Original Reporting

Newtown shooting: How do you tell a child his school bus protectors are dead?

Since the shooting, Karen Dryer has done her best to keep the news from her 5-year-old son, Logan. He was already anxious enough about going to kindergarten.

How will she tell her son that two of the people who made it a little easier — the girls who accompanied him on the bus to Sandy Hook Elementary School and told him to be brave — were killed there Friday with 18 other children and six adults?
(Double byline, Published 12/16/12)

George Zimmerman Talks to the Loop 21 in Email Correspondence [Exclusive]

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First-person piece on how I became the first journalist to correspond with George Zimmerman, who was under national scrutiny after the slaying of Florida teen Trayvon Martin. Includes emails between myself and Zimmerman. (published 4/10/12)

Only 1.7% of Ohioans on next-of-kin registry 

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An enterprise piece for the Columbus Dispatch looks into Ohio's inability to get residents to sign up for its Next of Kin registry - which was one of the first in the country. (Published 2/2/12)

Middle-Aged Job Hunters Struggle in Weak Recovery

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An A3 economics story for the Wall Street Journal that shows how most of the post-recession jobs have gone to the young and the old — leaving the middle class out to dry. (Published 7/30/2012). 

Backers call Boston baseball coach Jose Ortega a legend, police say he's a predator

Jose Ortega was a god among Boston's Dominican community as founder of the Boston Broncos, the city's most popular baseball club. But when Ortega was arrested for soliciting nude photos from one of his players, the Broncos found out how little they really knew about their coach.

This article is the product of a one-month investigation and partnership with El Planeta, a local Spanish language paper. Published 8/31/12.

Exclusive: Trayvon Martin lawyers discuss pending legal case

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In an exclusive, wide-ranging interview attorney Daryl D. Parks gives new insight into the Trayvon Martin case - including his doubts that George Zimmerman will face hate crime charges for the slaying of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin. (published 3/24/12)

Puerto Rico Fires Up Housing Market

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An in-depth look at the Puerto Rican housing market, which was on fire due to successful government incentive programs. 

Published on A3 of the Wall Street Journal on 8/13/2012.

Dumping Grounds

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Stacks of discarded rubber tires, weather-beaten mattresses and bags, boxes and cartons line the streets of Greater Cleveland — this piece for monthly paper Neighborhood Voice breaks down why and what can be done. (published 2/25/11)