Writing samples
A time to heal for explosion victims: Process painful, slow
Amarillo Globe-News
This is a wonderful feature I wrote for the Thanksgiving Day edition of the Globe-News in 2009. It's about a family of four who survived a natural gas pipeline explosion three weeks prior. With their house reduced to ashes, they were living in a hospital burn unit.
I reported and wrote this story in two days to make the Turkey Day newspaper.
I reported and wrote this story in two days to make the Turkey Day newspaper.
Texas deals with doctor shortage
Amarillo Globe-News
This was a trend I identified and covered with a local angle. Rural West Texas is forced to deal with a shortage of doctors more than the rest of the state. It's an important issue because many patients already must drive several hours to see a doctor.
Award a bittersweet honor
Amarillo Globe-News
This is another feature story I wrote while reporting my courts beat for the Amarillo Globe-News. It’s regarding the nurses who examine sexual assault victims. They see atrocious crimes and must often serve as expert witnesses in court.
Baptist half of BSA for sale
Amarillo Globe-News
I broke many stories during my time in Amarillo, but this was the biggest. I reported the largest and richest hospital in the Texas Panhandle, which is jointly owned by Catholic and Baptist health ministries, was for sale by one of its partners. The Baptist half wanted to sell to their Catholic partners. The physicians only learned of this through my story and did all they could to stop the sale.
Some cancers are misdiagnosed,
and that can get costly
Amarillo Globe-News
This story is an example of translating a complex medical issue to a lay audience. A growing body of evidence indicates that early-screening procedures are having an unintended consequence. Leading medical practitioners say screenings, particularly for prostate and breast cancers, too often are unreliable, leading to unnecessary diagnoses and treatment of thousands each year.
Bell busy as health authority
Amarillo Globe-News
Sometimes, the news isn't just the event but the public officials handling the event. Such was the case when the H1N1 virus first arrived in Texas. Amarillo's public health authority had only been on the job for three months and was quickly thrown into the ringer.