Clips

‘It’s Just Been a Tough Year’
Sunshine State News | May 1, 2010

• As Florida’s 2010 lawmaking session wound down, spirits didn’t seem as high as usual. This is a mood piece about the session’s final day, focusing on the budget challenges legislators faced as well as the political drama swirling around Gov. Charlie Crist, who announced just one day earlier that he was abandoning his party in his run for the U.S. Senate.

Texting and Driving as Life or Death
Sunshine State News | April 29, 2010

• When a state lawmaker blocked a bill that would have banned texting behind the wheel, some capital reporters wrote about the politics behind her move, but few stories examined the issue of texting and driving itself. For this analytical piece, I researched the numbers behind the problem and learned about people whose lives have been shattered by phone-related car accidents.

‘Have a Little Faith’: Famed author writes about local rabbi’s father
The Atlanta Jewish Times | Dec. 8, 2009

• When you work at a bookstore, as I did for nearly seven months, you’re privy to gossip about publishing and new releases. I overheard a manager talking about how he’d learned Mitch Albom’s latest book, “Have a Little Faith,” was based partly on the father of a beloved area rabbi, so I did a quick writeup on this sweet story for Atlanta’s Jewish weekly.

Falling for Goats: Local man raises rare goat breed
The Independent Florida Alligator | April 1, 2008

• One night at The Alligator, a friend showed me a funny YouTube clip about goats that “faint” when startled.  Intrigued, I researched the animals and learned there was a fainting-goat ranch in Gainesville, so I contacted its owner and asked if I could write a story about it. The resulting article ended up as my last one published in The Alligator, and it remains a favorite.

Florida Universities Brace for Budget Cuts
The Chronicle of Higher Education | July 27, 2007

• Florida’s higher education system is fascinating for both its enormity and its complexities. This one is a roundup of some of the cost-cutting measures that were underway in summer 2007, when state universities were preparing to lose at least $100 million.

Bradenton senator endorses Rudy Giuliani
The Bradenton Herald | May 3, 2007

• In 2007, it seemed like everyone in Tallahassee was signing up to support someone’s presidential bid, but I wondered what a mid-level state legislator could really bring to a national campaign. To find out, I wrote this story.