With more than 25 years experience in journalism, I’ve written and edited newspapers in California, North Carolina and Virginia. In California, I worked for a weekly paper in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I’m from originally.
In North Carolina, I worked two years (1990-92) at the Sun Journal, a daily paper in New Bern. There, I covered county government, commercial fishing – which is a big industry there – and the Gulf War.
New Bern is near the Marine Corps Air Station in Havelock, so I did lots of stories on the effects the war had on the wives and children left behind while the husbands and dads were fighting in Iraq. As one elementary-school teacher told me, “If one child’s father or mother is killed, the security for the rest of the students is shattered.”
In addition, my photographer and I were lowered by helicopter onto the USS Iwo Jima as it returned to port in Morehead City after deployment. I got to interview the sailors and Marines aboard ship and experience, firsthand, their welcome back by local residents who greeted them in the water in hundreds of small boats to escort them home.
I also interviewed parents of Marines killed in the war, as well as a Marine pilot whose aircraft had been shot down overseas. He spoke about what went through his mind while parachuting into the desert and what happened to him while he was a POW. Luckily, it was toward the end of the war and he was eventually freed to return home.
I also worked three years for the Prince William Journal, covering the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, as well as a slew of criminal cases. And I’ve been with Centre View for almost 19 years, covering Centreville, Chantilly, Clifton, Fair Oaks and Fair Lakes. For the past few years, I’ve also covered Fairfax and some of Lorton and Fairfax Station for the Connection.
Recent Stories
Fairfax, Woodson Win Four Cappies Total
Fairfax High won three Cappie Awards and Woodson High, one, during the June 2 Cappies Gala at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Details of the George Snyder Trail Plan
Named after a former Fairfax City mayor, the George Snyder Trail will connect Chain Bridge Road to the Wilcoxon Trail at Draper Drive, south of Fairfax Boulevard.
‘Regular, American Citizens Serving Their Country’
Fairfax City honors the fallen on Memorial Day.
Each year on Memorial Day, people gather in Fairfax City to honor and remember America’s fallen.
Enjoying Nature and Learning about History
Combining local history with Earth Day activities, Fairfax City’s HisTree Day was April 26 at Historic Blenheim.
Fairfax City’s HisTree Day
Real-Estate Tax Hike; Meals Tax Is Stable
Suspense, but Fairfax City adopts its FY 26 budget.
There’s good news and bad news in Fairfax City’s FY 26 budget, adopted May 6, along with the City’s CIP (Capital Improvement Program) for FY 2026-2030.
Uniting to Help ‘Those Needing It the Most’
Britepaths in Fairfax opens a period pantry.
It’s 2025 but, sadly, the needs of American females overall still come in second to those of males, and the federal government is trying to demonize the word, “equity.” But in Virginia, and especially Fairfax County, women are doing their best to change things.
Difficult Budget Adoption Raises Serious Questions
Can Fairfax City Councilmembers work together?
It’s pretty straightforward: When it’s time to adopt a government’s budget, those tasked with doing so are supposed to follow through. But during the May 6 Fairfax City Council meeting – after several weeks of meetings, work sessions, discussions, public hearings, budget scrutiny, and questions to City staff – some on the dais wanted to delay any action by a week.
Springtime, Cool Band Concert and Food Trucks
‘A Night of Toons:’ Centreville High presents its annual ‘Bandemonium!’
Springtime and warm weather mean it’s time for Centreville High’s band concert under the stars. The Wildcat Band’s Fourth Annual “Bandemonium!” is set for Friday, May 16, at 6:30 p.m., in the school’s bus loop.
Saving Humanity via Pop Culture after Apocalypse
Chantilly High presents ‘Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play’
It’s the apocalypse meets “The Simpsons.” In Chantilly High’s upcoming show, “Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play,” a plucky group of survivors uses acting to keep their pop culture – symbolized by “The Simpsons” – alive in an apocalypse-devastated world.
‘The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Music’
Classic musical is Westfield High’s Cappies show.
A beloved, Academy-Award-winning musical, “The Sound of Music,” will soon burst upon the Westfield High stage as its 2025 Cappies show.