Daily Herald garners reporting, photography awards

The Daily Herald won seven honors for exemplary journalism in the annual Peter Lisagor Awards contest.

The Daily Herald's honors came after receiving 20 total nominations for top awards. The awards, sponsored by the Chicago Headline Club, were announced at a dinner Friday night at the Union League Club in Chicago.

Senior State Government Editor John Patterson and Politics and Projects Editor Joseph Ryan won first place for Best Political and Government Reporting for "Governor's Arrest," their coverage of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's arrest on corruption charges.

In the Best Feature Story category, Staff Writer Barbara Vitello won first place for "Unfit or Unjust?"

Sports Writer Tim Sassone took first place in the Best Sports Story category for "Right Where They Belong," a story covering the triumphant return of Blackhawks legends Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita to become part of the Blackhawks' organization after years in exile from the previous management.

Staff Writer Ted Cox won first place in the Best Arts Reporting and Criticism category for "Edgy Stuff: George Carlin Remembered."

Photographer Mark Welsh received the top honor in the Best News Photo category for "Mother's Day Tears." The photo was from the "Last Letters Home" project, which featured family members of soldiers killed in the Iraq war reading their loved ones' last letters sent to family. The photo showed the mother of a deceased soldier talking about him while looking over some of his military gear.

News artist Tim Broderick won first in the Best Graphics category for work such as his graphic for the "House Advantage" series, which showed the disparity in state funding for gambling addiction programs versus the amount of tax money collected from casinos.

Staff Writer Marni Pyke won Best Science, Health, Technology or Environmental Reporting for "A Wing and A Prayer/Rescued and Released," her story about volunteers who help heal injured birds and then release them.