Better Newspaper Contest

2014 Award Winners

Hoosier State Press Association - The Indiana Publisher - Better Newspaper Contest

Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/425501

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 30 of 67

Page 31 Best News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure/Category 1 First place Car crashes into office Tabitha Waggoner Princeton Daily Clarion Comments: No comments given. Second place Teen dies in wreck January Wetzel & Dan Davis The Tribune (Seymour) Comments: Fantastic job covering a tough story. Third place Proposal fails to fly by BZA Tim Grimes The Reporter-Times (Martinsville) Comments: Good story. Best News Coverage With No Deadline Pressure/Category 2 First place Lucky to be alive Aubrey Woods The Tribune (Seymour) Comments: Compelling read. Good interviews, good writing. Overall, amazing story and told well. Second place Roadside surprise Kelly Lynch The Commercial Review (Portland) Comments: A very close second. This is one of those stories that a reporter may have the luck to stumble upon, and this reporter took it and, without ego, did an excellent job retelling it. Third place How much is available? Samm Quinn The Commercial Review (Portland) Comments: Really great look at budget and how it could be used vs. how officials are using it. Often budget is under- reported or not in a way that connects to readers. This is not an example of that, as it shows clearly what is needed, what is available and what officials are not doing with it. Best Ongoing News Coverage/Category 3 First place Caleb gets a heart Donna Cronk The Courier-Times (New Castle) Comments: No comments given. Second place Jay School Corp. contract dispute Jack Ronald The Commercial Review (Portland) Comments: No comments given. Third place Craig Roberts shooting and aftermath Brent Brown Greensburg Daily News Comments: No comments given. Division 3 Donna Cronk The Courier-Times (New Castle) The days give way to weeks, then months for the family members of Caleb Kinnaird, 2, as they remain camped out with Caleb at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis where little Caleb awaits a heart transplant. The New Castle family, which includes dad Daniel, mom Katie and brother Jonah, 4, are leaning on their faith in God and each other. They have been waiting on a heart for six months and know that at any moment, it could come. Meanwhile, on Saturday, April 27, family, friends and the community at large can show their support for the family at the Pray for Caleb Ride at Montgomery's Steakhouse. Registration is 10-11:30 a.m. and cost is $15. Ride stops include Bobby's South end in Shirley; Zippers in Knightstown; Flatlanders in Hagerstown; Scooters in New Castle and a return to Montgomery's. In addition to the ride, there will be a car wash from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Montgomery's, with donations accepted. There will be a bake sale from 10-11:30 a.m. and 5-7 p.m. and a live auction from 5 p.m. until all items are sold. T-shirts will be available for $15 each and orders will be taken. Bracelets are $4 each. There will be drawings at each stop on the ride with a 50/50 cash drawing at the end of the ride. The band 3 Card Monte will play after the auction and BJ Gorman Car crashes into office Tabitha Waggoner Princeton Daily Clarion One woman was taken to the hospital and a couple was arrested by authorities after an unlicensed driver crashed into the roof of the Indiana Department of Child Protection Services in Princeton Wednesday afternoon. "We heard a big noise," said Jan Dotson, director of the local CPS office in Princeton. They didn't know what it was at first, she said. There was just one cubicle and one staff member working next to where the crash occurred, she said. About 20 people work in the building, Dotson said. Indiana State Police, Gibson County Sheriff's Office, Princeton Police Department and the Princeton Fire Department were on the scene. It's the first time an accident of these proportions has occurred in town, Fire Chief Mike Pflug said. "I've never seen something like this," Princeton Police Chief W.W. George said "Not an airborne assault, no," Chief Pflug reiterated. The woman taken to the hospital was brushed by some debris but appeared to be okay, George confirmed. Marc Bozikis and Angela Bozikis of Princeton were arrested and are being held in the Gibson County Jail, George said. Angela Bozikis was arrested for operating without a license and both were arrested for false informing, George said. Police said the couple lied about just who was driving the vehicle when it was crashed. On the scene, the Ford Taurus was wedged like a bridge between the concrete ledge of a parking lot and had smashed through the wall (including part of the roof) of the local Child Protection Services building. "What it looks like is she was just going a little too fast," George said. She came around the curve and "went airborne and went into the building," he said. The accident occurred around 1:45 p.m. A towing service was called to the scene. They removed the car from its lodging in the Aubrey Woods The Tribune (Seymour) The May 8 incident that left an officer and an 18-year-old man wounded in Tampico could have, and likely should have, had a much different outcome, one of the participants said. "I was just thinking it was a couple of juveniles, maybe out fishing ... and just being kids," Officer Rick Meyer said of the incident that left him with gunshot wounds in both shoulders. Meyer, 44, returned fire and shot 18-year-old Isiah Tyler Roger of Brownstown above his left elbow on a bridge that carries State Road 39 over Grassy Fork south of Tampico. Roger remains in the Jackson County Jail facing charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery and carrying a handgun without a license after a felony conviction. Police say he fired the shots that wounded Meyer. A second man, Alexan- drew Mullikin, 21, of Vernon, was with Roger that evening. Mullikin was arrested on a warrant out of Jennings County but is not being charged in connection with Meyer being shot. Meyer said a couple of things were in his favor that evening as he answered a call – received by county dispatchers at 7:06 p.m. – about suspicious people with a gasoline can and a trash bag walking along State Road 39. "I guess I was lucky because it was still daylight," Meyer said. "If it had been dark, I might have walked under that bridge with a flashlight not knowing if anyone was there or not. A couple of months ago, it would have been dark." Meyer said that when he arrived in the area he spotted two people. Both ducked under the bridge as he eased his 2014 Chevy Caprice police cruiser toward the span. "I wasn't sure if they had seen me," he said. Meyer stopped his car near the bridge, got out and walked about halfway across it. "That's when I decided to get another unit to help so two of us could look for them," Meyer said. "I wasn't sure of what I had." While waiting for backup, one of the men, later identified as Mullikin, crawled out from beneath the bridge, Meyer said. He told the man to come up onto the bridge. Lucky to be alive Heart-felt help for Caleb For complete story, see www.hspafoundation.org Click on "Contests." For complete story, see www.hspafoundation.org Click on "Contests." For complete story, see www.hspafoundation.org Click on "Contests."

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Better Newspaper Contest - 2014 Award Winners