Noel Gasca
Producer, Soundside
About
Noel is a producer for KUOW’s midday show Soundside.
Prior to joining Soundside, Noel worked as an online editor/producer with KUOW’s web team. She’s also a proud graduate of KUOW’s RadioActive program.
Noel is an alumna of Emerson College and has interned at NPR member stations WBUR in Boston, and WAMU in Washington DC. Originally from Lake Stevens, Washington, Noel is elated to be back in the Pacific Northwest and covering the people and places that make up the state she calls home. Noel has reported on labor and education.
When she’s not working, Noel enjoys perusing Seattle’s used bookstores, discussing the lasting legacy of Selena Quintanilla’s music with anyone who will listen, and spending way too much time fixing up her island on Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Location: Seattle
Languages: English
Pronouns: she/her
Professional Affiliations: National Association of Hispanic Journalists, AIR
Podcasts
Stories
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Soundside
For 50 years, Jean Walkinshaw documented the 'Northwest mystique' through everyday people
In 2013, an employee at KCTS — Seattle's PBS station — stumbled upon a box stacked in a hallway. Afraid that the rare tapes and reels would be thrown away, the employee tucked the box away. The decision saved an archive of Seattle's history considered so precious, the American Archive of Public Broadcasting added it to its collection, which also includes the Watergate hearings and interviews from the Stonewall uprising.
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Soundside
'I really appreciate you being there for me': The importance of LGBTQ role models
It's become a lot more common for young LGBTQ people to see themselves represented in media. Just look at the variety of streaming shows right now with "Gentleman Jack," "Heartstopper," and "RuPaul's Drag Race." These are programs where people can see themselves, and their potential future, represented and celebrated. But just because you see a part of yourself represented on the big screen, doesn't mean you feel welcome within your own community.
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Soundside
The latest culture-war clash could shape after-school activities for LGBTQ students in Marysville
Earlier this week, school board members in Marysville listened to parents, teachers, and students sound off on a proposed district policy that would require students to get their guardian's permission to join clubs.
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Soundside
This black hole has been a 'monster lurking' for decades. New photos expose it
While we were all going about our puny mortal existences on this tiny rock, an array of telescopes stretching from Hawaii to Western Europe to the South Pole captured the first-ever image of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. It’s called “Sagittarius A Star” – and it was first discovered back in February 1974.
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‘I was blindfolded. No one spoke a word.’ Seattle-area women talk about abortion before Roe
Did you have an illegal abortion before 1973, when the Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade? Soundside, KUOW’s noon show, asked for your stories, and a dozen of you left voicemails, sharing first-hand experiences. Transcriptions of those voicemails are below, and have been edited for clarity.
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Soundside
If Roe v Wade falls, what does that mean for Washington?
A draft opinion published late Monday by Politico indicates the Supreme Court is likely to strike down Roe v Wade in the near future. That's the landmark 1973 ruling that guarantees federal protection of abortion rights across the United States. Now, draft opinions are just that -- nothing is set in stone yet. But should it happen, this ruling would mean abortion would be banned or restricted in as many as twenty eight states. Today we're dedicating the hour to talking about the implications of the fall of Roe in the Pacific Northwest. And how local supporters of abortion rights are responding.
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Soundside
Climate change could make pollen season a lot worse in the NW
A runny nose, a cough, a headache. For once tk, we're not talking about the symptoms of COVID - we're talking about regular old seasonal allergies.
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What does Kennedy v. Bremerton School District mean for how schools handle religious speech?
What started out as one coach's post game ritual at Bremerton High School wound its way to the Supreme Court earlier this week.
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Soundside
18 sites across WA contain a slur for Indigenous women in their name, but not for long
The names of our cities, landmarks, and geographic features can tell us a lot about the history of our communities. But when you name something - it's impossible to look into the future and determine if those words will always carry the same weight and meaning.
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Soundside
Delivery apps boomed during the pandemic. Gig workers say it's time for companies to pay up.
It's a pandemic story we all know pretty well at this point: