This is a sampling of audio pieces on news and current affairs that I reported and produced for radio stations and audio programs over the last five years.
Non-narrated
Over the last few years, the number of homeless people camping along the Santa Ana River Trail in Orange County has grown. In this episode, podcast host Dave Gillanders and I cycle down the trail to meet and hear from some of the homeless people living unsheltered. This episode was produced for the Three and Two and One Podcast hosted by David Gillanders. (September 2015)
On May 24, 1981, more than 10 inches of rain fell within four hours in Austin on Memorial Day. The flash flood killed 13 people. Austin city leaders used the 30 year anniversary to launch a flood awareness campaign and asked residents to write essays about living through the deadly storm. As part of public radio station KUT's anniversary news coverage on the 1981 Memorial Day Flood, a short radio documentary was produced using residents' essays and interviews. (May 2011)
I produced this non-narrated profile about Tejano musician David Lee Garza in 2010 as part of an hour-long radio documentary produced by public radio station KUT 90.5-FM in Austin and in partnership with Texas Monthly magazine. (June 2010)
Features
Southern California resident Tiffany Angelo retells the story of her father's suicide prompted by cancer and no option for physician assisted suicide in Ohio in 2010. This story was produced for KPCC 89.3, Southern California Public Radio. (August 2016)
As the number of deaths among Orange County's homeless increases, advocates believe giving homeless people a safe, clean place to recover from injury or illness may slow the uptick in those dying on the streets. This story was produced for KPCC 89.3, Southern California Public Radio. (April 2016)
Spot News
Public libraries and their staff are finding themselves on the front lines of serving Southern California’s homeless that rely on facility amenities. This is a spot news story about how the Santa Ana Public Library in Orange County is dealing with an increase in homeless patrons. This story was produced for KPCC 89.3, Southern California Public Radio. (August 2016)
Three inmates escaped from an Orange County Sheriff's Department jail in Santa Ana on January 22, 2016. They were on the run for about a week before authorities in San Francisco caught two of the men, while one inmate surrendered. This story was produced for KPCC 89.3-FM, Southern California Public Radio. (February 2016)
Two-ways
Data from the Orange County Coroner's Office showed at least 181 homeless people died in 2015. That's a 53 percent jump from two years before, when records showed at least 118 homeless died in the county. This story was reported for KPCC 89.3, Southern California Public Radio. (January 2016)
On December 2, 2015, Syed Rizwan Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27 opened fire inside the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino during a county workplace event killing 14 people and seriously injuring about a two-dozen more. This live update was reported for KPCC 89.3, Southern California Public Radio. (December 2015)
Hosting
Homeless in OC: Long-term housing solutions for a growing population
As KPCC's Orange County reporter, I moderated a panel discussion in June 2016 about homelessness in Orange County. The live audience event was held at the Brookhurst Community Center in Anaheim. In light of a five percent increase in Orange County’s homeless population and jump in deaths among the homeless during the previous two years, the panel explored how long-term homelessness and a shortage of affordable housing are being addressed in the county.