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
Musical Comes to Life in a New York Apartment
Westfield Summer Stage presents ‘The Drowsy Chaperone.’
Each year, Westfield Summer Stage gives audiences the chance to see some of the most talented high-school thespians from throughout Fairfax County.
Police Charge Special Ed Teacher with Assault
A Fairfax woman who worked as a special-education teacher has been charged with assaulting three students at White Oaks Elementary in Burke.
Man Charged with Killing Fairfax Resident
Fairfax County police have arrested a Washington, D.C., man in connection with the May 21 murder of a Fairfax resident.
Police Arrest Suspect in Centreville Carjacking
Safety tips offered for exchanging merchandise with strangers.
Police detectives from the Fairfax County Police Department’s Major Crimes Bureau have charged a 25-year-old Maryland man in connection with a recent carjacking and abduction in Centreville.
Man Arrested, Charged with Sexual Assaults
Police say DNA testing reportedly tied him to three cold cases.
A man police believe committed multiple, unsolved sexual assaults – dating as far back as 1998 – is now in custody in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. He is Edward Eugene Pottmyer, 58 and, although he has a Chantilly address, he actually lives in Loudoun County.
Poignant Stories of Wartime Bravery and Heart
Fairfax Councilmembers talk about America’s heroes.
During Fairfax City’s Memorial Day ceremony, last Monday, May 27, two of the most poignant stories about America’s fallen veterans were told by Councilmembers Kate Doyle Feingold and Tom Ross:
‘We Remember Those Who Sacrificed Their Tomorrows’
Fairfax City pays tribute to the fallen on Memorial Day.
VFW Post 8469 Chaplain Marcus Kuiper gave the opening prayer at Fairfax City’s annual Memorial Day ceremony, last Monday, May 27. Held at American Legion Post 177, it was jointly hosted by both posts and attended by more than 100 people. “We pray for those who gave their last, full measure of devotion – those who courageously laid down their lives for the cause of freedom,” said Kuiper. “Hear our prayers for those who put the welfare of others above their own and made the ultimate sacrifice.”
Westfield Pyramid Art Show Highlights Students’ Work
Westfield High’s Pyramid Art Show was April 18.
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.