Favorite Stories
Farmington Mudslide, June 1, 1983
Excessive snow and rain in the winter and spring of 1982-1983 triggered massive flooding and mudslides in Utah. This story about a devastating mudslide in Farmington, Utah, won a national journalism award for radio reporting.
Utah’s Last Annual Utah Jello Salad Festival, September 22, 1983
A sound portrait from Utah’s first and last festival celebrating the state’s signature culinary delight – Jello Salad.
Ant Man, September 12, 1989
Journalists find the most interesting people doing the most interesting things. Exhibit A: Utah’s Ant Man, who collects red worker ants for the Ant Farms sold in toy stores. It’s a lucrative business with special tools: a straw from McDonald’s, a garden trowel and, sometimes, a backhoe. Oh, and the ants bite.
National Guard Goodbye, January 29, 1991
An entire town turns out to say goodbye to the local National Guard unit headed to an uncertain outcome in the first Gulf War. One of my all-time favorites for the scenes, sounds and writing that capture the experience of being there.
Navajo Sense of Place, October 11, 1993
An NPR series on Sense of Place took us to Canyon de Chelly on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona, where the Yazzie clan is deeply rooted, and a daughter goes through the coming-of-age ceremony known as Kinaalda.
Working At The Margins Pt. 3: Diving for Sea Cucumbers in Puget Sound, September 6, 1996
Working At The Margin: Fishing for Brine Shrimp on the Great Salt Lake, September 4, 1996
Toad Mating Frenzy at Mount St. Helens, July 13, 1999
The massive 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens wiped out all many forms of across a huge swath of the vast “blast zone”. Or so people thought. When we returned 19 years later, we traveled with a team of scientists to a remarkable scene, a noisy mating frenzy of toads that survived the debacle and even thrived. Scientists say the toads' progress is a lesson in how ecosystems recover from environmental cataclysms.
Utah Polygamy Crackdown, August 10, 1999
In 1999, the persistent practice of polygamy in Utah lost its benign reputation with reports of incest, forced child marriages, sexual abuse and fraud. One prosecutor launched a rare prosecution of well-known polygamist Tom Green, who had appeared on TV programs and in news stories around the globe. My story profiles the Greens, the opposition to polygamy and the effort to put Green in jail.
The Triple Nickels, March 23, 2000
An elite unit of paratroopers in World War II were not permitted to jump into combat because the soldiers were Black. Instead, they were sent to Oregon to work as smokejumpers responding to wildfires triggered by Japanese fire balloons. The story of the Triple Nickels as told by three members of the unit.
Shadow Wolves, July 5, 2001
Another elite unit – Native American trackers using traditional methods to find and follow drug smugglers in the Arizona desert.
Thrill of the Luge, February 6, 2002
Team NPR covering the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City explained some of the more obscure sports by trying them. I did bobsled and luge (and, later, skeleton). My speedy (40 mph) and bumpy luge experience was captured in this story.
Saving Fossil's Library: Budget Cuts Endanger Lone Library in Small Oregon Town, November 2, 2003
John McPhee: A Reporter's Reporter, June 24, 2006
A dream assignment for a reporter who long admired the prolific writing of John McPhee, and shares McPhee’s strong interest in the intersections of the human and natural worlds.
A Sense of Where John McPhee Is, June 24, 2006
The 'Unreadable' Thing: John McPhee On The Craft Of Writing, November 15, 2006
Bird's Eye Photographer Shoots from His Cessna, May 28, 2007
Grief Camp Helps Children Cope with War Losses, August 22, 2007
Nature, Neighbors Guide Composer's Notes, July 4, 2008
Battling Cancer With T-Shirts And Laughter, December 15, 2009
Walking Through History At Zion National Park, August 27, 2009
Artifacts Sting Stuns Utah Town, July 1, 2009
Literary Larceny: A Book Thief Meets His Match, January 1, 2010
Salt, Flies, Pickled Tongues: A Perfect Great Salt Lake Swim, June 7, 2013