Michael de Yoanna
Reporter, Investigative and Veterans’ IssuesEmail: michael@kunc.org
As investigative reporter for KUNC, I take tips from our audience and, well, investigate them. I strive to go beyond the obvious, to reveal new facts, to go in-depth and to bring new perspectives and personalities to light.
KUNC's newsroom has always stood out for asking critical questions while striving for fairness and accuracy while promoting conversation. Colorado deserves nothing less. My stories sometimes air on NPR or programs like "Reveal," but my starting point is always right here, with real people from our community.
I got my first job as a print reporter for publications in Boulder, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs and Denver. Later, I freelanced for local and national media organizations, including "60 Minutes." I even directed an indie documentary in the two years I worked as an investigative producer in local television. Finally, I settled in at public radio.
I've been honored with two national Edward R. Murrow Awards for my reporting with KUNC, most recently in 2019. As an editor, I shared in a national Sigma Delta Chi investigative award in 2018 from the Society of Professional Journalists. In 2017, I won the Columbia-duPont Award for my co-reporting with NPR’s Investigations Desk. I have received numerous other regional and statewide awards.
When I'm not at work, I play a loud and ferocious electric guitar with my band, enjoy epic weekend road bicycle trek that begin with coffee and end with beer and laughs or watch soccer with my mates, especially if they're supporters of Manchester United or the Colorado Rapids.
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In the past decade, Northern Colorado’s largest cities settled 205 allegations against police. The cost of those settlements was $50 million, roughly enough to fund a police department the size of Boulder’s for a year. That’s according to a KUNC investigation that found a recurring pattern where victims and their families dropped their allegations in exchange for a cash payout. -
In Colorado, mask mandates become recommendations amid optimism that latest COVID surge is subsidingWhile masks will no longer be required in many public places, health officials strongly recommend that people continue to wear them to help curb the spread of coronavirus.
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Colorado’s top public health investigator is cautiously optimistic that the latest coronavirus wave may be ending. Yet the state is still gripped by the virus. Cases and positivity rates are higher than in prior waves, straining businesses and schools as workers call in sick or quarantine after being exposed.
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A final push to rid the United States of the last of its chemical weapons is underway at an Army depot in Pueblo. It involves the use of static detonation chambers, a form of incineration.
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The Army has reversed a reprimand a Colorado National Guard officer received after attending a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020.
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While the coronavirus pandemic has brought with it disappointments that have left some children worried or sad, Santa Claus expects to bring joy and merriment to them on his annual Christmas Eve globetrot. Yet COVID-19 concerns mean fewer volunteers at the Santa Operations Center to take calls.
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Every COVID-19 metric looks a little more hopeful compared to a few weeks ago. Cases are down. So are hospitalizations. Yet state health officials worry about wild cards, like the omicron variant, and say a cautious approach could help prevent numbers from taking another turn for the worse.
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A panel of Colorado medical experts has determined a condition called excited delirium is linked to implicit bias and racism. The finding is part of a report released Wednesday that recommends ways to rein in paramedics’ use of a powerful drug, ketamine, to sedate people, often in situations involving police.
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In the same week that officials in Aurora agreed to independent monitoring of police, lawyers representing members of Elijah McClain’s family and the city agreed to a massive financial settlement to resolve the wrongful death lawsuit.
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Almost one-third of hospitals in Colorado are predicting shortages of ICU beds in the week ahead. In a press conference Friday, state COVID incident commander Scott Bookman confirmed hospitals are reaching a breaking point.
