It’s taken her a while, just like every other transplant on the island, to feel at home in Kaua‘i. Thriving in paradise is exactly what she came here to do, whether that means lending a voice to victims or fielding
It’s taken her a while, just like every other transplant on the island, to feel at home in Kaua‘i.
Thriving in paradise is exactly what she came here to do, whether that means lending a voice to victims or fielding angry phone calls.
But for cops and courts reporter Amanda C. Gregg — who recently accepted a promotion to Saturday assistant editor — it’s all in a day’s work.
The promotion means Gregg will put the paper to bed Saturdays, compiling the biggest issue of the week, the Sunday edition.
Gregg also will continue to write from the cops and courts desk.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to evolve as a journalist,” Gregg said, noting she is grateful for the opportunity to grow as an assistant editor while keeping the beat she didn’t want to give up.
“It’s such an exciting beat,” she said. “But I do try to be careful, because so often I’m interviewing someone during what could be the worst day of their lives. There is a lot of intrusiveness to that.”
Emphasizing she takes that responsibility seriously, Gregg said she feels most rewarded when she helps those who have unanswered questions about lost loved ones, and helping keep their stories alive.
Believing Gregg is up to the task of handling additional responsibilities, editor Adam Harju was not ready to lose one of his best writers entirely to editing.
“The community now knows The Garden Island is capable of top-level, investigative reporting,” he said of Gregg’s work, adding that her “drive to excel” will be well-utilized in her editing duties on Saturdays.
Raised in Boston, Mass., Gregg received a bachelor’s degree in English and fine arts, and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
While the allure of the scenic outdoors kept Gregg in Colorado for nearly 13 years, the opportunity to write on the oldest island in the Hawaiian archipelago was too inviting to resist, she said.
With not much more than two suitcases and four-years of journalism experience from three different publications, including Boulder County’s largest newspaper, the Daily Camera, Gregg moved here in late August.
Though a tad homesick at first, she now supplements the lifestyle that used to include mountain biking and snowboarding with paddling.
And just like there is room to learn with any job, the same goes for canoeing, she said.
A Novice-B paddler with PuuWai team, the exhaustion and catharsis that come from canoeing has offered invaluable respite from the stress of her job, while also offering a second family, she said.
“I look up to all those women,” she said. “Being in a boat with them is the most existential experience I’ve ever had.”
Appreciative of the ocean outlet she has outside of work, “getting out there” helps her meet the challenges of reporting on such an individualized community.
“Kaua‘i is its own animal,” she said. “I learn how it’s different a little more each day.”
• Blake Jones, business writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or bjones@kauaipubco.com.
