Ross Reynolds

It’s the time of year when media outlets do stories on the top 10 news stories of the year. But we don’t live our lives in the news. What are the top stories from your personal life in 2012? A birth, a death, a graduation, a move? Did you finish that book, get that small business rolling? Learn to make sushi? What are the hallmark events of 2012 in your life? Ross Reynolds reviews the year with KUOW listeners.

To give or not to give? That's the question many of us face when encountering panhandlers on Seattle's sidewalks. Some people make up their minds about how to act and don't deviate from the script. For others, the ethical questions resurface with every encounter.

Now, it seems we're at a crossroads. Many people are still out of work. Yet social services will probably be cut even further next year. Will that change how you give?

Futurist and author Ray Kurzweil thinks we’re headed for a future where machines will become more like people, people will integrate computers and machines into their bodies, and we will live longer — much longer. Ross Reynolds talks with Ray Kurzweil about his latest book, "How to Create a Mind."

Ross Reynolds talks about the future of higher education in Washington state with Rep. Larry Seaquist who heads the House Higher Education Committee.   Larry Seaquist is also a former US warship captain and Pentagon strategist who served for 32 years in the US Navy.

It’s estimated that in King County, around 700 people under the age of 25 don’t have permanent housing. Among adolescents in general, LGBTQ youths are more vulnerable to health and psychological problems than heterosexual youths. Many are victims of parental physical abuse, turn to substance abuse, and have both mental and general physical health problems.

Ross Reynolds sits down with three people currently living without permanent housing to talk about what issues they have had to deal with as homeless youth.

Novelist Zadie Smith’s most recent work, "NW," is named after the postal code for an impoverished neighborhood in London. It’s just been called one of the 10 best books of the year.

Zadie Smith talks with Ross Reynolds about "NW," the difference between pleasure and joy, and why it took her  a long time to appreciate Joni Mitchell.

Seattle is launching a pilot project to bring ultra high-speed broadband service the city. The city is working with the University of Washington and the tech company, Gigabit Squared, to launch the new service.

There will be 12 “demonstration fiber projects” in neighborhoods around the city. Ross Reynolds talks with Ed Lazowska, who holds the Bill & Melinda Gates Chair in computer science and engineering at the UW, about the pilot program.

As the human lifespan increases, families are putting more time and effort into caring for their aging parents and grandparents. By 2008, it was estimated that the average woman could expect to spend more years caring for an older family member than for her own children.

But providing in-home care doesn't work for everyone. For many families, finding the right nursing home or assisted-living arrangement is crucial. Ross Reynolds talks about the issues surrounding elderly care with Wendy Lustbader, a p​rofessor in the School of Social Work at the University of Washington.

Most of us spent the weekend following the coverage of Friday's tragic mass killing in Newtown, Conn. Have you changed your mind on gun control? Were you pro-gun rights until last Friday? Ross Reynolds takes your calls.

Leukemia is said to be the most common form of cancer found in children. Now Seattle Children’s Hospital says it is ready to try a brand new method of treatment. Leukemia is usually treated with a bone marrow transplant, but researchers say that there might be a better way to fight off the disease.

Ross Reynolds talks with Dr. Rebecca Gardner, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington and an attending physician at Children’s Hospital about the latest in leukemia treatments.