Lucia Starbuck reports for KUNR Public Radio, where she focuses on community reporting and the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic in Reno, Nevada. Starbuck knows the area well. She is from Reno and graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, along with a minor in cinema and media studies. Local community issues are her passion, including the affordable housing crisis, access to oral healthcare and the challenges voters with disabilities face while participating in the election process. Along with radio, Starbuck reports in various formats, including digital storytelling and live reporting on social media. She has also directed and filmed two documentaries about homelessness. Starbuck contributed to KUNR’s coverage of hateful expressions at the University of Nevada, Reno, produced in 2019, which won a regional Edward R. Murrow award in the Best Continuing Coverage category and first place in the Associated Press Television and Radio Association (APTRA) broadcast contest for Continuing Coverage. Starbuck co-created and contributed to the series Spurs & Mud: A Century of Rodeo, which won first place from APTRA in 2019 for Best Sports Coverage.
Beat: Impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic in northern Nevada
This journalist covers impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic in the community, including tenant rights during a statewide moratorium on evictions; homelessness and addiction recovery during the pandemic; outbreaks at assisted living facilities; record-high unemployment claims; complaints of unsafe work environments; protests to reopen the state; and the expansion of Covid-19 testing operations. The pandemic isn’t going away any time soon. This reporter will continue to report on how vulnerable populations are being affected as Nevada continues to reopen and as the pandemic unfolds, along with solutions and resources that become available in northern Nevada.