KBTC's Weekly Public Affairs Show - Friday at 7:30pm

Northwest Now is KBTC's weekly public affairs television show hosted by veteran journalist Tom Layson. Now in its 17th season, Northwest Now takes a closer look at the issues and people who are part of Western Washington. 

WATCH LIVE| Friday nights at 7:30pm on KBTC and the KBTC Livestream.  

STREAM | Available here and on-demand on the free PBS App.  

LISTEN | Listen here, download, or find episodes at Apple Podcasts.

ARCHIVE | Visit the Northwest Now Archive to explore episodes by year.

Explore the Northwest Now Collection  

Northwest Now Digital Extra | Northwest Now Digital First |Open Government | Saving the Salmon |Specials

Northwest Now Host - Tom Layson 

Tom Layson is KBTC's Managing Editor and worked in Yakima, Terre Haute, Louisville, Sacramento, Columbus, and New York-New Jersey. Tom anchored 13 hours of live coverage in the NY/NJ market during 9-11 - just one example of the many thousands of hours he’s been on set or in the field covering politics, natural disasters, courts and crime, economic development, personal finance and the environment the past 40 years. Tom grew up in the Maple Valley area and is a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University.

The Resistance

Across America, talking about the resistance means protesting the Trump administration. But in Washington State, the Democrats have ruled state government for decades - and here, the resistance is made up of conservatives now going to court to fight the new income tax. That's part of the discussion on this edition of Northwest Now.

Audio Preview

Listen to an audio preview of this week's show by Northwest Now's Associate Producer, Chris Anderson. 

Click here to listen:

5/22 The Resistance The Pacific Northwest was always a bit of a lifestyle choice when it came to facing the region’s long gray winters and its out of sight, out of mind position on the national scene. But the one thing it did have going for it was that it was a tax haven that encouraged investment and startups that became Fortune 500 companies. Now however, with an exploding state budget, overcrowding, low student test scores, and an initial run at a state income tax, some – who have formed a local version of “the resistance” - fear the party is over and are asking voters to intervene before it’s too late. Our guests are Steve Gordon, CEO of Gordon Truck Centers who says the new tax will trickle down to the middle class eventually, and Jackson Maynard who is litigating the new tax as part of the Citizen Action Defense Fund.

5/29 Real Estate 2026 Things are not going all that well in Seattle when it comes to the apparent slow bleed of rank-andfile tech jobs and the cadre of highly compensated corporate decisionmakers and business owners who are said to be planning to flee Washington State to avoid taxes. Might buyers finally get the price breaks they’ve been waiting for? That’s part of our annual discussion about Western Washington’s real estate market on this edition of Northwest Now.