Audio
NOTE: This is very old copy. I've done lots of things since this. I'll update the site soon. In the meantime, enjoy this time capsule from 2017!
I'm drawn to stories that let me explain complex topics in a fun and interesting way. I also find myself reporting stories with an underdog - stories with an opportunity for someone to beat overwhelming odds.
Here are some of my favorites.
For the second story in WAMU's What’s With Washington project, we set out to answer a question from a newcomer to the nation's capital: Why are there so many sirens in DC? This proved to be surprisingly tricky — partly because we first needed to verify the assumption within the question: Are there really more sirens here than elsewhere?
Click play for a surprisingly complex answer that draws on architecture, physics, and history.
The morning Christen McGinnes woke up and decided to kill herself, the first thing she did was figure out how to minimize the impact on others.
"I walked around the house and straightened up a little bit," she says. "Because I knew that the police and friends and family would be coming to the apartment, and I wanted it to look nice."
This story received the national 2015 Edward R. Murrow award for best feature reporting in large market radio.
Vacant properties are a sore spot in otherwise thriving communities. They bring down property values and act as a magnet for vandalism and crime. ANC Commissioner David Sheon is working to reduce vacant properties in the District — but what he calls a "loophole" in the law is making that difficult.
“There is roughly a vacant building on every block," Sheon says as he walks in his north Petworth neighborhood, pointing out the spots of dereliction. "Our city has a lot of wounds."
As the Washington, D.C., region prepared for the visit of Pope Francis, much of the focus was on which roads would be closed and how to deal with the ensuing traffic. But some local musicians were thinking less about traffic snarls, and more about how to make the historic Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine as beautiful as possible.
BONUS: The day after we sang for Pope Francis, I sat down with Metro Connection host Rebecca Sheir to describe the incredible experience. Learn all about it - and watch the performance!
D.C. defense attorney Paul Zukerberg has spent decades specializing in drug defense work. Until recently, over half his practice was devoted to marijuana defense. After marijuana was decriminalized in the District, Zukerberg found himself with a lot more time on his hands.
“Basically my phone stopped ringing,” Zukerberg said. “It’s awfully quiet on the marijuana practice, thankfully. I worked hard — along with many other people — to bring decriminalization to the District of Columbia, and it’s had a tremendous positive impact.”
Eleven years after the E.L. Haynes Public Charter School opened its doors, its first class of seniors has graduated.
Adding one grade a year until you have 12 presented a series of learning opportunities for everyone. The educators had to figure out just how hard they could challenge their students to succeed. And students had to realize just how much they were capable of.
Down an old dirt road and across a muddy field, archaeologist Dave Muraca motions toward a hillside overlooking the Rappahannock River.
“They arrive here when George is 6, and they stay here. George stays here till he’s about 24, but his family stays here for like 30 years,” says Muraca. “We have a big chunk of the Washington story here at Ferry Farm.”
Out of ancient African ring shouts arose the African-American tradition of worship combined with music. Now one group keeps this tradition alive. “It is not a choir,” says its leader, Rev. Jerry Colbert. “We do not have sopranos, tenors, altos and bass. We just come together in unison and just sing on one accord, and blend our voices together."
This story received an Associated Press award for best use of sound.