From February 2007 to June 2008, when I left for Boston, I worked for The Wayne Independent, the paper of record for Wayne County, Pennsylvania. I was originally hired as a paginator, moving into editorial after writing a few pieces for a special edition about World War II veterans. I worked as a reporter from July 2007 until leaving. In that time, I had an A1 feature on almost every publishing day. This was especially exciting during the 2008 Democratic Presidential primaries, when northeastern Pennsylvania became one of the key battlefields between then-Senator Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton. I also took over both the court and business beats, covering one of the most shocking murders in county history; the murder of Ronald Luyster by his wife, daughter, and the father of his grandson.
NEWS COVERAGE:
One of my proudest accomplishments at The Wayne Independent was the origination of the fossil fuels beat. In late 2007, natural gas companies began leasing the mineral rights of landowners in Damascus, one of the smallest and least-prosperous towns in the county. It quickly became apparent that the economic, legal and environmental angles of the issue were not being addressed by either the corporations or the landowner's associations that sprung up. I attended college seminars on earth science and worked extensively with lawyers and journalists in New York and Texas - it became a joke around the office that if I ever tired of journalism, I could start drilling oil wells. By the time I left Wayne County, an extensive letter-writing campaign was underway to force the Pennsylvania DEP to conduct an environmental impact study before a single well could be drilled.
FOSSIL FUELS COVERAGE:
On a very different note, I was also a columnist while working at the Independent. One of my responsibilities in addition to reporting was to manage the paper's website, which placed me ideally for initiating the paper's first web-only column. Called "The Incredible Shrinking Woman," it featured weight loss advice, pop culture, and humor, and eventually became one of the paper's most popular columns. It was optioned for syndication with GateHouse Media.
THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING WOMAN:
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The Wayne Independent |
 Welcome to my website! Now that you're here, feel free to take a look around.
I am a freelance journalist, media consultant, and fiction writer based in Boston, Massachusetts. I graduated from Alfred University ('04) with BAs in English Literature and History, and am currently attending Boston University for my Masters in print journalism.
Currently, I am a Statehouse correspondent for the Lowell Sun, a paper based in Lowell, Massachusetts.
For over a year, I was a beat and features reporter for The Wayne Independent, a Pennsylvania newspaper with a circulation of over 10,000. I have also been published in other newspapers, blogs, and magazines all over the country, including the Scranton Post, National Geographic Glimpse and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. You can see some of my work for The Wayne Independent here. More of my freelance writing is available on my freelance and fiction page. Examples of my multimedia work, including a slideshow of my photography, can be seen on the multimedia page. Or you can just take a look at my resume.
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