Stars of the Star

Erika Wurst is the Public Safety Reporter for the Arizona Daily Star. She recently moved back to Arizona after working with Sun-Times Media. Erika and David talk about the Public Safety beat, who she is in daily contact with and the stories she works on. Erika also talks about her love of storytelling and how she got started as a journalist. 

Pascal Albright is the Digital Producer for the Arizona Daily Star and the producer of Stars of the Star. Pascal started at the Star in 2022, previously working as the Journalist Product Manager for the Sierra Vista Herald Review. David and Pascal talk about the duties of a digital producer, what it is like working behind the camera and the impact of visual/digital journalism. Pascal discusses their favorite assignments and the perks of having a variety of digital skills that help the newsroom reach its digital goals. 

Norma Coile is the Metro Team Leader for the Arizona Daily Star. Norma is a veteran to the Star having worked at the Tucson Citizen previously and talks to David about her long career in local journalism. David and Norma also discuss the writing process, the impact of local journalism and how she manages her team of all-star reporters.

Michael Schmelzle is a copy editor for the Arizona Daily Star. Michael has been with the Star since 2009, following in his father’s footsteps – who worked at the Tucson Citizen. He has spent most of his time working with sports stories until recently adopting more digital duties. David and Michael talk about the importance of copy editors, how the transition to working with more digital elements has been for Michael and what lies ahead for the copy desk. 

PJ Brown is a sports reporter for the Arizona Daily Star. She joined the Star in 2016, after working at an accounting firm while taking a break from sports reporting. PJ's journalism journey started when she was a kid following her older brother around the house watching sports, which progressed to her playing sports and then combining her love for sports and writing and becoming a sports reporter. PJ and David talk about Title IX coverage, her journalism journey and the excitement of the job and what it's like covering all-star athletes and sports in Tucson. 

Mamta Popat is a Photographer for the Arizona Daily Star. She started her career at the Star in 2003 and has seen the Star evolve from film cameras to digital. Mamta and David talk about the excitement of the job, how the job has changed over the years, memorable assignments and the importance of her work for the community.

Brett Fera is the Sports Editor for the Arizona Daily Star. Brett is originally from California, he moved to Arizona for school, eventually working at the University of Arizona as the Student Media Advisor before working with the Arizona Daily Star. David and Brett talk about Fera’s journalism journey, the impact of the job and how Brett manages a team that covers local sports and other exciting projects. 

Grace Trejo is a photographer for the Arizona Daily Star. Trejo is a recent graduate of the University of Arizona and joined the Arizona Daily Star in 2023. Grace has covered many assignments since joining the Star including sporting events, protests and summer heat photos. David and Grace talk about the workload, how Grace transitioned into the role, and what Grace looks forward to as a photographer for the Arizona Daily Star.

JT Thorpe is a Copy Editor for the Arizona Daily Star. A recent graduate from the University of Arizona, JT joined the Arizona Daily Star in 2023 and has helped the newsroom with their vast experience. David and JT talk about the importance of the copy team, JT’s reporting experience and the exciting things to come for them.

Charles Borla is the local government reporter for the Arizona Daily Star. He started covering public safety for the Arizona Daily Star after graduating from the University of Arizona in 2022. David and Charlie talk about his current role, how he navigates the Tucson community and what is to come for Charlie at the Arizona Daily Star.

Michael Lev is a sports columnist and reporter for the Arizona Daily Star. He started his career at Pro Football Weekly, then moved to the Orange County Register before starting at the Arizona Daily Star in 2015. Michael has covered University of Arizona football, baseball and other local sports. David and Michael talk about their love of sports, the importance of column writing and how the Tucson community impacts the local sport scene. 

Hipolito Corella is the Senior Editor for the Arizona Daily Star. A native Tucsonan and University of Arizona graduate, he joined the Star in 1991. He has held several reporter and editor positions at the Star. David and Poli talk about his time at the Arizona Daily Star, what his editor duties are, how he leads his news team and how the Tucson community impacts his work. 

Jamie Donnelly is the food reporter for This Is Tucson and the Arizona Daily Star. She majored in journalism at the University of Arizona and graduated in 2021, getting her first reporting job at the Arizona Daily Star soon after. She loves being able to share people’s stories and highlight the different flavors and foods Tucson has to offer. Jamie and David talk about her influences, her first role at the Arizona Daily Star, the transition to food reporter and the excitement that is This Is Tucson.

Henry Brean joined the Arizona Daily Star in 2019 after 25 years at Nevada newspapers. A Tucson native, he graduated from Amphi and earned a journalism degree from the University of Missouri. He wrote about the environment for the Las Vegas Review-Journal for 16 years before returning to Tucson. Henry and David talk about working in Nevada, Henry’s journalism journey that returned him to Tucson, the exciting beat Henry writes for and how he manages covering the beat.

Kimberly Kalil is the Arizona Daily Star’s News Editor and she overseas both digital and print content for Tucson.com. Kimberly comes from a military and PR background and has worked at several newspapers including the LA Times and the Las Vegas Review Journal before coming to the Arizona Daily Star. Kimberly and David talk about navigating her role and how she manages the workload. They talk about how her role has evolved at the Star since she started and Kimberly’s excitement for learning new skills and her amazing work innovating the digital team. 

Justin Spears is the Arizona Daily Star's Arizona football beat writer, while also writing stories and producing digital content on UA basketball and local high schools. A Tucson native, Justin graduated from the University of Arizona in 2017 and is the host of the Wildcast Podcast and a radio host on ESPN Tucson. David and Justin talk about sports writing, the perks and challenges each sport has and how Justin innovates the beat with his reporting.

Cathy Burch has covered music, arts and entertainment for the Arizona Daily Star for more than 20 years. She's a graduate of Arizona State University and has worked at Sedona Red Rock News, Niagara Gazette in Niagara Falls, New York; and USA Today. David and Cathy talk about reporting on arts and entertainment in Tucson, the challenges and excitement that comes with it and Cathy recalls some of her favorite stories from her long career covering Tucson.

Jessica Votipka is the Arizona Daily Star’s K-12 education reporter. Jessica is new to the Arizona Daily Star from Nebraska. She recalls being 6-years old when her interest for journalism started and she wrote her first article. Jessica has always been exposed to teachers through her family and talks with David about her early influences. ”There’s nothing more human than education,” Jessica said. In Nebraska she reported on a local school board shutting down a school newspaper for featuring LGBTQ+ content and won awards for her reporting and story. David and Jessica talk about the difference in her new role at the Arizona Daily Star and covering Arizona education versus Nebraska education, she talks about the challenges and hurdles, how she makes connections with sources and upcoming reporting with local education.

Bruce Pascoe is a veteran Arizona Daily Star sports reporter covering University of Arizona basketball. He has traveled with the team all the way to Israel and has been reporting at the Star since the late 90’s. Bruce worked at the Las Vegas Review-Journal prior to the Star and he graduated from Northwestern University. David and Bruce talk about the highlights of covering basketball and sports in a college town, the difficulties of the beat, Bruce’s love for sports and where that came from and how his reporting impacts the community. 

Alexis Huicochea is the Business & Metro team leader and Features Editor at the Arizona Daily Star. She works with This is Tucson and Tucson.com. She was born and raised in Tucson and graduated from Arizona State University Cronkite School of Journalism. Alexis shares how she first started as a crime reporter for the Arizona Daily Star and then transitioned to K-12 education reporting. She talks with David about the importance of education reporting and how that has prepared her with her own family. They talk about her transition to team leader in 2016 and what it is like working with This is Tucson and the importance of local journalism.

Tony Davis graduated from Northwestern University and started at the Arizona Daily Star in 1997. He has mostly covered environmental stories since 2005, focusing on water supplies, climate change, the Rosemont Mine and the endangered jaguar. Tony and David talk about the award winning journalism Tony has worked on, his journey into journalism, Arizona environmental issues and how covering the beat comes with both rewards and struggles.

Ellie Wolfe is the Higher Education reporter at the Arizona Daily Star. New to Tucson from Northampton, Massachusetts, Ellie reports on the University of Arizona, the largest employer in the city of Tucson, and Pima Community College. She talks to David about her previous experience at The Boston Globe and The Maine Monitor, how she manages covering such a large beat, how Ellie holds the University of Arizona accountable through her journalism and all the exciting moments she has had in the job so far. 

Gloria was born and raised in Tucson and is a 2018 University of Arizona grad. From wildflowers to wildlife, she loves all things Tucson and hopes to share her love of the city with readers. As the editor of ThisisTucson.com, she talks to David about her job duties, the excitement that comes with it and all things Tucson. 

Emily Bregel is the Arizona Daily Star’s border reporter. She started with an internship at the Baltimore Sun that launched her journalism career. Her first job out of college was at the Chattanooga Times Free Press and said she "learned all about journalism from mentors and the newsroom." David and Emily discuss how local border reporting is important and different from the national angle, they discuss future projects and adventures Emily has had while on the job.

Tim Steller is an opinion columnist for the Arizona Daily Star. A 25-year veteran of reporting and editing, he digs into issues and stories that matter in the Tucson area, reports the results and tells you his conclusions. David McCumber and Tim discuss the perks of being a columnist, Tim’s early journalism days and the ways he has seen a change in the Tucson area over the years through his reporting.