As the team's executive producer, I helped produce multiple stories that raised awareness on pressing issues and caused lawmakers to take action. Some of our stories were tough investigations that required open records requests and hours of sifting through documents. Others were stories that attempted to answer the questions presented by our viewers. All of the stories differed from the daily packages you typically see on TV news, and I played a key role in the production process. I was recognized as the state's digital journalist of the year for my work on some of these stories.
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The Casey County coroner ruled Leah Skipper's death a suicide, but her daughter, Sierra, had questions about what happened the evening her mother died. WKYT Investigates, and sat down with Sierra Skipper in her quest for answers. The case was scheduled to be presented to a grand jury in January 2015, but a former Kentucky medical examiner says the central question in this case -- whether it was a suicide -- could not be determined because the initial investigation was botched. Questions about the coroner's qualifications led us to another story (left).
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A Richmond police officer was fatally shot, and the man charged with murder had a lengthy criminal history. In fact, he had been released on parole months before the officer's shooting, even though parole board members told him he did not appear to be a good candidate for release. Here is the story we did after obtaining files and documents through open records.
Two Kentucky teenagers who were wanted in a multi-state crime spree were gaining national attention as they remained on the run. WKYT took a closer look at a local story that was growing quickly. This was a daily story, but I helped the reporter develop her story for the noon news.
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Doctors say Suboxone, a treatment drug prescribed to help people with opiate addictions, is highly effective if used correctly. However, some law enforcement agencies in Kentucky think Suboxone is being abused at a rate that has not been seen since the Oxycontin pill mills of years past.
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What do police do with guns they take in as evidence? Kentucky State Police take a lot of them and they are sold to gun dealers in auctions.
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In November 2014, Jim Gray was elected to serve a second term as mayor, becoming the first mayor to serve a second term in more than a decade. The mayor sat down with WKYT to discuss the lessons he learned in his first term, and laid out a plan for the future.
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My first on-air package.
“You can only become accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead pursue the things you love doing and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you."
- Maya Angelou
- Maya Angelou