Nick Christensen (journalist)
Encyclopedia
Nick Christensen is an American
journalist who writes articles for Metro
in the Portland metropolitan area
of Oregon
.
in Las Vegas, Nevada
, and graduated in 2004 from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
(UNLV) with a degree in political science
. At UNLV, he was the opinion editor for the Rebel Yell student newspaper, also covering sports and news. In 2003, Christensen joined the Las Vegas Sun
to cover the Las Vegas 51s
. He also worked as a freelance columnist for Las Vegas Weekly
.
At the Sun, Christensen also covered NIAA prep sports, focusing on the financial and personal impacts of playing sports across the vast distances of Nevada
. On the 51s beat, Christensen was the first to report on positive steroids tests by Las Vegas 51s players and on several personnel transactions within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, including the 2004 trade of Tanyon Sturtze
to the New York Yankees
.
When the Sun dramatically changed its joint operating agreement with the Las Vegas Review-Journal
, Christensen briefly moved to the news side, reporting on a controversial plan to pave a rough road to the Grand Canyon Skywalk
on the Hualapai Indian Reservation. He then was named managing editor of the Summerlin News
and West Valley News a week after those newspapers launched in 2005, leading them on a period of growth that resulted in national recognition. He also wrote the 2007 Editorial of the Year in Nevada, criticizing the state's half-hearted effort at enforcing a poorly written smoking ban.
In 2007, Christensen moved to Portland, Oregon
, and started working for The Hillsboro Argus
, a newspaper in the county seat of Washington County
, the fifth most-populous county in the Pacific Northwest
. At the Argus, Christensen focused on rural development issues, including proposals to put compressed natural gas pipelines
under farms and vineyards near Forest Grove
, allegations that those pipelines would be used to export American natural gas
using proposed LNG terminals near Astoria, Oregon
, and a controversial land use program called urban and rural reserves, proposed by Metro, Portland's regional government. He covered the December 2007 Pacific Northwest storms in Vernonia, Oregon
, winning multiple awards for his stories and photos. In 2009, Christensen was named the best non-daily sports columnist in Oregon by the state's Society for Professional Journalists chapter, and his coverage of the LNG issues was recognized by the state's press association.
Christensen left the Argus in 2010 and started working for the regional government Metro
, writing articles for the organization's website.
educators, grew up in Spring Valley, Nevada
.
In 2009, Christensen was a leader in the fight against a proposal to build a Pacific Coast League
stadium for the Portland Beavers
in the Lents
neighborhood of southeast Portland. He wrote a study which found that Triple-A baseball stadiums outside of downtown areas have had limited urban renewal impact on the areas around them.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist who writes articles for Metro
Metro (Oregon regional government)
Metro, formerly known as Metropolitan Service District, is the regional governmental agency for the Oregon portion of the Portland metropolitan area...
in the Portland metropolitan area
Portland metropolitan area
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area , also known as the Portland metropolitan area or Greater Portland, is an urban area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered around the city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S...
of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
.
Career
Christensen studied at the Las Vegas AcademyLas Vegas Academy
The Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts is a magnet high school located in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada. Students are accepted through an audition process and claim a "major" pertaining to performing arts, visual arts, or foreign languages.- Las Vegas High School...
in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, and graduated in 2004 from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada-Las Vegas is a public, coeducational university located in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA. The campus is located approximately east of the Las Vegas Strip. The institution includes a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of the University Medical Center of...
(UNLV) with a degree in political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
. At UNLV, he was the opinion editor for the Rebel Yell student newspaper, also covering sports and news. In 2003, Christensen joined the Las Vegas Sun
Las Vegas Sun
The Las Vegas Sun is a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper. It is one of Las Vegas, Nevada's two daily newspapers. It is owned by the Greenspun family and is affiliated with Greenspun Media Group....
to cover the Las Vegas 51s
Las Vegas 51s
The Las Vegas 51s, formerly known as the Las Vegas Stars, are a minor league baseball team. They are the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. They play at Cashman Field in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team competes in the Pacific Coast League...
. He also worked as a freelance columnist for Las Vegas Weekly
Las Vegas Weekly
Las Vegas Weekly is a free alternative weekly newspaper based in Henderson, Nevada, covering Las Vegas arts, entertainment, culture and news. Las Vegas Weekly is published by Greenspun Media Group. The paper was founded in 1992 by James Reza as a free monthly publication called Scope covering...
.
At the Sun, Christensen also covered NIAA prep sports, focusing on the financial and personal impacts of playing sports across the vast distances of Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. On the 51s beat, Christensen was the first to report on positive steroids tests by Las Vegas 51s players and on several personnel transactions within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, including the 2004 trade of Tanyon Sturtze
Tanyon Sturtze
Tanyon James Sturtze is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.He attended Saint Peter-Marian High School then Quinsigamond Community College and was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 1990 Major League Baseball Draft. In , he was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the minor league portion of...
to the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
.
When the Sun dramatically changed its joint operating agreement with the Las Vegas Review-Journal
Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Las Vegas Review-Journal is published in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is the largest circulating daily newspaper in Nevada, and one of two daily newspapers in Las Vegas . It is the flagship publication of Stephens Media LLC...
, Christensen briefly moved to the news side, reporting on a controversial plan to pave a rough road to the Grand Canyon Skywalk
Grand Canyon Skywalk
The Grand Canyon Skywalk is a transparent horseshoe-shaped cantilever bridge and tourist attraction in Arizona near the Colorado River on the edge of a side canyon in the Grand Canyon West area of the main canyon...
on the Hualapai Indian Reservation. He then was named managing editor of the Summerlin News
Summerlin News
The Summerlin Home News was a weekly newspaper, distributed on Fridays, that covered the areas of Summerlin, Desert Shores and Queensridge in the western sections of the Las Vegas metropolitan area. It consisted of two editions, each with a circulation of about 30,000.-History:It was founded in...
and West Valley News a week after those newspapers launched in 2005, leading them on a period of growth that resulted in national recognition. He also wrote the 2007 Editorial of the Year in Nevada, criticizing the state's half-hearted effort at enforcing a poorly written smoking ban.
In 2007, Christensen moved to Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, and started working for The Hillsboro Argus
The Hillsboro Argus
The Hillsboro Argus is the twice weekly newspaper for the city of Hillsboro, Oregon. Published on Tuesdays and Fridays, the Argus has a circulation of 9,532 copies distributed in Washington County, Oregon, United States...
, a newspaper in the county seat of Washington County
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
, the fifth most-populous county in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. At the Argus, Christensen focused on rural development issues, including proposals to put compressed natural gas pipelines
Pipeline transport
Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
under farms and vineyards near Forest Grove
Forest Grove, Oregon
Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, west of Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a bedroom suburb of Portland. Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in 1850 and then incorporated in 1872 and was the first city in Washington County...
, allegations that those pipelines would be used to export American natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
using proposed LNG terminals near Astoria, Oregon
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
, and a controversial land use program called urban and rural reserves, proposed by Metro, Portland's regional government. He covered the December 2007 Pacific Northwest storms in Vernonia, Oregon
Vernonia, Oregon
Vernonia is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on the Nehalem River, in a valley on the eastern side of the Northern Oregon Coast Range. It is located the heart of the most important timber-producing areas of the state, and logging has played an important role in...
, winning multiple awards for his stories and photos. In 2009, Christensen was named the best non-daily sports columnist in Oregon by the state's Society for Professional Journalists chapter, and his coverage of the LNG issues was recognized by the state's press association.
Christensen left the Argus in 2010 and started working for the regional government Metro
Metro (Oregon regional government)
Metro, formerly known as Metropolitan Service District, is the regional governmental agency for the Oregon portion of the Portland metropolitan area...
, writing articles for the organization's website.
Personal life
Christensen, the son of Clark County School DistrictClark County School District
The Clark County School District, , is the 5th largest school district in the United States. It serves all of Clark County, Nevada, including the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Boulder City, and Mesquite; plus the census-designated places of Laughlin, Blue Diamond, Logandale,...
educators, grew up in Spring Valley, Nevada
Spring Valley, Nevada
Spring Valley is an unincorporated town in Clark County, Nevada, United States located two miles west of the Las Vegas Strip. The population was 117,390 at the 2000 census.-Background:...
.
In 2009, Christensen was a leader in the fight against a proposal to build a Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
stadium for the Portland Beavers
Portland Beavers
The Tucson Padres are a minor league baseball team, representing Tucson, Arizona, in the Pacific Coast League . They are the Triple-A affiliate for the San Diego Padres. The team was formerly known as the Portland Beavers and played its last home game at PGE Park on September 6, 2010...
in the Lents
Lents, Portland, Oregon
The Lents neighborhood in the Southeast section of Portland, Oregon is bordered by SE Powell Blvd. on the north, the Clackamas County line or City of Portland line on the south , SE 82nd Ave. to the west, and roughly SE 112th on the east. The NE corner overlaps with the Powellhurst-Gilbert...
neighborhood of southeast Portland. He wrote a study which found that Triple-A baseball stadiums outside of downtown areas have had limited urban renewal impact on the areas around them.