Latest works
New reality for nurses: Not easy to find a job, March 10, 2012. The Great Recession temporarily reversed a chronic shortage of nurses.
Empty, foreclosed houses burden cities, neighborhoods, Feb. 11, 2012. A true tale of what can happen when a home is abandoned to foreclosure.
For state's banks, 2011 is a profitable year, Dec. 10, 2011.
Data-driven news stories
Data visualizations on bank deposit market share: Giant banks pick up more of Washingtonians' cash (Nov. 2, 2011) is a Javascript-based interactive using Google API. This was a prototype for a more refined treemap for the newspaper (Nov. 6). The interactive has the advantage of showing two dimensions (market share, gain/loss in market share).
Quarterly roundup on bank earnings: State's banks made money in past 6 months, Sept. 14, 2011. This Sunday package included an enterprise story showing a decline in commercial lending and a Tableau data viz.
Foreclosures don't always follow script, Dec. 19, 2010: The Seattle Times' first collaboration with ProPublica entailed building from scratch a database on some 1,200 foreclosures in three metro areas and ferreting out answers to basic questions about the foreclosure crisis. Relatively little public data is available on foreclosures, and researchers and consumer advocates want lawmakers to change that.
Dog-attack victims wait days or weeks for response, Seattle Times, A1, Sept. 13, 2009. King County Animal Care and Control's ability to respond to calls of vicious dogs and dog bites has deteriorated in recent years. This story was published with a sidebar - Vicious dogs quietly moved to new homes - and a video and database lookup. My colleague, Justin Mayo, cleaned and analyzed the data. Soon after the story was published, King County leaders announced they were closing the agency and planned to hand off its responsibilities to contractors.
Local foreclosures soar threefold in two years, Seattle Times, A1, April 26, 2009. How the surge in foreclosures is playing out in one neighborhood. This multi-media package includes photos, Flash interactives and a video.
Washington bankruptcy filings rise 40%, Seattle Times, A1, Nov. 24, 2008. This year's growth rate is on pace to be the highest since at least 1991. A cool Flash map displays county bankruptcy statistics.
Will closing school doors open others? Seattle Times, B1, Jan. 21, 2006. After compiling databases and working with a web designer, I gave readers a way to compare school programs and facilities and reach their own conclusions about which Seattle schools should be closed to balance the budget.
A new way of judging how well schools are doing, Seattle Times, A1, Aug. 28, 2005. Value-added data may improve accountability, but not without controversy.
Florida's insurance crisis: Boy's case illustrates malpractice crisis, Palm Beach Post, A1, June 15, 2003. My analysis of state and national databases led me to this finding: Of the 15,000 people who filed malpractice claims in Florida during the 1990s, about half received no payment. Of those who did get paid, half were awarded less than $125,000, and three-quarters received less than $250,000.
Business reporting
Nalley's food plant closes in Tacoma, workers try to move on, Aug. 7, 2011. A feature on what the closing of a local institution means for its workers and the community in a globalized economy.
Tacoma works to recover from economic blows, March 21, 2011: The state's third-largest city is feeling the ripple effects from the departure of Russell Investments.
Nearly one in five workers in state "underemployed," Nov. 18, 2010: The official unemployment figures vastly understate the number of people who want a full-time job.
Sharp divide on workers' compensation initiative, Oct. 20, 2010: Small business owners have their opinions on what Initiative 1082 would do for workers' compensation in Washington state. This overview explains what the Initiative would do and addresses some of the biggest misconceptions. Check out the cool data viz too.
Rescue from foreclosure? Frustration, anger grow, Sept. 6, 2010. More than a year since the federal government launched an unprecedented loan-modification program, many homeowners' experiences with the program have left them feeling frustrated and angry at mortgage servicers. This investigative report generated more than 200 comments, and calls to the state's foreclosure-prevention hotline doubled. I also created a data viz with Tableau.
Is your bank getting stronger or weaker?, Seattle Times, March 26, 2010. I created this data visualization with Tableau, a web-based tool, to accompany my colleague's story about local banks' struggles.
UW project explores Great Depression's impact on state, Seattle Times, Feb. 19, 2010.
Case shows how real-estate insiders scammed the system for profit, Seattle Times, A1, Feb. 27, 2009. As millions of loans default and go into foreclosure, banks are discovering massive mortgage fraud and inundating law-enforcement agencies with cases.
Investigative reporting
Big lenders out of local regulators' reach, Dec. 19, 2010: It remains unclear to state regulators whether the Dodd-Frank financial reforms passed by Congress will reduce abuses and the steady flow of complaints from consumers about mortgage servicers and banks wrongly foreclosing on them.
Assessor candidate Hara lacks permit for home remodel, Seattle Times, B1, Oct. 28, 2009. I broke this story through interviews and city records.
Home building boom relies on illegal workers, Seattle Times, A1, Sept. 17, 2006.
More perks thrown in to attract school chiefs, Seattle Times, Nov. 15, 2005.
'Get the Lead Out' lost steam in Seattle schools, Seattle Times, B1, July 4, 2004.
Pharmaceutical marketing practices, Palm Beach Post, 2000.
Metro reporting
Attic finds get a back story at Burke Museum's Artifact ID Day, February 12, 2011: For more than two decades, Artifact ID Day at Seattle's Burke Museum has offered surprises to curators and members of the public who bring in their treasures. Check out the photo gallery by my talented colleague Erika Schultz.
New Fremont park is an eye-popper, Seattle Times, A1, Oct. 30, 2007. The story behind the opening of an amazing park in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood.
Giving everyone a sidewalk is no walk in the park, Seattle Times, A1, Aug. 21, 2007. Why a sidewalk isn't just a sidewalk in Seattle.
How other cities handle clash of clubs and condos, Seattle Times, A1, Aug. 7, 2007. An explanatory piece that shed light during the city's debate over nightlife.
Fitness plan gives dogs at shelter new chance, Seattle Times, B1, June 26, 2007. A popcorn feel-good story.
Pedestrian safety becomes personal for councilman, Seattle Times, A1, Feb. 24, 2007.
Seattle School Board races and campaign finance, Seattle Times, 2005.
Deadline reporting
Two UW departments failed to report stalker threats, Seattle Times, A1, April 5, 2007. My pointed questioning elicited a surprising admission from the University of Washington's human-resources executive and a scoop for my paper. Months later, the state fined the UW for its role in the tragedy.
Racial tiebreaker will stand, Seattle Times, B1, Oct. 21, 2005. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately ruled on this case.
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster: 'Columbia is lost,' The Palm Beach Post, A1, Feb. 2, 2003.
Multimedia
I Am A Journalist, produced for AAJA Seattle's Northwest Journalists of Color scholarship reception, June 9, 2009. My role in this production was small, as a supervising producer. Amy Phan did a remarkable job cutting the video.
Remembering Vu, produced for AAJA Seattle's Northwest Journalists of Color scholarship reception, June 9, 2009.
Online mapping tool promotes bike safety, Seattle Times, B1, May 28, 2009. With summer here, thousands are riding their bikes. The Cascade Bicycle Club has launched a new mapping tool that lets cyclists self-report bike crashes, road hazards and bike thefts all in one place. The story is accompanied by a video, the first I've shot entirely with a Flip Video Camcorder.
Georgetown worries it'll be the next big thing, Seattle Times, A1, March 26, 2008.
Cadillac of worms rules as an urban composter, Seattle Times, B1, July 15, 2008. Meet the new goldfish of urban hipsters.
Bronzeville grasps for old glory, Hot Chai Media, July 2008.
Fremont Solstice Parade audio slideshow, Hot Chai Media, June 2008.
Other articles
"Useful Lessons From Reporting the Anthrax Story," Nieman Reports, p. 14, Vol. 57, No. 1, Spring 2003.
Special skills
Multimedia: Video/audio production, Final Cut Pro, After Effects, Flash, Photoshop, HTML/CSS. Data mining (Access, SQL) and statistical analysis (Excel, SPSS), XML, Visio. Languages: Spanish.