When tragedy strikes, we all take a deep breath and do what we can. For some, this means organizing large-scale relief efforts. Others get their hands dirty by trying to rebuild what once was.
For us at the Reporter, this means helping the community through telling the story and hoping that someone will listen long enough to take action.
This was the case with Sgt. Leonid Milkin.
I first met Leonid last January, just days before the man who murdered Leonid’s wife, two sons and sister-in-law went to trial.
While other news outlets reported how the jury was chosen for the trial, I wondered how Leonid and his family felt going to trial four years following the murders. I also wanted to take the Kirkland community back to the killings to remind them what the trial was about.
As we sat inside a Starbucks, I listened to the National Guard sergeant recall the morning he learned his family was stabbed to death and his home burned down to hide the crime in July 2006. I was torn between my emotions as a mother and objectivity as a reporter.
Two days after my story printed, I received a phone call. Some wonderful volunteers had stepped up to mobilize the community to rebuild Leonid’s home. This was the beginning of an amazing 16-month journey, led by Kirkland resident Michele Yousef.
Michele not only gave her time, but she rallied more than 80 businesses to donate materials and labor to rebuild Leonid’s home. To applaud Michele for her efforts simply would not be enough recognition for what she has done.
During the long-awaited homecoming on Saturday, staff writer Matt Phelps and I had the opportunity to see the project come to fruition. We waited with other volunteers to see the look on Leonid’s face when he came home. Volunteer Sharon Ilstrup peeked through the window blinds as she anticipated his return.
When Leonid walked in his front door, it was difficult for anyone standing in his living room to hold back tears. It was truly a cathartic moment for Leonid and the community too.
We have covered the murder trial from start to finish, while also reporting on the home rebuilding efforts. Reporter staff recently won several Society of Professional Journalist awards, including for our coverage of the murder trial and rebuilding of Leonid’s home. That coverage has meant the most to us and reminds us that such honors are not about winning trophies.
The recognition was about how the Reporter worked with the community during this amazing rebuild effort.
As volunteers carried bricks, hammered nails and poured foundations, we helped rebuild the home too – headline by headline, page by page through our coverage.
This is what we do as a community newspaper and what community means to us. To see this project through was our true reward and we are thankful to have been a part of it.
