It almost feels like the old band is getting back together.
A few months ago, I got a call from Jeff Mize, for many years one of The Columbian’s top reporters. But, like many others, he’d left the occupation for a more lucrative career in government.
Long story short, Jeff was in a different place in life and interested in coming back to journalism, and home to The Columbian. Needless to say, we took him up on his offer as soon as we could. He’s now covering transportation and environmental issues, and it’s been great having him back. His stories reflect the depth and knowledge of someone who has made Vancouver his home for many years. It’s a big gain for our readers to have him at The Columbian.
Then, a few weeks ago, I got an email from Erin Middlewood. Given that she started with a youth paper route, Erin has probably been with The Columbian for most of her life. As a reporter, she was a frequent winner of regional journalism awards, and she and Stephanie Rice shared perhaps the biggest honor ever bestowed on The Columbian: the Society of Professional Journalists’ national award for investigative reporting.
Their three-day series, published in November 2007, revealed that roughly one in 10 licensed child care facilities in Clark County had violated serious safety and health guidelines with little or no consequence. The stories also documented how the state made it difficult for parents to research a facility’s licensing history and compliance record.
