NOTE: This piece was originally published on September 24, 2019. You can read it here. WASHINGTON, D.C. — A D.C. row home that was being illegally used as a rooming house with multiple fire violations was flagged by a police officer four months before two … Continue readingInvestigation into row house remained stalled for 97 days, closing 4 days after fatal fire
NOTE: This story also appeared on WJLA.com on June 3, 2019. FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. — Three weeks after a group of students were disciplined for using e-cigarettes on the grounds of Franklin Middle School in March 2018, a parent sent an email to Braddock District School … Continue reading‘I have never felt so powerless’: Fairfax County schools and parents battle vaping crisis
Religion is key to the culture of Tangier Island. The church provides reassurance that a higher power is watching over the island, protecting it from storms and erosion. NOTE: This is a companion to a larger piece on Tangier. TANGIER ISLAND — There are two churches here: Swain Memorial, … Continue reading‘God has always protected Tangier’: Religion on a disappearing Chesapeake Island
HOW CONOR LAMB WON WESTMORELAND COUNTY WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. –Industry has waned in the Rust Belt, but the labor movement is still strong enough to turn the tide of elections. After Democrat Conor Lamb came from down in the polls to snatch victory over Rick … Continue readingHow a blue Lamb wooed a red district
NOTE: A version of this story appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on July 27, 2018. THE RISE AND FALL OF THE GLASS CAPITAL OF THE WORLD — a multimedia package JEANNETTE, Pennsylvania — At one time, as much as 70 percent of the world’s glass was … Continue readingJeannette, PA: The rise and fall of the glass capital of the world
By Diana DiGangi and Gillian Bullock for Capital News Service NOTE: This piece was originally released for publication in December, 2017. You can also read it here. When we think about where our loved ones will spend their golden years, most of us don’t picture … Continue readingDozens of Virginia nursing homes fined for violations
NOTE: This piece was originally released for publication in April 2016. You can also read it here. RICHMOND, Va. — In a panel at the VPA/SPJ Region 2 Conference, newspaper editors Paige Mudd and Steve Gunn had an inspiring message for the journalists in the … Continue readingSPJVPA16: Editors optimistic about journalism’s future
NOTE: This piece was originally released for publication in February 2016. You can also read it here. It was a requested follow-up to this story. RICHMOND, Va. – “For fifteen years of my life, I experienced unwanted same-sex attractions,” Christopher Doyle said. Doyle grew up … Continue readingConversion therapy, explained: by a practitioner and a victim
NOTE: This piece was originally released for publication in February 2017. You can read it here as well. RICHMOND, Va. — Ever since Monroe Park shut down for renovations in November, the conversation around homelessness in Richmond has grown more urgent, and some say more productive. Monroe … Continue readingRichmond service groups try to help homeless after Monroe Park closure
By Diana DiGangi and Margaret Carmel for Capital News Service NOTE: This piece was originally released for publication in April, 2016. You can read it here as well. A companion piece is here. TANGIER ISLAND, Va. — A teenager wanders at dusk, playing pop hits from … Continue readingTangier Island may vanish under rising seas