Home About Articles Contact

Maria Tedesco is the congressional and elections correspondent intern for The Durango Herald, a newspaper based in Colorado. She is also the food, wellness and style editor for The Eagle, American University’s student newspaper. Tedesco is graduating from American University in spring 2025.

Durango Herald •

Southwest Colorado tribes seek federal funds for A-LP water delivery

WASHINGTON – The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe has tried to obtain compensation for water rights from the Inflation Reduction Act, but the Bureau of Reclamation has not acted.
U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, as well as Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, wrote a letter to the Bureau of Reclamation on Oct. 22 urging the bureau to work with the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute tribes for alternative routes of funding, after they were not able to be compensated from the IRA....
Durango Herald •

How CD-3 candidates are fundraising this quarter

WASHINGTON – Adam Frisch, the Democratic candidate for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, leads in fundraising this quarter with about $2.2 million. His Republican opponent, Jeff Hurd, raised just over $1 million during the same quarter.
With the election about two weeks away, the Federal Election Commission made data public for the campaigns. The most recent fundraising period ran from July to the end of September. Frisch has framed his campaign around the way he fundraises...
Durango Herald •

La Plata County political party leaders oppose ranked choice voting

Some La Plata County election officials and political party leaders say they are opposed to or have concerns with ranked choice voting, which Colorado voters will consider this November.
Opponents say Proposition 131 would lead to confusion in the voting process. Supporters say the initiative would increase voter participation and decrease the number of “extreme” candidates appearing on the ballot.
If passed, voters would rank candidates based on their top four ch...
Durango Herald •

U.S. Forest Service funding will improve preparation for wildfires in San Juan National Forest

WASHINGTON – The San Juan National Forest is receiving $5 million to restore forest health on 3,000 acres of high-risk fireshed near homes outside Durango.
The Wildfire Risk Reduction and Restoration Project will mechanically treat 3,000 acres of forest in the San Juan National Forest, enabling an additional 9,000 acres of future prescribed fire treatment.
This project is located between Falls Creek and Durango Hills subdivisions, which are northwest and northeast...
Durango Herald •

Colorado governor aims to better prepare students for changing workforce

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis wants to help students build technical skills to better prepare them for the workforce.
As chair of the National Governors Association, Polis launched his “Let’s Get Ready Initiative,” which adapts policies from across the country to help governors build a strategy to improve education. The project has two main goals: to build skills for students outside of basic subjects such as math and English, and to apply those skills to specific jobs....
Durango Herald •

Boebert’s bill to protect fish passes House, with looming concern over funding shortage

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s bill to recover endangered fish species in the Upper Colorado River Basin and the San Juan River Basin has passed the majority Republican House of Representatives. But across the political aisle, there is disagreement on how much funding is needed for projects to increase fish populations.
This fish recovery program has been in place for over 30 years. The program allows local groups to use water for activities such as building new dams or...
Durango Herald •

Colorado CD-3 candidates disagree on abortion, but share similar policy views

WASHINGTON – Agreeing in a debate? While the Democratic and Republican candidates running in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District disagreed on abortion rights, they found more common ground on other policy ideas in a debate last weekend at Club 20.
Throughout the debate, Adam Frisch, a Democrat, and Jeff Hurd, a Republican, agreed on policies for government spending, recreation on public lands, nuclear energy and water regulation. However, Hurd called out Frisch for meddling in...
Durango Herald •

Adam Frisch visits U.S.-Mexico border; calls for strategies that boost CD-3 economy

The Democratic candidate running for Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District took a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border this week to learn more about security concerns, including illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
Adam Frisch said immigration policy should be about increasing border security. But it is also about recognizing how immigrants support local economies, including those in CD-3, because many farms and ranches depend on visa workers.
Frisch said that in o...
Love Happens Mag •

Six Tasty Savory Cocktails

Sick of the spritz? Leave the sweetener behind with these six savory cocktails. Savory cocktails are all over social media and bar menus, the most recent being the pickle martini fad. If you are too scared to turn a vegetable into a beverage, start slow by pairing these cocktails with a charcuterie board or aperitivo.Afraid to leave the sweetness behind? Start out slow with a pistachio mule. Pistachio is a common ingredient in many desserts from ice cream, to cookies, to cake. However, instead o...
Advanced Reporting Fall 2023 •

Support for offshore wind development declines in New Jersey

By Maria Tedesco


Audio Clip


Walk down the street in Ocean City, N.J. and it will not take long to stumble across a sign that compares the height of an offshore wind turbine to the height of historic landmarks like the Washington Monument, the Statue of Liberty and the Great Pyramid of Giza. 


These signs protest the development of offshore wind turbines in coastal New Jersey.


According to a September poll on offshore wind turbine development from Stockton University, located in Gallow...
Advanced Reporting Fall 2023 •

The man who regulates drinking water

Maria Tedesco





Photo courtesy of Joseph Cotruvo


Joseph Cotruvo has worked on clean drinking water accessibility at both the federal and city level.


He helped set the standards for clean drinking water in the U.S. 


Before working as an environmental scientist, Joseph Cotruvo was a chemist.


Now, since the 1970s, he has worked on clean drinking water access. Cotruvo sits on the board of the World Health Organization Drinking water Guidelines Committee. Cotruvo worked on project...
Advanced Reporting Fall 2023 •

Green infrastructure projects in Anacostia are not community focused, according to residents

Maria Tedesco





Green Infrastructure project located at Mount Olive Cemetery.


Residents of Wards 7 and 8 are concerned about lack of community involvement in green infrastructure projects sponsored by the D.C. government.


Green infrastructure projects throughout the district are sponsored by the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment through a grant. These green infrastructure projects are in collaboration with the Anacostia Parks and Community Collaborative and Clean Water Action...
The Wash •

Chester pastor works to get 'souls to the polls'

Thaddeus Kirkland is is mayor of Chester, Pennsylvania and was a state representative for 24 years.CHESTER, Pa. — Families trickled into the stain-glass tinted halls of a Black church here on a gloomy Sunday morning to sing, dance, pray and learn as usual.
But the 2022 midterm elections, happening 48 hours later, also were a part of the service, highlighted by a visit from a Black candidate, the only Democratic candidate to visit the Community Baptist Church during this 2022 election cycle, said...

AU Library honors prints by famous Japanese artist of The Great Wave - The Eagle

The Great Wave off Kanagawa, a famous print by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, can often be found printed on graphic t-shirts and posters. This style of art, known as woodblock or ukiyo-e prints, is now featured in the American University Library archives, along with prints by Hokusai himself. 
On the second floor of the Spring Valley Building students, faculty and staff can now flip through bound books and feel these historical prints that date back as early as the 17th century. Leslie...

Pitches be Trippin’ celebrates 10-year anniversary - The Eagle

Pitches Be Trippin’ celebrated its 10-year anniversary with a concert in the Kay Spiritual Life Center on Saturday that included new arrangements and blasts from the past. The group performed a mix of well-known pop songs and emotional bangers that generated standing ovations. 
Pitches be Trippin’ was founded in 2013 by American University students to establish a community for upper-voice singers of all music styles.


“I’m so thrilled that we have...

Music Library creates community for music students - The Eagle

From the Newsstands: This story appeared in The Eagle's April 2023 print edition. You can find the digital version here. 
Easy to miss, but vital to the success of the music program at American University, the Music Library is tucked behind the main staircase in Katzen. Unknown to most students at AU, according to faculty and student library workers, the Music Library brings music to the AU community in preparation for auditions and personal use....

The Market changes hours from 24/7 to three days a week - The Eagle

Starting this semester, The Market food pantry limited their hours in an effort to stay fully stocked for longer, according to Market staff. 
Located in Mary Graydon Center room 308, The Market food pantry serves about 500 students. Relying on donations only, The Market offers canned goods, produce, frozen vegetables and snacks to anyone who applies for swipe access. Under new management this semester, The Market has transitioned from a 24/7 food pantry to open just three days a week for limited...

Sierra Club President Ramòn Cruz pledges for a more Inclusive organization - The Eagle

Ramòn Cruz, president of the Sierra Club, aims to expand social justice initiatives in the environmental organization, according to a talk he gave in honor of Nancy Weiser Ignatius in the School of International Service on April 4. 
The Sierra Club was not always inclusive to marginalized groups in the past, according to Cruz. Founded for wilderness exploration by John Muir in 1957, the club used to be invitation only. Cruz reckoned with the organization’s racist and exclusive past, which includ...

AU’s Creative Writing Club builds community through creativity - The Eagle

It was a dark and stormy afternoon.
There are endless possibilities of ways to rewrite that phrase, according to Stella Thé, the president of the Creative Writing Club and a junior in the School of Public Affairs. In the Creating Writing Club, students gather to write from different prompts to channel their creativity in a stress-free environment.


With a different theme for each meeting, the club curates prompts for members to approach writing fr...

Collaboration is Key: AU Second District Records is creating the soundtrack to the school - The Eagle

From the Newsstands: This story appeared in The Eagle's November 2022 print edition. You can find the digital version here. 
Secluded from American University’s main campus in the basement of the Kreeger Building is the production room where singer-songwriters and producers part of AU’s student-run record label, Second District Records (SDR), spend their Friday afternoons.


Livvy Billington, a sophomore in the School of Communication, signed with...

AU Body Neutrality Coalition hosts event to educate students about intuitive eating - The Eagle

Students and a registered dietitian, Alex Raymond, who specializes in eating disorder treatment, discussed challenges with navigating body negativity and “toxic diet culture” during the upcoming holiday season on Nov. 15 in Mary Graydon Center. 
Isabella Brooke, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences and the president of AU Body Neutrality Coalition, said that during the holiday season it can be especially tough for students to have conversations about food. Brooke said that students’ bodi...

Performing arts club AU Players makes a comeback - The Eagle

AU Players is returning to the stage this semester with events that focus on increasing student creativity and community bonding. The club had previously become inactive during the pandemic because they had difficulties organizing virtual events. 
Jason Zuckerman, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, founded the new club to give students more opportunities to perform, direct, choreograph, design costumes and stage manage shows. Zuckerman, also the club’s president, aims to hold two e...

DC Fashion Week presents designs from around the world and the local D.C. community - The Eagle

DC Fashion Week came to a close with a runway show on Sunday that featured designs from around the world and the local D.C. community. 
The 37th season of the “culmination of DC fashion week” included the Spring/Summer 2023 collections from BeTheOne, Shop the Runway, Troy Anthony, Obioma Fashion, Jah Kente International Fashions, Eryn Boggs, House of Sky, Fruwah Chapman and Corjor International. Audience members' heads bopped as We The Fix, a local D.C. band, blasted hits from artists such as Br...

A trek through Czech: The Czech embassy hosts Mountaineering Day - The Eagle

The Czech embassy hosted an event called Mountaineering Day complete with food, sports and animal demonstrations to celebrate European mountaineering culture on Saturday from 10 a.m-2 p.m. 
Almost 2,000 attendees visited the embassy throughout the day for the event. Front and center, visitors waited in line for a vertical climbing wall to try mountaineering. In the background, the Czech band Orchester Praževica played a Slavic-jazz tune. 


Mountai...
Load More