Hi, I’m Dillon.

Thanks for visiting.

I landed my first writing gig for Richland Source in 2013 while still pursuing an English degree at Ohio State. I must have done something right, because they hired me on as a full-time reporter when I graduated two years later.

In that time I covered local government, education and everything in between. I covered a serial killer, investigated why farmers can’t do much in the way of mitigating flooding to their fields, protests in Cleveland during the 2016 Republican National Convention and wrote a profile about a polygamist pastor and so many others.

In 2017 I moved my wife and I to Western Pennsylvania. There, I reported for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Valley News Dispatch, TribLIVE and others while covering energy and the environment. I also covered local government for several papers spanning the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh.

I earned some awards for my work in various breaking news coverage (like this one) and was a finalist for a Golden Quill award for excellence in writing for this piece on Giorgio Coraluppi, one of the oldest living Space Technology Hall of Fame inductees at the time.

One of my investigations in 2018 into a municipal manager led to his resignation and a resolution aimed at amending hiring practices.

There’s something about home. So in 2021, I moved my wife and two daughters back to Ohio to launch a small business and be close to family.

I couldn’t escape journalism, though. I started working for Ashland Source, a startup that covers rural Ashland County in May 2021 as its lead reporter. We’re a small but mighty team of two reporters and a managing editor — and we’re not afraid to tackle big stories.

In 2024, for example, I landed a competitive $10,000 grant from the Poynter Institute to investigate how the spending of American Rescue Plan Act money affected disadvantaged communities throughout Ashland County.

An investigation into the local land bank led to numerous policy changes; another investigation into financials of a local dog shelter led to the warden’s resignation and operational changes.

I’ve also had the privilege of teaching journalism to the future generation. I taught journalism classes and advised the award-winning student newspaper at Ashland University from August 2023 to December 2024.

When I’m not reporting or teaching, I’m either in the saddle of my mountain or road bike, or finding other excuses to be outside. And when I’m home, I’m being a dad or trying new recipes with my wife or scribing about bike related stuff.

Speaking of, I’m on Substack. I (sometimes) write Cycotherapy, a newsletter “conquering the fear du jour through bikes and whimsy.”

Keep tabs on me via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.