Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Cardinal News Entry Title: Cardinal news Southwest Virginia flooding coverage Entry Credit: Megan Schnabel, Markus Schmidt Judge Comment: So much was covered
so well.
From so many gripping examples of human
toll and sacrifice —
mixed in with encouraging
perspectives from some
victims — to frustrating
bureaucratic roadblocks,
and delays, this series
of stories tears at your
heart while laying out
lessons learned, and
raising questions, about
how government should respond in such a crisis.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Cardinal News Entry Title: Skilled litigation Entry Credit: Markus Schmidt, Susan Cameron Judge Comment: Well-written story,
especially the truck-stop
lead in the first story,
about rival
gaming interests and
their expansion/contraction.
Nice job of laying out the
apparent political, and
obviously personal,
divide between pro-casino
and pro-"skill games."
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: The Roanoke Rambler Entry Title: Roanoke criminal justice reforms Entry Credit: Henri Gendreau Judge Comment: Well done on how police,
politicians and the public try to
balance recently passed
social justice laws — undergoing some fine-tuning — with the harsh reality of rising crime.
Place Name: Alternate Winner Contestant Name: Henrico Citizen Entry Title: Masking in Henrico schools Entry Credit: Anna Bryson Judge Comment: Solid account of how
so many branches, and levels, of government were involved in this school-masking issue, and how parents, school officials and students reacted.
A clear outline about many entities who were confused and/or fearful — especially special-needs parents — about the school system enforcement of masking.
