Isabela Weiss covers rural government for WVIA, the NPR affiliate in Pittston, Pennsylvania. Before moving to the Keystone State, Isabela worked as a local politics reporter for NPR’s WUGA News in Athens, Georgia. At WUGA, Weiss mostly covered housing insecurity, county finances and community issues. As the daughter of Israeli and Nicaraguan immigrants, Weiss studied political science at the University of Georgia to better understand identity relationships and political psychology. Her love of literature and her high school newspaper, G-Tracks, led her to get a second bachelor’s degree in English. She adds a special thanks to Martin Matheny (WUGA), Dr. Audrey Haynes (UGA), and Dr. Krista Bowen (G-Tracks) for inspiring her to chase her dreams.
Beat: Rural governments
This journalist reports on rural government initiatives in boroughs, townships, school district and county courthouses that make up the 22-county reporting region. A simultaneous lack of local reporting due to the increasing national political focus on our region and dwindling voter participation present many challenges. We aim to counter these trends with this position, which focuses on government accountability and civic engagement in our largely rural communities.