We want to hear from you.
The Garden Island has six reporters who spend their days, their weekends, and sometimes their nights, covering the happenings around Kauai. They’re at council meetings, chamber dinners and hustling back to the newsroom to write a late game report. They’re at beaches, on boats and on helicopters. They’re in classrooms and courtrooms, they’re visiting businesses and they’re interviewing artists. They’re out snorkeling to check on reefs, hiking through tall grass to find a river cleanup, and golfing early mornings to be sure the greens are good.
Try as they may, and they try hard, they are not omnipresent (well, TGI’s Dennis Fujimoto seems to be) and don’t know everything that’s going on. That’s where you, our readers, can help. If you see news happening, if you have a story idea, if you have a great picture, call us. If your son won an award, if your neighbor rescued a dog, if you see police surrounding a house, give us a ring and we’ll do our best to get the story.
Newspapers like TGI are only successful if we cover the local people, places and things. That’s why we have a group of talented journalists dedicated to exactly that task. In my nearly four years here, I can say this is the best group of reporters I’ve had the pleasure to work with.
And we have had some outstanding journalists here, like my good friend Tom Hasslinger, who is now editor of West Hawaii Today in Kona; Chris D’Angelo, who is a journalist in Washington, D.C.; Brittany Lyte, who still lives on Kauai, is a freelance writer and has had her work published the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times; and Ryan Kazmirzack, who is off on adventures writing about Hawaii for a guidebook publication.
The six reporters we have here today are committed, dedicated and relentless. TGI is fortunate to have them. We hope you like their work and appreciate their efforts. People like these folks make an editor’s job easy.
Here is a little bit about each reporter, and how to contact them. They would love to hear from you.
Dennis Fujimoto, born and raised on Kauai, needs no introduction, as he is basically famous and really is a Living Treasure on Kauai. But if you haven’t met him, he has been working for The Garden Island for three decades. He covers everything and is everywhere. Whether it be a community celebration, a birthday party, a football game, a chamber dinner or a police promotion, Dennis will be there, camera hanging from his neck, notebook in hand, offering a handshake and a smile, too. He can be reached at (808) 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
Alden Alayvilla: Born and raised on Kauai, Alden is a graduate of Waimea High School, Kauai Community College and the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He started with TGI in 2012, freelancing for TGI Friday and later interned in summer and winter 2015. He is the business and general assignment reporter, and also updates TGI’s website and social media platforms. Additionally, he produces videos and live streams of island events.
Cell: (808) 634-2852
Office: (808) 245-0445
Email: aalayvilla@thegardenisland.com
Twitter.com/lden_a
Jenna Carpenter: A self-proclaimed military brat, Jenna lived in six states before moving to the Garden Isle in 2016. She graduated from Flagler College in St. Augustine, Fla., with a degree in communication, emphasis in print journalism. Before coming to Kauai, she worked for the daily newspaper, the St. Augustine Record, as the cops and courts reporter. On Kauai, she is the cops and courts and county government reporter.
Cell: (808) 652-7891
Office: (808) 245-0441
Email: jcarpenter@thegardenisland.com
Jessica Else: Born in Alaska, Jessica was raised throughout the Northwest, mostly in ranching communities. After some college at Boise State University and then graduating from Wayland University in Plainview, Texas, she traveled through the Southwest and explored interests in health and wellness in Southern California. Before moving to Kauai in 2015, she covered multiple beats at the Argus Observer newspaper in Ontario, Ore. — including cops, courts, county and education. Currently, she is the environment reporter for TGI.
Cell: (808) 652-2045
Office: (808) 245-0452
Email: jelse@thegardenisland.com
Nick Celario: From San Jose, California, Nick graduated from San Jose State University in May 2013 with a degree in journalism, emphasis in reporting and editing. He also graduated from West Valley College in Saratoga, California, with a degree in communication studies. He started with TGI on December 2013 covering local prep sports — namely the Kauai Interscholastic Federation — as well as local recreational sports and on occasion University of Hawaii at Manoa athletics.
Email: ncelario@thegardenisland.com
Office: (808) 245-0437
Cell: (808) 652-1199
David McCracken: Born and raised on Oahu, David graduated from Kapolei High School in 2012 and went on to college at the University of Hawaii at Manoa where he graduated in 2016 with degrees in journalism and English. David began working at TGI in October 2016. He is the education reporter.
Cell: (808) 652-3372
Office: (808) 245-0424
Email: dmccracken@thegardenisland.com
Twitter: @crackemc
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Bill Buley is editor-in-chief of The Garden Island.
