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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

Stories

  • caption: Wildfire smoke dims the sun above the White River in Olympic National Park on Sept. 11, 2020.

    Hear It Again: Barriers to Recreation

    Soundside talks to Rico Bembry of the Black Washingtonians Workgroup on Recreation, about the challenges faced by communities of color as they enjoy the outdoors.

  • caption: The Seattle skyline is shown shrouded in smoke from wildfires burning in Canada, on Friday, August 13, 2021, from Jefferson Park in Seattle.

    How long will smoky skies linger above Puget Sound?

    The smell of the air around the Puget Sound today is... not pleasant. Some KUOW employees described it as "like a smoked ham" or "similar to a car backfiring". So, how long will we be living with this burnt ham, car backfiring, badly-made bonfire smoke? And what is breathing it in doing to our bodies?

  • caption: A SpaceX rocket launches from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

    Space, our final dumping ground. Can we clean it up?

    Last week, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) introduced a new bill calling for the removal of "space junk." The Orbital Sustainability Act, or the ORBITS Act, aims to promote the development of technology and methods to clean up rocket and satellite debris orbiting Earth.

  • caption: Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell selected Greg Spotts as the city's transportation director in July 2022.

    Incoming SDOT director promises ‘top to bottom review’ of Vision Zero

    Before taking the top job at SDOT, Greg Spotts was in Los Angeles, leading the city of L.A.'s street services bureau. Soundside host Libby Denkmann spoke to Spotts about some of his priorities for the department in his first year on the job, Vision Zero, and creating a more climate-resilient transportation infrastructure.

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    A national railroad strike was averted, but remains possible as unions vote this week

    The Biden administration helped broker a tentative deal that will affect 120,000 rail workers across the country. While many are celebrating the aversion of a potentially disastrous shutdown, some workers have reservations about the new deal. And with a worker vote set for Thursday, rail companies are not out of the tunnel just yet.