Indy on Air The Sammamish Independent

The release of artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT in November 2022 launched many conversations about AI in the past few months. With original writing that can't be caught by plagiarism checks and that can be indistinguishable from human writing, concerns have been raised about the potential for cheating in academics. Many also wonder what the future of AI will hold. We talked to University of Washington professor Jeff Blimes and a teacher at Eastlake High School for their perspectives on AI.

With air quality in the Seattle area the worst in the world in October, many wondered whether this would be yet another "new normal." After all, wildfires nearby have brought smoke to Sammamish nearly every year in recent memory. We talked to a firefighter and local hiker for insights into the impact of these fires and what is being done to address them.

It’s no secret that there’s a national teacher shortage right now, and that many teachers are not happy with the resources the district provides them inside and outside classrooms. With Seattle schools starting a week late from a teacher strike, we wondered how teachers in Sammamish feel about returning back to school this year. We talked to three teachers in the Lake Washington and Issaquah school districts to get insights on what our local teachers are faring as schools try to return to pre-pandemic life.

Lead producer Julia Gudis and producer Sehrish Daud reflect on their two years producing Indy on Air in their final episode before they sign off  and head to college. In it, they offer a masterclass to anyone who wants to start podcasting and get news and views out to the world.

In April 2021, Sound Transit posted an update about the North Sammamish Park and Ride, a parking lot for drivers to leave their cars in to travel through public transport, moving the completion date to 2045 - 21 years after the previous 2024 promise. We talked to former council member Jason Ritchie and a few Sammamish citizens to gain a better understanding of what the North Sammamish Park and Ride is, and why it’s taking so long to build.

In President Biden’s words, Russia’s violent invasion of Ukraine is “a flagrant violation of international law.” This war has forced more than 4.5 million Ukrainians to flee their country, leaving the world in shock, sadness, and economic ruin. We spoke to a UW history professor, a Sammamish resident, and a Ukrainian refugee to learn about how we got to where we are today and how our community has been impacted by this war.