Sean Dolan
Sean Dolan covers how prices, policy and local infrastructure shape daily life in Idaho, with work that ranges from gas at the pump to state budgets, legislative elections and regional landmarks. His automobile coverage is rooted in the economics of driving and fuel, using concrete local examples rather than vehicle reviews to show what transportation costs mean for households and businesses.
Idaho gas prices and the economics of driving
Dolan reports on Idaho gas prices as a way to track what drivers are paying and how quickly those costs move. On this beat he treats fuel as the core expense of owning and using a car, focusing on price levels and movement rather than on the vehicles themselves. His gas price coverage sits at the overlap of transportation and consumer economics, tying the cost of driving to broader questions about affordability and local economic conditions.
Fuel prices and food inflation
Dolan extends his fuel coverage into business reporting, writing about how rising fuel prices drive food price inflation for an industry audience. In his work on tariffs and supply chains, he links energy costs, freight and purchasing decisions to what shows up in food prices, making clear that fuel expenses are not just a pain at the pump but a key input into the cost of groceries. This gives his automobile beat a wider frame, connecting transportation costs to the way goods move and how those costs cascade through the economy.
Transportation, tourism and Magic Valley landmarks
At the Times-News, Dolan has covered Shoshone Falls reopening after six months of road construction, treating access to the popular tourist attraction as a news story in its own right. That work shows him paying attention to how road projects and infrastructure changes affect where people can go and how they get there, not just how much they pay for fuel. He combines text with visual storytelling in this coverage, using images to show both the attraction and the improvements around it.
Politics, education and budgets
Dolan’s broader portfolio spans Magic Valley politics, K-12 education and the College of Southern Idaho, reflecting a long-running focus on how public institutions affect everyday life. At Idaho Education News he reports on contests such as “Magic Valley voters oust four incumbents in major shakeup,” as well as legislative primary elections that determine who writes state policy. His more recent work also includes coverage of Idaho’s top budget writers, recession concerns and spending cuts, handling fast-moving developments at the statehouse alongside his ongoing reporting on local communities. Across these assignments he brings the same plain, nuts-and-bolts approach he uses on gas prices, grounding political and education stories in specific decisions, votes and budget choices rather than rhetoric. The result is a body of work where automobile costs, school systems and state finances are part of a single through-line: how public choices and price shifts land on people in his coverage area.
Multimedia, community and source-driven reporting
Dolan works as a multimedia reporter, shooting video at press conferences and in the field in addition to filing written stories. His clips include interviews with visiting performers for local symphony concerts as well as coverage of community events, giving him a source base that spans elected officials, education leaders, business and the arts. Whether he is explaining fuel-driven food inflation, tracking gas prices or covering a local election, his reporting stays close to named institutions and on-the-record voices, with an emphasis on clear descriptions of what happened and what it will cost.
4 more automobile journalists.
Aarian Marshall
Aarian Marshall is a staff writer at WIRED who stands out for covering how cars, software, and policy collide. She writes on transportation systems and cities, from the auto industry to broader mobility systems. Before WIRED, she reported on cities and urban policy for The Atlantic’s CityLab. Her beat runs from electric vehicles, fuel prices, tariffs, and car-buying decisions to autonomous vehicles, robotaxis, and software-defined cars. She reports with a systems view, linking policy shifts, technical failures, and urban life to what happens on streets, in repair shops, and at the pump.
Adrian Leung
Adrian Leung writes engineering-led coverage of Chinese electric vehicles and performance cars for CarNewsChina. He focuses on new energy vehicles, battery systems, powertrains, electric platforms, high-end domestic brands, and track-ready models, and he explains technical details in plain language for non-specialist readers. His reporting treats new models as hardware and systems stories, with precise figures on range, battery capacity, chassis layout, motor outputs, weight, and acceleration. He also covers the Chinese auto industry’s finances and technology roadmap, including sector profits, vehicle volumes, and solid-state battery timelines. His background in Electrical and Computer Engineering shows in the way he writes about vehicle electronics and battery management.
Al Pefley
Al Pefley is a television news reporter for CBS12 News whose work centers on how laws, law enforcement and local decisions shape everyday life for drivers and other residents. He reports in a general assignment role but returns often to transportation, public safety and pocketbook issues, treating driving as a point where policy, disability and policing intersect. His coverage includes driver-focused laws, fuel and tax policy, crime, policing and internal affairs findings, with a consistent focus on accountability and concrete consequences for people’s wallets, safety and trust in institutions. He explains county gas tax debates, campaign positions on teacher pay, property crime and retail theft in short, clear segments. Pefley works primarily on the scene, using live or recorded field reporting and interview-driven pieces to show what happened, why it matters and what comes next.
Aliza Savira
Aliza Savira focuses on the hidden financial costs of owning modern cars, especially how insurance can undermine expected savings. She writes about automobiles for MSN, looking at new technology and electric vehicles through everyday ownership rather than showroom appeal. Her work highlights the gap between promises of cheaper running costs and the full financial picture of owning a vehicle. In electric vehicle coverage, she treats insurance premiums as a key ownership problem that can erode long-term value. She stays close to practical questions drivers face, such as which recurring costs matter most after purchase. She reports on how insurance structures and premium levels interact with new automotive technology. Her beat is consumer-focused automobile reporting, with a clear, utilitarian lens on ownership experience, recurring expenses, and risk, rather than lifestyle or performance.