Trib wins 7 Keystone Press Awards
Tribune-Review staffers captured seven 2009 Keystone Press Awards from the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association — two first-place, two second-place and three honorable mention awards.
Staff members at other Trib Total Media publications collected 24 prizes. Of those, the Leader Times of Kittanning won two first-place awards and a second.
Trib reporter Betsy Hiel won the Personality Profile category for her story on Pittsburgh native Nicole Shuman, an Army Apache attack helicopter pilot, in a story titled, "Awestruck Pittsburgh Girl Grows Into Apache Warrior."
Trib photographer Justin Merriman won for top Photo Story for his pictures of American troops in Afghanistan in a story titled, "One Village at a Time."
Trib Total Media winners, by category, in the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association's Keystone Press Awards:
Daily and Sunday circulation over 100,000:
Tribune-Review
Editorial, Honorable Mention: Bob Pellegrino, "Legal Services — Cut'em off," "Saturday Essay — Malignant Delay," "Cola Consternation — Spare Us the Drivel"
Sports Event Coverage, Honorable Mention: Staff, "Triple Triumph"
Sports/Outdoor Column, Honorable Mention: Joe Starkey, Sports columns
News Feature Story, Second Place: Robin Acton, "Nuclear Settlement Money"
Online Journalistic Innovation, Second Place: Staff, "Transplanting Too Soon"
Personality Profile, First Place, Betsy Hiel: "Awestruck Pittsburgh Girl Grows Into Apache Warrior"
Photo Story, First Place, Justin Merriman: "One Village at a Time"
Dailies 20,000-34,999:
Feature Story, Second Place: Rex Rutkoski, Valley News Dispatch, "Heartfelt Decision"
Dailies under 20,000:
Spot News, First Place: Tom Mitchell, Leader Times, "Chase Ends in Suicide"
Sports/Outdoor Column, Second Place: Josh Yohe, McKeesport Daily News, "From the Briefcase"
Personality Profile, First Place: Renatta Signorini, Leader Times, "The Egg Man"
Personality Profile, Second Place: Mark Hofmann, Daily Courier, "Cannoli Consumer"
News Photo, First Place, Jim Ference: The Valley Independent, "Photographer Changes Roles"
Feature Photo, Second Place: Brian Henry, Leader Times, "A Day to Remember"
Non-dailies over 10,000
Ongoing news coverage, First Place (tie with Philadelphia Business Journal): Kristie Linden, Plum Advance Leader, "Owners of Old School Building Given Final Warning"
Special projects, Second Place (tie with Philadelphia Business Journal): Staff, Pine Creek Journal, "Football 2008: Special Forces"
Sports event coverage, Honorable Mention: Bill Hartlep, Murrysville Star, "Panther Payday"
Feature beat reporting, First Place: Zandy Dudiak, The Times-Express, "Mr. Smith Comes to Monroeville" Headline writing, Second Place, Dave McElhinny, Pine Creek Journal
Non-dailies 5,000-9,999
Ongoing news coverage, First Place: Daveen Rae Kurutz, McKnight Journal, North Hills graduation project
News feature story, Second Place: Heidi Dezayas and Tom McGee, Penn-Trafford Star, "Even Pumped Up Fuel Budgets are Lagging"
News feature story, Honorable Mention: Brad Pedersen, Penn-Trafford Star, "As Gas Tax Revenue Drops, Officials Seek ..."
Sports beat reporting, Second Place: Bill Hartlep, Penn-Trafford Star, girls soccer
Feature photo, First Place: Kristina Serafini, Sewickley Herald
Non-dailies under 5,000
Editorials, Second Place: Vince Townley, Coraopolis-Moon Record
Sports story, First Place: Bill West, The Signal Item, "Athletes Endure Pain, Put Off Surgery"
News beat reporting, First Place: Daveen Rae Kurutz, McKnight Journal, education beat
News beat reporting, Second Place: Stephanie Hacke, South Hills Record, Woodland Hills School District beat
Feature beat reporting, First Place: Tawnya Panizzi, The Herald, religion beat
Sports beat reporting, First Place: Bill West, The Signal Item, Keystone Oaks football
Photo story, Second Place: Jan Pakler, The Herald, "On the Hunt"
