Shannon Cuthrell

Freelance Journalist & Editor

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Full portfolio here.

Selected works of journalism, divided by category:

FEATURES & PROFILES:

INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING, MARKET ANALYSIS & LONGREADS:

Senior Slide — Consistent losses and failed projects create an uncertain future for Charlotte’s Aldersgate retirement community. This six-page investigative feature appeared in Business North Carolina‘s February 2024 issue and won a North Carolina Press Association award in the business writing category.

[Tech Insights] Just the FACTS: Increasing Transmission Capacity and Reliability — America’s power grid is feeling the pressure of rising electricity demand and the rapid shift to volatile wind/solar resources. Here’s how FACTS (Flexible Alternating Current Transmission Systems) can increase capacity and voltage stability in power lines.

Gray Power — Retirement living options abound across North Carolina, attracting newcomers and hefty investments from corporations and not-for-profit housing groups. In this feature for Business North Carolina’s May 2022 issue, I covered the state’s biggest senior housing players, how the industry operates, and the biggest challenges and opportunities in the market.

N.C. Research Campus in Kannapolis Presses on with Hefty UNC System Aid — A deep look into the city of Kannapolis, NC, and its efforts to reposition itself from a famous textile town to an epicenter for science and research. (More behind the story in this thread.)

Nonprofits Becoming For-Profits: Where Are the Lines of Legality? — Is it legal for a nonprofit organization to transition into a for-profit company after it spent years raising donations based on a charitable mission? My editor at MinistryWatch asked me to look into it. Here’s what I found.

Examining the Practice of Mission Support-Raising and Expense Reporting — An investigative story on the practice of mission support-raising and the questions it raises about transparency. 

Anti-Sex Trafficking Organizations: Where Does the Money Go? — With overwhelming public support, donors have fueled heaps of cash into faith-based anti-sex trafficking organizations. This report for MinistryWatch looks at the financial statements of a handful of such organizations and asks, “Where is the money going?”

Electric Vehicle SPACs Trend Down Over Poor Performance, Production Delays — A deep-dive into the hype surrounding electric vehicle SPACs, how they’re doing and where they’re headed.

EV Batteries vs. Hydrogen Fuel Cells: Promising Alternative Fuels for Different Segments — A market insight report on EV batteries vs. hydrogen fuel cells: These two alternative fuels seem to compete, but both have their own place in the broader transportation market.

A Family Business: Examining the Practice of Nepotism in Churches — Some of the largest and best-known Christian churches and ministries have been passed from parent to child. Is this healthy?

Cybersecurity for Activists: How to Protect Yourself When Protesting for Change — A comprehensive guide to cybersecurity/digital privacy best practices for activists and protestors.

Guide to the Triangle startup ecosystem — A detailed guide to the Triangle’s startup community, covering local accelerators, incubators, networks, funding, VC groups and more important resources for early-stage founders.

Analysis: Financial Uncertainty at Bill Gothard’s Institute in Basic Life Principles — An analysis of financial patterns inside the Institute in Basic Life Principles’ IRS Form 990s dating back to the early-2000s.

Honorary Degrees Pervasive Among Christian Colleges — Christian colleges routinely grant honorary degrees to trustees, donors, politicians, cultural figures and business leaders. Some misrepresent such titles as legitimate academic credentials or fail to disclose the nature of their degrees. This report for MinistryWatch takes a look at the practice in its current form—and the ethical concerns it raises. 

N.C. MBA programs shift strategies — I spoke to MBA program directors at over 20 public and private universities across North Carolina about how their programs are adapting in the ever-changing higher education market. The piece appeared in the July 2020 issue of Business North Carolina.

How 21 elite N.C. private schools are tackling Covid-19 and diversity issues — In a feature for Business North Carolina’s October 2020 issue, I asked 21 highly rated private schools how they are handling instruction given pandemic concerns and how enrollment is faring. The report also includes details about schools’ efforts to diversify their student and staff populations.

Big data takes center stage in college curriculum — Feature in Business North Carolina’s March 2020 issue on how UNC System campuses are working to train a growing workforce of data scientists and analysts.

Candidates Bringing an Entrepreneurial Mindset to the NC Electorate — These candidates are setting objectives to bridge the divide between governmental powers and the citizenry they’re elected to serve, aiming to capture the electorate with new, innovative ways to tackle issues felt on a state and local level.

Code Academies & Bootcamps Work to Optimize NC’s Tech Talent Pipeline — Code schools are adjusting their course catalogs in efforts to make NC more competitive against rival tech regions.

Cleantech Sector a Powerhouse in North Carolina’s Startup Ecosystem — These North Carolina companies are tackling environmental and energy issues with products and services.

Mental health advocates seek to eliminate stigma — The High Country community is participating in spreading mental health advocacy, contributing to a larger national discussion about stigma and the public’s understanding of mental illness.

How RTP’s ‘The Future of Talent’ Prevents Uber-like Culture Crises from Hitting Triangle Companies — A New York organization funding and supporting social ventures partners with the Research Triangle Foundation on ‘The Future of Talent’ event series and research project.

EVENT COVERAGE:

‘The Future is Female!’: Why Raleigh Entrepreneurs Marched on Washington — 100+ local women and girls trekked to D.C. to represent North Carolina at the now-historic Women’s March on Washington on January 21, 2017. I traveled with them and documented the experience.

Attorney General Cooper Asks Durham Startups to Share Ideas & Engage in Politics — Repeal HB2, improve education and engage entrepreneurs were key themes of ExitEvent’s live interview with Roy Cooper, the Democratic candidate for Governor, at American Underground.

Derrick Jones shares his hobby — Derrick Jones, after conducting extensive research for 20 years on African-American athletes during the time of the Civil Rights Movement, took the opportunity to share his hobby with Mabel Elementary School in Zionville.

Shark Tank’s Chris Sacca Talks BBQ, HB2 and Entrepreneurship in Raleigh — Early Twitter, Instagram and Uber investor talks vulnerability, authenticity, diversity at a fireside chat in Raleigh.

TEDxDurham Speakers Unite Around Social Innovation & #BlackLivesMatter Movement — A diverse collection of community leaders spoke at Durham’s first TEDx on non-traditional means of enhancing the city.

Deborah Ross to Durham Entrepreneurs: My U.S. Senate Campaign is a Startup — Social justice, equal pay for women, immigration and “gig economy” workplace issues were hot topics in ExitEvent’s second Candidate Conversation, this time with Deborah Ross.

Recap: How the Immortality Bus Changed Transhumanism Forever — Zoltan Istvan presents The Immortality Bus and political platform to the Moogfest crowd.

ASU participates in Suicide Awareness Week — Appalachian State University observes Suicide Awareness Week, joining the movement to protect the community against the devastation of suicide by decreasing the stigma around discussing it, learning how to better prevent it and remembering and honoring those lost.

NEWS:

A New Specialized Train Is Ready to Haul Nuclear Waste — In my first story for IEEE Spectrum, I wrote about the Department of Energy’s Atlas project, a specialized railcar designed to carry more than 480,000 pounds of spent nuclear fuel to future storage sites in the U.S.

Portions of Kannapolis’ NC Research Campus Listed for Sale — A scoop for NewsBreak on the sale of portions of the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis. (More details in this Twitter thread.)

Mecklenburg County To Reopen Rent Relief Program as Federal Eviction Moratorium Ends — A news story on Mecklenburg County’s rental assistance program and the local housing crisis.

Microsoft Bets on Fusion for AI Energy Solution — Could harnessing the sun’s power source unlock limitless emissions-free electricity to counter AI computing demand? I tackled the question in this piece for EEPower’s Tech Insights section.

Circular Economy Insights: Lithium-ion Battery Recycling — A brief analysis of the lithium-ion battery recycling market.

Can Donors Hold RZIM and Its Board Financially Liable? — Of the barrage of legal questions arising from the sexual misconduct and abuse allegations surrounding Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM) and its late founder, one material uncertainty stands out: Can donors hold the organization and its board financially liable? This analysis for MinistryWatch examines the legal considerations that might apply.

Live coronavirus coverage: Impacts on NC tech community — I kept a live blog with updates on statewide tech events that were canceled or postponed between March 11 and March 20, 2020, right as the U.S. started to ramp up social distancing measures to contain the spread of COVID-19.

These Charlotte Startups Are Still Hiring During COVID-19 Pandemic — A story for Charlotte Inno about local startups upping their staff during the pandemic.

CHIPS & Science Act Pours Billions into Semiconductor Manufacturing – What’s Next? — A breakdown of what’s in the CHIPS and Science Act and what to expect in the semiconductor industry. 

Cree’s $1 Billion Silicon Carbide Expansion Strategy — A year since the sale of its lighting business unit, a series of strategic partnerships and investments signify Cree’s continued march into the silicon carbide market, away from LED and lighting. Here’s what that means.

Startup Summit Series ‘The Arena’ Hits Up Raleigh to Get You to Run for Office — Raleigh is the next host city for a series of events aimed to reshape democracy at the state and local levels.

A Summer of Opportunity & $1.1M Round ft. Steve Case Move PRSONAS into AR — Fueled by Google Demo Day, Durham’s hologram developer meets 2017 objectives with a new product and a fresh funding round.

$1.3M Fundraise Means Cleantech Startup Smart OES is Coming to An Office Near You — A new COO with experience in the energy sector and a $1.3 million fundraise are fueling the launch of a new system that aggregates data about how offices waste their energy.

Local police participate in events with Watauga community — Boone area citizens and police are working to enhance community relationships with law enforcement in the wake of the Ferguson, Mo., and Staten Island, N.Y., incidents that sparked nationwide protests.

Vilas farmer to plant pawpaw orchard — Local farm owner and operator Susan Owen plans to “bring a new fruit to town,” as she says, by planting a pawpaw orchard in Vilas with money she received from the Mary Boyer Sustainable Food and Agriculture Grant.

High Country a haven for birds — and birders — Bird watchers, or birders, are thrilled for what’s to come as migration guides birds into the High Country, which is one of the most diverse breeding areas in the eastern part of the country.

Grant funding awarded to ASU professor studying mood-memory connections — Dr. Lisa Emery has always wondered why patients with Alzheimer’s could remember her face but not her name. Now an associate professor of psychology at Appalachian State, Emery uses that same curiosity as a basis for research. 

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Full archive of clips here.