Sacramento Bee taps new reporter to cover Folsom, El Dorado Hills and more
A journalist who has broken and covered big stories in Minnesota is now anchoring The Bee’s coverage of Sacramento’s eastern suburbs and beyond.
Corey Schmidt joined The Bee on March 30 as Folsom and El Dorado Hills watchdog reporter, a role in which he’ll also report on Arden Arcade, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Citrus Heights and other communities. His hiring fills the last open position on The Bee’s new Local Accountability Team, led by editor Daniel Hunt.
Schmidt, a Wisconsin native, enters The Bee from the St. Cloud Times, the largest local news outlet in central Minnesota and part of USA TODAY Co. There, he wrote accountability and solutions-oriented stories on politics, policy and public safety, including chronicling an aspiring teen rapper’s search for a better life before the teen died in a homicide. He also covered national news out of Minnesota for USA TODAY, including the shootings of two state lawmakers, the Annunciation Catholic Church shooting, and widespread public unrest surrounding federal immigration enforcement activity and the killing of Renee Good.
Schmidt earned honors in personality feature, hard news, crime and investigative reporting in the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s 2024-25 Better Newspaper competition and was recognized by Violence Free Minnesota for his coverage of domestic violence policies.
He also has a unique educational background for a journalist, holding a master’s degree from Yale University in horn performance and a bachelor’s from DePaul University in communications and music performance.
Previously, Schmidt freelanced for the Chicago Tribune, covering Chicago’s northern suburbs.
“The Sacramento Bee is known for its accountability reporting,” he said. “I’m excited to work with its reporters and explore the region.”
This story was originally published March 6, 2026 at 11:00 AM.
