James Michalowski

I was the only editor in the newsroom on a quiet Christmas Day, when National Weather Service announcements warned of potential funnel clouds passing through the state. Working with a skeleton Christmas Day staff, I warned all on-duty staffers of the approaching storm, contracted with a local pilot who flew staff photographer Justin Yurkanin over the destruction over two counties. Jessica Webb Sibley was first on-scene of a tornado's direct hit at a local apartment complex at Daytona Beach.