That is a fairly conventional structure in journalism. It was developed by the Wall Street Journal (although TNY and others would probably claim ownership). The first sentence or two grabs your attention, followed by the "nut graph" that gives the context. For instance, in the article about Portis, the author starts out by referring to his wish that Shakespeare had written about Arkansas. You don't often find those two names together.
Yes, but following the nut graph immediately with the person's background is not ideal, IMO, unless their background really determined whatever they do that's the story's subject (hypothetical e.g., Joe Blow grew up homeless and now he helps homeless people). Personally, I'd do another section on the present day and then go into their past.
I hadn't noticed TNY doing this excessively, but if they do that's another irritating thing. And yes, add that to "Joe Blow, who grew up homeless and now helps homeless people, said." And starting almost all articles with a particular date and place. So instead of something more general or quirky -- "Joe Blow weeps whenever he thinks about homeless people" -- it's "On July 14, 2022, Joe Blow entered a homeless shelter on the north side of Milwaukee."
And throw in their use of diareses and -- the worst -- spelling out large numbers.