Brian Krans

Brian Krans

Alumni

Investigative Reporting Program student merit fellow (’17-’18) reporting on crime, health, and the interaction between government and private business through narrative writing and audio.

Previous bylines for the East Bay Express, Healthline, Not in Our Town, Huffington Post, Fox News, The Rock Island Argus/The (Moline) DisptachWinona Daily News, and The Winonan. Former paperboy for the Daily Tribune.

Author of four books. Host of the Rock Town Podcast.

@citizenkrans

EDUCATION

  • B.A. Journalism (Minor: Criminal Justice), Winona State University, 2004

EMPLOYERS

  • Former senior writer at Healthline News, staff writer at the Argus/Dispatch,

AWARDS & HONORS

  • JOURNALISM AWARDS from the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association, Illinois Associated Press, Illinois Managing Editors’ Association, and Minnesota Newspaper Association for spot news or investigative journalism. Winona Daily News and WSU Journalism Department scholarships. UC Berkeley Department Fellowship. ONE Magazine’s Author of the Year, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

PUBLICATIONS & OTHER WORK

  • Who Will Be There When You Call 911? Our Writer Plunges Into the World of For-Profit Ambulances. (East Bay Express, July 6, 2017): From kickback schemes to political battles, Alameda County's emergency medical system has its share of issues: https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/who-will-be-there-when-you-call-911-our-writer-plunges-into-the-world-of-for-profit-ambulances/Content?oid=7855810

  • Guest on KALX's 'Your Call' about EBX cover story on Alameda County's ambulance service: http://kalw.org/post/your-call-what-are-dangers-privatizing-911#stream/0

  • Ambulance (Bill) Chasers (North Gate Radio, April 20, 2017): How Berkeley is dealing with $1.8 million in unpaid ambulance bills: https://projects.journalism.berkeley.edu/radio/story/ambulance-bill-chasers/

  • An RV, needles, Narcan: Street-level services in an opioid epidemic (Oakland North, December 7, 2016): "November project" on naloxone distribution in Oakland during a nationwide opioid epidemic: https://oaklandnorth.net/2016/12/07/an-rv-needles-narcan-street-level-services-in-an-opioid-epidemic/

  • #69: The Ghost Ship Fire (Rock Town Podcast, Dec. 31, 2016): Podcast covering the deadliest fire in Oakland's history and what it means for Oakland's warehouse culture: http://bladeordie.com/69-the-oakland-ghost-ship-fire/

  • Antibiotic Resistance: Why Our Best Medical Weapon Is Losing Its Edge (Healthline, July 24, 2014): 7-part series on history, scope, and impact of antibiotic resistance: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/antibiotic-resistance-series-072414

  • More ‘Pill Mill’ Doctors Prosecuted Amid Opioid Epidemic (Healthline, May 19, 2016): a look into the criminal justice side of the opioid epidemic: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/pill-mill-doctors-prosecuted-amid-opioid-epidemic

  • Defenseless and Addicted—The Predatory Business of Selling Sugar to Kids (Healthline, September 23, 2016): part of a series examining the history and effects of sugar in the Western diet: https://www.healthline.com/health/sugar/defenseless-addicted-sugar-marketing

  • Risk of Brain Injury Increases as Action Sports Gain Momentum (Healthline, June 3, 2016): story about how traumatic brain injuries affect action sports: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/brain-injury-increases-as-action-sports-gain-momentum

  • Skate Or DIY: Why Is It So Damn Hard To Build A Skate Park In Oakland? (East Bay Express, March 14, 2017): why is Oakland behind in building legal spots for kids to skate?: https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/skate-or-diy-why-is-it-so-damn-hard-to-build-a-skate-park-in-oakland/Content?oid=5719389

  • A Tale of Two East Bay Skate Parks (North Gate Radio, March 16, 2017): audio piece accompanying a front page feature for the EBX: https://projects.journalism.berkeley.edu/radio/story/a-tale-of-two-east-bay-skate-parks/

MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS

  • Investigative Reporters & Editors

REPORTING INTERESTS

Criminal Justice, Health, Investigative, Politics, Science