Clips
Magazine • Daily/Weekly Newspaper
Tribes 2.0: As the next decade unfolds, the nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon will have a major role in how the economy of the state develops. It’s not just about casinos anymore. Oregon Business, November 2007
“…And while the casino will remain its crown jewel for years to come, Cow Creek — like many tribes around Oregon and the nation — is rapidly moving beyond a gaming-based economy. It’s a transition that requires quick learning. Fifteen years ago, Cow Creek was the only tribe in Oregon with a gaming facility. Now the tribe owns and operates 12 separate companies and is the second-largest employer in the county. Its members are learning the intricacies of running a municipality-sized utility. And the tribe is learning that its successes can draw political ire from the local community… ”
(Winner: Best Feature, Silver, Alliance of Area Business Publications, 2008; Business Feature: Second Place, Society of Professional Journalists, Oregon/SW Washington, 2008; Best body of Work, Single Writer, Bronze, Alliance of Area Business Publications, 2008)
State of addiction: Oregon increasingly relies on its lottery to fund crucial programs. When, not if, the lottery maxes out, what will it mean for the state’s future? Oregon Business, November 2008
“…Since its creation in 1985, the Oregon Lottery and the revenue it generates have become a singular fiscal thread that weaves through every corner of the state. It winds through bars and convenience stores, economic development and gambling-addiction programs, schools and rehabilitated waterways, and eventually ends in Salem, binding the wrists of legislators. [...] But there appears to be little thought — including from critics of the lottery and those that sit on the Legislative revenue restructuring task force — of what will happen if lottery funds level off or even decrease. That’s not just a hypothetical scenario… ”
(Winner: First place, Reporting of Government, Society of Professional Journalists, Oregon/SW Washington, 2009)
College Inc.: As public universities in Oregon are forced to be more like businesses to keep open their doors, it could change what it means to be a college graduate. Oregon Business, September 2007
“…But it’s also an argument over a larger systemic shift that’s occurred in higher education over the past two decades, a change spurred by many catalysts: a precipitous drop in state funding, education seen as a product and public academic institutions turning to an entrepreneurial business model to find desperately needed funding. [...] The “businessification” of universities and developing quality education are not mutually exclusive. It’s finding the balance that’s the question — finding a path in a world where private-sector methods might not only shape universities, but actually change what it means to be a college graduate… ”
The comeback: How Flir came back from the brink of bankruptcy to become a $4.3 billion company that has left its competition in the dust. Oregon Business, October 2008
“March 1, 2000, was a cold, windy, overcast day in Portland. It had rained the day before and more rain was forecast for the weekend. Around the country — in Oregon and Massachusetts and Minnesota and New York — Flir corporate board members were picking up their phones and dialing into an emergency conference call. Over the previous year, news about the then-Portland-based maker of infrared camera systems had not been good: The stock price was down; big cuts were being made. […] Now Stringer had called the board together to tell them news that was horrifically worse: There had been accounting problems. Big problems. Revenue and earnings had been overstated by $7.9 million over several previous quarters… ”
Daily/Weekly Newspaper
Is Abel too friendly with the energy biz? San Luis Obispo New Times, March 10, 2005
An investigation into special-interest-funded trips that California State Senator Able Maldonado took around the word over a four year period. The story revealed how the group was financially tied to major energy companies — all of which were big campaign contributors to Maldonado while he was an assemblyman — and to PG&E , which the senator often advocated for.
Devil among us: How a four-time rapist and ‘psychopathic deviant’ ended up on the streets of San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo New Times, Nov. 3, 2005
Using 20 years worth of court records and multiple inverviews, this story uncovered the past of a four-time rapist who had become homeless after being released from prison a few months before the story ran. The article followed his violent path from childhood using a variety of sources, including interviews with the jury members who helped set him free.
Records act violations piling up, The San Luis Obispo Tribune, March 17, 2006
An investigation into a government agency that regularly failed to follow public records laws, particularly when the requests for documents came from political opponents. Because the agency’s elected officials had accused campaign opponents in an election the year before of hiding information from the public, the story also analyzed how hundreds of public record request were filled before and after the election.
Wheels of fortune: Jarek Molski, a man with a troubled past, has settled about half of his Central Coast lawsuits for an estimated $1.2 million, San Luis Obispo New Times, June 23, 2005
While news outlets around California had written about a man who filed hundreds of disability-access lawsuits against businesses, little was know about the secretive paraplegic. This months-long investigation revealed his past, including how how was injured and his relationship with his family, and why he had filed so many suits.
In 4 months, $1 million in bills for Los Osos services district, The San Luis Obispo Tribune, May 30, 2006
An analysis that found how a small government agency, which serves 14,000 residents in a small seaside town, had accumulated $1 million in legal bills over four months as it settled lawsuits with political allies, attempted to fire staff members, and fought litigation stemming from the agency’s decision to stop building a state-mandated public works project.