Victor Stefanescu
I love to sift through budgets and knock on doors. These two passions have marked my stories — about development, government finances, taxation and more — that have appeared in some of the largest publications in the Midwest and New England.
I’m an emerging journalist cited by national publications with more than three years of experience writing everything from breaking news and thorough dailies to watchdog features and political profiles. You can find my real estate and housing coverage in The Boston Globe and its sibling publication, Boston.com. My St. Louis-area reporting, which has taken me to gas stations, city halls and executive offices, has appeared in the city’s largest print outlets: including on the front page of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch more than 10 times.
In May 2024, I graduated from Boston College, where I broke news as a student reporter and led operations as president and editor-in-chief at the independent student newspaper, The Heights.
- Finalist: 2022 Reporter of the Year – Associated Collegiate Press
- Graduate: Dow Jones News Fund business reporting program
- My resume: Click here and request access
Work Samples
Reporting from the ground: stories rooted in engaging interviews and thoughtful research
A north St. Louis County municipality fines like no other. Some residents say ‘leave me alone.’
After sifting through state data, I pitched this story to the Post-Dispatch that showed how a North St. Louis County municipality collects and disburses more revenue from fines and fees per capita than any other city in the county. I followed the analysis by knocking on doors in the city so I could understand how these fines and fees affected people. I interviewed residents who felt mistreated and city leaders who pushed back.
Sales taxes at the DMV may become a thing of the past. What will it mean for Missouri drivers with expired tags?
This time, I started my reporting with on-the-street interviews. I wanted to see what drivers with temp tags had to say. As many didn’t want to explain why they were breaking the law, it took persistency. But eventually, I scored a few on-the-record interviews with drivers who explained that it was Missouri’s complex and expensive sales tax process that held them back. I followed their interviews by talking to leaders and comparing tax rates to surrounding states.
St. Louis gas station workers recount strange nights, dangers of the job
A 22-year-old clerk was shot and killed at a gas station in the middle of my internship. The killing made me wonder what gas station employees in St. Louis though of their own safety. I sifted through crime reports, then travelled to most city gas stations where significant violent crime occured in July 2023. Many attendants didn’t want to talk, but others called for stricter gun control and more policing.
Clayton has a $2 million deficit. That means $50 trash fees and early closure of Shaw pool.
The Post-Dispatch received reports that Clayton was cutting its end of summer pool hours — but why? I dove into its budget, finding that the wealthy city was facing a significant general fund deficit. I then spoke to the mayor, who confirmed the lack of funds was at play. The story explores how post-Covid conditions affect municipal services that many deem essential.
More than 50 water main breaks since June has St. Louis residents wanting answers
Early in my internship, I covered a significant water main break in South St. Louis. After that, I tracked every reported water main break for more than a month, and mapping confirmed that a section of the city was particularly hard-hit. I then asked the water division director why the area saw more breaks than others and how new rate increase funds would be put to use.
Will St. Louis County lose a village? Residents vote today on Normandy merger with Glen Echo Park
I was frequently assigned dailies at the Post-Dispatch. On one Monday, my editors sent me to see what people thought about a vote that’d wipe a village out of existence. In just six hours I interviewed the two municipalities’ top officials, city councilors and residents, and also wrote the story.
Real Estate and housing: reporting that traces how market trends affect prospective homeowners and renters
The South Coast Rail is on track. What could it mean for the housing market?
For The Boston Globe, I dove into the data and talked to development officials about what a new commuter rail line might mean for Southeast Massachusetts’ housing market. They told me the South Coast Rail will incentivize new housing in the region at a time when inventory in the state is nearly bottoming out. But the new transportation access could temporarily bump up costs in some areas, they also said, stopping short of predicting that prices would shift across these cities in the long run.
A neighbor saw her moving in and screamed, she said. ‘Well, I looked back at him and screamed.’
In a story original penned for Boston.com and republished on bostonglobe.com, I featured two Black mothers who integrated South Boston public housing in 1988. Back then, reporters wanted a story. City officials were watching, and so were the neighbors. The two mothers told The Boston Globe at the time that they didn’t view their move as courageous. More than 30 years later, one of them who’s now an ordained First Baptist pastor told me she changed her mind.
Will St. Louis County lose a village? Residents vote today on Normandy merger with Glen Echo Park
In another story for The Boston Globe, Developers told me that co-living — a housing model in which a tenant rents just the bedroom — is supposed to give young people the opportunity to live in neighborhoods they otherwise couldn’t afford. But the leader of Boston’s Housing Innovation Lab said the initial results of a pilot program that sought to encourage compact apartments like those at co-living developments show that the model isn’t necessarily boosting affordability.
Collaboration: working with others to build far-reaching stories
Complaints About Boston College Priest Sent To Leahy And Jesuit Provincial Years Prior To Rape Allegation
As a freshman, I co-wrote this story cited by The Boston Globe about potential misconduct at the top level of the university’s administration. The Associated Collegiate Press selected it as a finalist for a National Pacemaker Award in breaking news.
Lufthansa hopes to expand Frankfurt flight from St. Louis as passengers pack seats
I pitched this story that evaluated how a much-anticipated international flight was doing more than a year after launch. I spoke to travelers, business leader and regional boosters. By incorporating contributions from another reporter, the story also explored how the flight led St. Louis to land a new development.
More Samples: Click here to read one of more than 150 stories that have appeared in six outlets. I have bylines in The Boston Globe, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Boston.com, St. Louis Magazine, the Riverfront Times and The Heights.
I love connecting with student journalists, industry mentors and anyone who shares my passion of pairing pizza and ranch.
victor.a.stefanescu@gmail.com
Always grateful for freelance opportunities, I have experience pitching and executing exclusive stories and completing reporting projects as assigned.
Victor Stefanescu 