Homelessness/Drug Addiction

(Mia Mcall/Emerald)

Grants Pass Supreme Court Case

In this story, Tarek partnered with news reporter Jess Coronado to explore how the decision in the Grants Pass Supreme Court case could impact Eugene residents.

The story helped localize a national issue, explaining to Eugene residents how a case 250 miles away could affect them.

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(File/Emerald)

Rollback of Ballot Measure 110

Tarek followed the rollback of Ballot Measure 110, which had previously decriminalized personal possession of hard drugs, throughout Oregon’s short legislative session in February 2024.

His coverage culminated in a story about the measure being reversed. Tarek spoke with city officials, proponents of Measure 110, and a student who voted for the measure to present all sides of the argument.

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(Eric Becker/Emerald)

Affordable Housing Trust Fund

When it was announced that the City of Eugene was looking to disperse over 1 million dollars in affordable housing funds, Tarek set out to explain to Eugene residents where the money came from and how they could be eligible for housing assistance.

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(Morgan Barnaby/OPB)

Portland expands paid parking hours to boost funding, ease parking turnover

In this story written at OPB, Tarek delved into the details and reasoning behind a seemingly minor change in parking rate hours in downtown Portland.

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(Morgan Barnaby/OPB)

Portland residents show out to save traffic diverters

Tarek visited the site of a “traffic diverter occupation” where people were protesting the removal of traffic diverters in parts of the city.

He followed this story to a contentious public meeting and came to learn that there was more to the story than traffic diverters but really underlying concerns over questionable government transparency or lack thereof.

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(Tony Schick/OPB)

Resources for Oregon firefighters have restrained early-season wildfires but may not last long

Tarek reported on what appeared to be a successful start to wildfire control, but found that climate change had triggered earlier-than-usual fires and that the real strain on resources had yet to arrive.

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Eugene Mayoral Profiles

(Alex Hernandez/Emerald)

Stefan Strek

In his third consecutive run for mayor of Eugene, following failed congressional campaigns, Tarek grew curious about what drove Stefan Strek to run yet again.

When Strek made questionable claims comparing the HIV epidemic of the 1980s to the current drug overdose epidemic in Oregon, Tarek pushed back, bringing some of Strek’s controversial drug reform plans to light for Eugene voters.

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(Tarek Anthony/Emerald)

Douglas Barr

After questions arose during Tarek’s interview with Eugene mayoral candidate Douglas Barr, Tarek discovered that Barr had been involved in a homophobic hate crime that left one person dead.

Tarek broke the story for the city, causing a massive uproar and forcing Barr to drop out of the race just weeks later.

The profile won Second Place in the Investigative/Enterprise Category of the 2024 Jim Penserio Awards.

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(Courtesy of Kaarin Knudson)

Kaarin Knudson

Tarek’s profile of Eugene mayoral candidate and University of Oregon professor Kaarin Knudson was a massive hit.

Titled “Former UO Star Athlete and Professor Runs for Mayor of Eugene,” the profile amassed over 19,000 reads in under two weeks, becoming the most-read story in the Daily Emerald’s 124-year history.

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