United States
I am a writer, journalist, and professor. I've published fiction, essays, and long-form journalism, and most recently, delved into audio journalism as a reporter at WMUK, an NPR affiliate. I divide my time between Michigan and Oakland, California.
Tenants at a housing complex in Kalamazoo have long complained of problems such as severe mouse infestations and sewer backups. Advocates for residents say the conditions are threat to children's health. How does Fox Ridge keep passing inspection, and what would it take to bring meaningful change?WMUK reported this three-part investigative series in collaboration with NowKalamazoo.
Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller and Urban Alliance's James Harris discuss how law enforcement and the community are approaching Kalamazoo's gun violence crisis.
One family at Kalamazoo Central is pushing for graduates to wear a single gown color at the ceremony.
The new laws aim to keep firearms out of the hands of perpetrators of domestic violence.
The EPA says rain has delayed completion of the project.
Residents near Ford's new site say representatives did meet with them to hear concerns, but have not responded with action.
Advocacy groups say a ruling in the plaintiff's favor could protect parental rights after a same-sex partnership ends.
A resident has filed a complaint with the Department of Justice, claiming the township's sidewalks are not ADA compliant. But local law makes sidewalk repair a private matter.
An unconventional chef and restaurateur had a dream of serving meals and her community. When the banks and management company sitting on a vacant property refused to respond to her attempts to buy or lease, she set up shop anyway.
"Plant blindness" and "the green veil" are both terms that describe the way many people mostly ignore the botany in their own yards and neighborhoods and on public lands. But it's clear when walking with Gabrielle Cerberville through Kalamazoo's Kleinstuck Preserve that her experience of the forest is very different, that years of observation and study allow her to notice things most others don't.
The moment you step inside the Dormouse Theatre, at 1030 Portage St., the energy and ethos of the space assert themselves. Two naked mannequins flank the worn wooden stage of the former church. Above the dais towers a grand wooden arch. Rainbows of light filter through stained-glass windows.
The crowds. The lack of parking. The difficulty scoring a reservation. With so many people heading outdoors after months of quarantine, some of my favorite hiking trails and campgrounds are starting to feel like urban hot spots on a Friday night. It makes sense.
On a chilly November evening, a few hundred people mill around a warehouse in a quiet corner of Oakland. The crowd spills into the empty street, where musicians, engineers, and music fans in hoodies and flannel huddle together, sipping from tall boys in paper bags.
A trip to Los Algodones, the town just south of the border where it seems almost everybody is either a dentist or works for one.
The 2013 law allowing women to access birth control without a prescription in the state went into effect this month. But when we called over a dozen pharmacies in Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Bay Area, none of them would give it to us.
Matt Hummel wasn't a complete political novice when he ran for City Council in Oakland, California this year-he's worked on a few local campaigns and serves as chair of the Oakland Cannabis Regulatory Commission. But he was far from a traditional candidate.
Photo via INDECLINE The activist collective known as INDECLINE was founded in 2001 by a handful of artists barely out of high school with a penchant for defacing corporate billboards. Since then, it's expanded to 25 core members and more than 100 auxiliary filmmakers, photographers, and visual artists, and its actions have likewise grown in risk and notoriety.
There is no shortage of recent articles and books urging humans to wake up to the imminent danger of climate change. But few experts have offered such an exuberant and optimistic plan for dealing with it as biologist Edward O. Wilson.
Melissa Hovey-Larsen, president of the American Bigfoot Society and one of the few female cryptozoologist researchers, on dealing with Internet trolls and maintaining a healthy dose of skepticism in all aspects of life.
No matter how sweet, our furry friends pose a significant threat to wildlife There's a reason many nature lovers own dogs. As an often-solo female hiker, I enjoy the added security, the pleasure of being alone without being totally alone, and the joy of watching my dog bound down the trail or jump into a mountain lake with an abandon I cannot usually muster.