USFsp honors Pulitzer-winning alum
An alumnus of the journalism program at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg was named a Pulitzer Prize winner in Investigative Reporting this month. Eric Eyre, who got his master's degree in mass communication at USFSP in 1998, won journalism's top award for his work chronicling the opioid drug crisis and overdose deaths in West Virginia. His report in the Charleston Gazette-Mail, where he is a statehouse reporter, found that drug wholesalers pumped 780 million hydrocodone and oxycodone pills into the state in just six years, while more than 1,700 West Virginians overdosed and died. "It's really a testament to years of grinding it out as a beat reporter doing investigative projects on the side over the course of 25-plus years," Eyre said in a university news release. He thanked his USFSP professors for shaping his reporting. Department founder Mike Killenberg said Eyre's work has long been excellent. "When he applied to our program, I was very impressed by his interest in stories that impact ordinary people," Killenberg said. "I've been following his career, and I'm not surprised that he's reached the highest level of accomplishment for a journalist." Eyre, 51, is also a former St. Petersburg Times intern and an Ethics Fellow at the Poynter Institute, which owns the Tampa Bay Times.
'Check out a human book' at Eckerd event
Eckerd College presents the Human Library, "a living, breathing library where humans are the books and the stories are their lives." Attendees are invited to "browse the catalog and check out a human book" for a 20-minute conversation. The event aims to make visitors think twice about stereotypes and prejudices by encouraging one-on-one discussions and difficult questions. Check out the collection in the Cobb Gallery at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Official to discuss EPA water quality policy
An Environmental Protection Agency employee will appear Saturday at Eckerd College to discuss how the EPA's water quality division makes its policies and enforces justice. Lisa Perras Gordon will speak at 7 p.m. in Miller Auditorium about those decisions and how they impact humans and the ecosystem.