Editorial: Weekly Division Second Award - County Post West, Waupaca: (“Schools see more children in poverty; sidebar: Community responds to local poverty; Homeless children in Waupaca County; sidebar: Food pantries see more families in need; Finding shelter in a crisis” Robert Cloud, Angie Landsverk). Third Award - The Star News, Medford: (“Tombstone celebrates 50 years of ‘serving up fun’” - Brian Wilson, Mark Berglund). General Comments: Very strong category where the best incorporated maps, graphs and art to provide depth, clarity and background to stories. Engaging and interesting pieces from all entrants. Division E First Award - Ripon Commonwealth Press: (“Boca Grande misses its first; Second Boca deadline missed; Boca may have spent $50k-plus; Mayor:Boca projects will be done; Boca Grande defaults; Debt troubles mount for Boca; Worst case? City still short $2M;Boca: Building coming, but plans pared” - Ian Stepleton): Impressive and persistent reporting. Very thorough. Second Award - The Dunn County News, Menomonie: (“Cold Case Revisited” - Brett Hart): Fascinating story. Well done with the numerous sources included.
City challenges owner to step up” - Shelley Nelson): Highlight of package is story on hold-out homeowner in development area, with good sidebar on the legal issues. Dollar figures are consistently used and multiple sources make for interesting reading. Second Award - Oconto County Reporter: (“A passion for pie; Riders recognize area ATV trails (and sidebar); Oconto Hospital expansion project begins to take shape (and sidebar); Northport completes MirroCraft acquisition” - Kent Tempus): Nice variety of topics. Use of sidebars to bring in interesting and related issues gave this entry a big boost. Third Award - The Tomah Journal and Monitor Herald: (“Trucking company seeks annex” - Steve Rundio): Dueling open houses make for a good story; annexation story would have benefited from talking with the business in addition to the city administrators. Division E First Award - The Sun, Osceola: (Phillip Bock): Really enjoyed the floating story. Best individual story on the contest. But sad to hear no more beer on the river.
Second Award - Ripon Commonwealth Press: (“Boca: Building coming, but plans pared; Debt troubles mount for Boca; Alliance growth will add 250 jobs; Acquisition means new jobs at Ripon Printers” - Ian Stepleton): Very nice mix of stories. Third Award - The Verona Press: (“Florists jailed for their ‘reckless’ pre-trial behavior; Wanting to walk on; It’s only natural; Florists accused of $351K fraud” - Seth Jovaag): Good mix of stories. Division F First Award - Sauk Prairie Eagle, Sauk City: (Jeremiah Tucker): Tucker’s writing style likely creates many conversations from its clear presentation. Stories are informative yet approachable. “Discount Smokes” and “Vintage Prairie” best examples. Worth a subscription. Second Award - Crawford County Independent & The Kickapoo Scout, Gays Mills: (“Harvest looks good for local farmers; Warm weather causes concerns for growers; Composting can change game for all involved; Drought remains a concern” - Charley Preusser): Preusser clearly committed to beat. Stories weave data and perspective well. Composting a surprisingly engaging read. An easy pick.
Third Award - Voice of Wisconsin Rapids: (“Experts forecast bug cranberry harvest, File or sale’s easy choice, One year in Element poised for growth” - Jeff Williams): Williams knows how to take a local business in a major industry and inform readers about both. General Comments: Competition very close among most pubs. Would advise some to find more stats and figures -- and compare those to competitors or averages -- to satisfy business audience and make clearer distinction between business coverage and features. Would also like some sought perspective in quote-less stories; while it’s great the writers round up varied information, even one source’s plain analysis can drive it all home. Overall, sound work by all.
Feature Division D First Award - The Country Today, Eau Claire: (“A countrywide following: Distant subscribers tell their stories of connections to the Midwest” - Staff): The idea was just clever and it was well-executed. I could see it appealing to every type of reader. Second Award - River Falls Journal: (“Visitor brings gift of a lifetime” - Debbie Griffin): This was written by a skillful writer who kept the emotion of the story strong but didn’t drown in it. Everything was right on.
Third Award - The Valders Journal: (“Doctor’s departure changes clinic staff ” - Todd Bergmann): I selected this story because of how thoughtfully it treated something that might be overlooked in another community a doctor leaves a clinic. But it’s more than that, and this story showed that. Division F First Award - Voice of Wisconsin Rapids: (“DA attempted to turn wrestlers against each other” - Jeff Williams).
Third Award - Door County Advocate, Sturgeon Bay: (“Williamsonville series, It sounded like judgement day; Conditions for 1871 disaster in place; A night or horror; Survivors of 1871 fire could never forget” - Bob Johnson): A potentially dry subject turned into something fascinating. Easy to read and left you wanting more. General Comments: There were some wonderful entries in this category and it was a hard decision.
Second Award - Jackson County Chronicle, Black River Falls: (“Danger in the Medicine Cabinet” - Cassandra Colson, Matthew Perenchio). Third Award - Reedsburg Times Press: (“Reviews lowered to save money?; Big risk, little return” - Alicia Abercrombie).
Business Coverage Division D First Award - Superior Telegram: (“Superior in running for aircraft facility; Superior in running for Magnetation pellet plant; Exodus machines fill Caterpillar product gap;
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The Brillion News, First Award, Division F, Sports Feature.
Division E First Award - The Waunakee Tribune: (“In academy, citizens become responders” Ryan Dostalek): The writer chose a highly relevant subject and then fleshed it out in a manner that draws the reader in. This writer was able to show the community interaction. Second Award - Republican Journal, Darlington: (“Hans Geissbuhler: Close calls were the order for the day for Hans” Dena Harris): We are bombarded daily with stories about those who serve. Most of those