Reporter, Writer, Believer in All Things Good
It’s not often you have to don full fire gear to shoot a story- but I did for this one. I followed the Youngstown Fire Cadets as they went through training and state testing to become the city’s newest firefighters. For this story, I used two cell phone cameras, GoPros and a JVC. PREVIEW … More Fire School
I used cell phone cameras, Go-Pros and a handheld JVC to film this story. Bedbugs have been making major inroads in our area- especially in public housing projects.
For this story, I wanted to show people exactly how hard it is for folks without cars to get groceries in Youngstown – and why corner stores are the number one location for food stamp benefits in our area. This story included an interactive map showing how far you were from a grocery store at … More Food Desert Youngstown
I discovered one of our local nursing homes was on a special Medicaid watch list. I started looking into it and found state inspection reports which found seniors living in conditions where there wasn’t enough food for them, they were being left in their own waste for days and were living in absolutely deplorable conditions. … More Rolling Investigation – New Beginnings Health Care
Another interesting story discovered on public records … A lakeside neighborhood COULD lose its lake if someone doesn’t step up and buy it off the unpaid tax auction … and then fix the dam, under state order. I first reported this in the noon broadcast, advanced it for the later shows and then have followed … More Live Report- Lake Sale
I discovered that one district in Youngstown has one of the highest concentration of children living with elevated levels of lead in their blood in the state. I met with a family who lived in the area whose son had high levels, talked to the property owner and met with heath officials. Then, I presented … More Field Fronting
Just after 10 am, a woman’s naked body was discovered near a city church. I reported live from the scene for our noon broadcast, and then advanced the story for our later shows. Noon report: Evening Report: Original post: http://wkbn.com/2016/10/21/police-investigating-death-near-youngstown-church/
I’ve developed some memorable stories out of city fire departments. From enterprise to day-of turns, emergency services present highly visual, compelling stories that resonate with viewers. In this case, I realized that our downtown area had experienced a 1000 percent population growth in about five years as several new apartment buildings were renovated or built. … More Cause… and Effect
Certain areas of Youngstown are prone to illegal dumping. In this story, I talk to neighbors, track down illegal dumpers, and even spur the city to action. Part 1: Finding the problem. Original post: http://wkbn.com/2015/09/24/with-trash-piling-up-mahoning-co-cracking-down-on-dumpers/ Part 2: Fixing the issue. Original Post: http://wkbn.com/2016/08/26/youngstown-begins-permanently-closing-abandoned-streets/
I worked at this story, on and off, for several months waiting for it to turn. Like any MMJ, I’m juggling daily stories, long term stories, with occasional stints on the assignment desk or producing. But with this story, I wanted to tell the best story possible. I went through every application to the crime … More Racial Injustice in the Crime Victims Fund
Rust Belt Writers 