Tampa Bay area freelance journalist Jared Leone shares some of his favorite stories he covered in 2014.
Write to Survive
2014: A Year in Review
From losing my job and creating a new one, to taking in a guide dog puppy in training and preparing to reenter the scholastic world, 2014 was a year of changes. I was laid off late in 2013 and spent the next year working to reinvent, reestablish and move forward. I freelanced, volunteered, focused on … Continue reading 2014: A Year in Review
More on Stolen Valor
First time in court back in January there was a drawn out series of sidewalk questioning for a few blocks by a television news investigative reporter while cameras rolled. Not this time. His defense lawyers had a Land Rover waiting outside the courthouse. They loaded and left without saying a word. TAMPA — The fake … Continue reading More on Stolen Valor
The birds: ‘WQYK has kept them away’
As vultures circled my house overhead. And a flock of orioles foraged in the back yard later in the day. I wondered if they also read my story about the turkey vultures in downtown Tampa. By Jared Leone DOWNTOWN — Lisa Shasteen is toasting success. For years, turkey vultures lined the ledges of the Floridan … Continue reading The birds: ‘WQYK has kept them away’
More on defective Chinese drywall
I wrote the following story which appeared here in the St. Petersburg Times: TAMPA — Mobile homes and recreational vehicles soon could be parked next to permanent homes in Hillsborough County, as residents rid their residences of defective Chinese drywall. And federal grants may pay for some of the work. Commissioners are considering a change … Continue reading More on defective Chinese drywall