Columbia Missourian • 03/15/2024

Missouri football's unheralded leader Kreh among captains for Black & Gold spring game

While the Missouri fanbase prepared for the Black & Gold spring game, I took a stab at highlighting one of the lesser known names in the running back room, Christopher Kreh. I interviewed players on their experiences with Kreh, as well as Kreh himself, and wrote a feature on the player along with other content plugged in the article.

Columbia Missourian • 03/22/2024

Peat, Schrader stand out at Mizzou pro day

Scouts and coaches from all 32 NFL teams were present at Missouri's pro day, and players gave it their all. I wrote on how players did compared to those who participated in the NFL Combine, as well as highlighted those that stood out during drills and field work.

Columbia Missourian • 03/09/2024

Tigers hold first scrimmage of spring as offense, defense continue progress

After the Missouri football team finished their first spring scrimmage, I asked coaches and players what fans should expect regarding starting lineups moving forward.

Columbia Missourian • 02/28/2024

New leaders blooming for Mizzou in spring practices

For my debut piece on the Missourian's Mizzou Football beat, I wrote about emerging leaders on the team following the loss of all but one of the team's captains. This piece served as a notebook answering reader's questions as spring practices began.

Columbia Missourian • 03/16/2024

Mizzou receiver Manning stands out in Black & Gold Spring Game

This feature from Missouri's spring game was a particular challenge. Journalists were not given access to the press box and were limited to using the scoreboard and their observation skills as references. As my first game story, I focused on the offense's productivity during the scrimmage.

Columbia Missourian • 03/01/2024

New rules, additions to college football may start as soon as the 2024 season

The NCAA proposed some new additions to college football. I recapped what these items would mean for Mizzou football if implemented.

Columbia Missourian • 10/16/2023

'I haven't been living': MU community affected by conflict in Israel-Hamas war

This story surveys how the Islam-Hamas war is affecting the MU community. I worked with Missourian reporters on this from when the newsroom opened until it closed for three days straight. With every decision made, we asked “how can we make sure this is fair and ethical?” My goal as an editor was to localize this overseas conflict and report from a neutral lens.

Columbia Missourian • 08/08/2023

Here's why one fire station is being built across the street from another

The Columbia Fire Department and Boone County Fire Protection District have a long, complicated history. After discovering through a City Council agenda that the city planned to build a fire station across the street from a county one, I began investigating why the two agencies don't work together more often. This story took two months of research and investigation.

07/10/2023

Shadows and Bright Spots: Colombia's Developing Democracy

In a sea of declining democracies, there are occasional bright spots that shine apart from the rest. One of these bright spots is Colombia, a nation where democratic values are increasingly growing. Still, there are many threats to their civic space. I spent a week in Washington, D.C., researching and producing this project in collaboration with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. I was part of a team which wrote the text and designed the website for this project.

Columbia Missourian • 03/07/2023

Columbia faces mechanic shortage, taxpayers pay the price

The City of Columbia is experiencing a mechanic shortage. Because of this, taxpayers are spending more money on outsourcing jobs each year. I spent almost two months compiling the data, interviews and details for this investigative piece. It took many cold calls, data requests and late nights to get this published.

Columbia Missourian • 07/07/2023

75 years later: Discovery of 'wonder drug' aureomycin at MU changed the world

The MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources celebrates the 75th anniversary of the discovery of aureomycin, the grandfather of antibiotics. This story was far outside of my comfort zone, but I enjoyed throwing myself into something new and experimenting with different story structures to best tell this one.

Columbia Missourian • 10/30/2022

New names and numbers mark congressional, statehouse contests

Through my newsroom course, I was able to report on the redistricting which split through Columbia. I learned how to use infographic software, as well as use different databases to collect information on the boundaries between districts. It was picked up by the Columbia Missourian and published on the front page of their Oct. 30-31 issue.

Columbia Missourian • 09/03/2023

'A fresh perspective': D'Andre Thompson advances city on diversity front

As this was my last article under the reporter title at the Missourian, I wanted to incorporate new techniques I've learned throughout my time at the publication. In order to turn a bureaucratic position into something more interesting, I experimented with different structures and vibrant word choice in this story.

Columbia Missourian • 04/17/2023

Local union fights to end pre-employment drug testing

LiUNA Local 955 members are fighting to end pre-employment drug testing. I spoke with members of the union, the city and other comparable cities on this issue, as well as gathered data pertaining to the topic.

Columbia Missourian • 01/30/2023

City labor union protests transit cuts, drug tests, low wages

After attending a pre-council work session midway through January, I spoke with Andrew Hutchinson, LiUNA Local 955 representative. He explained to me the reasoning behind the union's dissatisfaction with Columbia City Council and invited me to their protest against pay cuts.

Columbia Missourian • 06/08/2023

Council, city staff discuss communication issues

At their annual City Council retreat, 31 council members and city staff participated in a series of activities to strengthen bonds with each other. Several council members noted that they struggled with some communication from city staff, specifically when they are surprised with new information briefly before council meetings.

Columbia Missourian • 06/09/2023

City Council, staff conclude retreat displaying stronger bonds

I covered the annual Columbia City Council retreat, where new rules on communication were established and bonds grew. It was very interesting seeing City Council members from a new perspective and being able to bring that into my reporting.

Columbia Missourian • 06/02/2023

Andrea Waner gives health update, plans for rest of term

Second Ward Councilperson Andrea Waner underwent surgery during which her right eye was removed because of a diagnosis of ocular melanoma, an aggressive cancer. What originally was planned to be a conversation for another story ended up being a story of its own. This goes to show what genuine, engaging conversations can lead to.

Columbia Missourian • 05/07/2023

Columbia Police officers under criminal investigation for use of force

Multiple Columbia Police officers will face a criminal investigation after a video circulated social media showing the officers' use of force. Footage shows two officers restraining a person on the ground, while one strikes the individual in the face repeatedly and appears to use pepper spray and a stun gun. I spoke with the Columbia Police Department and included the information they were able to release at the time.

Columbia Missourian • 06/09/2023

Keith Comfort pleads guilty to strangling his wife in their Columbia apartment

Three days before his jury trial was set to begin, Keith Comfort pleaded guilty to strangling his wife in 2006 and tossing her body into a dumpster behind their apartment building. He was sentenced to 26 years in prison — 22 years for second-degree murder and four for abandonment of a corpse. Comfort was arrested in 2019 after confessing to police that he murdered his wife, Megan Shultz.

Columbia Missourian • 06/20/2023

City Council votes to increase electric rates effective July 1

This week's Columbia City Council meeting lasted well past our print deadline. I had to write copy as the meeting progressed, leaving my editors and I to speed-produce this story and submit it two minutes before deadline. I am happy to have the experience and increased my multitasking skills this night.

Columbia Missourian • 06/05/2023

Council approves wage increases, but only to certain unions

Three labor organizations appealed to Columbia City Council after experiencing frustrations in contract negotiations with city management. After hearing their presentations, council members voted to approve across the board wage increases by 4% for unrepresented permanent employees, not including these organizations.

Columbia Missourian • 05/05/2023

Short-term rental regulations survey receives backlash

The survey asked a series of questions over respondents' views on short-term rental regulations. Members of the Planning and Zoning Commission don't believe the results of the survey are accurate, with AI technology being one of the reasons why they may not be trustworthy. I attended the commission's work session and compiled information from that meeting with previous reporting done over the past five years.

Columbia Missourian • 04/17/2023

Wildcat Materials employees strike over working conditions

Wildcat Materials employees are on strike in effort to get higher wages, better insurance and adjusted overtime policies. I interviewed some of the strikers at 7 a.m., then wrote this story in the newsroom directly after.