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Noel Gasca

General Assignment Reporter

About

Noel is a general assignment reporter for KUOW, covering everything from city hall to pickleball. Prior to joining the newsroom, Noel worked as a producer for KUOW’s midday show Soundside. Noel has also worked as an online editor and producer with KUOW’s web team, and 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 D.C. 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.

When she’s not working, Noel enjoys perusing Seattle’s used bookstores, practicing her kata, and discussing the lasting legacy of Selena Quintanilla’s music with anyone who will listen.

Location: Seattle

Languages: English

Pronouns: she/her

Professional Affiliations: National Association of Hispanic Journalists, AIR

Stories

  • caption: David Tagliani, left, and his dog, Libby, live in Ukraine. They're helping deliver aid on the front lines.

    From unexpected invasion to unyielding resolve, Seattleite documents a year of war in Ukraine

    On February 23, 2022, Ukrainians went to bed in a country on the brink. For months, Russian military forces were stationed near the border, encircling Ukraine on three sides. The U.S. intelligence community told the world to brace for an invasion. But many observers questioned if war was in Vladimir Putin’s plans. The worst-case scenario was confirmed the next morning, when Putin announced a "special military operation." Soundside host Libby Denkmann caught up with David Tagliani, a Seattleite volunteering on the ground in Ukraine with the aid organization Stay Safe UA.

  • caption: A demonstration in support of Ukraine at Seattle's Space Needle on Feb. 24, 2022.

    A year later, Ukrainian refugees' legal status creates roadblocks for resettling in the PNW

    The U.N. estimates that at least 8 million Ukrainian refugees have been recorded across Europe. Before Russia’s invasion, the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan prompted another refugee crisis. These global conflicts, among others, have triggered mass displacements on an unprecedented scale. Some folks are making it here. In the last year, Snohomish county alone has welcomed several thousand Ukrainian and Afghan refugees.
  • Ghost Herd Logo FINAL

    Soundside goes live: Behind the scenes of 'Ghost Herd'

    All six episodes of the series are out now, and Soundside host Libby Denkmann caught up with host Anna King, and producer Matt Martin to talk about reporting on one of the biggest cattle swindles in U.S. history.

  • caption: A fighter jet flies near a large balloon drifting above the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of South Carolina near Myrtle Beach, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. Minutes later, the balloon was struck by a missile from an F-22 fighter jet, ending its weeklong traverse over the U.S. China said the balloon was a weather research vessel blown off course, a claim rejected by U.S. officials.

    Could unidentified objects represent another 'Sputnik moment' in U.S. skies?

    The White House says that the three flying objects U.S. fighter jets shot down last weekend were probably not spying on us — they could be benign, for research or commercial purposes. And, they originated on Earth (no aliens to see here.) That got us wondering — who’s finding these things? And why are they suddenly popping up so often, after the U.S. popped a much larger, suspected Chinese surveillance balloon earlier this month?

  • car subaru license plate generic

    WA lawmakers consider options to make drivers ed more equitable

    Today, 16- and 17-year-olds in Washington are mostly turning to private driver’s ed companies for traffic safety courses. Up until the year 2000, nearly every school district in the state offered a driver’s ed course. But those largely faded away after the Washington legislature cut funding in 2002. And now, lawmakers are trying to confront the ramifications of that decision.

  • caption: Seattle School for Boys students walk together before the first day of school on Monday, September 13, 2021, along 28th Avenue South in Seattle.

    Seattle Public Schools could consolidate schools as soon as 2024

    Families are reacting to the Bellevue School District's decision to recommend the consolidation of three elementary schools in the district. Bellevue Schools says it's making the call because of declining enrollment — a struggle many local districts may face in the coming years — including just across Lake Washington, in Seattle.

  • caption: The Northwest Asian Weekly Office.

    A new era begins for NW Asian Weekly readers and reporters

    The Seattle Chinese Post was founded in 1982, with the mission of addressing the shortage of fact-based, Chinese language news in the city. Last week, it printed its final issue. Its English version, Northwest Asian Weekly remains — but it's moving completely online.

  • Empty movie theater

    Soundside has your February film festival picks

    With chilly winter weather in full effect, there’s nothing better than a cozy trip to the movies. Soundside host Libby Denkmann caught up with a few people working across our region to bring movie magic to audiences of all ages this month.

  • Shapes Lines and Light Yamasaki

    Serenity, surprise, and delight: sharing the legacy of architect Minoru Yamasaki

    Seattle-born Minoru Yamasaki was one of the most prominent American architects of the 20th Century, best known for designing the first World Trade Center. His granddaughter, Katie Yamasaki, is sharing his story with new generations of would-be architects in her new book, “Shapes, Lines and Light: My Grandfather’s American Journey."