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
Podcasts
Stories
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Residents and staffers voice safety concerns about some homeless housing facilities
Since 2015, Seattle has seen a big push to develop supportive housing facilities. These units are available to residents living with mental illness, substance abuse orders, physical or mental disabilities, and extreme poverty. But residents and staffers have voiced concerns over the safety at some of these residences.
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What the end of SPD's bodycam analysis program reveals about AI and policing
Soundside host Libby Denkmann talks to Laurence Du Sault, the reporter behind the investigation into Seattle Police Department's decision to cancel a contract with Truleo - a body analysis software - days after a SPD officer mocked Jaahnavi Kandula's death.
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Panicked. Angry. Thrilling: 'Exit Interview' examines Amazon’s culture through the eyes of a former exec
In her new memoir, "Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career," former amazon executive Kristi Coulter takes a hard look at the intense pressure and psychological strain — and even the physical toll — that she and her colleagues experienced at the company.
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The U.S.-Iran prisoner deal was a diplomatic win. But how big?
This week, the United States and Iran finalized a prisoner trade on Monday in a deal that brought home five formerly detained Americans and also freed $6 billion in frozen Iranian oil money. While seen by many as a diplomatic win, the agreement has also drawn criticism.
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These neighbors are the heartbeat of Seattle’s Chinatown-International District
Everyone in Seattle's Chinatown-International District has a story that contributes to the neighborhood’s rich historical and multicultural significance. While it isn’t possible to catalog every individual story that makes up this place, we curated a series of profiles that showcase the layers of life that exist in this place.
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For family-run businesses in Seattle's Little Saigon, the next generation holds the keys
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Exploring the meaning of community in Seattle's Chinatown-International District
The Soundside team has spent months in the Chinatown-International District, working with journalists from International Examiner to get to know the community better. Our hope is that you’ll come away with a deeper picture of what makes this neighborhood such a vital part of the city — and what the hopes and challenges are for the people here.
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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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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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The student loan pause is ending — for real this time. Here’s how to prepare
Come October, nearly 700,000 Washingtonians will be adding yet another monthly expense back to their budgets: federal student loan repayments. We talked to a student loan advocate about how to get ready and what the Biden administration's new, income-driven repayment plan means for borrowers.
