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About This Site

Thanks for visiting this news blog, a part-time community journalism endeavor by Leanora Minai, former St. Petersburg Times reporter. You'll mostly find stories about crime and urban affairs in Durham here. The site features original news reporting, unless otherwise noted.

Journalism and Strategic Communications 

Director of Communications, Office of Communication Services
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina – November 2004 to present 

At Duke University, Leanora Minai directs the award-winning print and online news publications for employees as Director of Communications for the Office of Communication Services. In her role, she also develops strategic communication plans for central administrative units and serves on the crisis and emergency communications team. She is editor-in-chief of the print publication, Working@Duke, and the digital publication, Duke Today Working@Duke, both of which have received national recognition:

  • Gold award, Circle of Excellence, Periodical Staff Writing for Internal Audiences from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Working@Duke: 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008 and 2007
  • Bronze award, Circle of Excellence, Print Internal Newsletter from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Working@Duke: 2009 and 2007
  • Bronze award, Circle of Excellence, Web-Based Internal Audience Periodicals from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Duke Today: 2012 
  • Best Employee Newsletter (Print Publication), Ragan Recognition Awards (Lawrence Ragan Communications), Working@Duke: 2011, 2008
  • Best Employee Newsletter (Electronic Publication), Ragan Recognition Awards (Lawrence Ragan Communications), Duke Today Working@Duke: 2012 

Leanora continues to distinguish herself as a journalist. She created her first short documentary, The Mothers. Indianapolis Monthly magazine hired her to write a profile about author Haven Kimmel, and Yahoo! News picked up her story about a mysterious “Letter From the Past.” 

Staff Writer
Tampa Bay Times (formerly St. Petersburg Times), St. Petersburg, Florida – April 1994 to October 2004

Leanora wrote more than 2,000 stories as a reporter for the Tampa Bay Times (formerly the St. Petersburg Times) in Florida. She covered city and county government and a metropolitan police agency, writing about everything from high-profile crimes to hurricanes. A dogged reporter, she was part of a team that won the Jesse Laventhol Prize for Deadline News Reporting. 

"Good journalism shines a light in a dark corner, holding public officials accountable. As a reporter at the St. Petersburg Times, Leanora Minai at turns covered city and county governments and a major metro police department," said Kevin McGeever, a former editor and now senior editor for VISITFLORIDA.com. "She broke news at every stop. Her reporting made citizens smarter."

Staff Writer 
The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania – October 1990 to April 1994

Leanora got her start in journalism as a general assignment reporter at The Times Leader in Pennsylvania.