PAST WORK
An unlikely business has been caught in the sweeping bar shutdowns ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott: Texas’s 297 Veterans of Foreign Wars Posts.
“We’re stuck,” J.R. Nielson, commander of Post 1799 in Tyler, said. “There’s no light at the end of the tunnel.”
Because many of the VFW posts get more than 51% of their sales in alcohol, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission — and the governor — consider them a bar, closing many of these posts’ doors and services to veterans statewide.
Sitting side by side in the small, unlit front office of an RV park, Dick Marlow and Gavin Hitt strike an interesting pair.
Marlow, the owner of the 5 Star RV Park on Lavender Road, is an ex-engineer with the land and the machinery to do the job. Hitt is a flower farmer who loves working in the soil. But perhaps no other combination would have made Sook Flower Farm flourish.
Within the span of a month, Cedric Standard lost two generations of his family — first both sets of grandparents, then his parents.
“A lot of those women raised me, so it’s kind of like they were the backbone of the family,” Standard said. “And whenever the backbone is gone, it seems like some people may not know what to do.”
Between the pandemic, the economic recession and the shortened filing date, experts are worried that these hardest to count populations — communities of color, low-income families, rural residents — will be significantly undercounted.
“There are billions of dollars that come to the state for programs that are for services like Title I schools, services including child health insurance programs, WIC and food stamps,” Lila Valencia, a demographer with the Texas Demographic center, said. “Those who are most of need could also be the ones who lose the greatest services if there’s a severe undercount.”
On a balmy Monday evening, protesters gathered at Tyler ISD's Plyler Instructional Complex with signs, bullhorns and their voices to demand the board change the name of Robert E. Lee high school. It's been a fight 50 years in the making. Here are their messages to the school board and their community.
Photographer Greg Miller has spent over 20 years documenting Catholics on Ash Wednesday. As Lent comes to an end, his photos highlight the power of the bonds of faith.
In this photo series, we talk with federal representatives on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. about their faith and their politics, and how even across party lines, religion creates community.
INSTAGRAM ENGAGEMENT PROJECTS
I started these updates for NPR during the beginning of the Black Lives Matter protests after George Floyd's killing by police. Find the highlight here.
During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, I started a daily story on NPR's Instagram as a way to update our audience on what they needed to know. Find the highlight here.
I also led the Instagram strategy on the Faces of the Coronavirus Recession project and our Being Black in America story.
From how volunteer efforts can help build new community, to understanding "bless," to navigating the complex immigration process, immigrants in Smith County have unique stories to share about life in East Texas.
Remember the canary in the coal mine? Freshwater mussels are the underwater version: when they disappear, it means local waterways are in serious trouble. Here’s how a team of U.T. Tyler professors are trying to protect East Texas’s species, and what their success or failure might mean for the water supply we all share.
AFTER TWO MASS SHOOTINGS IN TX THIS YEAR: HOW IS UT TYLER PROTECTING ITS STUDENTS FROM GUN VIOLENCE?
A broadcast package over UT Tyler President Michael Tidwell's master plan for the campus.
A deep-dive documentary into the finances, administration decision-making process, and student opinions on the new Patriot Plaza.
After two mass shootings in Texas this year and an arrest of a UT Tyler student who threatened customers and employees with a gun at the Troup Hwy Walmart, students are asking: Could it happen here? The Patriot Talon talks with students and campus security to understand the realm of possibilities.
Student Government Association candidate Blake Hendricks was elected to be the next president of the SGA but was disqualified due to violations of the bylaws. Hendricks claims that he was not given due process by the Judicial Board and the SGA Bylaws are ineffective and unclear.
Over the Summer 2019, I helped to relaunch and revamp The Tyler Loop's newsletter, as well as study what makes newsletters successful. I have worked on drip campaigns, audience engagement, and am familiar with all newsletter metrics. Find their archives and see my past work here.
I also designed, launched, and work on UT Tyler's first and only campus-news newsletter for The Patriot Talon. Find my campaigns here.
I've also redesigned and contributed to several newsletters from Falcon Aerial Data, a drone surveying company based out of Tyler, Texas. Contact owner Les Jeske for my work.
During my time at National Public Radio, I've helped with the Best of NPR newsletter, as well as managed audience response for The New Normal Newsletter. Reach out to me for my work samples.
NEWSLETTER WORK
In this interview with Pamela Phoenix, who ran to represent northwest Tyler in 2019, she talks about water issues, the power of neighborhood associations, and how seeing Tyler's segregation made her "heart hurt" after landing here from New Orleans after Katrina.
In a short film project that I wrote and directed for, one young woman explores where science and emotion meet.
Each elephant eats 100 pounds a day. Fifty Madagascar roaches share just two pieces of dog food and a slice of orange. Here's how Caldwell Zoo's commissary keeps thousands of incredibly diverse animals— including several endangered species— happy and well-fed.