Alec Cowan
Senior Podcast Producer
About
Alec Cowan is a senior podcast producer at KUOW, where he works on Booming and other podcast projects.
Alec has worn many hats at KUOW. He helped launch Soundside and brought many eclectic stories to the program, from a late-night patrol with real life superheroes to the sewing machine sounds of an artisanal sail loft. Additionally, he was previously a producer for The Record with Bill Radke and the Primed podcast.
Before joining KUOW, Alec worked in NPR's Story Lab, where he helped pilot the Louder Than a Riot podcast and assisted in producing a story on volunteerism in Iraq for Rough Translation. Originally from Grand Junction, Colorado, his roots in the Northwest begin in Eugene, where he studied English and philosophy at the University of Oregon and worked as a news reporter for NPR member station KLCC. He is likely neglecting his saxophone, growing book collection, and expanding personal project list in favor of boosting his online Xbox ranking.
He's proud to be KUOW's unofficial "boat guy."
Location: Seattle
Languages Spoken: English
Pronouns: he/him/his
Podcasts
Stories
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Yakima looks to 'Housing First' approach as homelessness grows
Solutions to homelessness are becoming more of a political issue – especially for a strategy known as “Permanent Supportive Housing,” or “Housing First.” This policy emphasizes getting people into housing as a first step toward solving more chronic issues like mental health or addiction. For decades this approach has had bipartisan support. But recent challenges from Republicans at the federal level are threatening the avenues for local programs to tap into national funds.
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WA Legislature expands public school oversight of private special ed schools
Students with special education needs face an uphill battle in Washington state. The state has a constitutional obligation to provide basic education for all students. But Washington is among the majority of states facing a shortage of special education teachers.
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Spokane weighs how much authority to give its police ombudsman
The City of Spokane is taking a hard look at police oversight after a major report about the conduct of the Chief of Police hit roadblocks in the mayor’s office. It looked at allegations that the police chief was giving a group of downtown Spokane business owners “special access” to public records. The release of the Ombudsman’s report, and recommendations, set off a firestorm at City Hall with some wondering just how much authority the watchdog’s office should have.
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Despite decades of integration, Seattle schools are re-segregating
In 1978, Seattle began an effort to desegregate its schools. Two decades after the landmark Brown V. Board of Education ruling, it was the first major city to voluntarily take on racial segregation in schools – the enduring legacy of racist policies like redlining. For 40 years, Seattle students were bussed to schools across town in an effort to put students and schools in different parts of town on equal footing. But then, in 2007, the district’s integration policies were challenged by white parents. And ultimately deemed unconstitutional.
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Washington state hits the reset button on its search for a new airport site
With the stroke of a pen last week, Governor Jay Inslee hit “reset” on years of work to decide where to build a new major airport in Western Washington. While pockets of Pierce and Thurston counties are breathing a big sigh of relief over the decision, many state leaders are scratching their heads about what’s next.
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After more than a decade, Seattle passes new rules to protect more city trees
Seattle is known as the Emerald City, but over the past couple decades it’s been losing a lot of what makes it green. The city’s most recent tree canopy assessment, released in 2021, found that Seattle’s tree cover had dropped to 28.1 percent -- short of a goal set nearly 15 years earlier of getting canopy coverage to at least 30 percent. To protect more trees from development, many urban forest advocates have spent years asking for an update to rules for removing and replacing trees in Seattle. On Tuesday, those rules were finally updated.
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Hear it again: When WA was a country music capital — Stephanie Clifford's 'The Farewell Tour'
When you think about country music, places like Texas, Appalachia and Nashville probably come to mind. Maybe you even know about The Bakersfield Sound, a sub-genre of country music that sprang from California. But the Pacific Northwest has a long country tradition, from honky tonks in Tacoma to radio shows in Walla Walla and dances at Whatcom County meeting halls.
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What's in a weave? Native basketmaker and archeologist explore the stories baskets tell
Master basketmaker and National Heritage Fellowship winner Ed Carriere is teaming up with a retired WSU archeologist to explore the recent and ancient history of Native basket weaving, as Carriere works to keep the traditional techniques he learned from his great-grandmother alive.
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Spokane is closing Camp Hope, but for many the trauma of homelessness continues
Camp Hope, a large homelessness encampment in Spokane, has become a battleground between city, county, and state officials. It’s also brought a lot of attention and scrutiny toward Spokane’s homelessness policies. Local officials want camp residents moved elsewhere, citing concerns with community safety and drug use. Both sides agree residents should be moved elsewhere — but just where, and when, has remained an open question.
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Should we think of gun violence as a 'disease'? These epidemiologists do
For the first time ever, the Springer Handbook of Epidemiology has added gun violence to its pages. How does looking at gun violence as a disease change the way we view it?