Professional Experience

July 2018 to present: Reporter, WINK News. Previously worked as a resident reporter at WVVA in Bluefield, W.Va.; at ABC 7 Chicago as a news planning intern; at Dateline NBC as a story development intern; and at the Northwestern University's Medill Justice Project as a multimedia investigative reporter.

Awards & Recognition

Hearst Foundation Journalism Award for Enterprise Reporting.

Assistant produced 2-hour, Dateline episode hosted by Keith Morrison, “At the Bottom of the Pool,” aired Oct. 13, 2017.

Kappa Tau Alpha National Honor Society - lifelong membership exclusively for students in top 10 percent of their graduating class in journalism programs across the country.

National QuestBridge Scholar - awarded to the country's most talented, determined, and self-motivated students from low-income populations who demonstrate outstanding academic ability despite financial challenges.

News Philosophy

We consume news when we are gripped by the emotions making us all human — these are the stories that knock us off our feet. Tell the stories not easily seen that must be experienced through the emotions we all feel.

Hobbies, Interests & Community Involvement

Running and cycling! I love all of the fitness-inspired events South West Florida holds to benefit others.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Journalism, Northwestern University, Medill School of Journalism, Magna Cum Laude.

Likes best about Southwest Florida

I am so grateful for the hundreds of days you can spend outdoors with friends and family.

Hometown 

Keystone Heights, Florida.

Details emerge of how suspect in double-fatal hit-and-run death was caught

Florida Highway Patrol arrested Courtney Adam Masterson, 42, of Lehigh Acres Saturday in connection to a deadly hit-and-run crash that happened along State Road 82 in Lehigh Friday. Masterson pleaded not guilty to charges two counts each of Hit-and-Run: Fail to Stop and Remain at a Crash Involving a death; Fail to Stop and Remain […]

SWFL man’s sexual abuse of young boys chronicled in almost 300-page documentation

We acquired hundreds of pages of documentation chronicling the years of inappropriate touching a former Lee County teacher who was also a Charlotte County camp counselor is accused of committing against several young boys. Eventually, the teacher resigned, and the state stripped him of his certificate. This man is William Sheehan, a former Boy Scout […]

Voting

Will my vote in SWFL count in the 2020 elections?

If elections were held today, are you confident your vote would count? That there would be no hacking diluting the results? WINK News took that question to Tommy Doyle, the Lee County Supervisor of Elections, who told us they are ahead of the curve when it comes to cybersecurity. “So before every general election, probably […]

Local educator says governor’s $300M bonus grant won’t solve teacher shortage

Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to grant $300 million for teacher bonuses, but a local education leader we spoke to told us it won’t provide a solution for the teacher shortage in the state. “It’s clear bonuses don’t solve the problem,” said Kevin Daly, the president of teachers association of Lee County. Daly said he doesn’t […]

Cape Coral accused killer appears in court ahead of Wisconsin extradition

A Cape Coral woman, who is the accused murderer in a 20-year-old Wisconsin cold case, appeared in Lee County court for unrelated DUI charges. Linda Sue LaRoche, 64, appeared in court Thursday. She was arrested last week for killing a young woman with disabilities in 1999. Investigators say LaRoche killed 23-year-old Peggy Lynn Johnson and […]

State ordered to pay homeowners for healthy citrus tree removal in 2003

When the state attempted to fight citrus canker more than 10 years ago, it failed. And it forced some people to tear down their trees. Some of them sued and won. We spoke to homeowners in Cape Coral who were forced to cut down their healthy citrus trees. A state appellate court has ordered Florida […]

Dunbar sludge site set to come to life as new park

The sludge is gone, and now the people living near what was once a toxic dumping ground in Dunbar can see what it will become. “It would put life on this road and on this whole community,” said Annie Freeman, who lives in the area. People like Freeman got their first look at the plan […]

Attendees applaud at the ceremony on Veterans Day. (Credit: WINK News)

Veteran shares incredible story at the Military Heritage Museum

A Vietnam war veteran shares his incredible story in front of hundreds of people who turned out to honor service members on Monday at the Military Heritage Museum in Punta Gorda. In every branch of the U.S. military, brave men and women vow to defend our country. As veterans, that promise still stands. Richard “Gus” […]