Ross Reynolds

Job growth continues to be sluggish, but there’s one big exception: temporary work.  The number of temp and contract jobs has increased by nearly 30 percent since early 2009, according to the American Staffing Association. 

Ross Reynolds takes a closer look at the new temping economy with Steven Greenhouse, the  labor reporter for The New York Times.

This year we could be voting on an initiative requiring labeling of all food that contains genetically modified food, what critics call Frankenfood. Backers have turned in what they say are the necessary signatures to get it on the ballot.

Environmental activist Mark Lynas was an adamant opponent of genetically modified foods. He wrote in 2008, "The technology moves entirely in the wrong direction intensifying human technological manipulation of nature when we should be aiming at a more holistic ecological approach instead."

Mark Lynas was one of the first people to break into fields that scientists had planted with genetically modified test crops — and then rip them out of the ground. Ross Reynolds talks with Mark Lynas about what changed his mind about GMOs.

  What can physics teach us about finance? A great deal according to physicist and mathematician James Owen Weatherall. He says markets can be understood, and to a degree even predicted, by using principles of physics. Ross Reynolds talks to professor Weatherall about what physics can teach us about Wall Street.

A group of teachers at Ballard High School in Seattle has come out in support of Garfield High School teachers' refusal to give students the district-mandated Measures of Academic Progress standardized test. The teachers say the test is useless and shouldn't factor in to teacher evaluations. Ross Reynolds talks with educators and education experts on both sides of the issue.

  Medicaid expansion is one of the key decisions state lawmakers in Olympia face this session. Proponents say it would expand coverage to the uninsured, save the state money and boost the economy. Critics say it’s not clear how much the expansions will eventually cost state taxpayers. Ross Reynolds takes a closer look at Medicaid expansion with University of Washington public health-expert Aaron Katz.

So we've legalized pot.

Now some people are asking, if legalization is good enough for pot, why not cocaine? Why not crack? Should we just legalize everything?

Getting organized and staying organized can be a daunting task, but author David Allen says there is an easy system you can follow. Ross Reynolds spoke with David Allen back in 2009.

By the time Washington became a state in 1889, slavery had been abolished for nearly a quarter century. But there are a few documented cases of slavery in the Washington Territory. One is Charles Mitchell, who was born a slave and brought to the territory in 1853.

How did the 12-year-old escaped slave end up in Washington and why did his slavery cause a fight between Canada and the US? Ross Reynolds talks with storyteller Eva Abram to hear the story.

Where you decide to live is more important than your resume in determining your salary. That's according to Berkeley economist Enrico Moretti. He'll tell us about where to live if you want to be healthy and wealthy.

Mayor Mike McGinn has a press conference at 12:30 p.m. If he announces a run for a second term would you want him reelected? Ross Reynolds talks to KUOW listeners about how the mayor has done so far and if they would want him back.