This is one of several columns I wrote as editor of the Genesee Country Express. Here, I share a personal reflection about being a newcomer to the community and an outsider.
By Les Bowen for Genesee Country Express | Sept. 30, 2010 | Original source
I read once that when we first meet people, our opinions are set within the first 30 seconds – that is, when meeting new people, we have less than half a minute to make the best first impression we can.
Yet these impressions are so often wrong. I remember one day at my first job out of college when a tall, unshaven, tattooed, leather-clad man walked into our office and asked to speak with a reporter. He had a story. Continue reading Less than a minute to decide→
Over a span of eight months, I wrote a series of 10 news stories following the discipline and firing of the CEO of the local public hospital district. In writing this series, I followed a trail of documents in two states and led the effort for my news agency to successfully counter-sue the fired CEO when he attempted to block the release of public records. The unplanned series originally started with a page 2 story, but several months later was becoming the dominant page 1 headline. This coverage not only brought praise from the local community, but the Sept. 2, 2009 story titled “Records detail ongoing payments to CEO at Lake Chelan Community Hospital” won second place in the Society of Professional Journalists Region 10 contest in the general news category for non-daily newspapers.
After my departure from the Lake Chelan Mirror, the former CEO was partially successful in a discrimination lawsuit against the hospital.
Please note this is was a series and each story is on its own page (use the numbered links below each page to navigate).
Following public outcry into local fire board actions, I made a public records request. I discovered through documents released that elected officials were circumventing the requirements of the state’s open meetings law and that some records were potentially unavailable to the public. That fall, the two fire commissioners who were up for re-election lost at the ballot box by 2-1 margins.
This is a series of stories, each appearing on its own page. Please use the links below to navigate.
Daggett County was an often difficult region for coverage, sitting some 60 miles away from the nearest community with a newspaper or news radio station. So when the county attorney was suddenly fired, I was tasked with finding out what had happened. This yielded two stories about a month apart that tell two views into how the county commissioner and the county attorney saw their roles within county government.
This is a series of stories, each appearing on its own page. Please use the links below to navigate.
I was a working editor when I wrote this breaking news piece. I gained close access to the aircraft because I had a strong working relationship with the county sheriff, who drove me to the scene. The story and several accompanying photos were later picked up by statewide media.
By Les Bowen for Vernal Express | June 25, 2008 | Original source not available
Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Jon Gardiner documents damage to an airplane after the pilot made an emergency landing on U.S. Highway 191 and collided with a truck hauling gravel. The incident restricted traffic north of Vernal Wednesday morning until after 10 a.m. The National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation report into the landing has not been released.
The occupants of a small plane suffered minor injuries last week when the pilot made an emergency landing on U.S. Highway 191 north of Vernal. The incident occurred just north of Steinaker Reservoir a few minutes before 8 a.m. Wednesday. Continue reading Two injured in emergency aircraft landing on U.S. 191→
