Kelly Thornton
Investigative Newsource ReporterKelly Thornton is an investigative reporter with Investigative Newsource, a nonprofit journalistic enterprise embedded within the KPBS newsroom. Together they produce investigations and data analysis. Prior to joining the Institute in the fall of 2010, Thornton spent almost two decades at The San Diego Union-Tribune, where she covered everything from city government, military and law enforcement to transportation, politics and business. Ultimately she specialized in criminal justice and legal affairs, winning numerous awards for breaking some of the region’s biggest stories, including the exclusive details of the lives of San Diego-based Sept. 11 terrorists and their associates, the Heaven’s Gate mass suicide, the San Diego killer of fashion designer Gianni Versace, the firing of U.S. Attorney Carol Lam, and many others. In one investigation, Thornton exposed how the city’s most influential and well-connected lobbyists were skirting laws requiring them to publicly disclose their activities. The story prompted a crackdown on lobbyists. In another, she reported the plight of four Iranian brothers, who at the time were the nation’s longest-held post-Sept. 11 detainees. They remained in custody without charges for more than three years, and were eventually released. Thornton is a San Diego native. She is a graduate of Westmont College in Santa Barbara and lives with her husband, son, and Chesapeake Bay Retriever “Dude” in Ocean Beach. She is a 25-time marathoner and a singer in a band.
-
The Harlem Hellfighters, who became legends for their service during World War I, were honored this week with a Congressional Gold Medal. -
A report that health secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has promised will come out this month will look at the causes of autism. Many worry it will have claims unsupported by science. -
As federal health agencies change their approach to vaccine policy leaving access for COVID shots uncertain, some states are taking things into their own hands. -
In India's bustling megacities, honking is a common form of communication among drivers. But in this case, one person's language is another person's noise pollution. -
In the past, the federal government has taken stakes in American companies during wars or economic crises. But now the government's motivation has more to do with the race for AI chips and technology. -
President Trump threatened the city with the deportation of undocumented immigrants, posting a reference to the film Apocalypse Now with the quote: "I love the smell of deportations in the morning."
