Clippings
“Coffee lovers turn to headiest brew,” A14. Monday, September 14, 2009. The Edmonton Journal.
- An excuse to research home coffee roasting methods and the best spots to get green coffee beans in town.
“Treasures hidden between the covers,” A1. (A2 here). Sunday, August 23, 2009. The Edmonton Journal.
- This was part of “summer reads:” interesting and light pieces exploring hidden aspects of life in Edmonton. One of my ideas was to try to find out what booksellers had discovered inside the hundreds of thousands of books circulating in the city. A fun piece to write.
“‘I felt like I was getting stabbed: 2,400 pigs die in barn fire,” A1. (A2 here). Wednesday, August 19, 2009. The Edmonton Journal.
- I’d never heard of Derwent until one day in August. I was sent to the Saskatchewan border to cover a barn fire that wiped out a family business the night before. Despite the horrific tragedy, the family was welcoming and kind. The sights and smells of 2,400 dead pigs was something I’ll never forget.
“Memories of Capital Ex etched permanently into their skins,” A5. Monday, July 27, 2009. The Edmonton Journal.
- Along with one other reporter, I was this summer’s Capital Ex guy for the Journal, meaning a whole week of pitching carnival stories. On the final day of tromping through Northlands Park, I thought it fascinating that people would get tattoos at such an ephemeral event. A shortage of photographers meant I had to take matters into my own hands for the art.
“A Storm’s Fury,” A5 (Part 1 2 3). Monday, July 20, 2009. The Edmonton Journal.
- Edmonton was wracked by a terrible Saturday night storm in July, knocking out power on Whyte Avenue and felling dozens of mature trees in the city’s most central neighbourhoods. With only a few reporters on hand, I had to do double duty.
“County Declares Drought Disaster,” A1. (A2 here). Thursday, June 18, 2009. The Edmonton Journal.
- One of my first travel assignments this summer was a trip with John Lukas to Camrose county, where a drought had ravaged the region. The fields were brown and empty, except for vast dandelion patches. Alex Zabjek added the MLA interview.
“Patients insist on dying at home,” A1. (A2 here). Friday, May 29, 2009. The Edmonton Journal.
- My first week back at the Journal this summer, I was given a story about a University of Alberta professor, Donna Wilson, who had just published a study showing that Canadians are increasingly choosing to die at home. To get more than just a trend, I visited with Wilson in her south Edmonton home. The editors told me they were caught by surprise by this piece, and ended up bumping the story to the front page.
Two Snowmobiling/Avalanche Stories, B1 & A5. Friday, March 27 and 31, 2009. The Globe and Mail.
- Last March and April, I did a two-week internship at the Vancouver bureau of The Globe and Mail. While covering several crime stories, I did a couple of short pieces on the horrible phenomena of snowmobilers triggering avalanches. One article was on what happened, the other on how the trend might be slowed.
“Owner: I tried twice to save horses,” A1. (A2 here). Tuesday, December 30, 2008. The Edmonton Journal.
- This was my first big chance to prove myself as a reporter during a 3-week Christmas internship. I was given a story about a pair of abandoned horses trapped in the snowy Renshaw Mountains, not far from Jasper. While local residents made a heroic rescue of the animals, there were rumblings that the owner was from Alberta. I ended up with a name (Frank Mackay) and occupation (lawyer), and was the first to get his side of the story.
