70° Partly Cloudy
Amy Isackson
Contributor through April 2011
Amy Isackson was the border reporter at KPBS from 2004 to 2011. She covered breaking news and feature stories on California-Mexico border issues and immigration, for local and national broadcast.
Amy got her start in public radio by pitching a series of stories about rural New Zealand - horse dentistry and sheep sheering - to Radio New Zealand's "Country Life" program. She then worked with Peabody Award-winning radio producers Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson, to help create the Sonic Memorial, a series of stories on the World Trade Center before, during and after 9/11.
Amy's work has been recognized with awards from the Associated Press Television-Radio Association of California and Nevada, the California Chicano News Media Association, and the San Diego Press Club. She won the Sol Price Prize for Responsible Journalism in 2009 from the Society of Professional Journalists for her story about high school students smuggling people and drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Prior to venturing into the wonderful world of public radio, Amy worked for Yahoo! Inc. for nearly five years as an editorial surfer, associate producer and broadcast communications manager. She majored in Latin American History at Williams College. She grew up in San Diego and made frequent trips south of the border.
Recent Stories by Amy Isackson
GAO Says Lack Of License Plate Readers Scuttles Southbound Smuggling Crackdown
- April 22, 2011
- By Amy Isackson
A recent report by a government watchdog reveals a hole in border security. The report says most southbound border lanes headed into Mexico lack license plate readers.
Mexican Authorities Find Bones And Teeth On Land Used By The "Stew Maker"
- April 8, 2011
- By Amy Isackson
Mexican authorities says they've found human remains in Tijuana, tied to a man called the "Stew Maker," who allegedly dissolved more than 300 people in acid.
Passports, Pastimes & Projects To Be Affected If Gov't. Shuts Down
- April 8, 2011
- By Amy Isackson, Andrés Barraza, Dwane Brown, Jude Joffe-Block, Nadine Arroyo Rodriguez
Federal officials have released limited information on how the southwest would be affected if the government shutdown.
Local Economy Could Take Hit from Government Shutdown
- April 7, 2011
- By Amy Isackson, Andrés Barraza and Jude Joffe-Block
San Diego's military and other federal employees could lose pay. The county has the largest number of federal employees in the the country.
Little Improvement for Mexican Drug War Reporters, Despite Increased Attention
- April 6, 2011
- By Amy Isackson
Thirty reporters have been killed in Mexico’s drug war during the last four years. This week, three media summits in San Diego address press freedom and safety south of the border. Though the crisis has received more attention lately, little has improved in Mexico.
People In Mexicali Still Recovering From Quake A Year Later
- April 4, 2011
- By Amy Isackson
A year ago, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake shook the region from Mexicali as far north as Los Angeles. Around the epicenter, in the Mexcali Valley, about 30 miles south of the border, the quake left 25,000 homeless and ruptured lives. People are slowly putting things back together.
2010 Census Bears Out Southwest's Building Blunders
- March 28, 2011
- By Amy Isackson
The 2010 Census confirms just how dismal the housing market is in much of the Southwestern United States. In Southern California, the numbers show people flocked inland. That sparked building fever. But many of these dream homes have become a nightmare, like in the City of Brawley in Imperial County, located 150 miles east of San Diego.
Mexico's First Forensic Science Masters Program In Baja California
- March 25, 2011
- By Amy Isackson
In conjunction with San Diego State University, the new program is designed to help improve justice south of the border.
Hispanic Population Growth Fuels U.S. Increase
- March 24, 2011
- By Amy Isackson
A new report by the Pew Hispanic Center says Hispanics accounted for more than half of the nation's population growth in the last decade.
Border Patrol Detains 13 Marine Impersonators
- March 22, 2011
- By Amy Isackson
The Border Patrol in San Diego detained two U.S. citizens and 13 undocumented immigrants all wearing U.S. Marine uniforms and riding in a white van with altered U.S.-government license plates.