Independent Weekly Editorial Director Leslie Turk swept the free circulation and special interest division for investigative reporting at the Louisiana Press Association’s annual convention and awards luncheon in Marksville Saturday. The paper placed first for its breaking series on the Lafayette Housing Authority, second for a cover story and subsequent pieces that questioned Lafayette City-Parish Councilman Brandon Shelvin’s residency qualification and suitability for public office, and third for a cover on Lafayette Police Maj. Glen Dartez’s failure to lend medical assistance to a woman who later died. Dartez, a medic who was off-duty from the PD at the time, retired in the wake of the controversy.
The Independent competes with publications like Gambit, Baton Rouge Business Report, Central City News (Baton Rouge area), Acadiana Lifestyle and The Forum (Shreveport).
Former Independent Weekly staff writer Mary Tutwiler placed first her feature story on the Collins family of Caminada Bay, “The Last Harvest,” and photographer Robin May placed first for best news/feature photo for an image of artist George Marks for the cover story, “Rising from the Ashes." That image was also voted Best of Show in the free circ and special interest division by the convention participants.
Former Ind staff writer Nathan Stubbs and Managing Editor Walter Pierce, who wrote stories on LUS Fiber and creationists who are jeopardizing science education in Louisiana public schools, respectively, placed second in best news coverage. Former intern Hope Rurik's breaking story on UL Lafayette's plan to cut down six mature live oaks to expand its housing options earned second place community service/service to readers.
The paper also placed second for best front page and earned top honors for best multi-media element and best website.
The Independent Weekly's ad staff placed first for graphic designer Nicole Manafi’s ad campaign for Pack & Paddle and first for Associate Art Director Kevin Pontiff’s Takin’ Care of Business promotion.
The coveted Freedom of Information Award went to Woody Jenkins, editor of Central City News. “Sometimes it takes a crusader to right a wrong, and this year’s Freedom of Information Award winner definitely fits that bill,” the LPA said in announcing the winner. The association notes that Jenkins “has waged almost a one-man battle to open the records of city government to the public. The problem is that Central City, a small community north of Baton Rouge, has taken privatization to the extreme. It has, in essence, privatized its entire city government.”
The national consulting firm CH2MHILL, according to the newspaper, receives $4 million of the city’s entire $5 million budget to handle every facet of the city’s day-to-day operations. Problems came to a head last spring, when the city-sponsored a campaign ad for the mayor. Jenkins demanded public records related to the ad, but CH2MHILL and the city refused. They claimed that since the consulting firm is a private company, its records are private, too. And that comes despite a provision in its contract with the city that says CH2MHILL will comply with the state’s open-meetings and public-records laws.
The newspaper sued, but a district judge sided with the city. The Central City News appealed and is awaiting a decision.
The LPA points out that the legal battle has imperiled the newspaper financially, and the mayor and his allies have started a competing newspaper and encouraged an ongoing boycott of the Central City News, but contest judges were impressed with Jenkins’ tenacity “in the face of major obstacles.”
“Often, he was the only person in the room fighting for the public’s right to know,” the release notes. “The stories have implications that go beyond the battle in Central City; they offer lessons for anyone dealing with the trend toward privatization of government services.”
The Advocate, American Press, The Courier (Houma), Ruston Daily Leader, The Livingston Parish News (Denham Springs), the Tri-Parish Times (Houma), Plaquemine Post/South, and the Zachary Plainsman News earned Newspaper of the Year honors. The designation for the Newspaper of the Year is based on the number of points earned in the Better Newspaper Editorial Competition and the Better Newspaper Advertising Competition for 2010 with awards being given in individual contests for first, second, third places and honorable mention. The editorial contests range from news story writing to graphic design while the advertising entries were judged based on design, creativity and effectiveness. The Kentucky Press Association judged both competitions this winter.
Earning sweepstakes awards in the editorial competition were The Advocate, The Daily Advertiser, The Courier (Houma), Ruston Daily Leader, The Livingston Parish News (Denham Springs), the Tri-Parish Times (Houma), Plaquemine Post/South, and the Bunkie Record. The Advertiser’s Claire Taylor also won the best investigative reporting honor among daily newspapers in Division 2 for her coverage of the LHA debacle.
The LPA’s 131st annual Louisiana Press Association convention was this weekend at the Paragon Casino.
MAY 24 Blogger Robert Mann posts this entry about the Baton Rouge Chamber's recent report on Louisiana's higher education system. It's critical to economic development, and yet our system is facing a "funding crisis" with no way to resolve it, the report says. The Chamber says control of tuition and fees must be returned to the higher ed governing boards.
MAY 24 Here's a NBC33 story about Tyrann Mathieu. He has signed with the Arizona Cardinals, inking a $3 million, four-year deal. He gets a signing bonus of $265K, but gets another, larger bonus if he doesn't get cut from the team for doing drugs. The deal reportedly includes mandatory tests and meetings for the player.
MAY 24 Jarvis DeBerry posts here about the redonkulus rhetoric that would have us believe NOLA is a safe city with a murder problem. Maybe the city's crime stats don't compare with its murder stats because you can't manipulate a murder, he says: a dead body's a dead body. It just doesn't make sense, he says, and his readers agree: a poll asks if they believe the city is safe, and more than 90 percent say no.
MAY 24 Jindal administration officials announced Thursday that the privatization of public health care is going to cost a lot more than they budgeted for, the Advocate reports here. "I'm so surprised," said no one. Anywhere. The cost they're projecting now is more than $1 billion - a lot more than the $626 million budgeted for it. And, it's more than it cost the state to operate those hospitals. So why are we doing this again?
MAY 24 Blogger CB Forgotston ridicules the recent PR campaign by the state GOP in the wake of a legislative auditor's request to both major parties. The GOP (apparently unaware that the Dems got the same request) started yammering about being targeted because it had "killed" a tax increase. CB finds that laughable, but it's also pretty funny that the GOP was comparing this episode to the IRS scandal (Because the President has so much to do with our state auditor. Right?).
MAY 24 Politico details some recent fund-raising efforts by Sen. David Vitter, which have raised the question of his future political plans. This time, it is a $5,000 per head "bayou weekend" that includes "Cajun cooking" and an all-caps "alligator hunt," the story reports. Funds raised go to a super PAC that can spend money to support Vitter in federal or state races, the story points out.
MAY 24 The pink building on Royal in the quarter was sold at a sheriff's sale Thursday, this Picayune story reports. An injunction that would have halted the sale wasn't enforced because the family failed to post a $150,000 bond, the story reports. So the owner of the mortgages on the building bought it, for nearly $7 million. Now the feuding family will have to negotiate with that company to get a lease on the building that has housed their business for close to 60 years.
MAY 23 This post in Louisiana Voice tells us about a bill by a Winnsboro lege that would require all public high school students to take at least one Course Choice online class in order to graduate. (What?) Blogger Tom Aswell says it's a monument to "waste and corruption," especially in light of the problems he's exposed with the program in recent weeks. Idaho had a similar program, but voters removed it by a 2-1 margin, Aswell says.
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