Reporting

In the mourning after the Mac, questions about safety – produced for WBEZ 91.5 FM

When two sailors died in the 2011 Race to Mackinac, organizers say they were the first competition-related casualties in the race’s 113 year history. Now the tragedy is raising questions about sailing safety. Robin Amer reports.

Noney – produced for public radio’s Marketplace

Whatever the face value of the money in your wallet, chances are good it’ll be worth less – eventually. That’s what inflation tends to do to cold hard cash. One could invest in art, for example, but you’d have to part with your cash. Or would you? Robin Amer reports.

Radio Documentary

Dear Chicago: Don’t forget the mentally ill - produced for WBEZ 91.5 FM

The tight economy has governments cutting back where they can, and that has many Chicago residents worried the social safety net is getting frayed. One of the clients affected by these cuts was Helena Carnes-Jeffries, 35. She experienced childhood sexual abuse and was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In this commentary Carnes-Jeffries asks that Chicago’s new mayor and aldermen address gaps in mental health-care funding and pick up where the state left off.

Ghosts of Gary - produced for Vocalo 89.5 FM

Dorothy, a non-Indiana native, stumbles into Gary on a road trip and sees the remnants of its once vibrant downtown. Among the shuttered buildings is the stately Palace movie theater, long-closed. But how long closed? Has it been closed since the Jackson Five, still advertised on the theater’s marquee, were last together? Has Gary’s downtown been a ghost town that long?

Ghosts of Gary won Best Radio Documentary 2007 from the Indiana chapter of the Society for Professional Journalists. It was also a finalist for a Peter Lisagor Award from the Chicago Headline Club in the Radio Documentary category.

Multimedia & Video

Dear Chicago: Rebuild our historic commercial streets – produced for WBEZ.org

Out(Spoken) – produced for Chicago Public Media

Hector (aka Lohan Addict) is an 18-year-old high school student who is crazy about making movies for an internet audience. He also happens to be openly gay. He uses his camera to bring attention to the difficulties and discrimination out gay teens like him face in school and the rest of the world. This video piece explores why he’s compelled to make media that tackles important social issues, despite the risks he faces from being so outspoken.

Photo Essays

With grocery bus, West Siders jump on health bandwagon – produced for WBEZ.org

There’s a novel solution bringing relief to food deserts on Chicago’s West Side. Sparing the expense of building a bricks and mortar grocery, a group has transformed a decommissioned CTA bus into a mobile, one-aisle produce mart.

A steel mill site’s second act – produced for WBEZ.org

When Dave Matthews Band Caravan comes through Chicago Friday, the concert’s musicians will be playing at a site with a lot of history. This site was once home to a giant steel mill — U.S. Steel’s South Works facility. Built in 1880 and strategically located at the mouth of the Calumet River, South Works would become the third biggest steel mill in the world by the time it turned 75.