Tony Hernandez

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Walker Dies in Blaze

A beloved business man dies after his store goes up in flames. I placed 3rd in the Arkansas Press Association's competition for breaking news for larger dailies.

Hundreds Remember Walker

Hundreds of people, maybe a little more than 1,000, gathered to remember Bruce Walker, the businessman, leather-work artist, and yes, "cool old hippie."

Waste Director Fired

The head of a local waste district is fired after reported financial and management complaints. Story uses FOIA and former employees to reveal information behind the board's decision to fire the director.

Waste District Approves Vacation

Solid waste district approves to pay with unanticipated taxpayer dollars 30 days vacation owed to a recently fired director. That's despite reports showing he admitted to two weeks of campaigning for public office during company time and other improprieties with public funds.

Bomb Scare At The Bank

Elderly couple held hostage while female is forced to attempt to rob a bank

Religious Leaders Comment On Death

Religious leader reactions days after bin Laden died.

New State Law Impacts County Politics

It's political skullduggery, as my paper's editorial board put it. State lawmakers gave Arkansas county judges, who work as chief executives, more power over Quorum Courts, the legislative branch.

County Seeks Bridge Work

Story uses local efforts to improve roads while using computer assisted reporting to show regional bridge conditions and a web-link to an interactive map showing deficient bridges.

Washington County Bridges

Online map that supplements the news clip above. The map, made through Google Fusion tables, shows structurally-deficient bridges and also functionally-obsolete bridges.

County Clerk Hopeful Fired

A fired employee after failed election, a public employee arrested for not registering as a sex offender and a tangled web of county politics.

County Seeks ‘Carry-Over’ Money Control

Story explores the beginning discussions over a tug-of-war between the county's legislative and executive branches over unused taxpayer cash. Story used computer assisted reporting.

Some Ballots Exposed

Political redistricting left the potential of secret votes being exposed.

Ambulance Response Times Faster

A day in the life of an ambulance crew as they navigate snowy streets and rush to treat serious emergencies and not-so-serious injuries.

City Loses Some Revenue

Story applies newly released U.S. Census figures with local sales tax figures using spreadsheet data released by the Census Bureau

Task Force To End

A yearlong project about ICE's termination of some partnerships with local law police to enforce federal immigration laws.

Local Arrests, Deportation Analysis

Spreadsheet work that compiles crimes associated with deportations in Northwest Arkansas.

Reform Bill Could Impact Businesses

Using a family business convicted of immigration violations, story looks at the impact the Gang of Eight's immigration reform on business and a person's "deportability." Story also uses TRAC data.

Immigration Draws Focus

Local reaction to the U.S. Senate's passage of immigration reform.

Visas Hot Ticket In Region

Story about the regions H1B visas given to immigrants with college degrees or better

Group Hosts Potential Citizens

Story examines a group helping legal permanent residents apply toward citizenships, while statistics show naturalizations dropped.

Food Banks Feeling Strain

Story looking at the growing number of local people living just above the poverty line. Story uses Census data.

Historical Marker Dedicated

This story, for some reason, made the AP wires and picked up in papers from across the country. It's about a historical marker that describes the social devastation caused by the destruction of mills during the civil war.

Fair Gives Great Sample Of County Agriculture

This story was my first visit to a farm in Washington County, Ark. as part a preview to the yearly fair.

Prairie Grove Couple Go International With Berries

Tornado, Flood Recovery

One of my toughest stories to put together. It's a narrative of a family I followed for six months after a tornado and mother nature ripped apart three generations

VIDEO: Weather 2011: Devestation, recovery

Johnson Residents Return Home

A story of what residents saw after returning to their homes for devastating floods

Church Official Calls For Leader

Days after a tornado destroyed rural life and a small community, an organizational meetings ends with frustration after a county leader tells residents her hands are tied.

Lawsuit Targets Vote

A group against a sales tax election sues the county to stop an election after early voting began. I broke this story several hours before any other news organization

Challenge Rejected

A Washington County judge rejects an effort to stop a sales tax election from a mysterious group

Suit: Marr Accused Of Lying For Loan

Mayor's chief of staff gets sued over reported fraud

(A busty brawl) Businessman Sued Over Eatery Idea

A Texas-based eatery sues a local entrepreneur for stealing a Hooters-like business idea.

Jury Gives Lenient Fine For Growing Marijuana

Unusual sentence given to man for growing many marijuana plants