Libby Denkmann
Host, Soundside
About
Libby Denkmann has covered veterans issues, homelessness and local politics during her radio journalism career. She became the host of KUOW's Soundside in November 2021. Previously she was a producer, reporter, anchor and host for stations KIRO, KFI and KPCC in Seattle and Los Angeles. During a yearlong hiatus from journalism in 2011, she worked as a congressional staffer in Washington, D.C.. Libby was born in Seattle, grew up on the eastside, and graduated from the University of Washington. Her favorite things include soccer, video games and her dog, Monty.
Location: Seattle
Languages: English, limited Japanese and Portuguese
Pronouns: she/her
Podcasts
Stories
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Hear it Again: Roads devastated our ecosystems. But they might also save them
There’s something so romantic about roads, if you’re a human. Nature might have something else to say about them. While connecting people and communities, roads have rerouted centuries-old migration routes. Roads grant us access to some of the most scenic corners of the planet, and at the same time, offer access to their destruction.
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Few and far between, endangered wolverines are difficult to track
Wolverines in the contiguous United States were listed as threatened by U.S. Fish and Wildlife last week.
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Is Seattle's new drug law working?
It's been about six weeks since Seattle's new law against public drug use and possession went into effect. The ordinance was written to bring the city in line with a new state law that treats things like having or using fentanyl in public as a gross misdemeanor. One of the directives handed down to Seattle Police is to emphasize diversion when enforcing the law. So how does that work? And how is the effort going?
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Why didn't more Washingtonians vote in the 2023 election?
Turnout for this year’s November election was the lowest on record since Washington started keeping track in 1936. Statewide, 36.41% of registered voters returned their ballot in 2023. That beats the previous low of 37.1%, held in another odd-year election — 2017, and the one before that, 38.52% in 2015. So, what is it with odd-year elections and low voter turnout?
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Will regulators stop the Alaska Hawaiian merger?
Seattle-based Alaska Airlines announced over the weekend it plans to buy Hawaiian Airlines. The $1.9 billion merger would solidify Alaska's position as the nation's fifth largest carrier, if federal regulators don't block the deal.
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What’s at the root of a growing rift between an iconic Woodinville garden shop and the downtown developer?
The situation in Woodinville has gotten messier than a vegetable garden after a bunch of rabbits moved in, and now, the city council and mayor are stepping in to try to bring both all parties back to the table.
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WA's ferry network is stretched thin, how will it recover?
If you’ve tried to catch a boat regularly lately, you know Washington state’s ferry system is struggling. Many vessels are 40 to 50 years old. The Tilikum is 63 years old. Just 14 of the agency’s 21 ships are currently sailing. A third of the fleet is out of service. Several routes are on reduced service or running smaller boats.
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With dogs and radar, volunteers search for remains at Mool-Mool, or Fort Simcoe State Park
Since time immemorial, Native Tribes in the Columbia Basin met at a village crossroads called Mool-Mool. In the wake of the Yakama Treaty of 1855, the site was of continual use as a U.S. military outpost, and for decades, the grounds included a boarding school operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, where children from the Yakama Nation were forced to attend. Today, volunteers and Yakama descendants are searching the 200-acre park for their relatives' remains.
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Local explorers believe they've found Puget Sound's deadliest shipwreck
In 1906, the Steamship Dix was shuttling passengers from Colman Dock to Port Blakely when it crossed the path of the SS Jeanie. After the SS Jeanie rolled the SS Dix, the latter's passengers scrambled for safety, with dozens tragically sinking aboard the vessel. More than 100 years later, local shipwreck enthusiasts believe they've found the steamer's resting place in Elliott Bay.
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What happens when El Niño rolls into Seattle?
If you’re in the Pacific Northwest right now, it’s cold outside. There’s frost on the ground in the morning — sometimes a freezing mist in the air. And lately, very little rain. Winter doesn’t technically start for another three weeks. But if this is all feeling off to you, you may need to prepare for more weirdness; it’s an El Niño year.