Ian Davis-Leonard reports for The Daily Herald in Everett, Washington, and focuses on issues facing the working-class citizens of Snohomish County, including mental health, transportation, education and addiction. Davis-Leonard hails from Everett and spent three years working for the student newspaper at Gonzaga University, a Catholic college in Spokane, Washington. He also has had student summer internships covering local news for Beacon Publishing in Mukilteo, Washington, and The Herald. Davis-Leonard earned praise for his collegiate journalism including winning three Society of Professional Journalism Mark of Excellence awards for news reporting and sports reporting.
Beat: Working-class issues, including housing and health care, in Snohomish County
This beat offers a broad palette of possible stories about a large segment of our community whose stories often go untold. That includes struggles with housing, employment, transportation, education, mental health, immigration, addiction, homelessness and a litany of other problems that confront a population that more and more finds itself seemingly left behind. Snohomish County has proudly worn its blue-collar label for more than a century. From its early days as a mill town to today as home of a Boeing assembly plant employing 30,000 it has long been associated with industry and labor. This Reporter examines the impact political and social policy have on the working class and documents the daily effort required to get and stay ahead in one of the nation's richest and most expensive metropolitan areas.