Below is a collection of 12 of my more than 4,000 reported stories, including investigative and enterprise reporting on labor justice, community inequity, trauma, health and the environment, and disaster recovery. The samples include reporting, photography, and documentary work that has driven coverage, garnered public attention, and produced tangible results.

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Investigation and Accountability

Reporter/Photographer — Long Island Advocate, 2022.
Here are four parts of a multi-stage investigation, undertaken with WABC Eyewitness News, into labor injustices affecting undocumented restaurant workers. Each piece was part of a nine-month investigation into wage theft and other labor abuses in the restaurant industry. Multi-source reporting and court-document analysis spurred New York State Department of Labor enforcement action and helped secure a $375,000 settlement for eight workers.

Rockville Centre restaurateur wrapped up in a string of wage-violation lawsuits

NYC historic landmark sits vacant years after dining megavenue’s collapse

Manuel Oliva spoke on behalf of eight Nick’s Pizza workers at the Workplace Project in Hempstead in July 2022. Nicholas J. Angelis, the one-time owner of Nick’s Pizza in Rockville Centre, owed the workers more than $400,000 in back wages and interest charges, according to two court judgments. Following a nine-month *Long Island Advocate*/WABC *Eyewitness News* investigative series, the workers settled with Angelis for $375,000, which they are now receiving in monthly installments. // Photo by Scott A. Brinton/Long Island Advocate

Former Nick’s Pizza owner reaches $375K settlement with workers

Supporting Documents

Above are samples of Nick’s Pizza payroll records and the New York State Department of Labor’s investigation report obtained through multiple Freedom of Information Law requests. Such filings, spanning 592 pages, confirmed workers’ unpaid overtime claims.

Social Justice

Reporter — LIHerald, 2019.
Investigated racial disparities in maternal health outcomes and the growing advocacy efforts challenging inequities in Nassau County’s maternal health care systems.

Sharelle Allen, 31, of STRONG Youth in Uniondale, who said in 2019 that her birthing pains were ignored by doctors, a concern held by many Black women across the U.S. // Photo by Scott A. Brinton/Herald Community Newspapers

Page design by the author.

Trauma and Resiliency

Reporter — LIHerald, 2015.
Reported on the physical and emotional toll facing Long Island 9/11 rescue workers as they endured chronic illness, trauma, and complex benefit systems a decade and a half after their service.

Scott Resnick, who in 2015 was president of the Bellmore-Merrick Emergency Medical Services, was diagnosed with kidney cancer that year, a result of his service at Ground Zero in the days and weeks after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. // Photo by Scott A. Brinton/Herald Community Newspapers

Page design by the author.

Reporter — LIHerald, 2018.
Reconstructed the experiences of two Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students during the 2018 Parkland shooting, drawing on in-depth interviews to document their escape, trauma, and ongoing healing.

Page design by the author.

Health and the Environment

Reporter — LIHerald, 2016.
Examined the spread of toxic groundwater plumes in Wantagh and Seaford and the long-term environmental and public health risks posed by industrial contamination.

Video by Scott A. Brinton/Herald Community Newspapers

Page design by the author.

Reporter — LIHerald, 2016.

Reported this two-part investigation during the early phase of Long Island’s opioid crisis, examining methadone maintenance as a long-term treatment for heroin addiction.

Page design by the author.

Disaster Recovery and Housing

Reporter — LIHerald, 2014.
Examined systemic barriers to homeowner recovery after Superstorm Sandy, reporting documented delays and contributing to renewed public scrutiny that led to federal action.