First Stretch at the Merc

I started my summer job at the Guelph Mercury on May 2, about a week after I finished my internship at The Record. I'm writing and shooting, but there are definitely days when I spend the whole day at the computer and playing phone tag with various voicemail systems. I'd love to be shooting a bit more. We'll have to see how this goes with time.

I will probably post some pdfs of my written work at some point but for now I'm going to stick with some of the photos I've shot over the past two weeks.

CrossFitters Tim Atkinson and Belinda Cox are two of six local athletes heading to CrossFit regionals from May 11-13. Photo by Rachel Psutka. (View accompanying multimedia piece here)

Nicole Hogg, co-owner of Atmosphere Cafe, along with chef and general manager Shawn Gilbert, are pleased to have a defibrillator on site at their Carden Street restaurant. Pictured here on May 11, the pair says that nearly all their restaurant staff have been trained in how to use it. Photo by Rachel Psutka.

Jessica Hua, Nicki Phits, and Alisa Phits run Wacky Tabacky, Guelph's newest smoking accessory store, located on Speedvale Ave. They are one of two new stores opening in the past six months and believe they are filling a niche outside the downtown core. Photo by Rachel Psutka.

Rearing their large yellow heads, dandelions have made their appearance around the city. These few are located in Royal City Park along the Speed River, seen here on Wednesday, May 9. Photo by Rachel Psutka.

Kyle Weltner has been working at Thomas Video for over a year while completing a theatre degree at the University of Guelph. Shown here at the Baker Street movie rental store on Wednesday, May 2, 2012, Weltner is one of the last employees of the movie rental business in Guelph. Photo by Rachel Psutka.

Wellington County weed inspector John Benham points out a group of giant hogweed plants growing in a rural lot near Elora on Thursday, May 3. Despite numerous treatments, the weeds continue to germinate from seeds buried underground. Photo by Rachel Psutka.

Artist Ella Dawn McGeough installs one of 16 panels of colour into a bus shelter in St. George's Square on Tuesday, May 15. Coinciding with the bus terminal move, the University of Guelph Masters student is working with the city to install the colourful panels to help transform the square. The art will be on display until August, when the shelters will be removed and placed in other areas of the city. Photo by Rachel Psutka.