Cori Yonge
ReporterCori Yonge returned to journalism after spending many years in the corporate world. She holds a master’s degree in Journalism and Media Studies from The University of Alabama and is excited to be working with the APR news team. Cori has an interest in health, environment, and science reporting and is the winner of both an Associated Press and Sigma Delta Chi award for healthcare related stories. The mother of two daughters, Cori spent twelve years as a Girl Scout leader. Though her daughters are grown, she still enjoys camping with friends and family – especially if that time allows her to do some gourmet outdoor cooking. Cori and her husband Lynn live in Fairhope.
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The clash over freedom to read is playing out on the Gulf coast with both sides thinking they’re right. Members of the Fairhope Library Board agreed to stand their ground over books deemed too adult for younger readers. The city’s public library lost its state funding last month when the Alabama Public Library Service board voted to deny funding over books it says don’t belong in the library’s teen section. It was the agency’s first such denial over book placement. -
The Baldwin County Commission voted Tuesday to terminate the current agreement with area libraries tying courier service to state funds. The libraries have signed new contracts without the funding requirement. The move comes after Fairhope and its residents lost access to the courier when the Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) denied state funding to the Fairhope library last month. The two sides disagreed over 10 young adult books the state board says meets its definition of sexually explicit. -
Rosa Parks is often called the mother of the modern day civil rights movement. Her refusal to stand up on a city bus so a white man could sit down sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Tomorrow marks the 70th anniversary of the movement that ended segregation on public buses in Alabama's capitol city. APR takes a deeper look at Parks life and the act of defiance that came at great personal cost to the civil rights icon. -
For the almost two million Alabamians grocery store shelves loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables are often out of reach. That’s because they live in what are called food deserts. Those are rural and urban settings where poverty is higher, education is lower, and supermarkets are often non-existent. That leaves so called “dollar stores” as the only grocery option for a growing number of Alabamians facing food insecurity. Last week, we reported on what changes to food stamps might mean for Alabama’s hungriest residents. Today she teams up with a local chef to better understand the challenges of Alabamians living in food deserts. -
The cost of groceries is up this summer. The news comes as Gulf Coast food banks say they’re feeding a record number of hungry families. Many of those individuals also get by with the help of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. Formerly called food stamps. As you may have heard, Congress recently voted to shift a greater burden of SNAP funding to the states. In the first of a two part report on food insecurity and food access, here’s takes a look at what those changes to SNAP might mean for Alabama’s hungriest residents. -
Rescue and recovery efforts continue following deadly flash flooding along the Guadalupe River in Texas. A Mountain Brook girl is confirmed among the fatalities. Now, two reports indicate that a Mobile couple may missing. The Facebook page of the Corpus Christi Chronica and Mobile’s Lagniappe Newspaper reports that Eddie Santana-Negron and his wife Ileana Santana had traveled to Texas to spend the holiday with their eldest son. -
Divers are getting excited about the planned sinking of the SS United States. The once glorious luxury ocean liner is slated to become an artificial reef.
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The retired luxury liner the SS United States may be the rustiest ship in the Port of Mobile. But she’s also having a moment as the belle of the ball – generating lots of attention from both locals and visitors. The iconic ship is in port so crews can ready it for its final resting place off the Florida panhandle where the United States will be sunk as an artificial reef. APR joined a Mobile River cruise to find out why so many are suddenly drawn to the United States’ last hoorah. -
We’ve all heard of dogs sniffing for bombs or drugs. But what about sniffing for bacteria? APR headed to south Alabama where an environmental group is training man’s best friend to find untreated wastewater in local rivers and streams. -
If a doctor has ever told you to change your diet, chances are they handed you a piece of paper with a list of foods. And most likely none of it looked appealing. But doctors in coastal Alabama are on the forefront of a delicious health trend hoping to change that.
