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Michael de Yoanna

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Colorado
As seen in: LinkedIn, The New York Times, NPR, U.S. News and World Report, Associated Press, Salon, The Minnesota Star Tribune, The Seattle Times, The Denver Post, Washington Times and
Covers:  Secrets that shouldn't be secret. Story-driven narratives backed up by data. Investigations. Military. Veterans. Public and environmental health. Things that shock the conscience.
Mountain West News Bureau managing editor. Nat honors: @duPontAwards, Murrow (2x), SPJ, AP / Bikes / Guitars / Dogs 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 🇮🇹
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Stopping a movement | Reveal

Stopping a movement | Reveal

Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting — In the second segment, reporters Michael de Yoanna and Rae Solomon from KUNC public radio investigate the use of powerful sedatives during police stops. This phenomenon first caught the reporters’ attention when body camera footage went viral over the summer, showing 23-year-old Elijah McClain being wrestled to the ground by police and injected with ketamine by paramedics in Aurora, Colorado. McClain went into cardiac arrest on the way to the hospital and died a few days later. McClain’s name became a national rallying cry and, as we report, his story exposes a pattern of paramedics across the nation doling out potentially dangerous doses of sedatives during police stops.
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Medics In Colorado Dosed 902 People With Ketamine For 'Excited Delirium' In 2.5 Years

Medics In Colorado Dosed 902 People With Ketamine For 'Excited Delirium' In 2.5 Years

KUNC public radio — More than 100 agencies across Colorado have approval from the state to allow medics to use ketamine to sedate people during police confrontations if the show signs of what's often dubbed "excited delirium." KUNC found that in the last two and a half years that medics sedated people 902 times. That includes Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Black man who died after police stopped him in Aurora.
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Colorado Schools Don't Have To Track Sports Concussions, But We Found 6,039 Cases

Colorado Schools Don't Have To Track Sports Concussions, But We Found 6,039 Cases

KUNC-FM (Greeley, CO) — Kelli Jantz lost her son, Jake Snakenberg, during a high school football game. She will never forget his last moments on the field. "He lined up," Jantz said. "He set. And then he fell forward and was trying to get up and you could tell something wasn't quite right.
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To the ends of the Earth

To the ends of the Earth

Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting — Reporter Michael de Yoanna travels to a military radar site in Alaska’s Bering Strait. It’s part of a network of military radars designed to monitor a million miles of airspace around the United States and Canada, guarding against Russian long-range bombers and missiles. Now, though, some of these radars are facing new foes like ice melt, erosion and storm surge. We investigate how climate change is affecting U.S. national security, and how potential foreign adversaries like Russia are preparing to take advantage of it.
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Arctic Warning: As Sea Ice Melts, Threats To National Security Heat Up

Arctic Warning: As Sea Ice Melts, Threats To National Security Heat Up

Reveal (Center for Investigative Reporting) — The return of Russian bombers and fighter jets highlights the ongoing importance of the radars to NORAD -- its abilities to detect and deter threats. Now, the Arctic's fast-melting sea ice and thawing permafrost threaten the foundations the sites sit upon. Storms may become harder to predict and surges could bring destructive flooding or other damage in a harsh, remote and unforgiving landscape where fixes and rebuilds can be extremely difficult, perhaps impossible. The melting ice -- and climate change -- is posing new challenges to national security that former military leaders say are worsening under President Trump's watch.
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The Thousands Of Colorado Ski Injuries That Resorts Don't Tell You About

The Thousands Of Colorado Ski Injuries That Resorts Don't Tell You About

NPR / KUNC public radio — On a Sunday afternoon in February, a 6-year-old girl fell 29 feet from a chairlift at Eldora Mountain Resort and was rushed to the hospital with injuries. The incident prompted two moms in Boulder to launch an online petition demanding safety improvements. About 1,000 people signed it. All of this transpired as KUNC was in the midst of its own two-month investigation into safety at ski resorts, which led to the discovery of little-known data held by the state that documents thousands of ski- and snowboard-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations across Colorado each year. But scant specific-injury numbers are available from resorts.
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Missed Treatment

Missed Treatment

NPR — Michael de Yoanna co-investigates with NPR and Colorado Public Radio the Army's dismissal of soldiers who have returned from combat with mental health problems.
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Chemical Weapons Depot In Pueblo On Army Climate Change List

Chemical Weapons Depot In Pueblo On Army Climate Change List

KUNC-FM (Greeley, CO) — The Pueblo Chemical Depot is one of the top 10 U.S. Army domestic installations "at risk" because of climate change. That's according to the Army, which lists "desertification" as its concern for the depot where tens of thousands of chemical weapons are in the process of being destroyed under international treaty.
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In Pueblo, America's Chemical Weapons Era Nears An End

In Pueblo, America's Chemical Weapons Era Nears An End

KUNC-FM (Greeley, CO) — During World War II, the U.S. military assembled a special group of troops trained to use chemical weapons. "The big day is still to come," says the narrator of a U.S. War Department training film. "It will be when Hitler, with his back to the wall, frantically uses gas as a last resort."
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How A Little-Known Radio Station In Fort Collins Might One Day Save The World

How A Little-Known Radio Station In Fort Collins Might One Day Save The World

KUNC-FM (Greeley, CO) — An array of radio towers sits behind security fences amid farms and pastures north of Fort Collins. This is home to WWV, the country's oldest radio call letters. The station's high-frequency broadcasts can be heard around the globe if you have the right kind of radio.
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Parked: How Mobile Home Residents Were Left Behind After Colorado's 2013 Floods

Parked: How Mobile Home Residents Were Left Behind After Colorado's 2013 Floods

KUNC-FM (Greeley, CO) — When the flood waters in 2013 subsided, tens of thousands of evacuees along Colorado's Front Range returned to see what happened to their homes. One of them was Amanda Anderson. "All of it was just mud," Anderson said. "It was so dark in there because of the mud.
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Denver Landlord Refuses Muslim Restaurant Owners, Demands An 'American Person'

Denver Landlord Refuses Muslim Restaurant Owners, Demands An 'American Person'

KUNC public radio (NPR affiliate, Colorado) — When Craig Caldwell wanted to sublet a space to a fellow restaurant owner, his landlord turned the deal down. He was so shocked at the reason she gave that he used his cell phone to record two conversations with her. His landlord said, find an "American person," according to the recordings, which have been shared exclusively with KUNC.
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Boulder Restaurant Gets 'Overwhelmingly Positive' Response Amid Muslim Discrimination Claim

Boulder Restaurant Gets 'Overwhelmingly Positive' Response Amid Muslim Discrimination Claim

KUNC public radio (NPR affiliate, Colorado) — Rashad Khan did not know what to expect when he shared his story about a landlord who allegedly turned his restaurant away because his family is Muslim. Within hours of KUNC's publication, a huge response began to build - most of it in support of Khan and his Boulder restaurant, Curry N Kebob.
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Documentary trailer: R E C O V E R I N G

Documentary trailer: R E C O V E R I N G

Become Films — A gripping action documentary directed by Michael de Yoanna. It's what happens when young, war-weary troops, including a 9/11 first responder, take on a new mission: healing their own wounds....
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Colorado Postcard: The Sounds Of Rocky Mountain National Park

Colorado Postcard: The Sounds Of Rocky Mountain National Park

KUNC-FM (Greeley, CO) — Before sunrise on a cool fall day, Jacob Job and Carlos Linares woke up, packed up their bags and headed into Rocky Mountain National Park. Job, a researcher at Colorado State University, and Linares, his student assistant, are hunters. Their weapons: microphones. Their prey: the sounds of the elk during the fall mating season.
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NPR & Colorado Public Radio: "Missed Treatment" | 2017 duPont-Columbia Awards Winner

NPR & Colorado Public Radio: "Missed Treatment" | 2017 duPont-Columbia Awards Winner

duPont-Columbia Awards — NPR and Colorado Public Radio partnered on this groundbreaking exposé that revealed how the Army broke the spirit of the law when it kicked out more than 22,000 returning disabled veterans. Credits: Daniel Zwerdling, Correspondent; Michael de Yoanna, Reporter; Robert Little, Senior Editor; Nicole Beemsterboer, Producer; Barbara Van Woerkom, Research Librarian; Jani Actman, Intern; Courtney Mabeus, Intern.
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Discharge Of Soldiers With Mental Health Issues Questioned

Discharge Of Soldiers With Mental Health Issues Questioned

NPR's Here and Now — The Army has kicked out tens of thousands of soldiers on controversial grounds that they committed misconduct. Michael de Yoanna tells the story of one of those soldier's long struggle to get benefits.
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Podcast: Veterans Stories Of Courage And Love

Podcast: Veterans Stories Of Courage And Love

KUNC-FM (Greeley, CO) — This week's Colorado Edition is devoted to stories of veterans and their families -- tales of torture, courage, perseverance and love. KUNC's military and veterans reporter Michael de Yoanna guides us on a journey that spans several wars, from Vietnam to Afghanistan.
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Not Forgotten: Colorado Woman's Promise To Missing Vietnam War Pilot

Not Forgotten: Colorado Woman's Promise To Missing Vietnam War Pilot

KUNC public radio (NPR affiliate, Colorado) — On their first wedding anniversary, Mike Klingner asked his wife, Jane Adams, a favor. He was getting ready to leave for the Vietnam War as a pilot. "Mike said the night before he left, 'If I'm killed in action, I want to be buried in Arlington,'" Adams said. In 1970, 1st Lt.
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Big Spending In Colorado Governor Race Has Some Wondering If Politics Belong To The Wealthy

Big Spending In Colorado Governor Race Has Some Wondering If Politics Belong To The Wealthy

KUNC-FM (Greeley, CO) — This year's governor's race is like no other in Colorado history -- at least in terms of money. The $29 million contributed so far to candidates shatters prior records. A large chunk of that money comes from millionaires, spending big in hopes of being elected to a job that pays $90,000 a year.
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Rocky Mountain National Park Is Third For Most Search And Rescues

Rocky Mountain National Park Is Third For Most Search And Rescues

KUNC-FM (Greeley, CO) — Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the top places in the country for search and rescue operations, logging an incident almost every other day last year. That's according to a KUNC analysis, which found that the costs of incidents in National Park Service areas across the country hit a three-year high in 2017.
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VIPs Weigh The Pros And Cons Of A Colorado Winter Olympics

VIPs Weigh The Pros And Cons Of A Colorado Winter Olympics

KUNC public radio (NPR affiliate, Colorado) — Denver's Olympics Exploratory Committee is wrestling with a couple of expensive questions. "There's five different subcommittees working to put information together and answering, really, two questions: Not only could we host a Winter Olympic games in the future, but should we?" said Ramonna Robinson, a spokeswoman for the exploratory committee.
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76 Years Later, Sailor Who Died In Pearl Harbor Attack To Be Laid To Rest In Colorado

76 Years Later, Sailor Who Died In Pearl Harbor Attack To Be Laid To Rest In Colorado

KUNC public radio (NPR affiliate, Colorado) — A few years ago, Ted Hummell got an odd call. It was the Department of Defense and they wanted his help in their efforts to identify the remains of his uncle, William Hellstern. Hummell, a 67-year-old Jaguar dealer who lives in Castle Rock, knew his uncle through his late mom.
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NOlympics Colorado Wants A Denver Vote If Taxpayer Money Is Involved In Olympics

NOlympics Colorado Wants A Denver Vote If Taxpayer Money Is Involved In Olympics

KUNC public radio (NPR affiliate, Colorado) — The group NOlympics Colorado is concerned that taxpayers might be asked to provide funds for a Winter Olympics. They're preparing to go to voters with a question: Should there be a vote before an Olympics is allowed to come to the state? Such a vote could come as soon as this November or in early 2019.
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