Winners announced in 2017 Indiana APME contest

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Winners have been announced in the Indiana Associated Press Media Editors (APME) newspaper contest.

The awards were announced at the annual awards banquet held Friday, May 4, in Indianapolis.

Twenty-nine daily newspapers submitted 530 entries of work from 2017 in the contest, which featured news, investigative, public affairs, and sports stories as well as photo and digital entries.

The Associated Press is a not-for-profit news cooperative representing 1,400 newspapers and 5,000 broadcast stations in the United States.

Winners list in Division III:

Best Spot News Coverage: 1, Evansville Courier & Press, "Resident in House Explosion was Under Eviction"; 2, Steve Garrison, The Times Media Co., "Police Find Guns, Knives, Liquor Bottles at Day Care"; 3, The Indianapolis Star, "Indianapolis Police Chief Calls Fatal Shooting of Unarmed Driver 'a Tragedy'."

Best Deadline Sports Story: 1, Mike Vorel, South Bend Tribune, "ND Delivers Statement Win"; 2, Jim Ayello and Emma Kate Fittes, The Indianapolis Star, "Vice President Mike Pence Leaves Colts Game"; 3, Kyle Neddenriep, The Indianapolis Star, "Martinsville and Manual Take a Knee Together, But Not to Protest."

Best Feature Writing: 1, Amanda Kingsbury, The Indianapolis Star, "A Heart Strong Enough for 2 Fathers, Families"; 2, Mike Vorel, South Bend Tribune, "Chris Zorich Finds a New Calling"; 3, Lauren Cross, The Times Media Co., "A Changed Community: The East Chicago Lead Crisis One Year Later."

Best Non-Deadline Sports Story: 1, Eric Hansen, South Bend Tribune, "A Day in the Life of Brian Kelly"; 2, Clifton Brown, The Indianapolis Star, "James Hardy's Mysterious Death Leaves His Mother Grieving"; 3, John Martin, Evansville Courier & Press, "Remembering the Aces Series."

Best Column: 1, Tim Harmon, The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette; 2, Suzette Hackney, The Indianapolis Star; 3, Marc Chase, The Times Media Co.

Best Sports Column: 1, Gregg Doyel, The Indianapolis Star; 2, Mike Vorel, South Bend Tribune, "Tunnel Vision; Irish Weren't Ready"; 3, Mike Hutton, (Merrillville) Post-Tribune.

Best Business Writing: 1, Sarah Bowman and Emily Hopkins, The Indianapolis Star, "Indiana Solar Installation Industry"; 2, Tim Evans and Madeline Buckley, The Indianapolis Star, "How Home Buyers Say Their American Dream Became a Nightmare"; 3, Sherry Slater, The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette, "What GE Site; Experts; and Lutheran Intends."

Best Editorial Writer: 1, Alesia Redding, South Bend Tribune, "Taking the Full Measure of a School"; 2, Karen Francisco, The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette, "Investing in Kids; Project Finds Five Concerns with Vouchers"; 3, Alan Achkar, South Bend Tribune, "Make Lead Poisoning a Priority."

Best Headline Writing: 1, Dan Riordan, The Times Media Co.; 2, South Bend Tribune; 3, Dean Magnavite, (Merrillville) Post-Tribune.

Best Enterprise Reporting: 1, Giles Bruce, The Times Media Co., "Why Are So Many Indiana Babies Dying?"; 2, The Indianapolis Star, "USA Gymnastics Investigation"; 3, The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette, "Living on the Edge: September Project Stories."

Best Illustration or Graphic: 1, Deborah Hile, The Times Media Co., "Population in NWI"; 2, Greg Bandera, South Bend Tribune, "Never Built South Bend"; 3, The Times Media Co., "Purple Martin Migration."

Best Full Page Design: 1, The Times Media Co.; 2, The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette; 3, Allison Dale, South Bend Tribune.

Best Video: 1, Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star, "He Defends White Nationalism, even after Charlottesville"; 2, Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star, "Pee Wee Baseball Coach Takes Pie to the Face Every Game"; 3, Kelly Wilkinson, The Indianapolis Star, "Sunshine Gardens Residents Fear Leaching from Coal Ash Pits."

Best Multimedia Storytelling: 1, Ted Booker and Becky Malewitz, South Bend Tribune, "South Bend's Stubborn Lead Problem"; 2, Stephen Beard and Zak Keefer, The Indianapolis Star, "Best Views at Indianapolis Motor Speedway"; 3, Becky Malewitz, South Bend Tribune, "Mother of Murder Victim Pushes for Hate Crime Legislation."

Best Digital Presence: 1, South Bend Tribune; 2, Evansville Courier & Press; 3, The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette.

Best Spot News Photo: 1, Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star, "First Punch in Charlottesville Starts Weekend of Violence"; 2, Robert Franklin, South Bend Tribune, "Pence Protest"; 3, Jenna Watson, The Indianapolis Star, "A Prayer for an Officer Killed in the Line of Duty."

Best Sports Photo: 1, Robert Franklin, South Bend Tribune, "Pro Run"; 2, Robert Franklin, South Bend Tribune, "Head Over Heels"; 3, Matt Kryger, The Indianapolis Star, "In Your Face."

Best Feature Photo: 1, Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star, "Near West Porch Ball"; 2, Kale Wilk, The Times Media Co., "Mexican Independence Day Parade"; 3, Sam Owens, Evansville Courier & Press, "Unsupervised Townships."

Best Photo Story: 1, Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star, "A Year of Photos Capture America in One Tiny Indianapolis Neighborhood"; 2, Mykal McEldowney, The Indianapolis Star, "Inmates Find Hope in Work with Retired Racehorses"; 3, Mike Lawrence, Evansville Courier & Press, "Towboat / River."

Best Public Service: 1, Ted Booker, South Bend Tribune, "Lead Poisoning Series"; 2, Giles Bruce, The Times Media Co., "What's Killing Indiana's Infants?"; 3, The Indianapolis Star, "State of Addiction: Confronting Indiana's Opioid Addiction."

Best Investigative Reporting: 1, Tim Evans and Ryan Martin, The Indianapolis Star, "Code of Silence Series"; 2, Mark Alesia and Kaitlin Lange, The Indianapolis Star, "Mike Pence's Infrastructure Mess: What Went Wrong with I-69?"; 3, Steve Garrison, The Times Media Co., "Merrillville Day Care Operator Collected Thousands While Homes Were in Violation of Law."

General Excellence: 1, The Indianapolis Star; 2, South Bend Tribune; 3, The Times Media Co.

Winners list in Division II:

Best Spot News Coverage: 1, Stu Hirsch, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin, "Alexandria Explosion"; 2, The (Muncie) Star Press, "MCS Bus Fiasco"; 3, Ron Wilkins and Joe Paul, (Lafayette) Journal & Courier, "Historic Trail Near Bridge Becomes Crime Scene."

Best Deadline Sports Story: 1, Blake Sebring, The (Fort Wayne) News-Sentinel, "Coliseum Takes Responsibility for Chaulk Banner Mistake"; 2, Ryan O'Gara, The (Muncie) Star Press, "Ball State Stuns No. 9 Notre Dame"; 3, The (Bloomington) Herald-Times, "Crean Fired."

Best Feature Writing: 1, Navar Watson, (Marion) Chronicle-Tribune; 2, Danielle Grady, (Jeffersonville) News and Tribune; 3, Jonathan Streetman, The (Bloomington) Herald-Times.

Best Non-Deadline Sports Story: 1, Blake Sebring, The (Fort Wayne) News-Sentinel, "Heritage Basketball Player Katie Graham Taking the Fight to Her Abusive Past"; 2, Kelly Lafferty Gerber, Kokomo Tribune, "Hayes the Brave"; 3, Rob Hunt, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin, "Alexandria Volleyball Semistate Previews."

Best Column: 1, Jason Thomas, (Jeffersonville) News and Tribune; 2, Alicia Morgan, (Terre Haute) Tribune-Star; 3, Roger Moon, The (Bedford) Times-Mail, "A Date Night Gone Bad and Other Columns."

Best Sports Column: 1, Todd Golden, (Terre Haute) Tribune-Star; 2, Justin Kenny, The (Fort Wayne) News-Sentinel; 3, Reggie Hayes, The (Fort Wayne) News-Sentinel.

Best Business Writing: 1, Mickey Shuey, (Richmond) Palladium-Item; 2, Keith Roysdon, The (Muncie) Star Press, "Marsh Leaves Town"; 3, Dave Taylor, (Terre Haute) Tribune-Star, "Would a Casino Boost Vigo County's Economy?"

Best Editorial Writer: 1, Scott Underwood, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin; 2, Heather Bremer, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin; 3, Alicia Morgan, (Terre Haute) Tribune-Star.

Best Headline Writing: 1, Tom Swenson, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin; 2, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin.

Best Enterprise Reporting: 1, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin, "Broken Trust"; 2, Jason Truitt, (Richmond) Palladium-Item, "Old Reid Saga"; 3, Douglas Walker and Keith Roysdon, The (Muncie) Star Press, "Cold Case: Muncie."

Best Illustration or Graphic: 1, Heather Bremer, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin, "Broken Trust - Who Are The Offenders?"; 2, Bill Thornbro, The (Bloomington) Herald-Times, "The Great American Solar Eclipse"; 3, Heather Bremer, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin, "Eclipse - When Darkness Falls."

Best Full Page Design: 1, Heather Bremer, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin; 2, Autumn Ricketts, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin; 3, Patrick Caldwell, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin.

Best Video: 1, Lauren Bavis, The (Bloomington) Herald-Times, "Faces of the Opioid Crisis"; 2, Seth Tackett and Jon Blau, The (Bloomington) Herald-Times, "No Limits"; 3, Kelly Lafferty Gerber, Kokomo Tribune, "Bill Roe, the Santa of Kokomo."

Best Multimedia Storytelling: 1, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin, "Broken Trust - Day 1"; 2, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin, "Frankton State Championship"; 3, Heather Bremer, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin, "Indiana Chinese Lantern Festival."

Best Digital Presence: 1, The (Bloomington) Herald-Times; 2, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin; 3, (Terre Haute) Tribune-Star.

Best Spot News Photo: 1, Jordan Kartholl, The (Muncie) Star Press, "Fire Battle"; 2, Jordan Kartholl, The (Muncie) Star Press, "Stabbing Suspect "; 3, Jordan Kartholl, The (Muncie) Star Press, "Help after Crash."

Best Sports Photo: 1, Kelly Lafferty Gerber, Kokomo Tribune, "Goggle Goof"; 2, Jordan Kartholl, The (Muncie) Star Press, "Fingertip Stretch"; 3, Jordan Kartholl, The (Muncie) Star Press, "Walkoff Celebration."

Best Feature Photo: 1, Jeremy Hogan, The (Bloomington) Herald-Times, "Billy "; 2, John Cleary, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin, "Mild Winter"; 3, Josh Hicks, (Jeffersonville) News and Tribune, "Sun Struck."

Best Photo Story: 1, Chris Howell, The (Bloomington) Herald-Times, "A Cross Between Love and Science"; 2, Kelly Lafferty Gerber, Kokomo Tribune, "Bill Roe, the Santa of Kokomo"; 3, Jeremy Hogan, The (Bloomington) Herald-Times, "Born to Run."

Best Public Service: 1, (Jeffersonville) News and Tribune, "Crossroads of Crisis"; 2, Ken de la Bastide and Devan Filchak, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin, "Needle Exchange"; 3, Rebecca Bibbs, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin, "Anderson Schools Facility Plan."

Best Investigative Reporting: 1, Rebecca Bibbs, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin, "Elwood Police Resignations."

General Excellence: 1, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin; 2, The (Bloomington) Herald-Times; 3, The (Muncie) Star Press.

Winners list in Division I:

Best Spot News Coverage: 1, The (Portland) Commercial Review, "Destruction"; 2, Christina Seiler, The Rochester Sentinel, "ND player Redfield Convicted"; 3, Caleb Bauer, The (Portland) Commercial Review, "Victim is Critical."

Best Deadline Sports Story: 1, Ray Cooney, The (Portland) Commercial Review, "Bader to Be Medalist"; 2, Stephen Brooks, The Goshen News; 3, Val Tsoutsouris, The Rochester Sentinel, "I Thought About Her the Whole Time'."

Best Feature Writing: 1, Lindsay Owens, Washington Times-Herald; 2, Rose Skelly, The (Portland) Commercial Review; 3, Leandra Beabout, The Goshen News.

Best Non-Deadline Sports Story: 1, Jim Johnson, (Crawfordsville) Journal Review, "Never Losing Sight"; 2, Jessica Bricker, (Bluffton) News-Banner, "Knights Win in Knightstown"; 3, Stephen Brooks, The Goshen News.

Best Column: 1, Steve Garbacz, The (Kendallville) News Sun, "The Garbacz Dump"; 2, Melody Brunson, Washington Times-Herald; 3, Mark Miller, (Bluffton) News-Banner.

Best Sports Column: 1, Stephen Brooks, The Goshen News; 2, Chris Schanz, The (Portland) Commercial Review; 3, Val Tsoutsouris, The Rochester Sentinel.

Best Business Writing: 1, Christina Seiler, The Rochester Sentinel, "After 2 Ransoms, Woodlawn Beefs Up"; 2, Christina Seiler, The Rochester Sentinel, "Baileys Sale Finalized"; 3, Ray Cooney, The (Portland) Commercial Review, "57 Turbines."

Best Editorial Writer: 1, Roger Schneider, The Goshen News; 2, Julie Crothers Beer, The Goshen News; 3, Gayle Robbins, Vincennes Sun-Commercial.

Best Headline Writing: 1, Ray Cooney, The (Portland) Commercial Review; 2, Val Tsoutsouris, The Rochester Sentinel; 3, Dave Schultz, (Bluffton) News-Banner.

Best Enterprise Reporting: 1, The (Kendallville) News Sun, "Funding Our Future?"; 2, Steve Garbacz, The (Kendallville) News Sun, "West Lakes Flood Recovery"; 3, Caleb Bauer, The (Portland) Commercial Review, "Opioids and Overdoses."

Best Illustration or Graphic: 1, Kevin Burkett, (Logansport) Pharos-Tribune; 2, Ray Cooney, The (Portland) Commercial Review, "Free and Reduced Lunch in Jay County."

Best Full Page Design: 1, Kevin Burkett, (Logansport) Pharos-Tribune, "Kevin Burkett"; 2, Dave Schultz, (Bluffton) News-Banner; 3, Carey Fox, Brazil Times, "Northview Knights Regional Preview."

Best Video: 1, Kristi Sanders, Washington Times-Herald, "Farewell to a Fallen Hero."

Best Digital Presence: 1, The (Portland) Commercial Review.

Best Spot News Photo: 1, Glen Werling, (Bluffton) News-Banner, "Two Teens Injured in City Collision"; 2, Caleb Bauer, The (Portland) Commercial Review, "Fire Destroys Barn"; 3, Brazil Times, "Thank You for Your Service: Veterans Day 2017."

Best Sports Photo: 1, Chris Schanz, The (Portland) Commercial Review, "Soaring Schlechty"; 2, Ray Cooney, The (Portland) Commercial Review, "Championship Tears."

Best Feature Photo: 1, Caleb Bauer, The (Portland) Commercial Review, "Respectful Retirement"; 2, Ray Cooney, The (Portland) Commercial Review, "Wake Up!"; 3, Glen Werling, (Bluffton) News-Banner, "Parade Night Flip."

Best Photo Story: 1, Kevin Burkett, (Logansport) Pharos-Tribune; 2, Glen Werling, (Bluffton) News-Banner, "Good Clean Fun."

Best Public Service: 1, Mike Marturello and Amy Oberlin, The (Angola) Herald Republican, "Economic Development Agency Must Open Its Doors"; 2, The (Portland) Commercial Review, "Child Poverty."

Best Investigative Reporting: 1, Ben Middelkamp and Kevin Burkett, (Logansport) Pharos-Tribune; 2, Steve Garbacz, The (Kendallville) News Sun, "How Much in Back Taxes Are Owed? "A Lot".''

General Excellence: 1, The (Portland) Commercial Review; 2, (Logansport) Pharos-Tribune; 3, The Goshen News.

Winners list in All Divisions:

Will Counts Award: Grace Hollars, Ball State University.

Kent Cooper Award: 1, Amanda Kingsbury, The Indianapolis Star, "A Heart Strong Enough for 2 Fathers, Families"; 2, Giles Bruce, The Times Media Co., "Why Are So Many Indiana Babies Dying?"; 3, The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin, "Broken Trust."