Noelle E. C. Evans

Reporter/Producer

Noelle E. C. Evans is a general assignment reporter/producer for WXXI News with a background in documentary filmmaking and education.

Noelle previously worked in Quito, Ecuador, for a Latin American media organization. She has a nuanced understanding of the need for freedom of the press, and is conversational in Spanish.

Noelle is a BBC Grace Wyndham Goldie scholar (2016) and has worked with BBC Radio Wales and the BBC World Service. She received her M.A. in International Journalism from Cardiff University in Wales – one of the top ten ranking journalism schools in the U.K. Noelle was awarded the university’s USA Excellence Scholarship in 2016.

She began as an intern at WXXI in 2014.

Ways to Connect

NY state forest ranger returns after battling Bootleg wildfire

By Noelle E. C. Evans • Jul 29, 2021

New York state forest rangers have joined a countrywide effort to aid efforts to extinguish wildfires out West.

Forest ranger Timothy Carpenter from Steuben County returned home on Monday after two weeks of battling the Bootleg fire in Oregon. A second forest ranger was deployed this week to the Alder Creek Fire in Montana.

NY state forest rangers battle western wildfires

By Noelle E. C. Evans • Jul 27, 2021

Two New York state forest rangers have been deployed to assist efforts to fight wildfires out West.

Forest ranger Timothy Carpenter, from Steuben County, returned home on Monday after two weeks of battling the Bootleg fire in Oregon.

"Our team of wildland firefighting experts are some of the best in the country,” said New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos. “I commend them for their bravery and willingness to support ongoing efforts to contain these devastating wildfires.”

Canada to reopen border Aug. 9; cannabis is not invited

By Noelle E. C. Evans • Jul 26, 2021

Canada is opening their border to vaccinated U.S. travelers on August 9, but while cannabis is now legal in New York state and Canada, it’s still illegal to take it between the two locations.

Since Canada legalized cannabis in 2018, Mike Niezgoda with U.S. Customs and Border Protection said there have been a number of smuggling cases.

“We had an incursion that came via helicopter that landed in Grand Island, just north of Buffalo,” he said.

RCSD school renamed after pioneering Black educator Alice Holloway Young

By Noelle E. C. Evans • Jul 22, 2021

The Rochester Board of Education voted Thursday to rename Nathaniel Rochester Middle School No. 3 to the Dr. Alice Holloway Young School of Excellence.

The move comes after a petition to change the school’s name since Rochester, who founded the city in the 1800s, enslaved Black people.

After Albany officials pass eviction protections, local activists say Rochester should be next

By Noelle E. C. Evans • Jul 21, 2021

City Council members in Albany this week passed certain eviction protections for residents, and local activists are renewing their calls for Rochester City Council to pass a similar law here.

Albany’s good cause eviction protections give tenants the right to renew their lease and dispute rent increases. They also prevent landlords from evicting tenants without cause.

New state public health law means changes for summer camps

By Noelle E. C. Evans • Jul 20, 2021

A new state law makes it easier for children’s camps to hire certain healthcare providers including mental health therapists, social workers, and other specialized healthcare providers.

It also permits speech therapists, occupational therapists and others to be staffed at camps for children with developmental disabilities.

It affects overnight, day, and traveling camps for children.

Merging to survive: More nonprofits turning to United Way for help

By Noelle E. C. Evans • Jul 15, 2021

Listen

Listening...

2:23

More community organizations are coming together lately. WXXI’s Noelle Evans explains some of the forces behind the trend and why it matters to communities.

More and more community organizations are coming together lately.

In recent weeks, Catholic Charities and Catholic Family Center announced a merger. Then Willow and RESOLVE announced their own.

It’s been happening more and more, and in most cases, the funding behind it comes from the United Way of Greater Rochester.

Rochester kicks off new composting pilot program

By Noelle E. C. Evans • Jul 5, 2021

The city of Rochester is rolling out a new composting pilot program this summer, called Roc City Compost, aimed at helping city residents divert their food waste from landfills.

“Roc City Compost will help reduce the amount of waste in our landfill and slow the emission of greenhouse gasses,” said Mayor Lovely Warren in a statement.

Warren announced the Roc City Compost pilot on July 1.

Starting July 14, compost drop-off sites will be open at Cobbs Hill Park and Genesee Valley Park on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Catholic Charities and Catholic Family Center announce merger

By Noelle E. C. Evans • Jun 30, 2021

Two charity organizations are merging into one next year.

Catholic Family Center and Catholic Charities Community Services in Rochester will join forces next January with the help of funding from the United Way of Greater Rochester.

“There’re so many ways our work, we’re seeing already, has been complimenting each other and I believe has been benefiting the communities in which we live and work,” said Lori VanAuken, executive director of Catholic Charities.

Rochester’s Food Truck Rodeo is back

By Noelle E. C. Evans • Jun 29, 2021

provided by Kelly McBride | Rochester Public Market

The Food Truck Rodeo is back at the Public Market.

The event, held on the last Wednesday of the month through September, runs from 5 to 9 p.m., but even with this event and others returning, navigating the pandemic has been quite the journey for some local food trucks.

Nicole Nitti, who owns KONA Ice of Genesee Valley, said she scaled back during the pandemic, turning to online orders instead of relying on events.

Noelle E. C. Evans

Ways to Connect

Pages