Using data to tell stories of local and state issues and trends

William Perkins

William T. Perkins is a data reporter for the Traverse City Record-Eagle in Michigan. Previously, he was a reporter at the Petoskey News-Review in northern Michigan, covering local government and environmental issues, including concerns surrounding the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline in the Great Lakes. A native of metro Detroit, Perkins holds a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University's E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, where he was a news editor at The Post, the student paper, and a Scripps Statehouse news bureau fellow reporting on state government for The Columbus Dispatch.

Traverse City Record-Eagle

The Traverse City Record-Eagle is northern Michigan's largest news outlet, operating print and digital publications, including a daily print edition, a quarterly magazine and two podcasts. The Record-Eagle has a strong history of strong watchdog reporting complemented by artful narrative writing. Our newsroom is situated in downtown Traverse City, but serves a five-county core coverage area as well as broad, growing sections of news desert in northern Michigan.  

Traverse City Record-Eagle

The Traverse City Record-Eagle is northern Michigan's largest news outlet, operating print and digital publications, including a daily print edition, a quarterly magazine and two podcasts. The Record-Eagle has a strong history of strong watchdog reporting complemented by artful narrative writing. Our newsroom is situated in downtown Traverse City, but serves a five-county core coverage area as well as broad, growing sections of news desert in northern Michigan.  

Luca Powell

Luca Powell is an investigative data journalist reporting for the Traverse City Record-Eagle. Luca has been working in New York City throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, reporting on the inequities impacting patients living with such co-morbidities as sickle cell disease. His coverage of the sacrifices of Filipino frontline nurses was featured on the cover of the New York Times’ metro section in January 2021. Most recently, Luca’s work on police misconduct was featured at WNYC and in The Intercept, where he exposed loopholes in New York’s decertification system, which allowed for problem officers to be rehired in new jobs. He is a 2020 Overseas Press Club Foundation Scholar and a graduate of CUNY’s Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.

Kaye LaFond

Kaye LaFond is a reporter who employs her extensive data skills for the Traverse City Record-Eagle in Michigan. Her focus as a Report for America corps member is bringing thoroughly reported, meaningful analysis of the numbers behind assumptions and trends to the Record-Eagle’s readers. LaFond is an engineer-turned-reporter who covered science, the environment and tribal affairs during stints at Michigan Radio and Interlochen Public Radio. Her investigative journalism has highlighted failures of government and has been recognized with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for Best Investigative Reporting and one for Best News Documentary as well as numerous awards from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters and the Michigan Associated Press Media Editors. Before becoming a full-time journalist, LaFond produced infographics and animations for the science communications team at the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab. She holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Michigan Technological University, as well as bachelor’s degrees in both Environmental Engineering and Applied Ecology. LaFond lives in northern Michigan.

Traverse City Record-Eagle

The Traverse City Record-Eagle is northern Michigan's largest news outlet, operating print and digital publications, including a daily print edition, a quarterly magazine and two podcasts. The Record-Eagle has a strong history of strong watchdog reporting complemented by artful narrative writing. Our newsroom is situated in downtown Traverse City, but serves a five-county core coverage area as well as broad, growing sections of news desert in northern Michigan.