California Wildfires: Loss, Resilience, and Hope
Last week when we heard about fires in California we didn’t think much of them because, frankly, there are fires in California all the time. But, as the pictures started coming in, we could tell that these fires were different. They were called “wildfires,” but they were burning in urban neighborhoods. Neighborhoods I had visited. […]
Another American Tragedy
School shootings are always tragic. As a mother it is my worst nightmare. We send our kids to school as a safe space for learning. But each year there are more and more kids that get a hold of firearms. Each kid is trying to outdo the Columbine killers as if killing their classmates will […]
Covering the 2024 Election
Full of Suprises! The 2024 election was full of surprises! At first it felt like it was going to be the most boring election in modern times. Two old foes face off once again. Candidates that we already knew. No skeletons to drag out of their closets. No October surprises. State by state the voters […]
The Future of AI in Journalism
Every business is struggling with how to incorporate artificial intelligence into their workflow. Journalism is no different. At CNN we have strict rules against writing any content using AI but other news organizations have experimented with online content written completely by AI. And content written by artificial intelligence is only one small use case for […]
Hiking Mt Baldy
At the edge of Grand Lake sits a sleepy giant. The reflection of the vast 12,007 foot peak towers over tourists who play in the water and on the shoreline below. And the views from the top cannot be beat. Technically it is called Mt. Craig but most call it Mt. Baldy because of the […]
America’s collective nightmare
My kids know too much about gun violence. I work for CNN and the news is on all the time in our house. For the past few weeks I have been working non-stop and they have heard me talking to families who lost loved ones in the recent mass shootings and lawmakers who are pushing […]
The Great American Experiment
On my Facebook feed this morning I saw two cute kiddos smiling at me on the first day they ever attended public school. It almost made me want to cry looking at the photos of them surrounded by so many who have become friends over the past few years. Then I received 5 different school […]
Everything is NOT OK
My family and I have been having a rough time. And I know we are not the only ones. We miss our friends and family and are anxious for things to get back to “normal.” Unfortunately, with cases on the rise that may be a long way off. This week was especially hard as the […]
3 Days in Vegas
As much of the country did I woke up Monday morning to the shocking news that more than 50 people had been killed at a county music festival in Las Vegas. Having covered every major mass shooting over the past 16 years I knew what this meant. A few hours later I was on a […]
The Dichotomy of America
I grew up in a one stoplight town. A last bastion of the Wild West tucked in the shadow of Pikes Peak, the mountain that inspired ‘America the Beautiful.’ It is a place where everybody knows your name. A town that features a hitching post at the local bar. A community where everybody goes to […]