Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporter Chad Day won the I.F. Stone Award for investigative reporting at the Arkansas Press Association's annual journalism awards luncheon Saturday in North Little Rock.
The award recognized Day's reporting in 2014 on juvenile-justice issues in Arkansas. His stories included ones about abuses at the Yell County Juvenile Detention Center, which led to the replacement of the center director and the removal of children in state custody at that lockup. The 10 stories by Day received first place in the investigative reporting category.
Democrat-Gazette photographer Benjamin Krain's November image of a North Little Rock High School football player's helmet flying off in a collision with a Little Rock Central High player won the APA Photo of the Year Award. The photograph was the first-place winner in the sports action photograph category.
Krain also received a first place award in the feature photograph category, and he and photo editor John Sykes placed first in the picture page/photo essay category.
Day, Krain and Sykes' awards were among 12 first-place honors for the Democrat-Gazette, including the general excellence award for overall quality in the larger daily newspapers division.
Former reporter Cathy Frye, photographer Rick McFarland and Assistant Managing Editor for Design and Graphics Kirk Montgomery received first place for in-depth series reporting for Frye's first-person account of a near-death experience in a southwest Texas desert after she and her husband, McFarland, got lost on a hiking trip. McFarland's photos accompanied Frye's writing.
Other Democrat-Gazette first-place winners were federal courts reporter Linda Satter for best beat reporter; Tena Chen for best graphic design portfolio; Chris Bahn, Bobby Ampezzan, Cheree Franco, Sean Clancy, Ellis Widner and Linda Haymes for coverage of tourism; Andy Davis, Haymes, Franco and Celia Storey for coverage of health and medicine; John Deering for editorial cartoonist; and Jack Schnedler for freelance writing.
Members of the newspaper's staff also won 14 second-place and seven third-place awards, and four honorable mentions. A Democrat-Gazette freelance writer also received a third-place award.
Second-place winners were Nikki Wentling, Frye and Ryan McGeeney in the news story category; Frye for feature story; Ron Wolfe, Franco and Schnedler for in-depth series reporting; Conway bureau reporter Debra Hale-Shelton for investigative reporting; Pulaski County courts reporter John Lynch for beat reporting; outdoors writer Bryan Hendricks for sports feature story; Editorial Page Editor Paul Greenberg for editorial, news/political column and general interest column writing; Jennifer Christman for humorous column writing; Matt Spence and Terry Austin for best front page design; Stan Denman for best graphic design portfolio; David Smith, Brian Fanney, Glen Chase, Cyd King and Bahn for coverage of business and agriculture; and the Arkansas Online staff for best website design.
Third-place honors went to Assistant Managing Editor for Sports Wally Hall for sports column; Deputy Editor Frank Fellone for humorous column; Night News Editor Sandra Tyler for headline writing; Krain for feature photograph and sports feature photo; McFarland for picture page/photo essay; Steve Rogers and Mike Smith for best sports page; and Schnedler for freelance writing.
Receiving honorable mentions were Jeremy Muck for sports news story, Philip Martin for sports column, and Stephen B. Thornton and Krain for separate news photographs.
Other newspapers that won first-place general excellence awards were the Saline Courier of Benton in the smaller dailies division; the Batesville Daily Guard in the medium dailies division; Lincoln's Enterprise-Leader among smaller weeklies, the Weekly Vista of Bella Vista among medium weeklies; and The Leader of Jacksonville among larger weeklies.
The Colorado Press Association judged this year's competition.
The list of first-place winners:
NEWS STORIES
Smaller dailies: Saline Courier, Benton, Sarah Perry, Josh Briggs, "Pennington Arrested." Medium dailies: Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Courtney Spradlin, "Mayflower faces another crisis." Larger dailies: Northwest Arkansas Times, Fayetteville, Dan Holtmeyer, "Unclaimed remains." Smaller weeklies: Booneville Democrat, Glenn M. Parrish, "Escaped Murderer." Medium weeklies: Dumas Clarion, Terry G. Hawkins, "Ainsworth idles Dumas plant." Larger weeklies: Carroll County News, Berryville, Scott Loftis, Samantha Jones, "Video reveals more details in K-9 incident."
FEATURE STORY
Smaller dailies: Paragould Daily Press, Erik Wright, "The Australian Connection." Medium dailies: Harrison Daily Times, David Holsted, "Barber's career spans six decades." Larger dailies: Jonesboro Sun, Christi Crawford, "Various programs provide hope to homeless." Smaller weeklies: Wynne Progress, David Owens, "Home for Christmas." Medium weeklies: Press Argus-Courier, Van Buren, Taniah Tudor, "Family reunited after 35 years." Larger weeklies: Fayetteville Free Weekly, Nick Brothers, "The weight of a soldier's heart."
IN-DEPTH SERIES REPORTING
Smaller dailies: Saline Courier, Benton, Sarah Perry, "Fatal dog attack." Medium dailies: Batesville Daily Guard, Guard staff, "Give Thanks." Larger dailies: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Cathy Frye, Rick McFarland, Kirk Montgomery, "The other side of nowhere." Smaller weeklies: The Times of NE Benton County, Pea Ridge, Annette Beard, "Marisol Soto detained." Medium weeklies: Press Argus-Courier, Van Buren, Taniah Tudor, Kenneth Fry, "New jail." Larger weeklies: Herald Leader, Siloam Springs, Jeff Della Rosa, Tina Parker, Janelle Jessen, "Downtown progress."
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTING
All dailies: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Chad Day, "Bound and Punished" (winner of the 2015 I.F. Stone Award). All weeklies: The Leader, Jacksonville, Sarah Campbell, "Mixed reviews from developer's clients."
BEST BEAT REPORTER
Smaller dailies: Times-Herald, Forrest City, Kendall Owens. Medium dailies: Batesville Daily Guard, Angelia Roberts. Larger dailies: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Linda Satter. Smaller weeklies: The Times of NE Benton County, Pea Ridge, Annette Beard. Medium weeklies: Weekly Vista, Bella Vista, Cassi Lapp. Larger weeklies: Carroll County News, Berryville, Scott Loftis.
SPORTS NEWS STORY
Smaller dailies: Times-Herald, Forrest City, Fred Conley, "Mustangs focused, ready to win." Medium dailies: Harrison Daily Times, Jeff Brasel, "Will Take Charge nominated for Eclipse." Larger dailies: Benton County Daily Record, Bentonville, Henry Apple, "Triple Crowned." Smaller weeklies: Montgomery County News, Jasper, Jeff Brasel, "Thomason turning to rocking chair." Medium weeklies: Weekly Vista, Bella Vista, Lynn Atkins, "Trouble on the trails." Larger weeklies: Carroll County News, Berryville, Ty Loftis, "Bobcats hang on."
SPORTS FEATURE STORY
Smaller dailies: Saline Courier, Benton, Josh Briggs, "Coach Mom." Medium dailies: Batesville Daily Guard, Kris Caraway, "Batesville's own Oscar Valdez." Larger dailies: Rogers Morning News, Jimmy Carter, "One Step At A Time." Smaller weeklies: Enterprise-Leader, Lincoln, Mark Humphrey, "Parental Pressure to Perform." Medium weeklies: Nashville Leader, John R. Schirmer, "New OBU stadium." Larger weeklies: The Leader, Jacksonville, Ray Benton, "Faith shines brighter than limelight."
SPORTS COLUMN
Smaller dailies: Banner-News, Magnolia, Chris Gilliam, "One final run." Medium dailies: Harrison Daily Times, Jeff Brasel, "It was a game." Larger dailies: The Morning News, Springdale, Rick Fires, "Valentine's a special day." Smaller weeklies: The Times of NE Benton County, Pea Ridge, John McGee, "The importance of athletics." Medium weeklies: Dumas Clarion, Terry G. Hawkins, "Woodshed visits on Father's Day." Larger weeklies: The Leader, Jacksonville, Ray Benton, "NFL wrong on many levels."
EDITORIAL
Smaller dailies: Banner-News, Magnolia, Dan Marsh, "Voters OK alcohol sales." Medium dailies: Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Joe Lamb, "Maggio: Time to step down." Larger dailies: Jonesboro Sun, Chris Wessel, "More criminal cases should go to trial." Smaller weeklies: Newton County Times, Jasper, Jeff Dezort, "Not a lot of choices here." Medium weeklies: Advance Monticellonian, Monticello, Melissa Cason, "It's simply a matter of trust." Larger weeklies: The Leader, Jacksonville, Jonathan Feldman, "The mayor vs. ex-police chief."
NEWS/POLITICAL COLUMN
Smaller dailies: Times-Herald, Forrest City, Kendall Owens, "Time to take a stand." Medium dailies: El Dorado News-Times, Jim Patterson, "Climate change debate no longer." Larger dailies: Benton County Daily Record, Bentonville, Greg Harton, "Ambulances a taxing situation." Smaller weeklies: Dover Times, Steve Leavell, "On to the off season." Medium weeklies: Weekly Vista, Bella Vista, Tom Throne, "Quorum Court's quandary." Larger weeklies: The Leader, Jacksonville, Garrick Feldman, "Pardons by Beebe."
GENERAL INTEREST COLUMN
Smaller dailies: Saline Courier, Benton, Lynda Hollenbeck, "Reynolds leaves indelible mark." Medium dailies: El Dorado News-Times, Joan Hershberger, "Give the gift of self." Larger dailies: Benton County Daily Record, Bentonville, Gary Smith, "Electra Memories of Dad, Brother." Smaller weeklies: Enterprise-Leader, Lincoln, Pat Harris, "Living with autism." Medium weeklies: The Times Dispatch, Walnut Ridge, Vivian Heyl, "Game teaches life lessons." Larger weeklies: Herald Leader, Siloam Springs, Louis Houston, "Feathers in the wind."
HUMOROUS COLUMN
Smaller dailies: Banner-News, Magnolia, Kathy Camp, "Fruit Salad and Swimsuit shopping." Medium dailies: Harrison Daily Times, David Holsted, "That's what friends are for." Larger dailies: Rogers Morning News, Gary Smith, "In the fast lane to happiness." Smaller weeklies: White Hall Journal, Melissa Brodnax, "The healing power of the car wash." Medium weeklies: Nashville News, Mike Graves, "To Russia, with love." Larger weeklies: Herald Leader, Siloam Springs, Devin Houston, "The wife app."
HEADLINE WRITING
Smaller dailies: Saline Courier, Benton, Josh Briggs, "Un-Bre-lievable!" Medium dailies: Batesville Daily Guard, Angelia Roberts, "Alleged soap thief makes clean getaway." Larger dailies: Jonesboro Sun, George Jared, "A mine-blowing experience." Smaller weeklies: Montgomery County News, Mount Ida, Dewayne Holloway, "Fishing for the right bait." Medium weeklies: Nashville Leader, John Balch, "When is a lawyer not a lawyer?" Larger weeklies: The Leader, Jacksonville, Johathan Feldman, "Silence from sound study deafening."
SINGLE NEWS PHOTOGRAPH
Smaller dailies: Times-Herald, Forrest City, Kendall Owens, "Breaking the wall." Medium dailies: El Dorado News-Times, Michael Orrell, "Drug bust." Larger dailies: The Sentinel-Record, Hot Springs, Richard Rasmussen, "Majestic Hotel burns." Smaller weeklies: Enterprise-Leader, Lincoln, Lynn Kutter, "Park revisits civil war history." Medium weeklies: Weekly Vista, Bella Vista, Cassi Lapp, "Three businesses go up in flames." Larger weeklies: Herald Leader, Siloam Springs, Janelle Jessen, "River tragedy stuns town."
SINGLE FEATURE PHOTOGRAPH
Smaller dailies: Paragould Daily Press, Lora Mosley, "Principals in ice." Medium dailies: El Dorado News-Times, Michael Orrell, "A night of remembrance." Larger dailies: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Benjamin Krain, "Practice for season opener." Smaller weeklies: Booneville Democrat, Glenn M. Parrish, "Best friends." Medium weeklies: Press Argus-Courier, Van Buren, Kenneth Fry, "Almost done." Larger weeklies: The Leader, Jacksonville, David Scolli, "Winter Olympics in Sherwood."
SINGLE SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPH
Smaller dailies: Saline Courier, Benton, Jay Manning, "And ... they're off." Medium dailies: Batesville Daily Guard, David Magee, "Ian Kinsler Classic." Larger dailies: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Benjamin Krain, "High school football" (winner of 2015 APA Photo of the Year). Smaller weeklies: White Hall Journal, Bo Rogers, "Dogs are defeated." Medium weeklies: The Times Dispatch, Walnut Ridge, Ashley George, "Bobcat Cole Hicks is safe." Larger weeklies: The Leader, Jacksonville, David Scolli, "Razorbacks excite crowd."
SINGLE SPORTS FEATURE PHOTOGRAPH
Smaller dailies: Saline Courier, Benton, Bobbye Pyke, "Bow your head." Medium dailies: El Dorado News-Times, Michael Orrell, "Ticket punched." Larger dailies: Benton County Daily Record, Bentonville, Andy Shupe, "State champions celebrate." Smaller weeklies: The Times of NE Benton County, Pea Ridge, Annette Beard, "Behind the catcher's mitt." Medium weeklies: Nashville News, Luke Reeder, "Scrapper baseball player." Larger weeklies: Herald Leader, Siloam Springs, Tina Parker, "Special kids rodeo a hit."
PICTURE PAGE/PHOTO ESSAY
Smaller dailies: Times-Herald, Forrest City, Alan Smith, "Bikes, crawfish and music." Medium dailies: El Dorado News-Times, Jim Lemon, "A joyful noise." Larger dailies: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Benjamin Krain, John Sykes Jr., "State of a fair." Smaller weeklies: Enterprise-Leader, Lincoln, Mark Humphrey, "Buzzer-Beating." Medium weeklies: Weekly Vista, Bella Vista, Brandon Howard, Tom Throne, "Hay Days." Larger weeklies: Lovely County Citizen, Eureka Springs, Chip Ford, "Veteran's Day Parade."
BEST FRONT PAGE
Smaller dailies: Saline Courier, Benton, Josh Briggs. Medium dailies: Batesville Daily Guard, Andrea Bruner, Deb Hutchins. Larger dailies: The Morning News, Springdale. Smaller weeklies: Montgomery County News, Mount Ida, Dewayne Holloway. Medium weeklies: Nashville Leader, John R. Schirmer. Larger weeklies: Herald Leader, Siloam Springs, Graham Thomas, Kent Marts.
BEST GRAPHIC DESIGN PORTFOLIO
Small and medium dailies: Batesville Daily Guard, Kris Caraway. Larger dailies: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Tena Chen. All weeklies: Stone County Leader, Mountain View, Lori Freeze.
BEST SPORTS PAGE
Small and medium dailies: Saline Courier, Benton, Josh Briggs. Larger dailies: Texarkana Gazette, Jason Hopkins. Smaller weeklies: Newton County Times, Jasper, Jeff Brasel. Medium weeklies: Advance Monticellonian, Monticello, Harold Coons. Larger weeklies: Herald Leader, Siloam Springs, Graham Thomas.
BEST SPECIAL ISSUE/SECTION
Smaller dailies: Saline Courier, Benton, Saline Courier staff, "Extraordinary People." Medium dailies: El Dorado News-Times, El Dorado News-Times staff, "125 Years of printed history." Larger dailies: The Morning News, Springdale, "Half-Millon Mark." Smaller weeklies: Enterprise-Leader, Lincoln, Pat Harris, Mark Humphrey, Lynn Kutter, "Protect & Serve." Medium weeklies: Nashville News, D.E. Ray, Charles Goodin, "Election 2014." Larger weeklies: Fayetteville Free Weekly, Nick Brothers, Richard Davis, "Special Wakarusa."
COVERAGE OF BUSINESS/AGRICULTURE
Small and medium dailies: Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Joe Lamb, Michelle Corbett. Larger dailies: Rogers Morning News, Joel Walsh, Doug Thompson, Christie Swanson, Dan Holtmeyer. Smaller weeklies: Enterprise-Leader, Lynn Kutter, Pat Harris. Medium weeklies: Nashville News, D.E. Ray, Aaron Grimes, Katelyn Loffman. Larger weeklies: Herald Leader, Siloam Springs, Janelle Jassen, Jeff Della Rosa, Tina Parker.
COVERAGE OF EDUCATION
Small and medium dailies: Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Brandon Riddle. Larger dailies: Jonesboro Sun, George Jared, Sarah Morris, Sunshine Crump. Smaller weeklies: Wynne Progress. Medium weeklies: Advance Monticellonian, Monticello, Melissa Cason. Larger weeklies: Carroll County News, Berryville, Samantha Jones.
COVERAGE OF TOURISM
No entries received for small daily division. Medium and large dailies: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Chris Bahn, Bobby Ampezzan, Cheree Franco, Sean Clancy, Ellis Widner, Linda Haymes. Smaller weeklies: Newton County Times, Jasper. Medium weeklies: Villager Journal, Cherokee Village, Tammy Curtis. Larger weeklies: The Leader, Jacksonville, Sarah Campbell, Garrick Feldman, Rick Kron, Jeff Smith.
COVERAGE OF HEALTH/MEDICAL
Small and medium dailies: Log Cabin Democrat, Conway, Michelle Corbet, Angela Spencer. Larger dailies: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Andy Davis, Linda Haymes, Cheree Franco, Celia Story. Smaller weeklies: Wynne Progress, David Owens. Medium weeklies: Weekly Vista, Bella Vista, Cassi Lapp. Larger weeklies: The Leader, Jacksonville, Sarah Campbell, John Hofheimer, Rick Kron.
EDITORIAL CARTOONIST PORTFOLIO
All newspapers: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, John Deering.
BEST WEBSITE DESIGN
Small and medium dailies: Blytheville Courier News, www.couriernews.net. Larger dailies: Northwest Arkansas Times, Fayetteville. All weeklies: Ashley County Ledger, Hamburg, www.ashleycountyledger.com.
FREELANCE WRITING
Small and medium dailies: Paragould Daily Press, Marie Mitchell, "Elijah's courageous journey." Larger dailies: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Jack Schnedler, Carlos Joseph Nichols. Smaller weeklies: Enterprise-Leader, Lincoln, Ben Madrid, "Numbers, Statistics and Banners." Medium weeklies: Press Argus-Courier, Van Buren, Lisa Darden Moose, "Speaking for Anne." Larger weeklies: The Leader, Jacksonville, Cliffton Dolezal, "Families cope with deployment."
GENERAL EXCELLENCE
Smaller dailies: Saline Courier, Benton. Medium dailies: Batesville Daily Guard. Larger dailies: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Smaller weeklies: Enterprise-Leader, Lincoln. Medium weeklies: Weekly Vista, Bella Vista. Larger weeklies: The Leader, Jacksonville.
Metro on 07/12/2015