Alec Cowan

1 week ago | m.kuow.org | Monica Nickelsburg |Joshua McNichols |Lucy Soucek |Alec Cowan

Washington state is known for its cherries. We produce more sweet cherries than any other state in the country, and we export them all over the world. But to supply the world with cherries, Washington farmers need a lot of workers to show up for a very short harvesting window. Usually they do, but not this year. High profile ICE raids are keeping migrant workers from the fields. Today, how a culture of fear is pushing Washington cherry growers to the brink.

2 weeks ago | m.kuow.org | Monica Nickelsburg |Joshua McNichols |Lucy Soucek |Alec Cowan

After years of heated arguments, Seattle just passed a law allowing up to four houses per residential lot -- and six, in some cases.  The hope is that building a lot more homes will keep prices from becoming dramatically more expensive than they are now. But there’s a tradeoff. Togain more housing, we’re going to lose something else people care a lot about: trees. On the latest episode of Booming, could there be a way to have both?

1 month ago | m.kuow.org | Monica Nickelsburg |Joshua McNichols |Lucy Soucek |Alec Cowan

It's graduation season. When today’s grads started college four years ago, an entry-level job in tech was a sure bet. Now, it's anything but. And it's not just tech. Internship openings across the country are the lowest they've been in 6 years. On today's episode, entry-level jobs are supposed to be the first rung of the career ladder. So why is that ladder breaking? And is there anything that new grads hoping to enter the workforce can do about it?

1 month ago | m.kuow.org | Libby Denkmann |Alec Cowan

For people addicted to fentanyl, the desire to quit is often overshadowed by the fear of withdrawal. Incredible nerve pain, diarrhea, chills, vomiting. It’s been likened to the worst flu you’ve ever experienced. Buprenorphine, the medication often used to aid in easing addiction, can trigger withdrawal symptoms, making it tough for patients to continue treatment.

1 month ago | m.kuow.org | Libby Denkmann |Alec Cowan

When tech companies began announcing advanced artificial intelligence systems like ChatGPT, there was widespread enthusiasm. AI was going to make mundane jobs more efficient; it was going to reshape entire industries and creative processes; and it was going to free up time for humans to do things that were, well, more human – things like creating art. But in the last few years, it’s been artists themselves raising the alarm around automation.