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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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. Understanding the interconnected impacts of roads literally drove author Ben Goldfarb across the country as he researched his new book, “Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of our Planet.”
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In southwest Washington, educator strikes stall the start of school
Tens of thousands of students in southwest Washington are still waiting for their school year to get started. That’s where two teacher strikes are stretching into their second weeks.
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Investors drive up rents in mobile home communities, squeezing residents
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Kelp is on the way: As new Puget Sound aquaculture industry blooms, Vashon locals urge caution
As Puget Sound kelp farms navigate a nascent permitting process, environmental watchdog groups are asking for more scrutiny toward an untested local industry.
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Should the U.S. enact age limits for elected officials?
Age may also be one of the defining issues of the 2024 presidential race, considering President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump were the oldest candidates in U.S. history the last time they faced off. They’re also both the oldest people to hold the office of U.S. president: Trump took office at age 70, and Biden at 78.
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Seattle is rainy with unrelenting hills. How did it become a biking city?
Bike culture is as deeply ingrained in Seattle’s identity as coffee and Birkenstocks. But with our rainy weather and hilly terrain, Seattle — at least on paper — should’ve never become the biking haven that it is today. That’s the unlikely history that Tom Fucoloro, founder of the Seattle Bike Blog and author of “Biking Uphill in the Rain: The Story of Seattle from Behind the Handlebars," set out to explore.
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From wildfires to tropical storms, Pacific Crest Trail hikers face increasing climate extremes
Every year, thousands of ambitious outdoors-people apply for a long-distance permit to hike the more than 2600-mile Pacific Crest Trail. But a changing climate and increasingly frequent wildfires are threatening the present, and future, of that journey.
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How a hug and a prayer took over Spokane’s mayoral race
Spokane’s mayoral office is technically non-partisan. But controversy surrounding an embrace shared between Mayor Nadine Woodward and disgraced former state Rep. Matt Shea underscores how politics are anything but missing from the race.
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A failed hotel shelter program left nearly 300 people scrambling for housing. Who’s to blame?
The Lived Experience Coalition rolled out a program last winter that worked directly with unhoused people, moving them into four hotel shelters across King County and Tacoma. But shortly after its launch, the program collapsed. Seattle Times Project Homeless reporter Anna Patrick joined Soundside to unpack the breakdown leading to the program's demise.
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Period products haven’t been tested with real blood — until now. Here’s why it matters
In menstrual product advertisements, companies often use a light blue liquid as a stand-in for blood, to demonstrate the absorbency of their products. It turns out most companies use a similar stand-in for menstrual product testing: saline solution. We talked to the doctor behind the first-ever period product study using real blood about why this research matters.