Better Newspaper Contest

Page 57 Best News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure/Category 1 First Indianapolis Star Staff The Indianapolis Star Trump picks Pence A marvelous example of how regional newspapers can get a jump on the national media, maximizing local sources and perspectives to present fascinating, timely analysis and infor- mation. Second Staff South Bend Tribune Record rainfall, massive mess An absolutely wonderful package of stories ranging from intimate to informative, along with fantastic photos. Great job doing comprehensive coverage under difficult conditions. Third Bill Dolan & Joyce Russell The Times (Munster) Corruption inquiry nets Buncich, Portage major A great example of breaking news coverage that doesn't skimp on details and thrives on accuracy. Best News Coverage with No Deadline pressure/Category 2 First Giles Bruce The Times (Munster) What's killing Indiana's infants? This series required an extensive amount of work on Bruce's part, and the video clips, photos and graphics really broke up the copy well. The story of Ms. Castaneda really tugged on my heartstrings. While I'm just judging the press association con- test, this seems like a contender for a Pulitzer. Second Tony Cook & John Tuohy The Indianapolis Star Left in the dark This story was amazing. It highlighted an issue that at first seems minor—a lack of streetlights—but connects the dots for the readers and the public about the ramifications of that decisions. It tells the stories of the victims, whose deaths would like have been prevented if the city had streetlights and/or sidewalks. Third Chris Sikich The Indianapolis Star Eternal Unrest: The desecration of a native American burial site in Hamilton County This is an excellent investigative piece highlighting the issues related to Tribal laws. It is amazing that human remains were stored like artifacts for 20 years without the proper notification. The writer did an excellent job here. Well done. Best Ongoing News Coverage/ Category 3 First Staff The Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne) Amber Pasztor Interesting, well followed. Second Bill Dolan & Joyce Russell The Times (Munster) Lake County sheriff, Portage mayor indicted for bribery, fight on declaring innocence Third Jamie Duffy The Journal Gazette (Fort Wayne) Homicides' toll on families Division 6 Indianapolis Star Staff The Indianapolis Star Gov. Mike Pence is dropping his re-election bid in Indiana to become Donald Trump's running mate. Indy Star confirmed shortly after noon Thursday that Trump is planning to announce Pence as his selection for vice president. Several national news outlets, including CNN and ABC News, later reported Trump had offered the post to Pence and he had accepted, ending a weeks long casting call during which Trump vetted a handful of high- profile Republicans. Trump had been scheduled to formally announce his pick at a news conference in Manhattan at 11 a.m. Friday, but delayed the event in the wake of an attack in Nice, France, that left more than 70 people dead. The delay could leave Pence, who had already traveled to New York, in political limbo. He faces a noon Friday deadline to withdraw from the governor's race to allow Indiana Republican leaders to select a replacement candidate. The developments capped another wild day in the vice presidential search, with Trump's campaign team insisting throughout the day that no decision had been made, even as Pence was being whisked toward Manhattan in a motorcade after flying on a private plane from Indianapolis to Teterboro, N.J. In a Thursday evening interview with Fox News, Trump said he still hadn't made a "final, final" decision. It wasn't clear if those comments were meant to maintain a sense of surprise for the planned announcement, but Republican strategists, including a former Trump adviser, have repeatedly emphasized Trump's unpredictability and noted anything is possible. Trump's long-awaited decision upends the political landscape in Indiana and at least partially remakes the Trump campaign. Trump's VP? 10 things to know about Indiana Gov. Mike Pence In Pence, Trump adds a social conservative whom GOP strategists say will reassure rank-and-file Republicans that Trump can be trusted to pursue their interests. Veteran political observers say Pence, a former U.S. House member and chairman of the House Republican Conference, will provide a disciplined counter to Trump's improvisational campaign style. Pence also brings fundraising power and credibility on a wide range of policy issues that are important to conservatives. Pence would officially become the vice presidential nominee during the Republican National Convention, which starts July 18 in Cleveland. He could become the first vice president from Indiana since Dan Quayle took office in 1989 under George H.W. Bush. Pence's departure for national politics sets up a scramble among Indiana Republicans to determine who will replace Pence to run against Democratic challenger John Gregg in the November gubernatorial election. Giles Bruce The Times (Munster) Every year, about 600 Indiana babies die before their first birthdays. That's enough to fill 33 kindergarten classrooms or 11 school buses. A baby dies about every 14 hours in this state. Indiana has the eighth-highest infant mortality rate in the nation, with more than seven babies losing their lives for every 1,000 live births. Only Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia and Kentucky do worse. Indiana is the farthest north of any state in the bottom 10 — and the only one in the Midwest on that list. If the state lowered its rate to the national average, 118 infants would be saved every year. If Indiana had the same rate as the best-performing state, California, 275 fewer infants would die annually. If Indiana was on par with Finland, 471 more babies would survive past their first birthdays. The fact that many of these deaths are preventable raises these questions: How many dead infants are we willing to accept? And why is our infant death rate so high? "This measure is the lens to the health of our state," said Dr. Jennifer Walthall, the former deputy state health commissioner and secretary of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. State fares poorly in many health measures Consider these facts: • Indiana finished 39th out of 50 in the United Health Foundation's 2016 America's Health Rankings. The state ranked near the bottom in many areas that are risk factors for infant mortality: air pollution (47th), smoking (39th), diabetes (37th), obesity (36th), childhood poverty (32nd) and low birth weight (25th). • Indiana ranked 43rd for women's health and 33rd in infant health. Less than a third of children younger than age 5 live in a protective home environment. The state also had the eighth-highest rates of female obesity and physical inactivity, and ranked in the bottom 10 for women's community and environment, clinical care, health behaviors and policy. • Indiana ranked 49th in public health funding, spending $41 per capita in state and federal dollars. The U.S. average is $94, while the top state — Alaska — spends $261. "We're so far behind in public health in general," said Gabriel Filippelli, director of the Center for Urban Health at Indiana Trump picks Pence Pasztor had past run-ins with law What's killing Indiana's infants? For the complete story, visit hspa.com. For the complete story, visit hspa.com. Rosa Salter Rodriguez and Ron Shawgo | The Journal Gazette She ran through her neighborhood at night, screaming and banging on doors. She broke all the windows of her trailer and threw furniture and debris into the yard when she was evicted from it last month. She'd been charged with numerous minor criminal offenses here and in Texas, where she lived for a time. Her stepmother and father from Fort Wayne thought she posed a danger to her preschool son and took out protective orders against her. A few years ago, she was questioned – twice – in the suspicious death of a Fort Wayne man whose body was found frozen in a Whitley County field, according to law enforcement there. That picture emerged Tuesday of Amber Susan Pasztor, 29, of Fort Wayne, charged with killing two of her children and possibly linked to the death of a former neighbor, Frank Macomber, found Tuesday in woods near where the children were abducted from their Fort Wayne home. The children, Liliana Hernandez, 7, and Rene Pasztor, 6, were asphyxiated, according to the Elkhart County coroner's office. Pasztor was known in her former neighborhood and in court records for erratic behavior. On Monday, a probable cause affidavit was filed alleging that on Sept. 14, Pasztor violated protective orders issued on behalf of her surviving son, Juelz Santos Aguirre, 3, and her stepmother, Emily Green of Fort Wayne. Her father, Ricky Green, told authorities that Pasztor had threatened through telephone and text messages to take the children away from him, although her parental rights had been terminated. As a result, a warrant was issued for Pasztor on an invasion-of- privacy charge. Court records filed in February 2015 by the Greens seeking custody of Juelz state that the couple had taken care of him since September 2014 with Pasztor's permission. Pasztor and the child's father, whose whereabouts are listed as unknown, could not provide a safe environment for the child, the records state. The custody case had not been resolved by July, when an Allen County judge noted "the underlying CHINS proceedings," according to online documents. Child in Need of Services (CHINS) cases involve suspected instances of neglect or abuse. For the complete story, visit hspa.com.

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