WRITING
I’ve written professionally for more than 20 years, at magazine and newspaper staff jobs and as a freelancer for national and local publications.
Below are samples of that work, from 1996 through 2020.
an investigation into banana plantation murders
The Village Voice, 2003
“Del Monte sold the Lankin land for perhaps a tenth of its market value to a group of notorious local thugs. Called ganaderos, or cattle ranchers, these gunmen have often served to control dissent in the steamy Izabal region. Local advocates say what happened when Del Monte turned its back on its former workers was predictable: Since the occupation began, they claim, the ganaderos have shot and killed eight Lankin farmers—three in the last six months.”
Full article here.
scrutiny of a billion dollar nyc tax program
City Limits, 2002
“The Point’s dreams for this rare plot of waterfront property are expansive. Where carcasses once hung, the nonprofit hopes to build a boathouse, so young people can learn to row, and gain an appreciation of river ecology. The organization wants to make space for local businesses, like a soul-food catering company. And room for arts classes.
None of this mattered to JER Revenue Services. In its role collecting millions of dollars of debt owed to New York City, and selling off more than a thousand properties, JER has tremendous power–and operates with almost zero public scrutiny”
Full article here.
Op-ed ABOUT TRUMP ADMIN’S EFFECT ON UTAH’S AIR
Salt Lake Tribune, 2017
“A crippled EPA won't have the staff or the budget to study technologies that could sharply reduce emissions from our furnaces and boilers, for example. It wouldn't be able to scrutinize emissions from freight engines or figure out whether new technologies can further reduce pollution from cars and trucks.
Utah's representatives in Congress often put forth rhetoric about "EPA overreach" and the need for "greater local control." Those words might help them get elected, but if they don't stand up for the agency's staff and budget in the months to come, it's the health of Utah's families and our children who will pay the price.”
Full article here.
AN INVESTIGATION INTO LINKS BETWEEN WORLD BANK DAM AND GUATE MASSACRES
MULTINATIONAL MONITOR, 1996
“In total, the patrollers and soldiers killed 178 people in Río Negro on March 13, 1982: 70 women, 107 children and an old man who was forced into a canvas sack and thrown off a cliff.
"What happened to Río Negro in 1982 was so unjust," Luís says, "but we were not innocent. We had committed the crime of working together to fight that cursed dam."
The "cursed dam" was part of the Chixoy Hydroelectric Project, a massive dam, reservoir and power station built by the Guatemala state electricity company (INDE) with funding and technical support from the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank. The village of Río Negro stood in the path of the project.
Full article here.
NOTE TO ENVIRO SUPPORTERS AFTER CONTENTIOUS COAL POWER HEARING
HEAL UTAH EMAIL, 2016
“Some of you might be expecting me to rant because coal mining companies likely hired buses and gave their workers the day off to pack the hearings. Maybe you expect me to say something like, “Deeppocketed industry is trying to game the system” or something. But, honestly, I don’t feel that way.
Yes, the company helped the miners and their families get there, but the fear and anxiety these working class Utahns feel about their future is genuine. They are legitimately concerned about how they’re going to feed their families. These are not Americans with advanced degrees and lots of options. They live in a beautiful part of the state where jobs that pay well are few and far between. For generations, they’ve taken black rocks out of the ground. And now, the world is changing. And that has them worried. Not just about them, but about their kids. What does the future hold for them?
You know what’s interesting? It’s not that different from the worry we feel. Our worry is about something else, of course. We worry that because of that black rock (and black oil) the world around is changing irrevocably. We worry that a warming planet will choke off our food supply, dry up our water and cause millions of us to flee, leading to chaos and despair. We worry not just about humanity, but the natural world.”
Read the full email here.
ADDITIONAL STORIES
NEWS ARTICLE ABOUT AFRICAN CHURCH PROTEST
Newsday, 2000”Horrified by stories of torture and murder he heard during a trip to Sudan in June, Dana Antal returned to his Jamaica evangelical church determined to raise awareness about the persecution of Christians in the war-torn African nation.
Antal, of Bellerose, and about a thousand fellow worshippers at Highland Church took to the streets yesterday for a March for the Persecuted Church—a vibrant display of their concern about attacks against Christians abroad.
Full article here.NEWS ARTICLE PORTRAYING THE PLIGHT OF A LOCAL SMALL FARMER
DAILY RECORD, 2000“A Thursday that began for Skeeter Kielblock at 4:45 a.m. is almost over, and looking out over the scene in front of him -- his two sons cooling down fresh-cut broccoli, an elderly woman and her granddaughter contentedly picking peaches, the late-afternoon sun highlighting the fertile hills his family has worked for more than 130 years - you can almost hear the conflictive voices which pull at a farmer's heart.Yes, farming is endless, backbreaking work. Yes, the financial rewards are minimal. But it's also in your blood, and you don't know what's going to happen first: you'll stop doing it because it'll kill you, or you'll kill yourself because you stopped doing it.”
Read more here.OP-ED CRITICIZING LOCAL PRESS FOR ONE-SIDED NBA LOCKOUT COVERAGE
CITY WEEKLY, 2011
“But you certainly wouldn’t know how one-sided negotiations have been so far if you subject yourself to the blather that passes for sports journalism in Salt Lake City. Our columnists, reporters and talk-show chatterers lazily blast the players and owners, calling both greedy, conveniently forgetting that one side has already conceded much, while the other has barely budged.
Full article here.BLOG POST ANALYZING THE PROSPECTS OF THE UTAH JAZZ
SALT CITY HOOPS, 2015
“What most Jazz fans think — or at least hope — is that the team's late season run is more predictive of how they will be do this coming season. However, optimistic Jazz fans anticipating smooth sailing to a playoff spot need to realize that history — and math — aren't on your side.”
Read more here.