Vanessa Romo
Vanessa Romo is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She covers breaking news on a wide range of topics, weighing in daily on everything from immigration and the treatment of migrant children, to a war-crimes trial where a witness claimed he was the actual killer, to an alleged sex cult. She has also covered the occasional cat-clinging-to-the-hood-of-a-car story.
Before her stint on the News Desk, Romo spent the early months of the Trump Administration on the Washington Desk covering stories about culture and politics – the voting habits of the post-millennial generation, the rise of Maxine Waters as a septuagenarian pop culture icon and DACA quinceañeras as Trump protests.
In 2016, she was at the core of the team that launched and produced The New York Times' first political podcast, The Run-Up with Michael Barbaro. Prior to that, Romo was a Spencer Education Fellow at Columbia University's School of Journalism where she began working on a radio documentary about a pilot program in Los Angeles teaching black and Latino students to code switch.
Romo has also traveled extensively through the Member station world in California and Washington. As the education reporter at Southern California Public Radio, she covered the region's K-12 school districts and higher education institutions and won the Education Writers Association first place award as well as a Regional Edward R. Murrow for Hard News Reporting.
Before that, she covered business and labor for Member station KNKX, keeping an eye on global companies including Amazon, Boeing, Starbucks and Microsoft.
A Los Angeles native, she is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University, where she received a degree in history. She also earned a master's degree in Journalism from NYU. She loves all things camaron-based.
-
A huge sinkhole that seemed stable for 15 years suddenly began expanding about a week ago, growing by several acres and leaving nearby residents terrified that it will take them and their homes. -
Hardcore Starbucks fans eagerly await the day the coffee company gives out limited-edition holiday cups. The union organizing Starbucks workers hope those same customers will help support their cause. -
The latest spike is months early and it's pushing care facilities to capacity. Children under the age of 5 are most vulnerable. -
Brandy Bottone got the first traffic violation dismissed, arguing that under Texas' abortion law, her fetus counted as a person. She's hoping to make the same argument again. -
Following the Supreme Court's decision, Carlie Brown and Molly Pela rescheduled their wedding for nine months earlier. They fear that without federal protections, their family remains vulnerable. -
Officials are calling the 22-year-old a person of interest. Police Chief Lou Jogmen says the man gave himself up after a brief pursuit in his car. -
Officials have linked a set of keys to an abandoned U-Haul van found blocks from the Brooklyn shooting. Investigators say the van was rented by Frank R. James in Philadelphia. -
Building on SB 8 in Texas, some Republican lawmakers are trying a new strategy: pushing bills that would attempt to limit what residents can and can't do even beyond state lines. -
Some retailers are starting to get the first wave of the 400 million free masks being distributed by the federal government. Every person is allowed to receive up to three masks. -
The former Minnesota police officer mistakenly drew her firearm instead of her Taser when she fatally shot the 20-year-old Black man during a traffic stop in April.
