NEWS

 

From March 1999 through May 2005, writing as Beth Quinn, I was southern Oregon correspondent for the Oregonian in Portland, but most of my stories remain behind a paywall:

BIG DEBATE FALLS FROM THE SKIES:

A strange light seen over Oregon is classified as space junk, but UFO trackers believe otherwise. September 24, 1999.

THE MONSTER IN THE WOODS, Nov. 3 – 5, 2002.

DAY 1: The Monster in the Woods — Decades of misguided forest management policy set the stage for an inferno that challenges the old rules of fighting wildfires. November 3, 2002

DAY 2: The Better Part of Valor — The Florence fire races toward them, but all firefighters can do is retreat. November 4, 2002

DAY 3: The Sacrifice Line — An extraordinary wildfire calls for an extraordinary tactic to defeat it. November 5, 2002.

Awarded second place for environmental reporting by the Pacific Northwest Regional Society of Professional Journalists in the 2002 Excellence in Journalism Competition.

MISSING, NO MORE

A Port Orford couple prepare to bury a son lost years ago in Cambodia: More than 32 years after Viet Cong fire brought down Paul Black’s helicopter in a Cambodian rice paddy, the loss remains too raw for words for his 88-year-old father. September 17, 2003.

To see these stories from the Oregonian, search the paid online archive at the Oregonian or NewsLibrary using “Beth Quinn” and the story title as a search term. To see my other stories, use “Beth Quinn” as the search term.

From June 1997 until February 1999, writing as Beth Quinn, I reported for the Mail Tribune in Medford, Oregon. Here are a few of my favorite stories:

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE COMMUNE:

In the early winter of 1968, Southern Oregon newspapers reported “bearded, beaded, barefoot hippies” moving into the Illinois Valley and quoted a Josephine County sheriff’s comment that hippies “were detrimental to any community.” Signs soon appeared in Cave Junction store windows proclaiming, “We Do Not Solicit Hippie Patronage.” Despite the cold shoulder from the locals, the hippies stayed. And in the 29 years since the first long-haired and tie-dyed pioneers arrived at the dusty Four Corners that marks the entrance to Takilma, the community they created has become an important source of talent, creativity and energy in Josephine County. August 17, 1997.

WHAT THE MIDDLE MAKES:

How well can four people live on Jackson County’s median income of $38,000 a year? Here’s one family’s answer. March 15, 1998. Awarded third place for consumer reporting by the Pacific Northwest Regional Society of Professional Journalists in the 1998 Excellence in Journalism Competition.

HOMEBUILDING’S KINGS:

Their houses dominate the landscape, but they don’t fit the stereotypes. Aug. 2, 1998. Awarded honorable mention for business features by the Pacific Northwest Society of Professional Journalists in the 1998 Excellence in Journalism Competition.

COLLECTING A KILLER’S LIFE:

On Wednesday, Jack Earl has a date with death. He’ll be in the execution chamber when the state of Arizona kills Douglas Edward Gretzler, who murdered 17 people in a 13-day rampage in 1973. May 31, 1998.

‘ALL FOR ONE’ LED CREW TO THE GOLD:

David Brown’s team uniform did not feature the Nike swoosh. He never signed a multi-million-dollar contract to endorse soap. And his grinning photograph never graced a box of Wheaties. Sport was different 50 years ago when the retired physician from Talent won his Olympic gold. Better, maybe. March 1, 1998.

From July 1979 to July 1980, writing as Beth Quinn, I reported for the Cape Cod Times in Hyannis, Massachusetts.

From October 1976 to July 1979, writing as Beth Quinn, I reported for the Eagle-Tribune in Lawrence, Massachusetts.