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Greg Allen

As NPR's Miami correspondent, Greg Allen reports on the diverse issues and developments tied to the Southeast. He covers everything from breaking news to economic and political stories to arts and environmental stories. He moved into this role in 2006, after four years as NPR's Midwest correspondent.

Allen was a key part of NPR's coverage of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, providing some of the first reports on the disaster. He was on the front lines of NPR's coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, arriving in New Orleans before the storm arrived and filing on the chaos and flooding that hit the city as the levees broke. Allen's reporting played an important role in NPR's coverage of the aftermath and the rebuilding of New Orleans, as well as in coverage of the BP oil spill which brought new hardships to the Gulf coast.

More recently, he played key roles in NPR's reporting in 2018 on the devastation caused on Florida's panhandle by Hurricane Michael and on the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

As NPR's only correspondent in Florida, Allen covered the dizzying boom and bust of the state's real estate market, as well as the state's important role in the 2008 and 2016 presidential elections. He's produced stories highlighting the state's unique culture and natural beauty, from Miami's Little Havana to the Everglades.

Allen has been with NPR for three decades as an editor, executive producer, and correspondent.

Before moving into reporting, Allen served as the executive producer of NPR's national daily live call-in show, Talk of the Nation. Prior to that, Allen spent a decade at NPR's Morning Edition. As editor and senior editor, he oversaw developing stories and interviews, helped shape the program's editorial direction, and supervised the program's staff.

Before coming to NPR, Allen was a reporter with NPR member station WHYY-FM in Philadelphia from 1987 to 1990. His radio career includes working an independent producer and as a reporter/producer at NPR member station WYSO-FM in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Allen graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1977, with a B.A. cum laude. He began his career at WXPN-FM as a student, and there he was a host and producer for a weekly folk music program that included interviews, features, and live and recorded music.

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  • When Pope Benedict arrives in Cuba on Monday, he'll be greeted by Cuban-Americans who have made the pilgrimage from Miami and other U.S. cities. Still, there are concerns that Cuba's Catholic Church isn't doing enough to reach out to political dissidents.
  • While most states are scrambling to comply with the Affordable Care Act, Florida has a different, high-stakes strategy. Republican leaders are betting that the Supreme Court will strike down the law, and have rejected and returned federal grants to help develop a health care exchange.
  • Democrats were quick to attack House Republicans' budget plan, which calls for an overhaul of the program. Leading the charge is Vice President Joe Biden, who told senior citizens in Florida not to be fooled. Republicans, though, see the proposal as necessary for the next generation.
  • Even before Trayvon Martin's shooting, Florida's "stand your ground" law was controversial. Prosecutors in the state fought the law's passage. Since the law's introduction, cases ruled justifiable homicides have tripled. The Martin shooting is leading to calls to re-examine the law in Florida.
  • When the Supreme Court hears arguments over President Obama's health care law next week, one item on the table will be a program that has been in place for nearly 50 years: Medicaid. The program is already a sore issue in Florida, which is one of the states fighting the health care law.
  • As his national profile has risen, the first-term senator from Florida has become a target for Democrats and advocacy groups who say he doesn't represent Latino voters. In Miami last week, a dozen young Hispanic men and women gathered outside Rubio's office chanting, "Rubio: Latino or Tea Partino?"
  • A Spanish company has begun drilling for oil in the Caribbean north of Cuba, just 80 miles from the Florida coast. Researchers and response crews in Florida are already making contingency plans for a possible spill.