OK. I'm ready to share my favorite Aviva memory.

The first weekend of major protests in KC last summer was my first weekend as editor on duty for @kcur and Aviva was one of the 4 reporters being sent out to cover what was happening.

I was told that Aviva was so dedicated that if things got hairy, I needed to TELL her to leave, not wait for her to abandon ship. My sneaky way of making sure I'd know if that needed to happen: put the reporters on a text thread with each other, and include myself, to keep tabs.

As things started escalating, I watched more and more closely. I see a text from Aviva: "That was pepper spray, right?" @peggyllowe answers: "Yep, u ok?" "Aviva?" Then one of those dot dot dot bubbles before Aviva answers: "Yep, just want to make sure my tweet is accurate."

And I was so in awe. We thought we were looking out for a cub reporter, but she wasn't intimidated and didn't care about the fact that her eyes sting or whatever, she just cared about doing her due diligence.

Later in the thread, @peggyllowe is offering Aviva a coat, noting that it's getting chilly. This exchange came immediately to mind when I heard that Peggy was the one who went to check on her on Friday.

So this is really a tribute to 2 reporters, I guess, and the instinct of one to look out for the other. My heart is broken for Aviva, her faily, the people she had yet to serve in her work, and Peggy... who took care of her till the end. It's crushing. Love your people.