Welcome to my News & Features portfolio page.
Here you can hopefully see my versatility as a journalist and multimedia storyteller specializing in crafting complete news packages with photos, graphs, sidebars or video.
With a strong foundation in investigative reporting and feature writing, I connect with diverse voices, from those living on the fringes to prominent figures in the arts.
I leverage a good nose for news, insatiable curiosity, photography and web optimization skills to produce impactful work that reaches the top of the SERPS and resonates with readers.
More on about page ➡
Below is a random selection of news and feature stories dug out from old hard drives during the pandemic.
Society & Social Issues
Sewage, Slums, A Tourist Attraction: The Grittier Side of Buenos Aires
Tourists flock to the posh parts of Buenos Aires, but there’s a grittier side to this city. ANDE WANDERER discovers the latest tourist attraction: the slums.
Hare Hare Hardcore: The Path to Tranquility Runs through the Mosh Pit
Hare Krishnas attracted new devotees in the 1990s thanks to hard-edged melodies of ‘Krishna-core,’ a spiritual extension of the ‘straight-edge’ hard-core music scene.
Colorado to Jurors: We Own Your Mind!
Colorado activist, Laura Kriho was charged with Contempt of Court after refusing to convict a teenager on a non-violent drug charge while on jury duty.
Kriho’s case sparked a nationwide conversation about jury nullification in the 1990s.
Homeless in Sloan’s Lake Microcosm of Citywide Problem
The growing unhoused community in Denver includes disabled veterans, families and former foster kids. More are moving into residential neighborhoods such as Sloan’s Lake in an attempt to avoid the dangers of the downtown drug scene.
(A sadly evergreen story from 2003.)
Reefer Madness or Kind Medicine?
Marijuana didn’t become legal in Colorado overnight. Nearly fifteen years before recreational weed was legalized in the Centennial State, advocates and activists battled anti-drug crusaders in the effort to pass Amendment 20, legalizing the use of medical marijuana which ultimately paved the way for legal recreational pot in the Mile High state.
Goodbye Legal High: Death of a Party Drug
A once-popular underground drug, GHB is today prescribed — even to children — to treat a range of health issues. A peek into the lives of early users and the swift legislative moves to outlaw it before making it a profitable pharmaceutical drug.
FDA to the Rescue: Fighting the Body’s Own ‘Date Rape Drug’
Although naturally produced in the human body, GHB was described in headlines as ‘fatal’ and ‘toxic’ before being outlawed. A look back at the myths and misinformation that preceded the government crackdown.
Surviving Heroin in Denver, Where It’s Easy to Score and a Struggle to Quit
The roots of Denver’s opioid crisis are in the 1990s, when doctors began to prescribe OxyContin en masse after its FDA approval in 1995 and black tar heroin came in from Mexico.
Discover how underfunded public programs to help addicts sometimes have unintended consequences.
Denver’s Lake Steam Baths sauna is a nearly 100-year-old institution originally built for the local Jewish community’s ceremonial bathing.
Today, all walks of life head to Denver’s last schvitz for an afternoon of unclad relaxation.
Discover Denver’s Seamy History with Tour Guide, Phil Goodstein
Do you know about Denver’s sordid pre-20th-century history? Tour guide, Phil Goodstein imparts the fascinating and sometimes salacious details of this old west boomtown.
Arts & Culture
DJ Logic Puts a New Spin on Turntablism
Turntablist DJ Logic on his musical childhood in the boogie-down Bronx and his genre-melding journey with Medeski, Martin and Wood, culminating in the creation of his acid jazz band, Project Logic.
Leo Tanguma Adds Color, or Some Say, Doomsday Imagary Around Denver
News piece/profile on the accomplished artist famous for his provocative murals at Denver International Airport upon creating a new mural for North Denver’s Federal Boulevard for the North Denver Tribune.
Tattooing for Better Karma: Ink in the Hindu Belt
In the ‘Hindu Belt’ of Asia religious tattoos and even modern ink motifs are a way to gather good karma for life’s next incarnation.
Art of War: Which Martial Art is the One for You?
Martial arts are a great way to get fit, gain discipline and learn how to defend oneself in the case of an attack. A look at the rise of women warriors with a round-up of the different disciplines.
Goddess of Prose: Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy’s debut novel, ‘The God of Small Things,’ was a surprise success, winning the 1997 Booker Prize.
An interview dating from the start of her U.S. book tour for the novel.
Musical Odd Couple: Little Fyodor & Babushka
Little Fyodor (Dave Lichtenberg ) is a legend in the Denver indie music scene and a Northwest Denver resident.
A look behind the quirky musician, from his time with the band, Walls of Genius, to his act with long-time partner (Babushka), to his popular radio program, Under the Floorboards which ran on Boulder’s KGNU for over 25 years.
Denver Art Bus First Friday Revelry
The Denver Art Bus was a raucous ride on a converted school bus named Cthulhu crashing Denver’s Art Galleries in the best way possible every First Friday.
Bhangra & Hindi Hop Add Desi Flavour to New York Music Scene
After making waves in the U.K., bhangra and other South Asian sounds made waves in the U.S. club scene in the late 90s
Clipping from The Economic Times (the world’s second-most widely read English-language business newspaper after the Wall Street Journal)
Science & Environment
GMO’s: Frankenfood or a Solution?
A look at the early genetically modified food debate and how U.S. deregulation allowed GM crops to market despite public dissent and a lack of independent safety testing.
Packing Power: Fuel Cell Manufacturers Seek to Enter the Consumer Market
A FOB piece about advances in fuel cell technology for Emagazine.