Jaclyn O'Laughlin's Multimedia Journalism Portfolio

Printed on the front page of The Central Virginian on January 4, 2007

One look at his tattoos and a slight knowledge of his past, and one could become wary of Manuel Rodriguez.  But as soon as you look into his eyes, you can immediately see that he is a changed man with a tremendous love for God, his family and the New Life Community Church.

Rodriguez turned his back on his friends and family when he was a teenager and found comfort on the streets with drugs, but after 30 years of this lifestyle he found a new direction.

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This article was awarded third place honors in the spot news category from the 2007 Virginia Press Association awards contest.

It took two simple words to bring a child that was lost for hours back to his loved ones and complete the story for a happy ending.

Matt Hollis, a two-year-old from Louisa, strayed away from his Cedar Creek Rd. house wearing only a diaper on Monday night around 7 p.m.

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This article was printed on the front page of The Central Virginian on July 3, 2008

For 10 days the Kennys didn’t know if their son Paul was dead or alive.

Andrew and Jeannie Kenny, of Louisa, have always dreaded the thought of receiving a knock on their door or a phone call alerting them that Paul had been injured, or worse, while serving in Iraq.

“That’s what you fear everyday,” Jeannie said.

Paul’s brother Arthur agreed.

“Every day is nerve wracking,” he said.

At the end of January, the phone rang.

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Printed on the front page of The Central Virginian on May 8, 2008

Dorothy Christmas had a heart attack the day after she received a letter informing her the Zion Crossroads Trailer Park, her home of 20 years, was closing.

“I don’t know where I’m going to go,” she said during an interview on Tuesday in the park, which is located in Fluvanna County. “I was stressed out from the beginning. But once I got the letter it stressed me out even more.”

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Printed on the front page of The Central Virginian on Thursday, May 15, 2008

Sue Frankel-Streit will not forget.

The sound of footsteps echoing through the Mexican desert like thunder and the sun’s heat beating on her back, will always be ingrained in her memory.

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Click on the image above to view a graphic representation of Virginia that displays the profits and losses for Virginia Lottery sales between fiscal years 2008 and 2009, which were broken down into the commonwealth’s 95 counties and 39 independent cities.

By Jaclyn O’Laughlin

When Star and Larry Bell moved from Las Vegas to Danville, the couple thought their decision to open a convenience store that primarily sold lottery tickets was a sure bet.

The couple bought the Carter’s Quick Shoppe from its previous owners this past April, with the intention of making a majority of their profits off of Virginia Lottery sales. In fact, the business was built to be a “lottery store,” according to Star Bell.

“Sales have gone way down,” she said. “If we knew this was going to happen, we wouldn’t have gotten the store.”

It appears that not as many people are willing to gamble in the commonwealth during the economic downturn.  The Virginia Lottery has seen sales drop from $1.38 billion in fiscal year 2008 to $1.36 billion in fiscal year 2009, which represents a $22.6 million decrease.

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