United States
Whether I was covering the rescue of 70 dogs through cramped and unsanitary conditions or reporting on the challenges of state funding cuts to small communities, I've loved journalism and writing first drafts of history.
I graduated from Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism in Athens, Ohio in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. After taking freelance opportunities, I began reporting full-time in 2015 for Ohio Valley Publishing in Gallipolis, Ohio along the border of West Virginia.
For the next five years, I provided written, video and photo content for the Gallipolis Daily Tribune covering local and Appalachian regional issues while growing the paper's social media presence. I wrote enterprise, investigative and breaking news pieces surrounding the challenges of housing, education, social services, criminal justice, poverty and government while reporting in one of the hardest hit areas of America's opioid epidemic during the 2010s. I interviewed government officials through several elections, among them Ohio's governor, attorney general, congressmen, senators and state supreme court justices. I investigated concerns of inmate families surrounding the deaths of three inmates and the funding challenges of the county jail.
As the Tribune senior reporter I also assisted with coverage for our tri-county sister papers, the Pomeroy Daily Sentinel in Ohio and the Point Pleasant Register in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. All were Associated Press member papers. Our coverage area had a population numbering roughly 68,000.
I am currently based in Connecticut and was last reporting on staff with Central CT Communications as the Bristol Press city hall and education reporter from 2021 to 2023 before going freelance. While providing coverage for the Bristol Press, I also assisted its sister paper, the New Britain Herald, with weekend coverage. Bristol has a rough population of around 60,000 while New Britain numbers over 70,000. I also covered the surrounding communities of Plainville, Southington, Plymouth and Newington as needed.
During my time in New England, I documented Bristol's efforts to revitalize its downtown; the debate of masking in pandemic-era classrooms; the adoption of recreational cannabis sales; residents taking issue with the potential effects of biomedical waste burning in the community's air; and the sudden reversal of a completely Democratic city council into a Republican one. I explored local concerns and data surrounding sheltering insecurity issues and winter emergency needs; the thoughts of protestors concerned with a rise in white supremacist fliers and rhetoric within the city along with its government's reaction; as well as municipal charter change debates surrounding mayoral term limits and more.
With homeless outreach advocates saying the number of Connecticut residents becoming unsheltered is reaching unprecedented heights alongside a growing senior demographic, outreach groups across Connecticut are looking to create stronger cold weather programs in order to pave a better future for aiding those in need.
Hundreds gathered to join a vigil in a school auditorium to support the Bristol Police Department and reflect on the sacrifices of its three officers who were shot in a an incident mourned across the country.
@DeanIWright BRISTOL - Recreational cannabis sales shall be allowed within Bristol. Council members voted to allow hybrid retailer sales, limited to two such dispensaries, in a four to three vote during a special City Council meeting Thursday night, after having listened to dozens debate the benefits and issues with the substance.
@DEANIWRIGHT BRISTOL - Tuesday's City Council meeting saw strong emotions, where all agreed that bigotry was not welcome in Bristol, but not all agreed on how to voice such condemnations. Protestors a week ago spoke against the recent dumping of fliers bearing white supremacist rhetoric in Bristol by standing outside City Hall.
@DeaniWright BRISTOL - As gas prices and supply chain issues continue to be a point of concern for many residents across the country, the Bristol Board of Finance is exploring ways to get ahead of growing costs to the municipality.
@DeanIWright BRISTOL - Professionals who've sought to overcome their own battles with addiction say Bristol is in a precarious spot for its opioid-centered challenges. However, they remain hopeful for the many and varied forms of help those looking to overcome addiction. Rebecca Zigmund, currently a peer specialist with Wheeler Health in New Britain, knows firsthand the opioid struggle.
In New Britain's "Little Poland" – so recognized for its large population of Polish Americans – hundreds gathered over the course of the morning and early afternoon Saturday wearing the colors of the Ukrainian flag for a bake sale in support of the country’s defense in Eastern Europe.
Panhandling activities may be up outside of Bristol, but area officials and even those that panhandle believe it's lessened or maybe just changed within the city's borders this winter.
@DeanIWright BRISTOL - Bristol Board of Education suspended its regular meeting Wednesday night after a group of individuals refused to wear masks in the Bristol Central High School auditorium, violating state mandates. Currently, state mandates require all individuals regardless of vaccination status to wear masks inside public or private school buildings.
By Dean Wright - deanwright@aimmediamidwest.com GALLIPOLIS - Area residents gathered in front of the Gallipolis City Park Bandstand Monday evening to march and protest in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and voice their concerns with the death of George Floyd and racism across the country.