Hoosier State Press Association - The Indiana Publisher - Better Newspaper Contest
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/425501
Page 49 Best News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure/Category 1 First place Purdue shooting Staff Journal & Courier (Lafayette) Comments: No comments given. Second place Tragedy on Daly Avenue Staff The Star Press (Muncie) Comments: No comments given. Third place Wedding day Staff The Herald-Times (Bloomington) Comments: No comments given. Best News Coverage With No Deadline Pressure/Category 2 First place Waiting to exhale Staff Journal & Courier (Lafayette) Comments: Story hooks readers from the moment its heart- stopping introduction unfolds with a college student near death from alcohol poisoning. The message is clear: tragedy avoided, this time. Descriptive writing, great supporting details from the trenches and compelling personal stories paint a clear picture of the drinking scene at Purdue. Comprehensive coverage examines the issue from all angles including the effects, the police response, the early morning drinking rituals, the victims and even the impact on the local economy. The supporting video shows the scope of the problem with scores of students flooding the sidewalks on their way to the next bar. Second place Special report: Parks and recreation Staff The Star Press (Muncie) Comments: This report reintroduces a city to its parks as a compelling piece of public-service journalism. Reporter's chronicle the city's battle to get residents back into the green spaces and capture moments such as one child blasting off from a rocket-shaped play structure. Engaging videos support the story, including a review of local parks conducted by self- proclaimed experts, six-year-old twins who know their way around the monkey bars. Park history, programs and the chal- lengers of graffiti, and the "bad element" round out this report. Third place Casualty of war Laura Lane The Herald-Times (Bloomington) Comments: This piece drives home the heartbreak of PTSD and its tragic consequences. The narrative forces readers to walk side by side with a woman who lost her husband to the disorder and is now fighting for survivor's benefits. The reporter and the widow share all including the suicide note and the scene of his death. The story compels readers to con- front the issue head on, challenging them not to look away. Best Ongoing News Coverage/Category 3 First place Sperry-Foutch traffic fatality Jack Molitor The Herald Bulletin (Anderson) Comments: No comments given. Second place Sheriff Rogers: Conflict between Nevada rancher, federal government should not be ignored Tim Vandenack The Elkhart Truth Comments: No comments given. Third place Science vs. religion controversy at Ball State University Seth Slabaugh The Star Press (Muncie) Comments: No comments given. Division 5 Purdue shooting: Victim perhaps targeted in basement classroom Justin L. Mack and Hayleigh Colombo Journal & Courier (Lafayette) A Purdue University engineering student was killed and a peer charged with his slaying Tuesday after a midday shooting in a basement classroom. It was the first on-campus shooting incident at Purdue in more than 17 years. A suspect identified as Cody Cousins, 23, of Centerville, Ohio, was booked Tuesday evening into Tippecanoe County Jail and was being held without bond in connection with the homicide, jail officials said. The victim was identified as Andrew Boldt, 21, a senior in electrical engineering from Wisconsin who lived on campus, according to Purdue officials. The victim and the alleged shooter were undergraduate teaching assistants in electrical and computer engineering. Although listed in different ECE courses, both are taught by professor David G. Meyer. Reached in his office during the campuswide lockdown that followed the noontime shooting, Meyer declined to comment. He later sent out an email message appealing to any students who witnessed the shooting to contact police. Purdue police Chief John Cox said Cousins did not resist when arrested and was not armed. He said it appeared that the suspect had targeted the victim. The suspect was taken into custody moments after the shooting. The connection between the suspect and the victim was not immediately known, Cox said, adding that there had been "little to no cooperation with the individual we took into custody." Purdue officials canceled classes through today and offered counseling services to students and employees. President Mitch Daniels, who was in Colombia on university business Tuesday, issued a statement decrying Mikel Livingston Journal & Courier (Lafayette) As his patrol car clock ticked just past 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Purdue police Officer Ryan Edwards pronounced the night uneventful so far. A few pullovers for broken license plate lights. A quartet of students sharing a cigar and some bottles of vodka and lemonade near the stadium. Others skateboarding along a dark street. In other words, a typical Friday night/Saturday morning for Edwards, a self-described night owl who enjoys the unpredictability of his 12-hour shifts. Then, at 1:41 a.m., a 911 call came in from 302 Waldron St., the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity house. The code was for alcohol poisoning. Such a report often can be a misnomer, Edwards said as he quickly aimed his cruiser toward Waldron. "Typically, it means just a very drunk person," Edwards said. But because alcohol poisoning is potentially lethal, he'll waste no time. Edwards knows most fraternities by name, not by address, so as he zeroed in on the house his eyes darted, looking for house numbers. An ambulance arrived first, and Edwards pulled up behind it. Edwards didn't know it yet, but the worst was about to happen. A fraternity member stood on the porch, ready to show emergency responders inside. He was the one who made the 911 call. A 20-year-old pharmacy major had passed out into the arms of a friend who didn't even know the woman's last name. Her gag reflex was gone; she could choke on her own vomit. Following a pair of paramedics, Edwards entered the house. Their footsteps were loud over the wood flooring, amplified by the barren walls in the dining room. The woman sat, slumped, at a long wooden table, a male friend beside her, his arm around her back, propping her up. The paramedics descended on the woman. "What's your name?" one of them shouted at her. Waiting to exhale: 'She was done' Sperry-Foutch traffic fatality: Officer arrested after fatal crash For complete story, see www.hspafoundation.org Click on "Contests." For complete story, see www.hspafoundation.org Click on "Contests." Jack Molitor The Herald Bulletin (Anderson) A man was killed, a pregnant woman was airlifted to a hospital by medical helicopter, and an Edgewood police officer faces felony charges in connection with the traffic accident between Lapel and Anderson on Sunday afternoon. According to a press release from Madison County Sheriff's Department Maj. Brian Bell, the accident happened about 12:30 p.m. and involved two vehicles heading west in the 7500 block of West Indiana 32. Investigators believe that a 1996 blue Buick Century driven by 22-year-old Rebecca Marie Sperry of Pendleton was struck from behind by a 2004 GMC Yukon SUV driven by 41-year-old James D. Foutch of Anderson. According to the release and witnesses, the impact of the hit forced the Buick off the road and into a nearby utility pole. The force from the vehicle snapped the utility pole in half and brought power lines down onto the vehicle. Representatives from Duke Energy were called out to assist with the damaged lines. Jesse Sperry, 23, Rebecca's husband, was pronounced dead at 1:30 p.m. by Madison County Coroner Marian Dunnichay. An autopsy will be For complete story, see www.hspafoundation.org. Click on "Contests."