These were my favorite printed Lake Highlands Advocate stories of 2010.
1. Comeback kids — Once a year, we do a story about graduating seniors who have overcome great tribulations. We meet amazing kids and educators, and it will probably be my favorite story every year.
2. Apartment Turnover — Lake Highlands is plagued by bad apartments. This is a story about landlords who are making a difference in the lives of both homeowners and families who rent apartments in our neighborhood.
3. ‘Thank You’ WWII Vets/ and Honor Flight — These two stories went hand-in-hand. It was so satisfying to sit down and chat with the WWII vets who live in our neighborhood, and in conjunction, to learn about the people who are making it possible for aging vets to visit “their Washington D.C. memorial”.
4. Citizens Canine — This story was fun to write. People have some hilarious stories about their pets, and the photos make us ooh and ahh!
5. New Frame of Mind — This is a story about the nonprofit, NAMI, which helps families deal with mental illness. It’s about people who felt hopeless finding comfort.
6. Marijuana/Burger King habit foils burglars’ success — The True Crime column in the Advocate is always popular, but this one was particularly pleasing.
7. Q&A with Ken and Kory Helfman — These clothing-store owners (the elder lives in Moss Haven) are two of the most gregarious and gifted people I’ve met. They are serious about business, but they are complete cut-ups.
8. Dallas’ Drinking Problem — It was hard to get excited about covering the wet/dry election in Dallas because the whole thing was so darn confusing. But we knew it was something that needed explaining. With the help of intrepid contributor Jeff Siegel, we managed to lay it all out there for voters.
9. Over-the-top athletes — I loved interviewing these people who take their obsession with a particular sport waaaay beyond “weekend warrior” levels.
10. Extra! Extra! — A Lake Highlands guy makes a well-received documentary about the death of print media, or more specifically, newspapers (whew!).
