North Star Index

To celebrate the inaugural North Star Summit, the newsroom gathered six big ideas, born in the Midwest, that have the potential to change the world. Together, they are the North Star Index. I designed and developed this page using the North Star Summit branding to house the index and showcase these ideas.

How far can you stretch $100 at the State Fair?

The Great Minnesota Get-Together can also be a great strain on the wallet. I wanted to see how far you could make it on only $100. To do so, I braved the first day to document as many prices as I could gather for food, drinks and activities (not including shopping). I then used those numbers to create a fancy calculator that allows you to budget out your fair visit ahead of time. I also built in a shareable reciept at the end so users can show off their perfect fair day.

“This is an uprising”

An oral history of the six years after George Floyd's murder, published for the five-year anniversary. I worked with photo and video editors, along with a co-developer, to create a seamless narrative that features video interviews, archival photography and portraiture.

Paddling the Twin Cities

Canoe, kayak or paddleboard: Your ultimate guide to paddling routes in the Twin Cities metro area, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro. I worked with a graphics reporter and our newsroom developer to create this interactive news app highlighting the best paddling routes around the metro. I also designed a special section for our Sunday print paper.

Our music critics grade the good, the bad, and every venue in-between

The 53 best essential Minnesota music venues, graded by our professional critics. This story was a personal favorite —  I don't see as many shows as the pros, but I do my best! I added an interactive element for readers so they could keep track of the venues they've been to and share their results with friends and family.

‘Ghost of a Chance’ podcast

lsquo;Ghost of a Chance’ is the Star Tribune's first foray into serialized podcasting. This project was a big undertaking, and one that stretched our capabilities as it was the first time we worked on something like this. I designed and developed the landing page, episode page guides, discussion guides, and helped art direct the logo. After the final episode, I also designed a special section for our print paper.

Holiday Cookie Finder

I worked with newsroom developer Tom Nehil to redesign the Star Tribune's Holiday Cookie Finder, a database of over 100 different holiday cookie recipes submitted by readers since 2003. We brought in a warm and nostagic color scheme, as well as a recipe page design that was directly inspired by cookbooks for ease of use. We also focused on the print styles so the recipes could be printed out to a single page and put right into a recipe box.

The Curious Minnesota archive

More than 260 stories after the launch of Curious Minnesota, we celebrated the project’s fifth anniversary with an online feature that highlights our growing archive of Minnesota history and culture. The stories are filterable, searchable and fun — with the option to read anything random, if you're feeling curious.

10 years, 10 couples

On Aug. 1, 2013, when the state’s marriage law became gender-neutral, gay, lesbian and nonbinary couples entered into an institution they’d long been denied, claiming its rights and complications. We looked back at 10 years of same-sex marriage in Minnesota by having conversations with 10 couples, nine of whom married — and in one case, divorced — over the decade.

What happened to Heather Mayer?

Police ruled Heather Mayer’s death a suicide. Her mother set out to prove them wrong and uncovered an escalating tale of violence. Nearly four years later, the circumstances of Heather’s death remain a mystery. This story was reported for years before it published. As a designer we had to balance a careful line between showing the true nature of the abuse and not retraumatizing or being gratuitous. We made careful design choices to give readers control over their experience in the story.

Life before Roe v. Wade

Less than 50 years ago, abortion was illegal in most states. Some Minnesotans remember it well. Anticipating that Roe v. Wade would be in front of the Supreme Court again, reporters asked for stories from people who were alive before Roe. We created this sparsely-designed story, told through vingettes, to allow their stories to shine. Due to the pre-planning, this feature was able to publish with our live news coverage when Roe was reversed.

How Twin Cities housing rules keep the metro segregated

To examine residential zoning patterns in the Twin Cities, the Star Tribune requested zoning maps from more than 100 communities and reporters reviewed zoning ordinances from each city. The results found that people of color were disproportionately living in multi-family housing due to the racist history of zoning laws.

Breaking down the video: What during at Daunte Wright's fatal traffic stop

An analysis of the body camera footage with insights from the Brooklyn Center Police policy manual and a comparison of guns and tasers. This story took four days, from initial pitch to publish.

I also translated the story into an Instagram post for our social audiences.

We asked for your last normal photos. Here's what you shared.

Inspired by a TikTok trend and my own habit of scrolling through my camera roll, I asked Minnesotans to share their last "normal" photo with the Star Tribune — and more than 300 people did. The result was a look at the beautiful, mundane moments we've been missing for so long.

I also translated the story into an Instagram post for our social audiences.

One week in Minneapolis

I was furloughed the Thursday and Friday of Memorial Day weekend — like so many others, I spent the week refreshing Twitter, seeking constant information as the city reeled after the murder of George Floyd. I pitched this project to my bosses that Friday, and worked over the weekend to collect the best of our Star Tribune coverage and compile it into a visual timeline of the week in Minneapolis that changed the world.

Denied Justice

Denied Justice was an investigation into the police handlings of sex assault cases in Minnesota. The Star Tribune team built their own data base by requesting records from all across the state, and came to a sobering conclusion that only 7% of reported sexual assaults ended in coviction — the majority were never even forwarded to prosecutors.

This was a huge undertaking, and in the end resulted in 9 stories, a video database, a landing page, and a sister podcast produced with a local television station.