Laurel Wamsley Laurel Wamsley is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk.
Laurel Wamsley at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., November 7, 2018. (photo by Allison Shelley)
Stories By

Laurel Wamsley

Allison Shelley/NPR
Laurel Wamsley at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., November 7, 2018. (photo by Allison Shelley)
Allison Shelley/NPR

Laurel Wamsley

Correspondent, National Desk

Laurel Wamsley is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk, where she covers cities.

She previously was a reporter on NPR's Newsdesk, where she reported breaking news and features on a wide range of subjects, including criminal justice, technology, sports, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wamsley spent several months reporting from Berlin as an Arthur F. Burns Fellow in 2019, and that year was NPR's lead reporter at the Women's World Cup in France.

Previously, Wamsley was a producer for NPR's shows and desks. She got her start at NPR as an intern on Weekend Edition Saturday.

Wamsley graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she was a Morehead-Cain Scholar. Wamsley also holds a master's degree from Ohio University, where she was a Public Media Fellow and worked at NPR Member station WOUB. Born and raised in Athens, Ohio, she has also called Austin and Chicago home. She now lives and bikes in Washington, D.C.

Story Archive

Thursday

Regina "Mama Ravin" Lawson, 75, founder of The Herbal Healing Hut lived in the thriving Black Bottom community as a child with her family, but was displaced several times once the I-375 freeway was built in Detroit, Mich. Sylvia Jarrus for NPR hide caption

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Sylvia Jarrus for NPR

Detroit tries to turn a freeway into a boulevard

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Tuesday

On weekends, Philadelphia's Center City has fully rebounded to its pre-pandemic volume of people out and about. Other cities are also seeing after-hours activity rebound with a vengeance. Jumping Rocks/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images hide caption

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Jumping Rocks/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Friday

Workers assemble a home resembling an instant log cabin on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., with the Washington Monument behind them. Laurel Wamsley/NPR hide caption

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Laurel Wamsley/NPR

This week, the National Mall in D.C. is sprouting something different: houses

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Tuesday

How are downtowns doing? Philly offers clues

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Thursday

Some baby boomers would like to downsize from their large homes, but say it doesn't make financial sense. Single-family homes in Dumfries, Va., are seen here last year. Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Washington Post via Getty Images hide caption

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Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Many baby boomers own homes that are too big. Can they be enticed to sell them?

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Tuesday

The economic impact of the Baltimore bridge collapse

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Saturday

Ship-to-shore cranes sit unused after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed, blocking access to the Port of Baltimore. Timothy Wolfer for NPR hide caption

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Timothy Wolfer for NPR

From longshoremen to charter boats, Baltimore's port closure means lost work

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Friday

Baltimore bridge collapse takes toll on port workers

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Thursday

Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after being hit by the Dali container vessel, as seen from Riviera Beach, Md., on Tuesday. Carol Guzy for NPR hide caption

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Carol Guzy for NPR

For Baltimore-area residents, bridge collapse means longer commutes, uncertain prospects

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Saturday

A view of the Kingfield neighborhood from the roof of the Sundial Building, a new 12-unit apartment building in Minneapolis. Tim Evans for NPR hide caption

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Tim Evans for NPR

The hottest trend in U.S. cities? Changing zoning rules to allow more housing

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Monday

Mayor of Washington, D.C., pushes for workers to return to the office

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Tuesday

San Francisco is one of many U.S. cities that has thrown out its parking minimums in recent years. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

From Austin to Anchorage, U.S. cities opt to ditch their off-street parking minimums

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Saturday

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. It was one of the biggest pro-Palestinian protests in the U.S. Tyrone Turner/DCist/WAMU hide caption

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Tyrone Turner/DCist/WAMU

Tens of thousands rally in D.C. for Israel-Gaza cease-fire at pro-Palestinian march

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Friday

Family, friends talk about the Americans killed or missing in Israel-Hamas conflict

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Saturday

Students at Minneapolis' Hiawatha Collegiate High School discuss polarization within the federal government. Meg Anderson/NPR hide caption

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Meg Anderson/NPR

Today's lesson in AP U.S. Government: What just happened with Kevin McCarthy

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Friday

Turmoil on Capitol Hill makes for timely discussions in high school civics classes

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Tuesday

Monday

Thursday

Monday

A woman stands in front of an blank canvas hung up at the Kunsten Museum in Aalborg, Denmark, in 2021. Danish artist Jens Haaning sent the museum blank canvasses under the title Take the Money and Run. Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

Friday

The former president of Spain's soccer federation, Luis Rubiales, passes a police van as he leaves a court appearance in Madrid on Friday. Manu Fernandez/AP hide caption

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Manu Fernandez/AP

Thursday

Kim Davis, the former clerk in Rowan County, Ky., was ordered to pay damages to a couple whom she denied a marriage license. Davis is seen here in 2015. Timothy D. Easley/AP hide caption

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Timothy D. Easley/AP

Wednesday