Ronnie Cohen

stories

Tule elk and dairy cattle appear to harmoniously share the oceanfront at Point Reyes National Seashore, but ranchers complain that the wild elk rescued from the brink of extinction trample fences and drink precious water meant for their milk cows.

When my son leaves for college, I will finally be freed from the constant scrutiny of the ever-vigilant eco-warrior I raised.

Bay Area residents displayed resilience and creativity when the Golden Gate Bridge closed for a weekend so crews could install a movable traffic safety barrier.

A legal battle over a Napa winery climaxed when a vintner carrying a .22-caliber semiautomatic pistol and driving a black sports utility vehicle chased a wounded investor and killed him in sight of sheriff’s deputies.

A San Francisco judge refused to order a Catholic hospital to allow an obstetrician to use its facility to sterilize a woman just after the birth of her third child. In denying the American Civil Liberties Union’s request, the judge recognized the right of a Catholic hospital to adhere to its ethical and religious dictates.

A 13-year-old California boy carrying a replica of an assault rifle to a friend's house was shot and killed by a sheriff's deputy who said he believed the gun was real.

Swedes who talked on mobile or cordless phones for more than 25 years had triple the risk of brain cancer compared to those who used wireless phones for less than a year, a new study suggests.

Artemis Racing, the grief-stricken Swedish team vying for the America's Cup sailing trophy, lost its first race to Italy's Luna Rossa on San Francisco Bay but won the contest for hearts and minds.

A hearing to determine the fitness of One Goh to stand trial for killing seven people in 2012 in Oakland offers a rare view into the psyche of an alleged mass shooter who lived to tell his story.

A Presbyterian Church court convicted and rebuked the Rev. Janie Spahr for performing 16 same-sex weddings and simultaneously apologized.

After more than a decade of silence on death row, a California killer has begun to speak out about a string of murders -- by his count, six dozen -- he committed with his childhood friend and partner in crime.

Two dozen pro-nudity activists wearing little but their righteous indignation assembled on the steps of San Francisco City Hall to protest a proposed municipal ban on public nakedness.

After a 76-year-old artist told a California jury that accused serial killer Joseph Naso drugged and raped her half a century ago, Naso, who is representing himself in the quadruple murder trial, cross-examined her.

Single lesbians report having orgasms more often than heterosexual women, but both gay and straight men still come out on top of the climax chart, a new report says.

Once the initial tremor passed and they could pull themselves out of bed again, many of Bernie Madoff’s victims found silver linings in the clouds he cast over Marin County, California.

ELK BEDEVIL RANCHERS

JUDGE SIDES WITH CATHOLIC HOSPITAL IN FIGHT OVER CONTRACEPTIVE CARE

A VINEYARD DISPUTE, $800,000 IN CASH AND TWO DEAD

BRIDGE BARRIER BRINGS RELIEF

POLICE KILLED TEEN WITH TOY GUN

ARE WIRELESS PHONES LINKED WITH BRAIN CANCER?

CHURCH COURT FINDS MINISTER GUILTY FOR PERFORMING GAY MARRIAGES

PSYCHIATRIST DEEMS OAKLAND SCHOOL SHOOTER UNFIT FOR TRIAL

SWEDEN LOSES TO ITALY IN AMERICA’S CUP DEBUT

KILLER BREAKS SILENCE ON LOCATION OF BODIES

SAN FRANCISCO NUDISTS RALLY FOR RIGHT TO BARE IT ALL

ALLEGED SERIAL KILLER CROSS-EXAMINES 1961 RAPE ACCUSER

AFTER MEN, LESBIANS REPORT THE MOST ORGASMS

MARIN VICTIMS SEE MADOFF AS THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

BIDDING MY COLLEGE-BOUND SON GOOD RIDDANCE

about

I am a prize-winning freelance writer in Northern California and have regularly contributed to the New York Times and Reuters Health. I was a contract stringer for Reuters News and spent a decade working as a staff reporter for the Press Democrat, a daily newspaper in Santa Rosa, California. I’ve also written for The Guardian, Mother Jones, Pacific Standard, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Sacramento Bee, Ladies’ Home Journal and numerous other media outlets.

I have a strong news instinct and a knack for spotting trends and stories with unique angles. In 2001, I reported on the dangers of dispensing soda in school vending machines. I wrote about the gifts that Bernie Madoff left his victims whose life savings he stole. I reported that hormone-replacement therapy could increase women's breast cancer risk years before the government issued its warning.

I was among the first journalists to write about boutique medicine, binge drinking, prescription-drug abuse and sexting. I have covered earthquakes, mass and serial murders, political campaigns, the race for the America’s Cup, immigration, forest fires, a killing inside San Quentin State Prison and a marriage at Folsom State Prison.

Though I am truly a general-assignment reporter, I often write about health, social justice and legal issues. In the middle of my journalism career, I briefly attended law school only to realize just how much I love being a journalist.

RONNIE COHEN

freelance journalist

San Francisco Bay Area