the Wire - March 28 issue

the Wire - March 21 issue

the Wire - March 14 issue

articles from the Wire, March 7 issue

Well, a lot has happened since my last post. I can't believe it's been 4 months! In that time I have started working as an Executive Editor for the Wire, a publication covering South Jersey. Our coverage spans Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties, and our circulation is 153,000. Our launch date was March 7 and we are still very much in the beginning stages but I am very happy with what we have been able to accomplish so far. Along with my colleague Melissa Yerkov, we have explored many topics concerning South Jerseyans, including a variety of non-profit organizations, civic meetings, bullying, gay rights, gun control and health care. Although I am an editor and am writing a great deal more than before, the paper is still very photo driven. That was something both Melissa and I wanted to focus on along with news coverage of the region. It's just the two of us right now covering 8 editorial zones which make up approximately 22 towns in South Jersey but we hope to start hiring a staff in the coming months.

Gone but never Forgotten

Philadelphia Police Officers and law enforcement representing the tri-state area visited the homes of the families of police officers who were killed in the line of duty on December 23.  Photos will appear in the Northeast Times on December 28.

 Michelle Liczbinski, widow of Sgt. Stephen Liczbinski, greets police officers as they deliver holiday meals to the families of slain police officers.

 Caitlyn McNesby, 12, holds a present for John Pawlowski Jr. as his mother Kim holds him. Pawlowski was 5 months pregnant when her husband John was shot and killed in 2009.

 Patsy McDonald hugs officer Mike Kelly of the Highway Patrol after officers delivered a holiday meal. McDonald's son Patrick was a Highway Patrol officer who was killed in 2008.

Attorney Jimmy Binns thanks police officers after the group of 75 police officers from the tri-state area delivered meals to the families of slain police officers on Friday December 23.

Thanksgiving Day Football

Every year I cover Thanksgiving day football in the Northeast. The weather was great, definitely better than last year's snow. Here are a few shots from the two games that I covered yesterday.

Northeast HS v Central

Father Judge HS v George Washington

Gregory Loper vigil

Gregory Loper was struck and killed by a motorist while he was riding his bike home at the corner of E. Lehigh Avenue and Jasper St. in Kensington. Friends and family organized a vigil on Tuesday November 22 at the site. The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia placed a "ghost bike" at the corner to remind those who pass by that a person lost his life on the ride home.

Good News!

I'm happy to report that my slideshow on the Philadelphia Veterans Comfort House won first place in the National Press Photographers Association August Multimedia contest!

Thank you to PVCH for all of the work that they do for veterans, to Wallace Presley, Edward Bridges, George Roache, and Frank Tramontano Jr. for sharing their powerful stories, to my editor John Scanlon who was very patient as I worked through the editing process, and to Jesse Leyh, my co-editor and creative partner!

Now I gotta get back to work! :))

js.

PVCH - audio slideshow

In addition to the story, I thought that allowing the guys to tell their stories using their own words would be more powerful than anything I could ever write. So I collected audio from them during my visits to PVCH and put together a slideshow using some of the images I captured for the story. Here are their accounts :

Philadelphia Veterans Comfort House - the story

The Philadelphia Veterans Comfort House (PVCH) is a nonprofit home in West Philadelphia dedicated to aiding veterans who are seeking treatment for cancer at the nearby Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center. In 2010, PVCH expanded its mission to also help homeless veterans who are struggling in their lives. This story was published in the Northeast Times on July 28.