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July 2006 - Posts

Sunday, July 30, 2006 9:30 PM

Forward and Reverse Evolution

Gina Kolata, ace health writer for The New York Times, has a fascinating story on Sunday's front page that reports how people in the industrialized world today are bigger, healthier and smarter than our ancestors a century ago. In "So Big and Healthy
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Sunday, July 30, 2006 4:49 PM

30 Years Later

"The Big Thompson Flood" in the Loveland, Colo., Daily Reporter-Herald recounts the devastating legacy of a 1976 flood north of Denver. Reporter Kate Martin evocatively describes in Saturday's first installment how a wall of water 19 feet high swept
posted by jonmarshall | 1 Comments
Thursday, July 27, 2006 5:07 PM

Eye on Washington

The Washington Post has been doing some great investigative work lately. Last week in "HHS Secretary's Fund Gave Little to Charity," staff writer Jonathan Weisman revealed that Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt and his family have taken
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Wednesday, July 26, 2006 9:36 PM

A Sailor's Story

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has been running a powerful narrative this week by Mark Johnson. "An American Hero's Fall From Grace" tells the story of Mark Samples, who in 1987 helped save the lives of 180 shipmates on the USS Stark and earned a bronze
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Tuesday, July 25, 2006 9:31 PM

Keep Rockin'

Legendary critic Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times offers a fun and fascinating retrospective of his 37 years covering the pop music scene in Saturday's "Backstage Pass." Hilburn gives us the lowdown on his encounters with stars such as John Lennon,
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Monday, July 24, 2006 9:20 PM

Bee Season

News Gems readers have pointed me to a couple of outstanding series in the Sacramento Bee. "A Mother's Journey" by reporter Cynthia Hubert and photographer Renée C. Byer follows single mom Cyndie French as she struggles to care for her son Derek after
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Sunday, July 23, 2006 8:23 PM

Human Cargo

Dennis Wagner of The Arizona Republic had a strong story Sunday on how the Phoenix area has become the hub of a $2 billion-a-year human smuggling network. "Human Trafficking's Profits Spur Horrors" details how thousands of illegal immigrants are brutally
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Saturday, July 15, 2006 10:11 PM

Exploring China

Two recent stories helped me understand the rapid changes and growing tensions China is experiencing. "Bridging Two Worlds" by Alwyn Scott of the Seattle Times tells us about Susie Cheng, a young woman who is part of the largest and fastest migration
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Saturday, July 15, 2006 10:00 PM

Cargo Crashes

Cargo planes in the United States have a fatal crash nearly once a month, a rate higher than the government officially admits, the Miami Herald reported after a nine-month investigation. "Deadly Express" by reporter Ronnie Greene, photographer Candace
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Friday, July 14, 2006 9:40 PM

Sweet Home Alabama

When NBA star Ben Wallace signed with the Chicago Bulls, K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune traveled to Wallace's tiny hometown of White Hall, Ala., to find out more about him. The resulting "Big Ben's Humble Beginnings" is a beautiful portrait of an
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Friday, July 14, 2006 9:13 PM

Booze Escape

Too many local teens are getting off easy after being caught drinking and driving, Lisa Hammersly Munn and Ted Mellnik of The Charlotte Observer discovered. Their "Mecklenburg Judges Giving Breaks for Underage Drinking" reveals a system that lets Mecklenburg
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Friday, July 14, 2006 5:11 PM

Becoming an American

Cindy Lange-Kubick of the Lincoln Journal Star has written a compelling story about Brissa Placek, an 18-year-old girl from Acapulco whose adoptive family struggles to keep her in Nebraska. "A Home for Brissa" unfolds like a novel as Lange-Kubick's
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Thursday, July 13, 2006 4:36 PM

Return of the Taliban

Jim Sciutto of ABC's "World News Tonight" is doing important reporting from the mountains, valleys and fields of Afghanistan. His "The 'Other' War" series of reports describes how the Taliban are returning better armed and organized than when they were
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 5:14 PM

Cop Capers

For nearly a year, Lewis Kamb, Eric Nalder and Paul Shukovsky of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer have been investigating misconduct in the King County Sheriff's Office. "Conduct Unbecoming" uses payroll, pension and other public records to expose how
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Tuesday, July 11, 2006 2:41 PM

Tow to Nowhere

Patrick Lakamp of The Buffalo News used public records to reveal that Buffalo residents are being charged towing fees even when their cars aren't towed. For his "Towing-Fee Abuse" special report Sunday, Lakamp did a computer analysis of more than
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Monday, July 10, 2006 9:30 PM

Dry Times

I admire columnists like Mike Littwin of the Rocky Mountain News who leave their desks far behind in search of stories. Littwin's "For Dry Cowpunchers, a Standing Eight Count" is a searing look at the drought that has struck southeastern Colorado. Littwin's
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Sunday, July 09, 2006 5:34 PM

Descent into Darkness

I saw two impressive stories today about different aspects of mental illness. "On Dec. 5, 2004, I Killed my Daughter" is a first-person account by Valeria Godines of The Orange County Register describing her descent into the torment of a bipolar disorder.
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Friday, July 07, 2006 1:40 PM

Park Pressure

I missed the impressive "Development Inches Toward National Parks" by Frank Bass of the Associated Press when it first came out in June but saw it highlighted this week on the Investigative Reporters and Editors Web site. Bass shows how nearby population
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Thursday, July 06, 2006 4:26 PM

The Big Vote

While Mexico's elections grabbed the headlines, Lydia Polgreen of the New York Times ventured to Goma in the usually ignored country of Congo to cover the most expensive election in African history. Her "Congo Nears Historic Election, Praying for Peace"
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Wednesday, July 05, 2006 9:21 PM

Making the Grade

During this past school year, Laurel Rosenhall of The Sacramento Bee tracked the impact of the California High School Exit Exam on students and teachers. The last story in that series, "Put to the Test," looks at what happened at Hiram Johnson High School,
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments
Sunday, July 02, 2006 4:26 PM

Transplant Troubles

I'm glad the Los Angeles Times is continuing its investigations into the nation's medical transplant system. "20% of U.S. Transplant Centers Are Found to Be Substandard" by Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein reveals that 48 out of 236 federally funded
posted by jonmarshall | 0 Comments