The family of Jovany Mercado: His dad, Juan Mercado; his sister Ruby Mercado; and his mom, Rosa Mercado. Jovany is in the photo held by his mom. By Tim Vandenack
Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021
OGDEN — I’ve still been working, working a lot, working too much, maybe.
That’s why it’s been a while. It’s been a year about COVID-19, isolating, guarding against THE VIRUS. At the newspaper, it’s been about pounding out copy, production, making sure the front page has something, especially as our numbers in the newsroom dwindle. It’s a newspaper, so our resources are necessarily going to be shoestring.
That leaves limited wiggle room for other things. Well, here’s some wiggle room, I guess, so let me throw out a few highlights of my work for the Standard-Examiner, based in Ogden, Utah.
This was heartbreaking, so sad to write, about the death of a young man with apparent mental health issues, Jovany Mercado, at the hands of police in an incident that went terribly awry. “You just can’t find peace,” said his dad, Juan Mercado.
Below are some stories related to the thing that just won’t go away, coronavirus. It seems like every story I do these days has some sort of COVID-19 connection. These, though, are more personal stories, about people impacted, dealing with the virus:
- Harrisville man beats coronavirus, calls on public to take ailment seriously, April 11, 2020
- Willard man recalled for his theatrical passion after coronavirus-related death, April 21, 1010
- North Ogden workers take coronavirus testing duties in stride: ‘It’s our job’, May 1, 2020
- McKay-Dee doctor, nurse help New York hospital overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, May 15, 2020
- Weber County woman’s death underscores broad reach of COVID-19, family members say, May 30, 2020
- Former Ogden woman’s death due to COVID-19 prompts heartache, questions, June 27, 2020
- Utah long haulers seek answers, attention long after their COVID-19 recoveries, Aug. 21, 2020
Now some stories connected to a homeless camp here in Ogden that popped up. Utah is a relatively affluent place, comfortable in the scheme of the United States, so when this tent city popped up, it was kind of out of place. I first caught wind of it when I went to speak to some people at the Lantern House homeless shelter for their take on Thanksgiving, the first story below. Then I followed up on the encampment outside Lantern House:
- Lantern House residents: Even when things are tough, there’s reason to give thanks, Nov. 26, 2020
- Ogden street encampment leads to uneasy back and forth between homeless, officials, Dec. 5, 2020
- Ogden homeless encampment dispersed; officials cite health concerns, crime reports, Dec. 11, 2020
- Ogden demonstrators decry dismantling of homeless encampment, Dec. 14, 2020
- Ogden homeless scattered, but still out there, in wake of encampment’s removal, Feb. 12, 2021
Here’s a story I really liked doing, about immigrants taking a class to help them on the path toward becoming U.S. citizens:
One more, about a couple of dudes who swear they saw a face in the mountain (and it’s kind of true):
John Smollen, left, and Donald Hughes in their Ogden neighborhooed on Feb. 11, 2020, with D.J., the ghost-like face appearing in the mountain between them.
Tim Vandenack, writer and reporter 