From music festivals and wild animals to political rallies and local events, WCPO photojournalist Emily Maxwell shares some of her favorite photographs and projects from 2016.
1. Wolf sanctuary
Kathy Baudenistel, founder of the Wolf Creek Habitat & Sanctuary in Brookville, Indiana, has rescued dozens of wolves and wolfdogs over the 19 years she's run the nonprofit, which she built in her backyard. Over the years these animals, while kept as wild as possible, have become part of her family. See the full story here: http://bit.ly/2frLHU5.
2. Tiny living in Greater Cincinnati
Ashley Hunt and Dan Jensen, along with their 2-year-old Alaskan malamute Nihla, converted a school bus into a tiny home that they plan to travel in across the country. They're part of a recent wave of tiny home living in Greater Cincinnati. Check out their story and more about tiny living here: http://bit.ly/25pBCMt.
3. A day in the life of Ethan
Reporter Lucy May and I spent a day in the life of Ethan Kadish -- the Loveland teen who was struck by lightning while attending a summer camp in 2013. We have been covering his recovery since his initial injury and were able to spend a full day with Ethan from the time he woke up until he went to bed that evening. It was eye-opening to see how much his family's life has changed and how they've adapted to their new daily routine. For the full story visit http://bit.ly/292kT7a.
4. Bunbury Music Festival
The Bunbury Music Festival at Sawyer Point and Yeatman's Cove draws thousands of music fans and artists from across the country. This is a photo of solo artist Connor Youngblood as he performed on Saturday, June 4, 2016.
5. Cincinnati Zoo's baby cheetahs
The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden's nursery staff spent months caring for three cheetah cubs born on March 8 of this year. The cubs were abandoned by their mother at birth so the staff took shifts in giving them around the clock care. They were featured in our Zoo Babies gallery here: http://bit.ly/1QVxsOL.
6. A looming problem along the Ohio River
This is an aerial shot of the W.C. Beckjord Station, a closed Duke Energy power plant located 20 miles east of Cincinnati. The plant contains more than 10 billion pounds of toxins that are packed into ponds along the banks of the Ohio River. We've spent months looking into how this could potentially affect the 5 million people who rely on the river for drinking water. Read more about coal ash here: http://bit.ly/2fRXYkW.
7. OTR women's support group
Angela Merritt is the founder of the Women of OTR Support Group, which meets every Thursday at the Over-the-Rhine Community Housing space. The group offers a sanctuary for single mothers in the neighborhood where participants can swap stories, offer advice and learn from guest speakers. Learn more about the group here: http://bit.ly/2fFTTgW.
8. The Hillary Coffee Ladies on election night
A group of women in the Tri-State who volunteered for Hillary Clinton's first presidential campaign have been meeting for coffee each week for the past eight years. They came to together again for her second run, spending the last hours of Election Day helping the campaign with last-minute phone calls and canvassing. This is a photo of them as they watched the Election Night results come in. See more about the Hillary ladies here: http://bit.ly/2ggi5X3.
9. Uber puppies in the newsroom
UberPUPPIES delivered a batch of pups to WCPO's newsroom in February for a one-day-only puppy delivery service that was part of a partnership with the League of Animal Welfare and Uber. It was the perk the station needed that day.
