OPINION |
This week's big news about the Springfield Cardinals and the city purchasing Hammons Field has me thinking back to the warm days of last summer, and to one of my favorite in-depth stories of 2022.
Last May, Cory Matteson took a deep dive into the pending fate of Hammons Field, unraveling complicated details and being the first to report that the city of Springfield was the most likely buyer, a prophecy that came true Wednesday.
Cory's story was among many highlights of the past year for the Hauxeda and as we approach our first anniversary on Feb. 14, we have a lot to celebrate. Most importantly, we have produced nearly 1,700 articles, fulfilling our promise to deliver high-quality news and features, with a unique blend of in-depth stories and a daily slice of Springfield life.
In a recent newsletter I sent to our subscribers, I shared some staff favorites from our reporting in 2022.
For Rance Burger, the year started out with a bang. In fact, we’re talking 300 pounds of dynamite. His favorite story was among his first assignments: the implosion of four exhaust chimneys at the James River Power Station on Lake Springfield.
“It wasn’t actually the boom itself that made the story for me, it was actually the lead up to the implosion,” Rance says. “I enjoyed having the chance to go through the inside of the power plant and interview the engineers and experts who carried out the implosion. My father worked in power plants for much of his career, and so I was able to prepare for the interviews with help from a very special consultant of my own — a consultant who helped me craft some higher-level questions than other reporters I walked into the room with on the day before the implosion.”
Investigative report explored taser death
An investigative story into the death of Sean Winslow topped Jackie Rehwald’s list for 2022. Her story — Two Taser-related deaths in Springfield this year. Why was the public only informed of one? — explored what happened to 27-year-old Sean Winslow, who was tased by a Greene County Sheriff’s deputy, fell and hit his head. Winslow was taken to a Springfield hospital where he died a few days later.
Jackie says: “Holding government and elected officials accountable and encouraging — and sometimes demanding — transparency is really the heart of journalism. And that’s what these stories were all about.
“But also, it felt good to give Sean’s family, who for months were denied answers about what happened to their son and felt like his death was being covered up, a voice and opportunity to publicly question how law enforcement handled their son’s case,” Jackie writes.
A different kind of investigation occupied Steve Pokin in his favorite story, a profile of elusive Springfield philanthropist Bobby Allison. Steve writes: “First, a similar piece had not been done. Second, I was drawn to the challenge of trying to write an overview of the life of a man who not only refused to talk to me, but encouraged his friends and acquaintances not to talk to me.” Less than three months after the profile was published, Allison died suddenly after battling kidney failure.
In-depth reports on landfills, craft brews and prospects for marijuana microbusinesses
Shannon Cay admits her favorite story from 2022 may be a little trashy. She writes: “Going to the city dump to learn about where waste goes after it leaves your house was enlightening. My minor in college was environmental science, so I understood the problem. However, seeing it to scale was shocking.”
Shannon took photos to complement Cory Matteson’s reporting on how Springfield’s landfill is filling up faster each year, shortening the life of the landfill and adding urgency to improved programs for recycling food waste, paper and other materials. An estimated 70 percent of all garbage could be recycled.
Cory says landfills are not a place where many people linger. “But I’ll say the multiple visits and hours I spent at Springfield’s landfill were both illuminating and jarring. It’s one thing to see the ‘tipper’ dump 30-odd tons of garbage onto the trash heap. … It’s another thing to stick around long enough to lose count.”
Shannon adds the story had a personal impact: “After learning more about what I could do to combat the issue, I enlisted in the city's composting program, turning my food scraps into garden gold.”
Jeff Kessinger enjoyed exploring a different kind of gold: liquid gold. His in-depth feature on local craft beers tried to pin down locals on their go-to beverages. Besides being required to sample his subject, Jeff says the story was fun to do because “it was energizing to talk to so many passionate professionals.”
It’s not microbreweries, but the microbusiness aspects of legal marijuana in Missouri that fascinates Jack McGee. His favorite story involved an aspect of Amendment 3, which voters approved Nov. 8, clearing the way for legal recreational marijuana. “Learning about how the ‘little guys’ can get a foothold in the industry was, and will continue to be, perhaps the most interesting attribute of the amendment,” Jack says.
Memorable profiles, plus coverage of vaccine hesitancy, homelessness and child care crisis
In addition to sharing their own favorites, Daily Citizen staff members cited many memorable stories from 2022, including Steve Pokin’s profiles on people like Pastor Christie Love and her work with the homeless, or the true adventures of zookeeper Mike Crocker.
Cory Matteson provided a revealing look at Springfield culture as he made door-to-door visits with public health workers to learn people’s reasons for COVID vaccine hesitancy.
Jackie Rehwald’s story about a homeless encampment being cleared out on the edge of town embodies our focus on community journalism. She explained the different approaches city and county law enforcement take in dealing with homeless camps.
The unsheltered people who had set up the camp would have experienced an entirely different, informed eviction process had it been located a few feet north, inside city limits. Instead, sheriff's deputies swept in and cleared the place.
Jackie and Cory teamed up to report most of the stories in our special series on Springfield’s child care crisis, produced in collaboration with KY3. They found a severe shortage of quality child care slots — and parents confused about where to turn for information — puts some families at risk. It also adds to workforce shortages as parents scramble to find affordable care. We continue to follow developments as the community works to address these issues.
Thanks for reading
Many thanks to all of you reading the Daily Citizen, and especially to the nearly 1,800 paid subscribers who help ensure we will keep delivering high-quality, independent, community-focused coverage for years to come. For those of you who have not yet subscribed, we would be honored if you would consider it — get all the details here.
Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for ways we can improve your experience. My contact information is listed below.
