The Des Moines Register

At the Register, I worked as a general assignment reporter, typically covering crime. During this internship, I learned to increase my speed when reporting and how to be creative when reaching a dead end. 

See more of my work at the Register here.

'It's just devastating': Disabled Des Moines couple struggles to pay for $26,000 in repairs after basement wall collapses

John Ollin, 69, feels like he failed his wife. 

​The couple lived in their Des Moines home for 11 years, until a basement wall collapsed during strong storms on June 22, leaving the home uninhabitable. 

'He loved life, he loved to live it': Wasp sting victim remembered by family, community

Everybody on Dwayne Kriegel's mail route liked the letter carrier, his daughter said. 

​Kriegel, 58, died Tuesday. A wasp stung him in the hand multiple times after he reached into a mailbox during his normal mail route in central Iowa last week. His family said he should be remembered for his ability to make friends with anybody and everybody.

Hinterland 2019: Excitement felt in the audience leading up to memorable sets by Kacey Musgraves, Hozier

High anticipation for Kacey Musgraves' Hinterland appearance was apparent in the moments before her 8 p.m. set Friday, through undeniable angst.
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Musgraves fans — many identifiable by their cowgirl hats — claimed their spots, ready to defend their patch of grass from the unavoidable attempts by latecomers to squeeze into the perfect view of the Grammy Award-winning country star.

IowaWatch

24 rural Iowa counties opt for single polling site amid COVID-19 concerns​

Voters in one Iowa county of 9,000 cast their ballots the same way people purchase a Big Mac: in the drivethrough.
The Bloomfield Fire Department, the usual polling location for Bloomfield, served all of Davis County’s eight sites this year. Cars could pull into the emptied equipment bays — where the firetrucks normally sit — and drivers could vote behind the wheel and then pull forward to exit.

Professors switch quickly to online teaching, noting few benefits, more hours, less interaction

University of Northern Iowa professor Anelia Dimitrova expected the coronavirus would cause a two-week spring break extension – not a swift end to campus life and the beginning of teaching online. 
She thought it was odd, she said, when one of her students noted in March that their last class before spring break could be their last meeting in person.
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“Very quickly it became apparent that that was very naive and idealistic,” Dimitrova, who teaches journalism and ethics, said. 

Iowa State Daily

'This is not America:' International students express threatened status in United States

International students discuss the impact that the travel ban had on them. 
This story covering the impact the travel ban had on Iowa State international students won first place in the Columbia Scholastic Press news feature category, 

Miles Lackey leaves for Auburn: ‘It has been a great adventure’

The Saturday after the Iowa State chief of staff announced he would be leaving for Auburn, he sat down with the Daily to reflect on his time at Iowa State. 
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Iowa adoptees seek access to birth certificates

For Michelle Spear, gaining access to her birth certificate is about control. Spear is the founder of the Iowa Adoptee and Family Coalition whose purpose is to give Iowan adoptees access to their original birth certificate which a law has blocked them from doing since 1941.

The Northwest Herald

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner on SB1 veto: Make school funding fair for the whole state​

 Iowa State could face an additional $2.5 million in budget cuts this fiscal year, said Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, on Friday.