With more than 25 years experience in journalism, I’ve written and edited newspapers in California, North Carolina and Virginia. In California, I worked for a weekly paper in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I’m from originally.
In North Carolina, I worked two years (1990-92) at the Sun Journal, a daily paper in New Bern. There, I covered county government, commercial fishing – which is a big industry there – and the Gulf War.
New Bern is near the Marine Corps Air Station in Havelock, so I did lots of stories on the effects the war had on the wives and children left behind while the husbands and dads were fighting in Iraq. As one elementary-school teacher told me, “If one child’s father or mother is killed, the security for the rest of the students is shattered.”
In addition, my photographer and I were lowered by helicopter onto the USS Iwo Jima as it returned to port in Morehead City after deployment. I got to interview the sailors and Marines aboard ship and experience, firsthand, their welcome back by local residents who greeted them in the water in hundreds of small boats to escort them home.
I also interviewed parents of Marines killed in the war, as well as a Marine pilot whose aircraft had been shot down overseas. He spoke about what went through his mind while parachuting into the desert and what happened to him while he was a POW. Luckily, it was toward the end of the war and he was eventually freed to return home.
I also worked three years for the Prince William Journal, covering the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, as well as a slew of criminal cases. And I’ve been with Centre View for almost 19 years, covering Centreville, Chantilly, Clifton, Fair Oaks and Fair Lakes. For the past few years, I’ve also covered Fairfax and some of Lorton and Fairfax Station for the Connection.
Recent Stories
Singers, Dancers, Musicians, Actors, Artists and More
Fairfax City’s Spotlight on the Arts is April 25-28.
Music, dance, theater and art will all be featured during Fairfax City’s 39th annual Spotlight on the Arts festival. It runs for four days, April 25-28, at various venues throughout the City and has a spectacular lineup of entertainment for all tastes and ages.
America’s Founding Fathers as Ordinary Humans
Woodson High presents its Cappies musical, ‘1776.’
Featuring a cast and crew of 90, plus a 25-person pit orchestra, Woodson High’s upcoming musical, “1776,” is also its Cappies entry.
Honoring Fairfax City Women Making a Difference
Kelly O’Brien and Lorraine Koury are ‘Women of Influence.’
Women
Sometimes People Just Need Laughter in Their Lives
Chantilly High presents rollicking, romantic musical, ‘Anything Goes.’
Anything Goes
Land-Use Group Holds Supervisor’s Feet to the Fire
Committee and MWAA explain their opposition to Agape plan.
It’s one thing to deliberately misrepresent a group’s opinion about a project and another to use that opinion to help sway a vote.
Senior Living: Helping Seniors Age Safely and Successfully
Home for Life 2024 Expo is slated for April 12.
Senior living
Fulfilling a Long-Ago Promise ‘Unevenly Applied’
Fairfax City’s VMBDA helps minority businesses succeed.
Minority Busin
Learn about Fairfax County Police Department
Learn about Fairfax County Police Department