Some people have asked how I get all the news, so here's my best take on a list, with commentary.
Newspapers:
Seattle Times – Our only remaining newspaper, and the most comprehensive source for local news. Requires a subscription, and an ability to ignore many of the editorials.
The Stranger – Doesn't have the news staff that it used to have, but provides a consistent progressive counterpoint to the Seattle Times. Free.
Publicola – A mostly one-woman production by a phenomenally productive reporter with a progressive outlook. Uses a public radio support model.
The Urbanist – Really good local reporting centered around the concerns of urbanists: transportation & housing. Uses a public radio support model.
Podcasts:
Seattle Nice – Each episode they choose one or two topics from Seattle politics to go into depth on, with a moderator, a moderate voice, and a progressive voice.
Hacks & Wonks – Discussion of a few topics from the week in local news, from a progressive point of view with a variety of guests
Seattle News, Views & Brews – Discussion of a few topics from the week in local news, from a moderate point of view with Brian Callaghan. Each episode is 20 minutes.
KUOW Week in Review – Discussion of a few topics from the week in local news, from a panel with variety of different points of view. Each episode is about an hour.
Local organizations:
Transportation Choices Coalition – Holds periodic meetings to discuss transportation news & events across the State from all levels
ShiftZero – Various working groups for building decarbonization, at both the state and local level
350 Washington – Sign up for the Civic Action Team and you'll get biweekly updates during the Legislative Session on progress and impact of state bills.
Climate Solutions, Transit Riders Union, 350 Seattle
City Council – Last but definitely not least: you can attend in person or remotely Council meetings and many advisory meetings, and you can watch them on video even after they are over. The link here is to all the official council meetings, you can view the agendas, and watch past meetings. Meetings often include reports from various city agencies to the council, e.g., SDOT. You can watch the presentations on video, or you can flip through the slides yourself. By watching on video, you can also hear the questions and remarks from councilmembers.
County Council – As with City Council, you can attend in person or remotely, view agendas, notes, meeting materials, and video of prior meetings.
Sound Transit – See what's coming up or view past meetings through the link.
Newspapers:
Washington Observer – State political news, requires subscription
Washington State Standard – State political news
State Legislature – The State website has a ton of information about bill progress and public meetings, including video of hearings.
Podcasts:
Volts – A newsletter, podcast, & community focused on the technology, politics, and policy of decarbonization from David Roberts. Subscription model similar to public radio, where you can access for free, but regular listeners are asked to contribute.
Shift Key - Part of HeatMap News, covers the energy transition with deep dives into many topics with reporter Robinson Meyer and Professor Jesse Jenkins, one of the country's foremost climate policy modelers. No subscription necessary.
Videos:
Not Just Bikes – Opinionated comments on urban design and transportation from a Canadian who is from Toronto, but settled in the Netherlands
City Nerd – Comments on urban design in many different North American cities and towns.
Strong Towns – Devoted to reducing car dependency, coming at it from a more middle America, bottoms up, small town point of view, with an emphasis on financial solvency.
Podcast Series:
The Power Broker (99% Invisible) – Book club style discussion of the Power Broker by Robert Caro. It is an biography of Robert Moses, who was the moving force behind parts, highways, and urban development in New York City for decades, from the late 1920s to the 1960s. It is about modern politics, urban design and transportation. The book is a classic in three volumes, the discussion of it is a very entertaining and informative 12 part series podcast.
The Big Dig (WGBH News) – The Big Dig is the mega-project in Boston that buried the Central Artery and constructed a new tunnel for car traffic to the airport. It had huge cost overruns, fraud, and delays, but ultimately most people in Boston are happy with the result. This 9 part series covers it all in depth, starting with the original rebellion against the interstates in the 60s, and carrying through conception, design, and construction. Kind of like a modern take on many of the issues from the Power Broker.
Not Built For This (99% Invisible) – A deep dive into climate resilience in America, from the point of view of the communities that experienced major disasters. A series of six podcasts that highlight how our infrastructure is failing because it wasn't designed for the climate we are currently experiencing.
How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything In Between By Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner. About how projects get huge cost overruns, exceed their deadlines, and cut short deliverables –. or not. This led me to think a lot more about Sound Transit and how it is going forward.