Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Rappahannock News Entry Title: Coverage of government and how it affects Rappahannock County Entry Credit: Tim Carrington Judge Comment: Informative. The writer's use of graphics, bold subheads, and bullet points breaks up the wall of text, making the story more engaging and easier to digest. It is relatively free of grammatical errors and breaks down a difficult subject is layman's terms.
The tax increases needed to fund the schools in the county b/c the state legislature dropped the ball showed a similar setup and understanding of the process where the writer was able to use his knowledge to reasonably inform the public. This is another great example of what newspapers are for. A pleasure to read.
Great job on following the story to the conclusion.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: The Smithfield Times Entry Title: JRB, assessments, rentals Entry Credit: Stephen Faleski Judge Comment: Interesting insight - when road work is more than road work on an iconic structure. A stroke of genius, including a business owner's perspective on the project. Emergency services was also an interesting take.
Seeing a lot of property tax increase stories. The impact on communities and established property owners hasn't been as well documented as those who are being shut out of the housing market altogether. Timely.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: The Tidewater News Entry Title: W13 Government writing Titus Mohler #3 Entry Credit: Titus Mohler Judge Comment: Relatively hard-hitting news stories that paint a picture of local politics. Well-done.
Competition Comment: A lot of hard-hitting news in this category. Several of the Third and alternate stories were on same topics.
