The New York Times
From Charles Town -- and Charleston -- West Virginia: In districts with mobile populations and sprawling district boundaries, does it really matter where you're from when you run for Congress?
With eyes on seats in Maryland and West Virginia, politicians cross borders
Photo of West Virginia congressional candidate Nick Casey, at right, courtesy of The New York Times.
Immediately upon beginning my tenure at the Times, I was sent to Mississippi to cover the country's hottest race in its final week. I filed from all across the state as Senator Thad Cochran miraculously managed to beat back his Tea Party challenger.
Photo of a supporter of Thad Cochran, at right, courtesy of The New York Times.
I spent two weeks covering the federal corruption trial of former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell. A key, undernoticed character in the trial was the judge, who though technically powerless, set the case's pace with his commentary.
In Virginia trial of McDonnell and wife, an imposing judge sets the pace
Related coverage:
Photo of Bob McDonnell, at left, courtesy of The Richmond Times-Dispatch.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
During a summer when Philadelphia cab drivers said they felt increasingly threatened by violent riders, reforms to potentially protect drivers were at a standstill. I looked into the impasse to figure out what could be done.
Cabdrivers call for action on robberies
Photo of taxi driver Frank Chukwu, at right, courtesy of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
At an open casket funeral, more than 50 friends and family thought they buried the troubled Sharolyn Jackson. That was until Sharolyn showed up alive two weeks later at a psychiatric ward. I report a saga in which no one comes out clean and everyone's pointing fingers.
Woman in the casket wasn't family's relative
Front-page of The Philadelphia Inquirer on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2013, at left, courtesy of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Using police records and sources, a colleague and I developed a tick-tock of the car chase and violent struggle that eventually culminated in the shooting of a police officer in a North Philadelphia corner store.
Wounded officer recovering from surgery; suspect charged
Photo of Officer John Gable donating blood to help his wounded colleague, at right, courtesy of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
When David Thomsen began editing Wikipedia five years ago, it was a hobby. Now, he can't stop and spends ten hours a day on the site. I profile a Philadelphia 'Wikignome' with an obsession for fixing the little things that make the online encyclopedia work.
Philadelphian is a king of Wikipedia editors
Photo of David Thomsen, at left, courtesy of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Thanks to discount operators like Megabus and Boltbus, intercity bus travel has been rising nationally for the past five years, ending a decades-long decline. In this story for the Business Desk, I localize the national trends for Philadelphians.
Bus travel is picking up, aided by discount operators
Photo of Philadelphia residents boarding Megabus, at right, courtesy of The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Daily Princetonian
Less than a week after the Princeton president announced she would retire, I broke the story that then-CIA Director David Petraeus wanted the job.
My story was subsequently picked up by the national and international press:
-
The New York Times | Petraeus Eyes Presidency of Princeton, Article Says
-
The Washington Post | Petraeus to Princeton?
-
Agence France-Press | Is CIA chief Petraeus running for president -- of Princeton?
After his resignation in November, my prior communication and interview with Paula Broadwell, in which she acted more as a spokesman than as an independent biographer, raised eyebrows.
Petraeus GS '87 and Broadwell, alleged affair partner, had unclear relationship
Photo of David Petraeus as a graduate student at Princeton, at right, courtesy of The Daily Princetonian.
University President Shirley Tilghman's decision to retire contradicted the timeline for her presidency that she had publicly unveiled just six months earlier. I investigated the final three years of her presidency to figure out when she actually decided to retire and to gain a window into the mindset of the University's leader.
In final years, Tilghman thought, and re-thought, exit
Photo of the home purchased by Shirley Tilghman, at right, courtesy of The Daily Princetonian.
The role Princeton sports played in the academy had been uncertain in the early 1990's. Then the University hired Gary Walters as athletic director, and everything changed. In this retrospective profile, I painted a portrait of a controversial departing official and outlined the impact he made and criticisms he ignited.
Front-page of The Daily Princetonian on Monday, Jan. 13, 2014., at right, courtesy of The Daily Princetonian.
What began as an introductory, origin piece about new Princeton president Chris Eisgruber quickly turned into an investigative profile of a leader who offered little access. In this piece, I reconstruct his life and present a brilliant academic who has faced very few struggles -- and built a fairly uncompelling narrative -- as he climbed to the top of his alma mater.
Photo of Christopher Eisgruber, at left, courtesy of The Daily Princetonian.
Before Mitch Daniels became Governor of Indiana, he was arrested for possessing a large number of drugs while he was an undergraduate at Princeton. I told his story.
At Princeton, Daniels '71 marked by
Political news outlets leaped on the news about Daniels, who at the time was seen to be a contender for the Republican presidential nomination:
-
Politico | Mitch Daniels talks drug conviction
Photo of Mitch Daniels, at left, courtesy of The Daily Princetonian.
Princeton has been dubbed the "Conservative Ivy," but is that really true? In this award-winning piece, I surveyed dozens of campus conservative leaders and found that conservatives did indeed have a level of comfort at Princeton that was uncommon among students at peer institutions.
Conservative comfort at the 'Conservative Ivy'
Fifth place, Associated Collegiate Press, 2012 Feature Story of the Year
Judge's comments: This article was an ambitious, thorough, evenhanded exploration of the paradox of “the most conservative Ivy,” at which conservatives find themselves a minority group.
Photo of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and Princeton professor Robbie George, at left, courtesy of The Daily Princetonian.
