KERA and Grist are pleased to announce the hire of reporter Celeste Guajardo to cover the impacts of climate change in North and West Texas, from worsening extreme weather to shifting energy systems and economies.
“I am thrilled to be working in my home state again,” Guajardo said. “Given my career first began in North Texas, it’s fitting for me to now cover critical climate stories in this region.”
Guajardo previously worked as an environment reporter for WUNC News in North Carolina. She also had stints at CBS News Radio in New York and Morning Edition in Washington, D.C. Her first internship in college was at KERA.
“Climate change is impacting the health of Texans, water resources for cities and towns, farms and ranches, and many, many businesses and industries,” said KERA Executive Editor Ed Timms. “The collaboration between Grist and KERA will enable Celeste to report on issues that are critical to people who live and work in the Lone Star State.”
The hire marks the continued expansion of Grist’s Local News Initiative, which aims to bolster coverage of climate change in communities across the United States through partnerships with local newsrooms. Grist has reporters embedded with WABE in Georgia, Interlochen Public Radio in Michigan, WBEZ in Illinois, Blue Ridge Public Radio in North Carolina, Verite News in Louisiana, The Salt Lake Tribune in Utah, Flatwater Free Press in Nebraska, and Mountain Journal/Montana Free Press in Montana. The organization is currently hiring reporters with CalMatters in California and Spotlight PA in Pennsylvania.
Guajardo starts in October. She will be an employee of KERA and based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The two organizations will split the costs of her salary as part of their new collaboration. She will report local stories for KERA, which will be shared for free with a statewide and regional network of syndication partners. Grist will also adapt Guajardo’s stories and bring them to its nationwide audience and publishing partners.
“North and West Texas are undergoing massive changes due to a warming planet,” said Grist Editor-in-Chief Katherine Bagley. “Heat waves are getting more intense, growing seasons are shifting, and water resources are becoming scarce. Its grid is threatened by worsening extreme weather. But the fossil fuel-rich state is also home to a booming renewable energy and technology industry, leading the country in wind power production and solar manufacturing. This part of Texas provides a fascinating — often contradictory — look at how climate change is impacting America. We’re thrilled to be partnering with KERA and Celeste to report these stories.”
