Shayne Jones

Bay Area freelancer who wrangles words and doggedly digs for details to tell trustworthy feature narratives about the unusual, the cultural or the trending in my sprawling community. I'm also an award-winning local news reporter with a track record covering public safety & government and an interest in writing about statewide & national climate or wildlife conservation news. 

SFGATE •

The $15 garden spa nestled behind a Northern Calif. gas station

Finnish Country Sauna and Tubs is an ode to Scandinavian style. A verdant courtyard conceals a private sauna or tub where you may don your swimsuit — or not, choosing instead to wear one of the birthday variety — and dip into a bubbling wooden hot tub shaded by conifers and birches.

If you haven’t been to downtown Arcata, think of an artsy college town with a sleepy ambiance. The gridded residential outskirts are adorned with industrial street corners and grubby gas stations, while urban develo
The Ark •

Police press release raises questions about use of race in limited descriptions of crime suspects

In late June, a Tiburon teen got into his car to drive home after reportedly having an argument with a man just outside of town. As he drove along Tiburon Boulevard, he noticed a car weaving in and out of traffic behind him, sometimes reaching speeds upward of 100 mph. The gray Infinity sedan was chasing him. After forcing the 16-year-old to the shoulder, the driver--the same man the boy saw earlier--walked up to his window and reportedly pointed a semi-automatic handgun at him, demanding his personal belongings.
SFGATE •

Saratoga Creek restoration project removes more than trees: Some residents lose their backyards

“I’ve lived here for more than 50 years, and this creek was dry longer than I’d ever seen it. It was dry for seven months. No water at all.”

Retired Navy pilot Phil Livengood stood in the backyard of his home in Saratoga, Calif., on Feb. 1 and gestured to Saratoga Creek, a tributary that originates from the Santa Cruz Mountains and once surged with mountain runoff, but now collects dust and slabs of concrete in its parched gully.
The Boulder Daily Camera •

Guest opinion: Shayne Jones: Finding middle ground on wolves

Hear the word “wolf,” and the mind’s eye is prone to conjure up images of a snarling beast with teeth like daggers, dripping with deadly intent.

And with a believed jaw strength of up to 1,200 pounds per square inch, it’s not an entirely unfounded image. However, decades of slanted rhetoric and the legacy of the “big bad wolf” to boot have all but sealed the fate of wolf populations in most U.S. states. Colorado has not seen a self-sustaining population of gray wolves since the 1940s.
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“Journalism school may teach reporters to spell it "lede" but you can't coach hustle. Shayne has a dogged determination that's evident in her freelancing from finding interesting ideas to pitching good angles. She turns in crisp copy and is reliable for a deadline.”

Silas Valentino, Editor at SFGate