Who deserves redemption and who doesn't? A case study in a crossword puzzle
Bill Radke speaks with Bremerton Police Chief Steven Strachan about a controversial crossword puzzle published in the New York Times.
Two weeks ago, the New York Times ran a crossword puzzle with a James Bond theme. The puzzle was written by Lonnie Burton, a Washington state inmate. A lot of Times readers were outraged because of Burton is in prison for raping a 15-year-old boy in Federal Way 26 years ago.
When the New York Times puzzle editor explained why he chose to run Burton's crossword, he said "I’m a strong believer in redemption and the capacity of people to change."
So who deserves redemption after committing violent crimes and who doesn't? Chief Strachan, a member of the state clemency board, helps answer that question.
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Matt Martin
Podcast Producer
Matt Martin is a podcast producer who has worked on many different show for KUOW. He pitched and created THE WILD with Chris Morgan, a rich and experiential podcast about ecology and conservation. Matt also produced the Seattle music history podcast Let the Kids Dance and the award-winning Ghost Herd. Before moving to the on-demand side of the station, Matt worked as a producer on The Record, KUOW's local news show. He has also worked as a general assignment reporter and host for public radio stations in upstate New York and rural Alaska. Matt got his start in media as an intern with StoryCorps and Aljazeera America.
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Bill Radke
Host
Bill hosts Week In Review and Words in Review. After starting with KUOW as a University of Washington student in 1985, Bill was KUOW's morning host in the '90s and the creator of past show, Rewind, a news-satire show heard on KUOW and nationwide on NPR. Bill moved away to Southern California to host American Public Media's Weekend America and Marketplace Morning Report and returned to KUOW in 2012.
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