Better Newspaper Contest

2014 Award Winners

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

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Page 16 Steve Page The Mooresville/Decatur Times Rachell Noble, still wearing her catching gear well after the finish of Tuesday's IHSAA regional championship game, shook her head and smiled a very large smile. "Now that was crazy," the Decatur Central senior said. It was indeed a crazy finish to an otherwise classic softball game between the Hawks and Brownsburg. When junior designated hitter Heather Reed hit a triple into the right-center gap with two out in the seventh inning, the Bulldogs, trailing 1-0, had new life. Noble, pitcher Breena Smith and the rest of the infield discussed their defensive strategy against Jessica Blystone, who had reached on an error and grounded out to second base in her first two at bats. "I was just telling everybody to calm down," Noble said. "I told Breena to not over-pitch. Just throw the pitch. Just make the play." What a play it turned out to be. Smith induced Blystone to hit a pop foul almost halfway between the plate and third base. With the crowd screaming, Smith and third baseman Morgan McCord camped out, calling each other off. Neither heard the other. The ball popped out of McCord's glove. But Noble was right there to make the catch and end the thriller. "I thought they were going to catch it," Noble said. "But I had their back. It was like slow motion. The ball just came right to me." Smith smiled. "It bounced off Morgan's glove, hit my finger and went right to Rachell," she said. "Crazy!" The win lifted the Hawks, 19-7, into Saturday's Best In-Depth Feature or Feature Package/Category 10 First place 'We were college boys' Bonnie Hackmann Ferdinand News Comments: This proves you find stories in the most unlikely places. Intriguing story from start to finish. Well-written piece that keeps the narrative flowing. Good graphics add to the whole package. Good job. Second place Love, war told in diary Ronald May The Mooresville/Decatur Times Comments: The written word is powerful; that's why smaller community papers have a place for a while yet in the media world. Good capturing of the time and place in the 1940s. It's kismet that his diary was part of an exhibit, and she knew about it. Good narrative; great story. Third place 'It's dire times two' Amanda Matlock The Times-Post (Pendleton) Comments: This fire station, like fire districts and depart- ments across the country, faces daunting challenges due to shrinking budgets and ballooning expenses. You've done a great job of capturing life in a station that is literally fall- ing around the firefighter's ears. I am assuming this story resulted in a push to pass a levy or bond. Great job. Do more of this type. Best Sports Event Coverage/Category 11 First place Hawks' Noble hangs onto ball to win regional game Steve Page The Mooresville/Decatur Times Comments: Page really sets the scene, drawing the reader into a story that both informs and flows well. Page's work was really a step above the competition. A deserving winner. Second place Pagenaud takes wild Indy Grand Prix Brent Glasgow Hendricks County Flyer (Avon) Comments: Glasgow engages the reader and leads them through an interesting tale. Third place Capping a career Mike Battreall The Times-Post (Pendleton) Comments: Informative and compelling, written with a clear and concise style. Best Sports News or Feature Coverage Category 12 First place Sims focused on more than the ring Brent Glasgow Hendricks County Flyer (Avon) Comments: Interesting and engaging. I love the approach this story takes to what could otherwise be a simple story. It makes me care about this man and the career he steps into. Second place Through his eyes: Sellers makes the play Jill Heuring South Gibson Star-Times (Fort Branch) Comments: The adrenaline of the game can be difficult to grasp, but the approach taken here puts us inside the mind of the players during a key play. It's a great way to showcase the team, without getting bogged down in jargon or numbers. Anyone can pick up this story and understand what is going on. Third place Eastside girls claim regional crown Jeff Jones The Butler Bulletin Comments: From the first sentence, this story makes clear the importance of a single moment. The story is to the point, while maintaining that sense of how far these girls have come this season. Division 1 Bonnie Hackmann Ferdinand News They were a group of "college boys" over 8,000 miles from home with only a chain link fence and vegetation between them and countless Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army combat troops. It was October 1971. Most of the United States troops were gone. Ed Walston had just arrived at the 8th Field Station, 509th Radio Research group located along coast at Phu Bai. The military base was near the town of Hue, less than 45 miles south of the DMZ (demilitarized zone) along Highway 1 in South Vietnam. Although not officially serving under the ASA name, the "Radio Research Unit" of the United States Army Security Agency was assigned to the NSA (National Security Agency), a government agency that did not acknowledge their existence nor their mission. "We were spooks," says the St. Anthony resident and retired Forest Park English/ Journalism teacher. "We did lower-level grunt work for NSA." But – they were never there. One duty of the 8th Field Station at Phu Bai was to monitor the enemy's troop and supply movements. From October of 1971 to October of 1972, Walston wrote intelligence reports and gave briefings about the movements of the Viet Cong and NVA (North Vietnamese Army) units in the area. Walston's day ended when most people were just getting up. Around 9 a.m. with the "day's" work done, he would go to bed for a few hours, getting up in the afternoon to attend the 5 o'clock "follies" (CIA briefings) where he would get POW reports and take them to the operations building. Ed would then sleep a few more hours before rising around 8 or 9 p.m. to report for his regular duties which included collecting information on enemy units in the northern one-third of the country and writing the DISUM (Daily Intelligence Summary). Reports from the 8th went out from the communications 'We were college boys' For complete story, see www.hspafoundation.org. Click on "Contests." Hawks' Noble hangs onto ball to win regional game Sims focused on more than the ring For complete story, see www.hspafoundation.org. Click on "Contests." Brent Glasgow Hendricks County Flyer (Avon) Unlike many in his trade, Anthony Sims Jr. prepared for life after boxing long before landing his first punch as a professional. While Sims' long wait for his pro debut will finally come to an end Saturday night, that's only part of what the 19-year-old has going on in his life as a pugilist, entrepreneur and college student. Sims' premiere fight was originally set for last November in Cincinnati, but it was nixed when his opponent didn't make weight. Recent and unexpected entanglements for his initial foe for this Saturday necessitated a late backup fighter, and the bout will go off as part of a nine-match card at the Knights of Columbus, 1305 North Delaware Street, Indianapolis. Sims couldn't believe it when informed of the complications this week. "Talk about going through hell," said Sims, a light heavyweight. "My first fight didn't go through, and then this, I was like, 'C'mon, man, give me a break.'" Most fighters live in the gym, but Sims is splitting time between workouts, business planning and the classroom. He'll open his new boxing facility on 10th Street and Emerson Avenue after his debut, and is taking a full-time class load at Indiana State this semester. "I'm not going to box forever, and I'm opening a gym, so I decided to go to school for business management so I could know how to run my business and keep money coming in when boxing is over," Sims said. "I majored in business marketing also, so I could market myself as an athlete, because it all ties in together." Sims has classes three days a week in Terre Haute. Prior to training camp for his For complete story, see www.hspafoundation.org. Click on "Contests."

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