Hoosier State Press Association - The Indiana Publisher - Better Newspaper Contest
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/96748
Division 4 Best News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure/Category 1 First place Community tragedy: Slain professor John Kline, Scott Weisser & Michael Wanbaugh, The Goshen News Comments: Not only did the newspaper find a way to write a story profoundly engaging on deadline, but it drew on sources well beyond just the institutional. And that���s vital for a tragic happening that clearly had an enormous impact on the community. This is the kind of story that solidifies trust in news and journalism. Second place Gag order in murder case Michele Holtkamp & Joseph Pete, Daily Journal (Franklin) Comments: It was absolutely vital that the community learn ��� quickly and with as many facts as possible ��� why the gag order was given and what it meant for the trial. This story does that while also drawing on sources beyond the obvious. A fascinating read. Third place Family found in filth Matt Troutman, Chronicle-Tribune (Marion) Comments: It���s a story that could have had a dry but potent lede. Instead it frames the story in a personal and detailed way that draws the reader in and keeps her engaged while providing facts. On deadline, that���s difficult to do. Best News Coverage With No Deadline Pressure/Category 2 First place Murder mystery Bill Engle, Brian Zimmerman & Rachel E. Sheeley, Palladium-Item (Richmond) Comments: The headline drew me in immediately. Graphics were incredible. Informative interviews, great well-rounded information. Excellent writing. Compelling content ��� these reporters dug deep and pulled out the story beneath the stories that haunted this community. Social issues were explored; great history on murders and comparisons. EXCELLENT reporting. Great, great work. Very impressed! Second place Mayor to request leave from fire department Jason M. Rodriguez, Pharos-Tribune (Logansport) Comments: This story is an example of what great reporting is about. Excellent investigative piece reveals a lot of cozy relationships and a potential financial benefit for the mayor. Outstanding work. Great job at getting sources and information. Very impressed with the level of detail and shoe-leather journalism that went into this piece. Third place Title IX: 40 years of fair play Staff, The Republic (Columbus) Comments: LOVE the headlines and graphics. You told the story in a compelling way. Strong writing, great photos. Unique perspectives set this entry apart. Best Ongoing News Coverage/Category 3 First place Harris plane crash Mishele Wright, Chronicle-Tribune (Marion) Comments: This is a prime example of what newspapers can offer a community. It goes beyond answers and absolution ��� which this series provides in abundance. It addresses the profound impact the event had on the community and underlines the value of solid reporting. This is why people buy newspapers. Second place Voters reject library plans Joseph Pete, Annie Goeller & Michele Holtkamp, Daily Journal (Franklin) Comments: Libraries nationwide are at a crossroads. And this series digs deep into the problems facing libraries while directly investigating the unique circumstances within this community. And it didn���t stick to a single thread of reporting, instead finding diverse sources that give depth to the issue. Third place Plug pulled on Greenwood pool Joseph Pete, Daily Journal (Franklin) Comments: Swimming pools aren���t the sexiest topic, but these are the kinds of stories that a community feeds from. Profoundly local, its impact is widespread, and this series finds a way to deliver that in an engaging way with all the right context. Page 40 Community tragedy: Slain professor John Kline, Scott Weisser & Michael Wanbaugh The Goshen News Outside the Goshen College science building here Sunday night, a place where James S. Miller had helped mold and guide young minds for roughly 30 years, several hundred stunned mourners gathered with the flickering glow of candlelight bouncing off their faces. They sang. They prayed. And they shared memories of how Miller and his family touched their lives. Miller, 58, was killed early Sunday morning during a home invasion, according to Goshen police, at 1736 Wildwood Court in a neighborhood practically within shouting distance of the GC campus. Miller���s wife, Linda, was also home during the invasion and was seriously injured, police said, before she managed to call 911. As the vigil drew to a close, GC President Jim Brenneman took a moment to put into words the collective grief felt by so many in the college and greater Goshen community on Miller���s behalf. ���We are deeply saddened by the events of the past 24 hours,��� Brenneman said. ���Tonight we had an experience here in front of our science building in which we gathered together a large crowd to sing hymns and to light candles, because we believe deeply that as we light these candles we do so in remembrance and recognition and with a profound belief that light overcomes darkness. And so we lit them and we hold them up as a light to the family, and particularly for Professor Miller, and we pray for God���s light in his life.��� Chain of events The alleged attack occurred around 1 a.m., according to police reports. Goshen police were dispatched to the Miller home at 1:06 p.m., and arrived at the normally quiet neighborhood east of the college campus just a few minutes later. Mrs. Miller had called 911 and told police there was a robbery in progress and that she had been attacked by a white male suspect. According to a GPD press release, Mrs. Miller had been struck by an unknown object. Before police could arrive the suspect fled the scene, the press release stated. Mrs. Miller was initially taken to IU Goshen Hospital and later transported to Memorial Hospital in South Bend. A nursing supervisor at Memorial said Sunday night that she had no information on a patient named Linda Miller. James Miller was pronounced dead at the scene as a result of his injuries. Police have not elaborated on the description of the white For complete story, see www.hspafoundation.org. Click on ���Contests.��� Murder mystery Bill Engle, Brian Zimmerman & Rachel E. Sheeley Palladium-Item (Richmond) Three women who once worked with murder victim Patrick W. Perkins at Richmond���s east-side Burger King said their co-worker was kind, helpful and always pleasant to be around. Perkins, they said, worked at the restaurant in the mid-2000s as porter. His job was to come in each morning, empty trash, keep the store and parking lot clean and do maintenance. Yet he always was willing to do more. ���He had no problem jumping in and helping out,��� said Tina Kern of Richmond. ���He always tried to make things a lot easier on everybody.��� Kern began working at Burger King at 16. When she worked the morning shifts with Perkins, he was quick to bring more supplies such as eggs to the kitchen during the morning meal rush. ���If you needed something, all you had to do was ask him, if you even had to ask him,��� Kern said. Claudia Kesterson of Richmond also worked with Perkins in that era and agreed that he would do anything to be helpful. ���One time, I had to put the broiler together and something with the gas was not working,��� Kesterson said. ���I called Pat and asked him to walk me through it. He just came out on his day off (to fix it).��� Amanda Stephens of Richmond worked at Burger King while she was pregnant with triplets. Her shift was 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. and Perkins, who was due in at 6 a.m., often would arrive at 3 or 4 a.m. to help her. ���(He) would just do all my hard work, my heavy lifting,��� Stephens said. ���Many times, he went above and beyond.��� Like Stephens, Kern recalls that when she was pregnant while working at Burger King, Perkins tried to look after her. ���If you tried to lift anything, he wanted to do it,��� Kern said. Kesterson started working with Perkins when she was a crew member, and she later moved up to shift manager. She said Perkins was terminated sometime after that, but she didn���t know why. She said management changed around that time. ���I wouldn���t have traded him for anybody else,��� Kesterson said. ���He was old-school. You didn���t have to tell him what to do. I never had any problems For complete story, see www.hspafoundation.org. Click on ���Contests.��� Harris plane crash Mishele Wright Chronicle-Tribune (Marion) Local businessman Ray Harris and his two daughters were believed to be aboard a plane that crashed into a field northwest of Chicago Saturday morning leaving no survivors. The crash happened about 10:30 a.m. CST, 11:30 a.m. Marion time, near Crystal Lake in unincorporated McHenry County, Ill., said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. Four people were on the plane. Curt Bradshaw, deputy investigator for the McHenry County Coroner���s Office, said autopsies on the bodies will be conducted Monday, which is the earliest the names of the victims could be released. ���We do not have positive identifications, and not all family has been notified,��� he said Saturday evening. ���We have presumptive identifications, but they���re presumptive. They���re not scientific.��� As word of the crash spread Saturday local officials expressed shock and sadness. It is thought Harris and his two daughters, Shey and Ramie, were on the plane. It was unclear Saturday who the fourth victim was. of Marion. They left from the Marion Municipal Airport, with Harris piloting the plane. The aircraft was a CirrusSR22 that seated four people, said Andy Darlington, manager of Marion Municipal Airport. It was registered to the Marion Flying Club, which consists of 10 members from Grant County who share expenses for the plane. He believes the plane took off from the airport around 9 a.m. As of Saturday evening, FAA officials hadn���t contacted anyone from the Marion airport about the crash. Harris was taking Ramie back to school, said Mark Fauser, spokesman for the city For complete story, see www.hspafoundation.org. Click on ���Contests.���