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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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.
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What's behind Downtown Seattle's slow pandemic recovery?
Downtown Seattle is struggling to return to pre-pandemic form.
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What can twins teach us about human nature and personal identity? One author explains
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New culverts in Washington state cost $20 million each. The DOT needs to replace 400 of them by 2030
The Washington State Department of Transportation has a lot of very expensive projects it has to manage in order to keep people moving around, and legislators recently got some pretty massive sticker shock for a different project — one that’s aimed at improving the way salmon move around.