2013 HSPA Foundation Better Newspaper Contest results
Category: 1 Best News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
One man's impact
Amanda Matlock
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Comprehensive coverage of a homicide/suicide in Pendleton. Good quotes and effective storytelling by Amanda Matlock.
Second Place
Deadly crash closes I-70 Thursday
StevenPenn
Hendricks County Flyer (Avon)
Good deadline coverage of a major Interstate pileup. Followed up to get the name of the deceased.
Third Place
Fire takes two historic Dale structures; leaves seven homeless (plus sidebar
Cheryl Hurst
Spencer County Leader (Dale)
Lots of detail about historic buildings lost in a fire. The reporter took it beyond a simple fire story.
Category: 2 Best News Coverage with No Deadline Pressure
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Love's divide
Amanda Matlock
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Clear, concise writing and a good balance of information from both sides of this argument make for an interesting read.
Second Place
Healthcare clinic fire displaces hundreds
Sue Carpenter
The Garrett Clipper
Well-written ongoing coverage of this event. Each piece of this story is concise and packed full of information. Good job.
Third Place
County Council cuts raise concerns
Amanda Matlock
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Nicely written, surprisingly gripping piece.
Category: 3 Best Ongoing News Coverage
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Amanda Wiles, Roy Parmley
Amanda Matlock
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Gripping story, excellent coverage and writing.
Second Place
Miracles do happen - Living donors - life savers - everyday heroes (with sidebar); Miracles do happen - Doreen Lamar showing improvement; Miracles do happen - Doreen is home at last
Cheryl Hurst
Spencer County Leader (Dale)
Pulls at the heart-strings - the stories with happy endings.
Third Place
Annexation Anxiety
Amanda Matlock & Judi Turpen
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Normally not a topic that keeps everyone's attention in print, but well done. Written so everyone could understand.
Category: 4 Best General Commentary
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Local legenc and former Ferdinand News editor/co-publisher dead at 91: He will truly be missed; Remembering Paul Michael Ash; It's a fact: Some people are idiots
Kathy Tretter
Ferdinand News
Conveys both sense of community and pathos re longtime editor. Good writing.
Second Place
Life Rules Columns: Let the sun shine bright; Templeton icon gone; Nothing but net, nothing but gain
Clayton Doty
The Benton Review (Fowler)
Solid, if unspectacular opinion, clearly expressed.
Third Place
Smoking ban? Oh yes, I can...; Can't reel in the big One?; What do 'We the People' believe is the solution?;
Cheryl Patrick
The Leader (Knox)
Light and clever.
Category: 6 Best Business/Economic News Coverage
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Building a healthy hive
Lisa Hoppenjans
Ferdinand News
Love this story. This one could have been a simple "little kids do well" thing or even a cutline and captionbut the writer really delved into things and brought the story home. It also helps that it's cute little kids.
Second Place
Dalls honored among other elite Hoosier families with Sesquicentennial Award
Kathy Tretter
Ferdinand News
Great story as it delves into the history and the "why" of this farm and its longevity. Good piece of writing by a writer who seemed to be interested in the subject.
Third Place
Puzzles restaurant now open for business
Amanda Matlock
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Love the led on this, and the story itself if a pretty good one. Not your typical "Grand Opening" story.
Category: 7 Headline Writing
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Giving presents of mine; Troubled bridge over waters; Hurry up and weight
Scott Slade
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Clever reworkings of familiar phrases make for some nice headlines. Good job.
Second Place
Up in arms; One shell of a good time; Happy New Year, baby!
Hendricks County Flyer (Avon)
Funny, lighthearted headers. I particularly like "One shell of a good time."
Third Place
New LES Garden Club grabs attention of hundreds of sprouts; Feast wasn't built in a day; Amid criticism of pizza comes crust of hope
Scott Slade
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Quippy headlines that don't read as if the writer is too hard. Thumbs up.
Category: 8 Best Short Feature Story
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Long Distance Love (and the Race to End Youth Homelessness)
Hannah Fleace
The Loogootee Tribune
Great lede with personal story from homeless youth. Writer let runner tell the story, subhead breaks make for easy reading flow. Well done by all parties involved.
Second Place
Story of hope inspires
Sue Carpenter
The Garrett Clipper
Writer lets mom tell story, good feature elements.Would have preferred the news reporting on the meeting come in form of separate sidebar, but overall nice feature.
Third Place
Tree farm marks last Christmas
Wade Coggeshall
Hendricks County Flyer (Avon)
Homey, small town, personal - all great elements for feature writing. Good job.
Category: 9 Best Profile Feature
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
A strong will to live
Bonnie Hackmann
Ferdinand News
Loved this piece. Was hooked through the entire reading. The writer captured such a powerful story and never let go of the reader.
Second Place
Alie's triumph
Lisa Hoppenjans
Ferdinand News
Third Place
Twenty-seven shades of grey
Lisa Hoppenjans
Ferdinand News
Category: 10 Best In-Depth Feature/Feature Package
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
A celebration of survival
Amanda Matlock
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Clearly the best in the category. This is a real feature story with a more in-depth angle in going k through the timeline of the subject's battle. Well written. The writer kept met reading until the last word.
Second Place
Smith Sunoco to change hands April 1st
Larry Hembree
The Loogootee Tribune
Good featurized story of longtime business changing hands.
Third Place
Childhood hobby becomes lifelong passion
Cheryl Patrick
The Leader (Knox)
Category: 11 Best Sports Event Coverage
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Bode's buzzer-beater beats Danville
Justin Whitaker
Hendricks County Flyer (Avon)
The story had a nice, inviting lede and good flow. Well done.
Second Place
Bruins win stunner over Eagles
Jake Thompson
Hendricks County Flyer (Avon)
A close second, this story featured a strong lede to set up the game story. Good job.
Third Place
Asher wills Warriors to the win
Justin Whitaker
Hendricks County Flyer (Avon)
The lede can make or break a story, and this one definitely drew us in. Very nicely done.
Category: 12 Best Sports News or Feature Coverage
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Bill Stoudt Field
Lori Wood
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Great job of profiling the coach so that the reader understands his impact.
Second Place
DeSutter assists on more than just the court
Justin Whitaker
Hendricks County Flyer (Avon)
Wonderful feature showing all sides of the athlete.
Third Place
2,000 miles away, two Bulldogs unexpectedly come together
Justin Whitaker
Hendricks County Flyer (Avon)
Good job capitalizing on the hometown connection.
Category: 13 Best Sports Commentary
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Addition without subtraction; Just a Saturday morning stroll, my experience in a NASCAR race car; Oladipo, Jordan are similar, not the same
Justin Whitaker
Hendricks County Flyer (Avon)
Easily tops the category. Great writing and excellent commentary skills.
Second Place
PH athletes continue to give fans a show
Lori Wood
Times-Post (Pendleton)
The writer exhibits a warm, personal flavor in her column-writing. Well done.
Third Place
A sporting event like none other; The NFL season is over. Now what?; Option in the NFL, really?
Jake Thompson
Hendricks County Flyer (Avon)
Good job of column-writing!
Category: 15 Best Spot News Photo
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
I-70 Crash
Steven Penn
Hendricks County Flyer (Avon)
Second Place
sn_trrp_shooting.jpg
Tom Russo
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Third Place
House fire in Loogootee
Jessica Shinn
The Loogootee Tribune
Category: 16 Best General News Photo
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Brush fire
Carole Brown
Springs Valley Herald (French Lick)
Second Place
gn_kabp_spell.jpg
Karen Branham
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Third Place
Balloons
Eric Tretter
Spencer County Leader (Dale)
Category: 17 Best Sports Feature Photo
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
sf_kabp_baseball.jpg
Karen Branham
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Second Place
Defeat
Eric Tretter
Ferdinand News
Third Place
sf_chdf_yell.jpg
The Benton Review (Fowler)
Category: 18 Best Sports Action Photo
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
sa_mddm_elbow.jpg
Mike Deak
The Mail-Journal (Milford)
Second Place
Player tosses ball for out
Dorian McDaniel
Hendricks County Flyer (Avon)
Third Place
Player lays out for catch
Dorian McDaniel
Hendricks County Flyer (Avon)
Category: 19 Best Feature Photo
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Playing for chuckles
Ferdinand News
Second Place
Renaissance performer
George Deel
Springs Valley Herald (French Lick)
Third Place
Plunge
Eric Tretter
Ferdinand News
Category: 20 Best Multiple Picture Group (MPG)
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Bee kids
Ferdinand News
Second Place
Fair
Eric Tretter
Ferdinand News
Third Place
mpg_mddm1_ball
Mike Deak
The Mail-Journal (Milford)
Category: 22 Best Editorial Page
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Oct. 5; Oct. 19; June 14
Bryan Helvie, Debbie Blank & Diane Raver
The Herald-Tribune (Batesville)
Reader friendly page. Comfortable to see and read. Probably well liked at home.
Second Place
Verna; Apple; Banned list
Kyle Lewis
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Certainly tribute to modular. Why did papers stop calling their editorials editorials?
Third Place
No award given
Category: 23 Best Use of Graphics
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Full pull; Dawgs; Annex
Kyle Lewis
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Full Pull was strongest graphic of three, but all were top notch! Easy to interpret. Great job.
Second Place
Desutter assists on more than just the court/Take your pick, Sallee delivers in three different sports; Multiple players step up at different times for the Bruins
Justin Whitaker
Hendricks County Flyer (Avon)
Love film strip showing girl's other activities. Shows up well.
Third Place
Expansion; City proposes a rise in sewer rates; water rates to remain unchanged; Unemployment rate drops in July
Jessica Shinn
The Loogootee Tribune
Category: 24 Best Online Site/Web Page
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Staff
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Flyout menus make the site quick and easy to navigate. Social media presence encourages interaction from readers. Breaking news alerts keeps readers on top of active news issues. Crisp, clean site with nice contrast of colors. Good local content.
Second Place
Springs Valley Herald (French Lick)
Becky Hutslar
Springs Valley Herald (French Lick)
Website is well organized. The weather feature at the top of the site is nice and reader-friendly. The mystery photo feature promotes audience participation. The click through menus are a quick way to sort through the plethora of local news.
Third Place
Loogootee Tribune
Staff
The Loogootee Tribune
Site is simple and no frills but there is beauty in simplicity. The photo galleries are very nice. Dropdown menus make it easy to find what you need (though you have a typo “sumbit” under the sports dropdown).
Category: 25 Best Sports Section
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
New era; Triple crowned; X Factors
Kyle Lewis & Lori Wood
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Very strong front pages with excellent artwork that gives it a big-paper vibe. Clean and crisp throughout the section. Only suggestion would be to make bylines smaller/more differentiated.
Second Place
Sports Feb 16, 2013; Sports April 3, 2013; June 12, 2013
Jake Thompson & Justin Whitaker
Hendricks County Flyer (Avon)
Easy on the eyes with strong, original artwork. Don't be afraid to go with stronger headline font for key stories (as was done for softball championship).
Third Place
Aug. 21; Aug. 24; Oct. 23
Bryan Helvie
The Herald-Tribune (Batesville)
Solid, consistent and readable. Not flashy, but gets the job done.
Category: 26 Best Feature Section/Page(s)
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Back-to-School; Lapel students; Math master
Kyle Lewis
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Clear winner. Best design, use of graphics, writing in this division.
Second Place
Students tinker with technology to build 'bots/Wacky, unique and bizarre holidays in May/Summer lunches keep children from going hungry
Rebekah Whirledge, Deb Patterson & Phoebe Muthart
The Mail-Journal (Milford)
Interesting story about robot camp. Wacky holidays and summer meals stories were inventive. Great ideas for slow news days.
Third Place
Habitat; Pound the Pavement; Jamboree
Kyle Lewis
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Nice photos show community involvement.
Category: 27 Best Business Section or Page(s)
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Oct. 30 (p.6-8); Nov. 30 (p.4-5); April 23 (p. 4-5)
Bryan Helvie, Debbie Blank & Diane Raver
The Herald-Tribune (Batesville)
Strong stories that were very business-focused and informative. The design needs a little work, but the best entry in the category.
Second Place
Salvage Sisters; Hoosier Mattress; Music Box
Kyle Lewis & Amanda Matlock
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Good layout. Liked the weekly focus story.
Third Place
No award given
Category: 28 Best Special Section
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Top 50 Hendricks County High School Athletes 1965-2010
Jake Thompson & Justin Whitaker
Hendricks County Flyer (Avon)
Second Place
Firefighters Salute
Staff
Ferdinand News
Third Place
Fall Home 2012
Kyle Lewis
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Category: 29 Community Service
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial Golden Anniversary Edition
Dean Bolin & Kathy Tretter
Spencer County Leader (Dale)
Not only did the Spencer County Leader (Dale) recognize the importance of commemorating the 50th anniversary of their community's national memorial, they provided a comprehensive historical account of how the memorial evolved into being and continued the preservation of the oral history through print.
Second Place
Shop Talk: South Madison business series
Amanda Matlock
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Amanda's series was attractive, not only graphically, but editorially and I'm sure proved to bolster the community pride by spotlighting a positive trend in local business' growth.
Third Place
No award given
Category: 30 Best Newspaper Design
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
Balancing; Breed; Opportunity
Kyle Lewis
Times-Post (Pendleton)
11) Times-Post (Pendleton). Heads and shoulders above the competition. The designer of this publication obviously pays attention to detail. Lot of elegant design items that are well executed. Loved the skyboxes. The Opportunity Knocks and the baseball preview centerpieces were top notch.
Second Place
3 sections
Staff
Spencer County Leader (Dale)
Use of photography carries this newspaper.
Third Place
Dec. 8; Jan. 30; Feb. 2
Hendricks County Flyer (Avon)
Typography was really nice.
Story of the Year Winner Division Winner
Division:Nondailies less than 3,001
First Place
A celebration of survival
Amanda Matlock
Times-Post (Pendleton)
Good quotes, great storytelling and sound presentation with chronological snippets. Reading this piece brought tears to my eyes. Very well done.
Category: 1 Best News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure
Division:Nondailies more than 3,000
First Place
State shuts down Acapulco restaurants; letter
Erika Schmidt Russell
The Journal-Press (Aurora)
Thorough coverage of a developing story against a tight deadline. The best example in the category of working under deadline pressure.
Second Place
Blizzard of 2012
Sara Clifford, Suzannah Couch & Kevin Lilly
Brown County Democrat (Nashville)
Excellent use of all platforms available to tell a story impacting the entire community. The multiple stories captured the plight of all citizens affected and the editor's blog brought a much needed sense of levity and a peek behind the curtain at how it all came together.
Third Place
Parishes closing, merging; Lack of priests and St. John's Dover; Your Girl Friday
Denise Freitag Burdette, Erika Schmidt Russell & Chris McHenry
The Journal-Press (Aurora)
Nuanced coverage of a decision that obviously deeply affects the community. Multiple angles provide depth to the coverage and show a commitment to quality while dealing with deadline pressure.
Category: 2 Best News Coverage with No Deadline Pressure
Division:Nondailies more than 3,000
First Place
Remembering the March 2, 2012, tornado