

Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Seattle area's been home to many booms over the years. It’s brought jobs, people and wealth to the region, but also real growing pains that people here feel every day. In Booming, KUOW economy reporters Joshua McNichols and Monica Nickelsburg explore hidden connections between technology, cities, work and our day-to-day experiences. We’ll ask the important question: how can more of us benefit from the booms and weather the busts?

New episodes every other week, starting January 24.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s something unusual happening to property values in Seattle right now. As housing prices continue to climb, the value of commercial property is taking a big plunge. The County Assessor warns office buildings will be worth 30-40% less next year.

This is a historic shift. And it will have impacts on the cost of living for all of us.

That might not sit well with people who are already feeling the effects of inflation and high prices. Joshua looks at the downstream effects of plunging commercial real estate values, and what might happen at the ballot box this fall, as a result. 

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/booming.

Booming is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network. Our editor is Carol Smith. Our producer is Whitney Henry-Lester and Lucy Soucek. Our hosts are Joshua McNichols and Lucy Soucek, filling in for Monica Nickelsburg.

Support the show: https://kuow.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.