Here’s a portfolio of some of my favorite stories from throughout the years at outlets like The Desert Sun, the Associated Press and the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Real estate, cannabis & development
Surf club proposals
I broke the story of a luxury surf club planned for an unincorporated area in the east valley. As of early 2020. the plans had not yet been approved by Riverside County.
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Drive-through cannabis
In late 2019 Harborside became the first Southern California dispensary to operate a drive-thru — but they had to get around state laws first.
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Aluminare House
I loved breaking the story on plans to relocate Albert Frey’s groundbreaking Aluminaire House somewhere in Palm Springs, a design that inspires efficiency and affordability for our modern home market.
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Essential or illegal?
During the pandemic, California dispensaries could be open but they couldn’t access the same business supports as other companies because of federal laws.
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Pricing out families
The Coachella Valley is one of the few places in southern California considered affordable, but many are still priced out with sky-high home prices around half a million.
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Social equity first
The cannabis industry remains overwhelmingly white, despite the harms communities of color from decades of criminalisation of the plant. In California, social equity is nascent and necessary.
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Hospitality, entrepreneurs and the economy
AsiaSF in Palm Springs
A transgender performance venue landed with a splash in Palm Springs, bringing its legendary Bay Area experience to the desert.
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Bigger isn’t always better
Before the 2020 spring tourist season, I explained the rising popularity of small, boutique hotels opening up in the Coachella Valley.
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Palm Springs Vintage Market
The Palm Springs Vintage Market is one of my favorite places to hang out, and I loved creating this multi-media package on a few vendors!
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Litigation tangles
I’ve uncovered the truth behind delays of major projects in the valley, like a lawsuit stalling progress on Coachella’s first hotel.
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The onset of coronavirus
As soon as the coronavirus pandemic started, the desert’s hospitality industry took a major hit that will be felt for years to come.
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Emergency funding
I collated what Coachella Valley entities received emergency Paycheck Protection Program loans, revealing benefits for the well-connected and financially savvy while the program was widely criticized for not benefiting enough small business owners.
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Arizona politics and government with the Associated Press:
Friends call John McCain hero, maverick at Arizona funeral
Podcast: Has Arizona changed enough to elect a Democrat into the Senate?
Red-clad teachers march on Capitol in first-ever teacher strike
Arizona teachers try to ease strain on parents during strike
Arizona is suspending Uber’s self-driving car testing after fatal crash
Arizona Republicans Brush off Talk About McCain Senate Seat
Arizona moves to create minimum marriage age
Political profiles:
Despite cancer, McCain’s maverick ways press on in tweets
Getting to know the nation’s youngest state legislator, elected at age 18.
First Lady Frances Wolf settles in to her new role as Pennsylvania’s First Lady.
Music industry and technology:
How Fender plans to change the way the world learns to play guitar.
Vinyl fans still flocking to physical stores.
How Audiotree is reinventing music videos, one live performance at a time.
Interactive music videos are the latest way to get under listeners’ skin.
Streaming concerts is the new gateway for brands into music
Pennsylvania politics with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
Pennsylvania makes tens of millions of dollars selling driver data to third parties.
An increase to traffic ticket fines backfired, upon investigation of the hike.
How campaigns use technology to scour for data and make contact with could-be voters.
Governor post eludes women in Pennsylvania
A campaign fundraising misdial!
An investigation into cabinet member travel revealed a secretary who lived out-of-state.
Responsible Ohio wanted to legalize marijuana, so they took their campaign to the streets
Essays:
How Fast Do We Make Improvement — my personal look at a promising ballet school.
Changing lanes takes patience — on pedestrian/cyclist safety education.
Melissa Daniels 