Entries were judged by editors from The Detroit (Michigan)News.
The finalists include:
Best Business Writer: Randy Tucker
Dozens of Ohio doctors sanctioned for sexual misconduct involving their patients have been allowed to continue practicing medicine after completing confidential counseling and therapy that even their counselors say is ineffective in many cases.
Tucker’s reporting went beyond the headlines of doctor sex abuse and found the loopholes doctors are able to use to practice again.
Best Sports Writer: Tom Archdeacon
Archdeacon is honored for a personal story of his relationship with the late Muhammad Ali, a column on distance runner/marathoner Meb Keflezghi, a column on the Dayton Dunbar football team’s national anthem protest and a column on Chuck Schretzman and his battle with ALS.
READ Tom Archdeacon’s tribute to Muhammad Ali
READ Tom Archdeacon’s ‘Meb’s life a story wrapped in red, white and blue
READ Tom Archdeacon's 'Block of granite battles Lou Gehrig's Disease'
Best Sports Feature Writer: Tom Archdeacon
Archdeacon’s second entry featured a poignant piece on the ‘Inspiring Flyer’ – the late Krystal Byrne, a story on Grace Norman, a two-time gold medalist at the Rio Paralympic Games, a story on Lucinda Williams, a sprinter who won gold at the 1960 Olympics in Rome and a story on the Dayton Flyers’ three prominent players from Chicago and their thoughts on the gun violence in their hometown.
READ Tom Archdeacon’s ‘In life and death, UD grad a true inspiration
READ Tom Archdeacon's Grace Norman poised to compete, inspire in RioREAD Tom Archdeacon's 'Lucinda Williams-From tomboy to Tigerbelle to Olympic gold
Best Photographer: Chris Stewart
Credit: Chris Stewart
Credit: Chris Stewart
GALLERY: View the photos in Chris Stewart’s contest entry
Best Daily Sports Section: Dayton Daily News
Best Explanatory Reporting: Kara Driscoll “Lead Problems in Water”; Chris Stewart “Benefits Battle.”
Driscoll kept with the story over a four-month period ending with her investigation on Nov. 6 into the problem behind the high levels of lead and how the source is causing problems across the country.
When it was discovered that multiple locations on Miami Valley Hospital’s campus had elevated levels of lead in the drinking water supply, Reporter Kara Driscoll was the first to explain to Dayton-area readers what this meant to the hospital and its patients.
Stewart’s story focused on more than 1 million Americans, including 40,000 Ohioans who are stuck in the federal government’s biggest traffic jam – getting a hearing for denied disability benefits.
The wait is so long that many die before getting a hearing.
Stewart’s reporting showed why the waits are so long and what can be done to fix it. But mostly he showed the toll it is taking.
Best Enterprise Reporting: Chris Stewart “The Opioid War”
Stewart has spent years diving deep into the Dayton region’s war against opioids and addiction. In 2016 he did several projects looking at the fight.
In January, Stewart’s special report “Saving them from heroin” looked at how agencies across the region are trying to save addicts.
In April, he had two special reports focused on treatment. In this project Stewart looked into how addicts are helped in Dayton and put together in the newspaper and online a complete list of agencies, their services and how to reach them.
In October, Stewart had a special project on “The Opioid War” looking at how first responders are dealing with overdoses and using new weapons to bring people back to life. The Dayton Fire Department alone used nearly 5,000 doses of naloxone to save people last year.
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