From long-running investigations to heartwarming interviews, these are some of my favorite stories of 2024.
Every year LINK nky reporters round up our top five stories from the year. I chose a collection of stories that I think range from having an impact on a community to just being a fun read or memorable interview.
Newport strikes deal to relocate River Metals Recycling shredding operations out of NKY
I wrote this story back in February, but my reporting on this topic spans back to the Spring of 2023.
One of the reasons I think this is my standout story for the entire year is because it gave some sense of resolution to the situation, and I was the first person to report on River Metals Recycling moving its shredding operations out of Newport.
Following this story, I attended countless court hearings and neighborhood meetings, such as the Clifton Neighborhood Association and the Northern Kentucky Sierra Club. I covered several different aspects of the issue, from sound to air quality, and got to know many Newport residents.
I think my biggest takeaway from this reporting is sourcing and getting to know the faces of the story. I would not have been successful in reporting on the topic, let alone being the first, had I not spent months and months getting to know the people involved and showing them that I cared about the situation.
In journalism, we call following up on a story a “folo.” This topic has been one of the longest story folos I have done since I started at LINK nky and I know this storyline is not over.
To read the story click here.
From orphanage to centenarian: NKY resident reflects on 100 years
This is a story that I chose because of how much fun the interview was.
First, how often do you get to talk to someone who has been alive for a century? (This was actually my third time. My 2022 top five favorites list included an interview with someone turning 107.)
Not only was I blown away by Anita Ciafardini taking the time to vote in the 2024 election at the age of 99, but she also still lives alone.
Aside from how much I enjoyed hearing Ciafardini’s story, watching the dynamic between her, her granddaughters, and her daughter was special. We all sat around Ciafardini’s living room. Four of her granddaughters and her daughter were there with us, and they were a hoot. They joked with Ciafardini that the article would end with a call out for a new man for their grandma. I made sure to end it that way.
I could see how Ciafardini lived to be 100 with all the love around her.
To read the story, click here.
Immigrants, refugees share their stories of resilience on Purple People Bridge
One thing about being a journalist is that you always have new people to talk to, and they’re probably people you would never have met otherwise.
That was the case with this story.
I spoke with people originally from Brazil, Ukraine and Syria. I really like how I began this story. I tried to paint a picture from Flávia Maria Cunha Bastos’ perspective of first visiting the U.S.
Speaking with the immigrants and refugees for this story, I think, gives the reader insight into what some people go through to make them want to leave their homes and come to the U.S. I think it helps offer empathy for the situation. On the flip side, I think the story showed that not everyone immigrating to the U.S. is leaving a dire situation but rather looking for a different opportunity, such as for work or education.
I chose this story for my top five because it is a little more outside the realm of reporting I typically do. It also allowed me to really share the people in the story rather than just talk about the project itself.
To read the story, click here.
Welder, Miss Kentucky contestant champions women in trades
I chose this story because I was fascinated by how Adisyn Donk’s career choice and pageant competitions contrasted with one another.
That idea is reflected in my lede to this story, “Adisyn Donk is two sides of the same coin.”
Donk had relatively recently begun competing in pageants, but her day job is as a welder. Throughout the story, you learn about how Donk is going to change her approach to competing in Miss Kentucky as someone who advocates for the trades and for women in trades; however, she is apprehensive about it because she doesn’t want people to think it is her whole personality.
I was able to speak with Donk’s mom and her assistant manager at her job. Talking to people who believed in her and could speak about her work ethic added a lot to the story.
It’s no secret that careers like welding are male-dominated. That is one thing that made this story interesting, but I also loved the photos that she provided from her Gateway Community & Technical College classes. Donk is front and center in all of the photos, surrounded by her male classmates.
Throughout the article, Donk said that both her classmates and now her coworkers were curious about and supportive of her pageant competitions.
To read the story, click here.
Documentary to explore the rich history of Newport Barracks site
While I report on Newport just about on a weekly basis, I rarely get to report or learn about its historical sites.
I first learned some of the history surrounding the Newport Barracks during a dig that Northern Kentucky University students and archeologists did in December 2023. I made a mental note to follow up on what was found, and it turns out a documentary was being filmed partly in relation to the dig.
This is another story I chose because of the interview. I spoke with some historians and experts on the site, which was fascinating to hear about. My favorite part of this story was learning about the barrack’s pig mascot and how she followed the troops to Canada and back to Newport.
I was also interested in NKU Associate Professor of History Brian Hackett’s idea that the area would become the start of westward expansion. It was funny to think nowadays about Northern Kentucky being the start of the west.
Through this interview, I also learned that Lewis and Clark’s historic trail passed through Newport, and there is evidence of them visiting the barracks.
Writing this story allowed me to be curious and learn about a piece of Northern Kentucky’s history that I probably would have remained blind to otherwise.
To read the story, click here.
