The long struggle over taxing the rich
08-23-2023
A solutions-based investigation into efforts to tax the wealthy. The article shows how the vestiges of American slavery are present in state tax codes today.
Award Winning
How state taxes make inequality worse
09-14-2022
I was the lead reporter and writer for this in-depth look into how the burden of state taxes disproportionately falls on the poor and people of color. It was part of a series on state taxes that won a national SABEW award.
Redistricting: Tribes fight for an equal voice
03-16-2022
An in-depth look into the drawing of political maps on reservations. On tribal lands where 75% of roads that qualify for federal funding remain unpaved and 12% of homes do not have access to sufficient sanitation facilities, the stakes are high.
Award winning
A renewed cultural focus in White Center bolsters sense of Khmer community
04-30-2021
This article looks at the history of the Khmer community in King County, Washington. It won second place in arts and culture reporting in the 2022 regional Society of Professional Journalists contest.
Award Finalist
Zoom bombings that target marginalized people spark demands for legal protections
04-18-2021
An in-depth story into zoom bombings that target people of color. This story was a finalist in the National Association of Black Journalists’ Salute to Excellence award.
A tale of two AI cities: The Seattle connection to Israel’s surveillance network
04-18-2020
For this in-depth story, I traveled to Israel to examine the global surveillance network that has raised concerns among human rights activists.
Magnolia residents’ AI-powered surveillance camera tracks people, cars at entrance to neighborhood, experts caution bias
12-07-2019
This investigation on a neighborhood surveillance system showed that wealthy residents monitor who enters and leaves their neighborhood from anywhere with an internet connection.
Does Mary’s Place Work with Known Slum Landlords?
02-26-2019
When she was experiencing homelessness, a Coniston Arms tenant says Mary’s Place recommended an apartment with uninhabitable living conditions. The nonprofit blames a housing shortage on the lack of available landlords willing to take in homeless residents.
The Seedy Side of Seadrunar
02-13-2019
Thanks to a tip from Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting, I investigated a Seattle drug rehab center that was accused of neglecting children and clients in its care. Public records revealed that the center recently paid a minor $1 million to settle allegations of sexual abuse.
LGBTQ Elders Dream of Aging Among Friends
10-31-2018
Although Seattle boasts one of the largest LGBTQ populations in the nation, the city lacks a specialized senior center and housing for the elder community. This story highlights the health disparities and barriers to housing that many LGBTQ seniors face.
Award Winning
Incarcerated and Infirmed: How Northwest Detention Center Is Failing Sick Inmates
10-10-2018
This long-form investigation reveals the state of medical care at Tacoma’s Northwest Detention Center. While ICE claims that people in their custody receive adequate care in a timely manner, some immigrants detainees fear that they could draw their last breaths there.
Immigrant Youth Vulnerable to Abuse in Centers
09-12-2018
This investigation draws on hundreds of public records to show that federally-funded facilities struggle to maintain the health and safety of minors awaiting immigration proceedings.
07-11-2018
Straw Ban Leaves Disabled Community Feeling High and Dry
Although the city says that people with disabilities are exempted from the ban, the impacted community says that businesses haven’t gotten the message loud and clear. While most news organizations touted the benefits of the city going strawless, this article features people with disabilities who point to holes in the policy.
The Deferred Dreams of Working Women on H-4 Visas
07-03-2018
The Trump administration has promised to rescind the work rights of thousands of Indian women throughout the country. This long-form article highlights the voices of a few women in the Puget Sound region who could once again be barred from employment.
Losing Faith: The Closure of Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church
06-06-2018
This long-form narrative article looks at how a congregation shutting things down illustrates a clash between tradition and modernity.
The Last Stop Before Homelessness
05-23-2018
An investigation that examines how the odds are stacked against low-income tenants in the County’s eviction court system.
Award Winning
Phnom Penh Noodle House’s Closure and the Loss of Cultural Flavor
05-08-2018
This narrative long-form story looks at the impact of the restaurant’s closure, and what it reveals about representation in the local dining scene. Phnom Penh Noodle House’s end may be a loss for Seattle foodies, but it’s devastating for the local Cambodian community.
Forfeiting Rights: Mutual Termination Agreements Gone Wrong
04-07-2018
An investigation into the use of contracts that tenants’ rights advocates say landlords are using to exploit and expel vulnerable residents.
An Official Third Option for the Gender Nonbinary
02-28-2018
This narrative story features people planning to exercise the new Washington Department of Health’s rule that offers a birth certificate gender beyond male or female.
Birds in a Cage: The Indian Green Card Backlog
02-21-2018
Over 300,000 high-skilled workers are stuck in immigration limbo across the country. This long-form article highlights the voices of a few of them in the Puget Sound region.
For Homeless Seattleites, a Reprieve From the Debilitating Burden of Warrants
01-10-2018
People lacking permanent addresses often don’t know when they are supposed to appear in court, and they don’t have the money to pay the fines that follow.
Under Threat From Development, Residents of a Mobile Home Park Fight to Stay
10-31-2017
Around 200 Latine residents face eviction and an unforgiving King County housing market.
They Rode Horseback to Deliver Babies. A Century Later, Midwives Are Still Crucial
09-07-2017
In Kentucky, these health care professionals still struggle for acceptance—even in areas that need them most.
This is Part 3 of a series on the people working to improve access to reproductive health care there. Read Part 1 and Part 2.
The Women Ministers of Kentucky Preaching Abortion Rights
09-07-2017
As the state’s last abortion clinic is at risk of being shut down, some religious leaders step up against Gov. Matt Bevin’s anti-abortion policies.
This is Part 2 of a series on the people working to improve access to reproductive health care there. Read Part 1 and Part 3.
The Volunteers Protecting Kentucky’s Last Abortion Clinic
09-07-2017
Access to reproductive health care in Kentucky has reached a critical moment. All but one abortion clinic has been shut down, and a lawsuit going to trial September 6 could make Kentucky the first state without a legal abortion provider. The walk from the parking lot, past protesters, to the embattled clinic’s front doors can be a difficult journey. Meet the escorts making sure women don’t have to face it alone.
This is Part 1 of a series on the people working to improve access to reproductive health care there. Read Part 2 and Part 3.
Award Winning
Defunding Police—How Antiracist Organizers Got Seattle to Listen
YES! Magazine
03-19-2017
A long-form story about an unprecedented grassroots coalition that drew attention to the racially disproportionate effects of police spending and that persuaded city officials to change course. By halting a proposed $150 million police precinct, Seattle activists have made headway in redirecting funding toward services like affordable housing and education.
This Town Adopted Trauma-Informed Care—And Saw a Decrease in Crime and Suspension Rates
YES! Magazine
02-22-2017
A long-form story about the trauma-informed care movement that is sweeping the nation.
This Small Town Refused to Settle for Wal-Mart When Its Last Local Grocery Store Closed
YES! Magazine
01-02-2017
Throughout rural America, 2.3 million people live in food deserts—areas 10 miles or more from a supermarket. After 10 years without an independent grocery store, the residents of one small town in Kansas banded together to bring one back.
The Other Housing Crisis: Finding a Home in Rural America
YES! Magazine
09-22-2016
Thirty percent of rural Americans have substandard housing—and it’s expensive. But these communities are finding ways to give low-income residents homes of their own.
Meet the Ex-Inmate Whose Successful Prison Rehab Program Goes Beyond Drug Treatment
YES! Magazine
08-04-2016
As California reduces its prison population by tens of thousands, the TimeList Group’s unique approach to rehab keeps parolees from going back.
Kansas Governor Signs Juvenile Justice Reform Bill
Associated Press
04-13-2016
The new system will keep more juvenile offenders in their homes while they participate in community-based programs that focus on anger management and other behavioral changes. A system overhaul will divert money from the construction and maintenance of jails to detention alternatives.
2 Tribes, State of Kansas Enter Into Cigarette-Sale Compacts
04-07-2016
The compacts will prevent the state from losing $60 million in annual tobacco payments, much of which funds children’s programs such as early childhood development and reading comprehension.
Kansas Lawmakers Scrutinize Sexual Education
Associated Press
03-07-2016
Under a bill that the House Education Committee approved last month, Kansas public schools would be required to get parents’ consent before students could enroll in sex education courses.
Kansas Among Several States Looking to Ban Sanctuary Cities
Associated Press
2-2-2016
As presidential candidates are considering the feasibility of walls that would span the borders, Kansas is one of about a dozen states around the country that are taking a stance on immigration reform.
Women’s Wear Distracts State Lawmakers
Associated Press
1-26-2016
Although women only fill 24.5 percent of the state legislature nationwide, lawmakers have proposed dress codes for female colleagues, interns and conferees.
Is San Francisco’s Pension Fund Connected to Private Prisons?
12-30-2015
The San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System (SFERS), the city’s $21 billion pension fund, is no stranger to demands that it invest “responsibly.” Now some activists are alleging that San Francisco’s investment in Wells Fargo also funds private prisons.
Developmentally Disabled People Face Losing Access to Services as Closures Hit
KQED (republished by NPR on 12-04-2015)
11-27-2015
California was once known as a pioneer state for spearheading community-based alternatives to state run institutions for people with developmental disabilities. But in the wake of The Great Recession, more than $1 billion in state budget cuts and frozen provider rates has threatened the system. Now California spends less on services for the developmentally disabled than any other state in the nation.
Dark corner of China’s rise: A surge in trafficking of children
The Christian Science Monitor
07-28-2015
Some 250 million Chinese who work in distant industrial cities often entrust their children to relatives. Child traffickers have exploited their vulnerability, leading to calls for further reform of China’s rigid household residency system.
King of the Underworld: See San Francisco’s Columbarium Through the Eyes of Its Caretaker
SF Weekly
07-16-2014
The Columbarium is the last remaining nondenominational place of interment within San Francisco’s city limits. The man who presides over it is 58-year-old Emmitt Watson, The Columbarium’s caretaker and historian.
Hong Kong’s Marking of Tiananmen Is a Rallying Cry for Chinese Democracy
TIME
06-05-2014
China’s freest city marked the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre with a solemn and dignified vigil that reflected the continued resonance of the student protesters’ original aims.
Tiny Sheep: UC Berkeley Researchers Use Electricity to Herd Cells and, Potentially, Speed Up Healing
05-21-2014
A group of researchers used galvanotaxis, a process that uses electric currents to direct cells, to herd a group of epithelial cells in different directions. the discovery could help speed up the healing of a wound, reduce scarring, grow organs, and guide cancer research.
The Writing on the Wall: It’s Graffiti Versus Murals in San Francisco and Oakland. Either Way, Street Artists Win
02-26-2014 (Cover story)
Oscar Davalos began tagging when he was 12 years old. He and his friends would sneak out at night armed with cans of spray paint, scrawling their names on walls throughout East Oakland.
Breaking the school-to-prison pipeline: examining arrests among black male students in OUSD
Oakland North
12-11-2013
An investigative piece about the school-to-prison pipeline in Oakland, California. It also features an infographic that breaks down the race of arrestees in 2013.
Nwe Oo provides a voice for Burmese refugees in Oakland
Oakland North
12-05-2013
Nwe Oo, a Rakhine Burmese refugee based in Oakland, is an advocate for human rights and adamantly speaks out against domestic abuse.
“The Griots of Oakland” exhibition and book features the voices of young black men
Oakland North
11-20-2013
AAMA and Story For All recruited five young men from the ages of 14 to 18 to serve as the conduit for the voices of over 100 black males throughout the city.
Oakland California Youth Outreach takes on gang violence
Oakland North
11-18-2013
Along with providing support to youth in need, OCYO also leads ‘Oakland Gang Awareness Trainings’ to give insight on the trends of gangs to professionals who work with at-risk teens in Oakland.
Ceaseless Exploration: The Skateboarding Scene in Shanghai
WHOA Magazine
10-2013
Whether it be a new construction zone, the smell of meat barbecuing on the street corner or the bright neon lights that illuminate the marble plazas beneath them- the combination of sounds, sights and smells in Shanghai define its urban life. Skateboarders are granted a view of the city that is imperceptible to most.
Melissa Hellmann 
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