Reporter

Katherine Burns

Portland, Maine

Katherine Burns is a reporter for The Click and a fiction writer. She has written about a wide range of topics, including road trips, the adoption industry, staffing and recruiting, small-scale fisheries, restaurants, third places, modern dating and connection, and election-related anxiety. She’s passionate about advocacy writing and utilizing her multimedia expertise for social good. Currently, she’s based in Portland Maine.

Memorial Hall Library

June 10, 2026

“Making People’s Lives Better”: A Massachusetts Library’s Community Impact

The public library is one of the last strongholds of third spaces that is entirely free for the public. It remains uncompromising in the weather and can serve as a refuge from sweltering heat or the bitter cold of winter. You can stay as long as you like, and many public libraries often host events to bring the community together. However, this is a third space that has been significantly compromised as libraries have dealt with funding cuts, tensions over book bans, and technology pivots.

May 18, 2026

The Erosion of Third Places

It’s market day in Andover, Mass., and everyone’s invited. Kids race between tents set up between the town’s offices and the public park. Neighbors chat with neighbors, carrying fresh produce and flowers home in their tote bags. Vendors talk excitedly about their wares, from artisanal woodworks to fresh croissants.

December 20, 2025

Modern Dating is a Spectrum

Dating in person, dating on the apps, or dating your AI? This is the modern dating landscape.

A voter submitting their ballot.

November 20, 2022

Clean Elections USA Accused of Voter Intimidation

According to the suit filed last month, the founder of Clean Elections USA, allegedly had supporters gather at ballot boxes in Maricopa County, Arizona, with the intent to deter voters from submitting their absentee ballots.

Voting sign and stickers

November 9, 2022

Baltimore City to Approve Two-Term Limits for Mayor, Other Roles

The ballot measure means certain elected Baltimore officials, including the mayor, will be limited to two terms beginning in 2024.