{"podcast":{"title":"City Cast Seattle","slug":"city-cast-seattle-7559094","podcast_index_feed_id":7559094,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/CC5731460515","website_url":"https://seattle.citycast.fm/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/91f49c46-a3ab-11f0-841e-c36a6e0802bb/image/5e9519878c2f74cf6fd6d34be9c8ca8a.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"City Cast","episode_count":159,"summary":"Join Jane C. Hu and the City Cast Seattle team every weekday morning as we explore the most interesting stories about our city. It’s an informative daily podcast for all Seattleites, whether you're a local or new to town. We’ll keep you company while you’re walking the dog around Green Lake, riding the bus through SLU, or stuck in traffic on the West Seattle Bridge. City Cast is like eavesdropping on an illuminating conversation at your neighborhood coffee shop. But there’s no Seattle Freeze here; everyone’s welcome to join in. Learn more and subscribe to our daily newsletter at seattle.citycast.fm.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-15T22:17:12.970496+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/city-cast-seattle-7559094"},"episode":{"title":"Why Isn’t Ballard Getting Light Rail? Plus, is Melinda French Gates Going To Bring Back the Sonics?","slug":"why-isn-t-ballard-getting-light-rail-plus-is-melinda-french-gates-going-to-bring-back-the-sonics","published_at":"2026-06-03T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/city-cast-seattle-7559094/why-isn-t-ballard-getting-light-rail-plus-is-melinda-french-gates-going-to-bring-back-the-sonics","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/city-cast-seattle-7559094","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/CC7899763912.mp3?updated=1780444968","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/CC7899763912.mp3?updated=1780444968","summary":"Today on the podcast, Jane is joined by contributor and Urbanist contributing editor Ryan Packer to catch us up on the latest from Sound Transit’s controversial decision to defer The Ballard Link Extension, and also the appeals to Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan, and why they maybe shouldn’t have happened. They are also joined by comedian, cartoonist, and contributor Brett Hamil, who brings the cheers and jeers. Finally, they discuss the closure of Wild Waves and plans to turn it into a giant warehouse, the broken window at one of the Throne toilets downtown, and the news that Melinda French Gates has a minority stake in the parent company of the Kraken. Learn more about the sponsors of this June 3rd episode: Travel Dundee Seattle Art Museum Argosy Cruises Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastSeattle on Instagram, or email us at seattle@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 206-880-3931. For more Seattle news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, City Cast Seattle. Support City Cast Seattle by becoming a member: membership.citycast.fm/seattle Looking to advertise on City Cast Seattle? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise.","meta_description":"Today on the podcast, Jane is joined by contributor and Urbanist contributing editor Ryan Packer to catch us up on the latest from Sound Transit’s controv…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1974,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/city-cast-seattle-7559094/episodes/why-isn-t-ballard-getting-light-rail-plus-is-melinda-french-gates-going-to-bring-back-the-sonics/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/city-cast-seattle-7559094/why-isn-t-ballard-getting-light-rail-plus-is-melinda-french-gates-going-to-bring-back-the-sonics.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}