My work

Here are a few of the stories I’ve enjoyed writing during my three years with The Grand Island Independent. The Independent’s online archives were wiped out in a redesign in December 2008, so any stories from before that time are text-only PDFs from my files.

Breaking News

–I wrote two stories on a tornado that touched down near Aurora, Neb., in June 2009 – one written the night of the tornado and the other the following day.

–I wrote about the FDIC’s closing of a bank in Loup City, Neb., in February 2009. As with all FDIC closings, the bank’s shutdown was announced shortly before 5 p.m. on a Friday, and the story was written that evening.

–I wrote extensively about an April 2007 fire that destroyed one-quarter of the downtown square of Broken Bow, Neb. The fire started on a Sunday night; my initial story was written the next day. I wrote two more follow-ups that week, plus a feature two weeks later on the fire dangers faced by other small-town downtowns.

Explanatory Journalism

–When an group opposing a potential school bond in Ord, Neb., hired a controversial Iowa “bond-buster” in June 2008, I wrote about his history in Iowa and Minnesota school districts.

–After Nebraska’s annual state aid to schools was announced in February 2008, I wrote a story explaining its impact on smaller districts.

–In December 2006, I wrote about why Nebraska didn’t have more wind power despite the state’s significant resources. Then, a year later, I explained why wind power had begun to take off.

Feature Writing

–In November 2008, I wrote about the Pawnee Nation’s first major return to Nebraska since 1875.

–A series I wrote in August 2008 examined challenges faced by central Nebraska’s smallest public schools. Part one delved into districts’ difficulties finding qualified teachers, part two looked at superintendents who oversee multiple districts and part three showed how small districts were using distance learning to level the playing field with larger ones.

–I wrote a two-part series in October 2007 on small towns’ efforts to court young professionals. Part one looked at towns’ problems with having too few young people, and part two looked at what towns were doing to draw them back.

–In November 2006, five months after the local diocese of the Catholic Church clustered several rural congregations in our area, I examined the emotional and spiritual toll.

Blogging/Podcasting

I’ve maintained a personal blog primarily for family and friends since March 2005. Here are a few favorite posts:

–I’ve produced two podcasts, including this May 2009 primer on the music of The Band.

–In January 2009, I compared Ben Stein’s “Expelled” and Ricki Lake’s “The Business of Being Born” while talking about honesty in filmmaking.

–Also that month, I defended TV sports announcers everywhere against charges of bias.

–I wrote about my grandma and the warm fuzzies she infused into the Cubs-Brewers rivalry in October 2008.

–I made up a tongue-in-cheek “Christian points” system in January 2006. Some leftovers here.