Cindy Schultz Photography

The new year started with an assignment to cover Gov. Kathy Hochul's inaugural ceremony. Wearing white to honor the women's suffrage movement, Gov. Hochul becomes the first woman elected to a full term as New York's governor.

My long days covering budget negotiations for NYT at the state Capitol paid off. This image of Gov. Kathy Hochul is top of the fold in Times Union's print copy (which was rescued from a rain puddle) and in The New York Times digital version.

Awesome to team up with former TU colleague Jane Gottlieb and work on this story for The Washington Post. Four photographers in different parts of the country contributed pictures. Locals will recognize the street scenes in Saratoga Springs, NY. Jane and I also visited two Catholic churches in the area.

Masks come off in blue states. Residents wonder: Is it too soon, or long overdue? The mask era appears to be on the decline as the coronavirus pandemic lurches into a third year, another turning point on the circuitous path to normalcy.