About this blog

For more current examples of my work go to www.dawnvanness.me and www.thevirginiareel.com.

This blog was a requirement by Virginia Commonwealth University professors, largely Dr. Marcus Messner and Mr. Tim Bajkiewicz of the Mass Communications department.

None of the work here was meant for factual news consumption and those featured only participated  largely as a generous act to help me as a graduate student.

As with all artificial set-ups, this work was produced with unnatural scenarios, such as 15 students converging on one festival, or as pieces that were forced to reflect VCU’s inclusive and multicultural ethics policy; this isn’t necessarily negative, as it got many out of their comfort zone and forced them to improvise and seek out original angles.

Additionally, the program itself is fast-paced, and professors heavily relied on students taking the initiative to solve their own dilemmas both technologically, logistically, and in all capacities as their own editor: this can only result in errors.  Again, this isn’t necessarily negative, as the gist of the program was to push boundaries, improvise with new shared technology, and realize the potential for multimedia publishing in even the most budget conscious newsroom.

For more current examples of my work go to Blackstone Fly-In and Downtown Blackstone Virginia.

VIRGINIA: Firearms Still More of A Threat to Possessor Than Assailant

Suicide by firearm not only makes up 60% of all suicides, but also makes up majority of firearm deaths overall.

Firearms continue to be more of a threat to the possessor rather than any assailant or accidental victim. Over 40% of all Virginia suicides in 2006 had a history of mental illness or a recorded prior attempt.

By Dawn Dickson Van Ness

On Saturday, November 21, 2009, the bodies of a Bristol, Virginia, couple were found on their property by Washington County Sheriff’s Officers, according to the Associate Press and Bristol Herald Courier.  The murder-suicide is only a recent example of the ongoing tragedy of suicides in Virginia, which has steadily grown in rate and number.

Who is at Risk

Virginia Suicide Still Trending Upward According to 2009 VDH Report

by Dawn Dickson Van Ness

With suicides trending upward, and regular reports of suicide becoming national news, resources and reaching out become critical to turn things around.

Suicide for continues its trend upwards since 2006 according to the latest 2008 review released by the VDH.

More to come December 7, 2009. Any suggestions and leads are welcomed.

Rural Areas Turn Waste Expenses Into Recycling Profits

While some urban areas have dramatic drops in recycling rates, some counties improve theirs by the double digits.

by Dawn Dickson Van Ness

While a few rural counties increase their recycling rates and turn a modest profit, inconsistence of recorded rates, the depressed value of recyclables, and lack of a proven method hinder other localities.

Reviving Main Streets: Twenty-one small towns get second chances to be vital parts of their communities

South Main Street in Blackstone, Virginia is still a work in progress with new street lamps and old awnings.

By Dawn Dickson Van Ness

Cluttered storefront windows that reflected empty sidewalks, bricked-up windows, and faded, paint-flaked advertisements from the 1970s are characteristics of many small towns which have seen the days of tobacco, bustling freight trains, assembly lines, and factories wane.

Casualties of Virginia’s changing economic structure has been Virginia’s Main Streets, but because of the Virginia Main Street Program, twenty-one communities are seeing their downtowns revived.

“People are starting to feel more pride,” said Lafayette Dickens, Program Manager of Downtown Blackstone Incorporated, a (c)3 non-profit coordinating the efforts in Blackstone, Virginia. “We want people to come and feel good about being here and being associated with the town. And when one business owner keeps up the appearance of their storefront, it encourages others to do the same, so the effect is cumalative.”

New Nonprofit Joins the Thousands in Virginia While Others Save Millions of Dollars

Paul Tchouke, Founder and Director of Africa Warmth Corporation, enjoys entertainment with guests at his first Multicultural Festival.

Nonprofit organizations abound in Virginia, with more than 8,942 nonprofits as of 2005, according to the Virginia Network of Nonprofit Organizations; that is 3,000 additional nonprofits reported by the Internal Revenue Service since 2000. But while things are crowded during this severe economic downturn, a new nonprofit, Africa Warmth Corporation, was established in April 2009, while Meals-On-Wheels and Central Food Bank of Richmond saved $7 million.

Miranda Mulligan: Part Journalist, Part Space-Cowgirl

September 12, 2009

The new frontier of journalism is boundless but to bound into the new world of journalism may feel more like navigating a trip into outer-space: a cold, oxygen-deprived job environment filled with debris that can pierce ego armored confidence.  For Miranda Mulligan, now a web designer for the Virginia Pilot, there has never been a moment of hesitation, only persistent enthusiasm.

“It really is cowboy country,” said Miranda, her excitement just under her stern, authoritative manner, referring to make-and-break rule environment of journalism today.

Her smart, sophisticated glasses nearly obscuring the snap in her eyes when she talked about the uncharted territory with a Virginia Commonwealth University graduate class full of journalism students.

Blackstone: An Introduction to Small Town Virginia

One of many homes left abandoned on forgotten family farms.

Blackstone Bistro of Blackstone, Virginia Keeps a Tradition Up Year Round

Richmond’s Jewish Community: Building Community While Making Individual Contributions

Dana Ragosin, David Farris, Natan Berenshteyn, Karen Romer

Richmond’s Jewish community is eclectic and diverse with an extensive history that takes place in colonial times but extends into ancient times overseas.  The past and  the present culminate making a unique, rich culture that resides under the umbrella of Judiasm while maintaining a kaleidoscope of individuals.  Watch the slideshow featuring incites on Richmond’s Jewish community by some of its members, hear a podcast about the history of Jewish merchants and sailors who preserved parts of the American legacy, and read a story about contemporary Israel in an interview with the Isreali emmisary from the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond.