Rebecca Robinson

Freelance writer

United States

I'm a generalist who has written in depth about crime, education, healthcare, social entrepreneurs, California's prisons, state and federal medical marijuana laws, and homelessness, among many other topics.

Awards received include: First Place, General Excellence (shared), California Newspaper Publishers Association (2011); Outstanding Talk Show, Alliance for Women in Media (2010); First Place, Public Affairs Journalism (shared), Associated Press Broadcasters Competition (2010); Second Place, Social Issues Reporting, Society of Professional Journalists, Oregon/Southwest Washington chapter (2009).

Portfolio

Longform

Monterey County Weekly
07/05/2012
Soldiering On

Monterey County vets struggle with civilian life, but new projects promise help and hope.

Monterey County Weekly
09/22/2011
The Great Uncrowding

More than 30,000 state prisoners will shift from state to county control starting Oct. 1— including 300-plus headed to Monterey County. What happens next is anybody’s guess.

Monterey County Weekly
07/21/2011
Tricks of the Trade

Undocumented women servicing field workers, streetwalkers in seedy motels, high-end flesh sold at high-end events: sex sells in Monterey County.

Monterey County Weekly
06/16/2011
A Hazy Future

From the feds to the county, the confusion surrounding medical marijuana laws is enough to drive a girl to get stoned.

Portland Sentinel
12/02/2009
North Precinct: After the fall

“What I hear from [Portland Police Bureau] officers is, ‘we’ve never been stretched so thin,'" says Neighborhood Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Wells. "How do we do more with less?”

Street Roots
08/24/2009
Motel Limbo

Portland's motels hide a troubling side of homelessness.

Street Roots
03/19/2009
Are We Stimulated Yet?

Portland is on track to receive $4 million for rapid rehousing of people affected by the recession. But the city has yet to hear what regulations apply on how that money can be used.

Portland Sentinel
03/05/2008
To Serve the Present Age

As some churches look to revive their congregations, the emergent church movement draws young Christians in droves.

Radio

Oregon Public Broadcasting
09/21/2010
The Forefront of Cardiology

It's been half a century since Albert Starr co-invented and implanted the world's first artificial heart valve, but the impact of his medical milestone is still being felt today.

Oregon Public Broadcasting
08/20/2010
A Moveable Feast

What does it take to run a food cart? Is there fierce competition with other carts - or nearby restaurants?

Oregon Public Broadcasting
08/11/2010
Sizing Up Your Genes

Have you elected to use genetic testing? If so, why? What was your experience?

Oregon Public Broadcasting
07/19/2010
DNA Evidence and Eyewitness Testimony

New evidence produced through post-conviction DNA testing has led to over 200 exonerations nationwide, and has cast a spotlight on the flaws in eyewitness testimony and visual memory that lead to wrongful conviction.

Oregon Public Broadcasting
06/03/2010
The Ethics of Egg Donation

Are all eggs created equal, or should people pay more for "better" genes?

Oregon Public Broadcasting
10/09/2009
The Future of Journalism

What do you see as the future of news? Is print media dying, or is it merely in a state of transition?

Social Entrepreneurship

Dowser.org
09/19/2011
Andrew Rasiej on Technology as a New Ecology

Rasiej sat down with Dowser to talk about going head-to-head with Rudy Giuliani, getting stuck on a ski lift with a senator, and other adventures on the road to founding a nonprofit.

Dowser.org
04/19/2010
The Wisdom (and Danger) of Crowds

Crowdsourcing is an inherently inclusive approach and it allows organizations to engage throngs of aficionados. However, it has its pitfalls.

Healthcare

Monterey County Weekly
10/13/2011
Help With Health

County clinics, health departments team up to address Latino health disparities.

Crime

Monterey County Weekly
09/16/2011
Pixel Porn

How an IP address led to an international child porn investigation

Monterey County Weekly
05/12/2011
Lock Popping

Jail’s most dangerous inmates pick cell locks with paper.

Politics

Monterey County Weekly
11/10/2011
The Clickster Party

Americans Elect is mounting a high-tech, online challenge to the two-party system, but they're doing it with big bucks from traditional conservatives.

Monterey County Weekly
07/07/2011
Redevelopment on its Deathbed

The towns of Monterey County have no shortage of development projects in the works. There’s just one problem: One of their key funding sources could be sucked dry by the state in the very near future.

Monterey County Weekly
06/09/2011
Drawing the Lines

Central Coast redistricting puts Latinos in the spotlight.

Portland Sentinel
01/01/2008
Chavez: Epilogue

The battle over renaming Interstate Avenue for Cesar E. Chavez opened deep rifts in the North Portland community, put issues of race and neighborhood identity center stage, and called into question both City Hall’s credibility and Portland’s socially progressive reputation.

Human Interest

Monterey County Weekly
01/19/2012
Solid Foundation

Nonprofit scandal nears resolution with a proposed new fund for AIDS patient housing.

Monterey County Weekly
01/12/2012
The Invisible Michelangelo

Dong Sun Kim’s murals quietly capture the beauty of his adopted country.

Monterey County Weekly
11/10/2011
In the Pines

Occupy Monterey camp struggles to integrate homeless

Monterey County Weekly
07/07/2011
Downtown Monterey: Ripe for reinvention

Time and again, Monterey’s elected officials describe their fair city as “internationally renowned” and “a world-class destination.” But when comes to describing their downtown, these selfsame praise-singers aren’t exactly effusive.

The Oregonian
10/28/2010
Another food cart pod hopes to make a go of it on MLK

The proliferation of pods symbolizes a shift toward a more pedestrian-friendly commercial corridor, the latest hope for an area that's long struggled to become a destination because of crime, fast-moving traffic and a stop-and-start economic past.

The Oregonian
04/24/2010
Boise Voices project excites young historians

High school students from North Portland's Boise neighborhood work with artists Apricot Irving and Julie Keefe on oral histories and portraits for an exhibition at City Hall.

The Oregonian
07/09/2010
These Numbers Have Faces

These Numbers Have Faces, a group founded by 27-year-old Justin Zoradi, combines a passion for soccer and belief in the potential of South African youths.

The Oregonian
05/03/2010
A park for Harper

A rare genetic condition prevents Harper Goldberg from walking on her own. But her father hopes to transform North Portland's Arbor Lodge Park into a place where Harper and children of all abilities can play together.

Willamette Week
07/30/2008
The Big Shaft

The city rams into a longtime North Portland nonprofit.

Bennington Banner
06/09/2007
The First, The Last

Alpha and Omega International Ministries, as the church is more formally called, is one of the few Pentecostal houses of worship in the area.