LOCAL ENTERPRISE

BEST OF ADAMS 2022

LOCAL ENTERPRISE

Hurricane Ian aftermath has dominated APG Florida’s focus since late September. The team has served its communities with exceptional explanatory journalism, helping residents navigate FEMA’s laws and procedures. Here are a couple of examples of strong enterprise.

Half Empty? Florida Homeowners Facing Harsh Realities of Fema’s 50% Rule

ARCADIA, FLORIDA

The aftermath of Hurricane Ian has confronted homeowners and property owners with plenty of challenges including FEMA rules on rebuilding, Florida’s broken insurance system, and concerns about climate change bringing bigger more intense storms. More at The Arcadian

Denied by FEMA? Read the Fine Print

CHARLOTTE, FLORIDA

After Hurricane Ian struck the area, FEMA showed up to help, kind of. What readers learned was FEMA will almost always deny claims at first. And it led to frustrations for many. Nancy J. Semon, Scott Lawson and Morgan Simpson dug into the situation and let the community know what to expect and how to respond. More at Daily Sun

Finding Limited Success

MOUNT VERNON, WASHINGTON

When the Skagit First Step Center opened in 2021, the hope was that the homeless who stayed in the 45 small cabins would transition to more permanent housing after 90 days. But the reality has been that with a shortage of affordable housing in Skagit County, those who stay at the First Step Center only head back into homelessness. More at Skagit Valley Herald

‘Now this is real’: Inside the initial response to flooding in Park County

BOZEMAN, MONTANA

High waters flood a forest in Yellowstone National Park on Sunday, June 19, 2022.

Reporter Liz Weber worked to reconstruct the first hours of the emergency and put together a sort of “tick-tock” story through the eyes of first responders. It’s a comprehensive look at a crazy 48 hours that turned Park County’s world upside down. More at Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Hufcor ‘In The Dirt,’ Former Worker Says, In Bankruptcy, Receivership

JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN

As Hufcor, once a major local employer, went into receivership, reporter Neil Johnson tracked down the last remaining employees and got the inside story of the firm’s last days. What those employees told him, including about a sudden cutoff in promised insurance benefits, made for a sad, riveting and very human story. More at The Gazette

Investing In Infrastructure

CHEYENNE, WYOMING

Wyoming Tribune Eagle reporters Jasmine Hall and Hannah Black teamed up with APG national enterprise editor Mike Sunnucks to take a comprehensive look at the potential impact of the federal infrastructure bill on national, state and local projects. Although the details hadn’t been finalized, especially at the local level, the depth of this reporting gave WTE readers a strong sense of the impact the legislation could have, as well as the relevance of this work for the average person. More at Wyoming Tribune Eagle