The Tennessee Press Installation & Awards. September Special section INSIDE POWERS SPEECH PRESIDENT S AWARD

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1 28 - Installation & Awards SEPTEMBER 2010 President s Installa Installation & State Press Contests Awards September 2010 Special section Victor Parkins receives a standing ovation at the end of his term as president of TPA. TPAers listen as they are welcomed to the annual awards event. CMYK CMYK Derek Hodges, The Mountain Press, and wife, Amanda, look over TPA newspapers TPA President Victor Parkins presents the President s Award to Executive Director Greg Sherrill, who accepted on behalf of the TPA staff. (See story and another photo on page 3.) Art Powers, left, and Victor Parkins shake hands as Powers assumes the presidency of Tennessee Press Association. Powers is publisher of the Johnson City Press. Parkins, president, is editor of The Milan Mirror-Exchange. David and Sabrina Bates, Weakley County Press,Martin, check the roster of attendees. Amy and Mark A. Stevens look at a plaque as the number of The Erwin Record s awards grows. From left, Ann Cason, Grainger Today, Bean Station; Linda Folkerts and Ron Schaming, The Courier, Savannah Pauline Sherrer, TPA president, shows outgoing president Victor Parkins his Past President s Plaque. Art Powers, new TPA president, with his wife, Fran, and daughter Logan P. Alexander. The Powerses have another daughter, Erin Powers. PHOTOS IN THE INSTALLATION & SECTION OF THE TENNESSEE PRESS WERE MADE BY ELENORA E. EDWARDS, TPS, UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED. Winners in one of the contests categories on display after the awards luncheon Foreground, representatives of UTK listen to remarks by the incoming president, Art Powers. INSIDE POWERS SPEECH PRESIDENT S AWARD A thanks with a hug 2 3 STORY EDITORIALS BEST NEWS PHOTOS 8-12 PERSONAL COLUMNS 13, FEATURE PHOTOS 13, HUMOR COLUMNS SPORTS PHOTOS FRONT PAGES 27

2 2 - Installation & Awards SEPTEMBER 2010 Newspaper people are a proud bunch, Powers says EDITOR S NOTE: Art Powers spoke to TPAers after he became the president July 16 at an Installation and Awards Luncheon at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Nashville. His remarks follow. Who are we? We are newspapers! We are proud newspaper people. Here s why we re proud because we re professionals and write headlines like these: Blow to head is common cause of brain injury From Wise County, Va., Wise man shoots wife Foul play suspected in death of man found handless, bound and hanged Federal agents raid gun shop, find weapons Experts are sure the Dow will either rise or decline Dr. Ruth to talk about sex with newspaper editors Cold wave linked to temperatures Crash courses for private pilots And one from a paper I worked on in the 80s, Injuries to eye can be painful Actually, we are a proud bunch and do outstanding work every day. Here s really why we re proud. Because we are in the First Amendment to our Constitution. Not the second or third, but the first. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof: or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. We have a long and storied history. Here s what a few people have said about us: For my part I entertain a high idea of the utility of periodical publications; insomuch as I could heartily desire, copies of magazines, as well as common Gazettes, might be spread through every city, town and village in the United Sates. I consider such vehicles of knowledge more happily calculated than any other to preserve the liberty, stimulate the industry and ameliorate the morals of a free and enlightened people. George Washington, President, 1789 My doctors told me this morning my blood pressure is down so low that I can start reading the newspapers. Ronald Reagan, President, 1987 Here is the living disproof of the old adage that nothing is as dead as yesterday s newspaper This is what really happened, reported by a free press to a free people. It is the raw material of history; it is the story of our own times. Henry Steel Commager, historian, 1951 Most of us probably feel we couldn t be free without newspapers, and that is the real reason we want the newspapers to be free. Edward R. Murrow, U.S. broadcast journalist, 1958 This one from an unattributed newspaper person, If you want to see Tennessee Press Association thanks the following: The University of Tennessee Offi ce of Public Relations and members of the staff Hank Dye, Gina Stafford, Amy Blakely, Charles Primm and Kristi Hintz The College of Communication and Information The School of Journalism and Electronic Media for the excellent relationship that has existed for 70 years. During this time UT has participated in the implementing of the UT-TPA State Press Contests and has provided plaques and certifi cates and assisted in various other facets of the awards event. Mark A. Stevens, publisher of The Erwin Record, Contests Committee chairman Members of the TPA Contests Committee for their contributions, guidance and support of the contests. television stations panic, go to a town where the newspapers are on strike. And my personal favorite: Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter. Thomas Jefferson, President, 1787 I think that says it all. We were important at the time of our country s founding and we re just as important today. I think the unattributed author above was correct. I wonder what television stations and networks and cable news would do without the print journalists in this country. We have so many more feet on the ground generating news. Good oldfashioned local news. Yes, we are the source for local, local, local, and don t you forget it! Every community in this state relies on their local newspaper. From the Commercial Appeal to the Mountain City Tomahawk, people read our newspapers from cover to cover. From murders to movies. From crosswords to comics, we are the source. Listen to this. Did you know there is even a famous march that was commissioned by a newspaper and written by the March King, John Philip Sousa? It was written and played first at the ceremony of the newspaper s essay contest awards ceremony. It is called The Washington Post March. It even had lyrics and sounds like words we ve all used to market our newspapers: The Washington Post is my newspaper. The Washington Post is the one to read, the Washington Post is all you need. The Washington Post is my view shaper. The Washington Post, The Washington Post, The Washington Post, the Post, the Post. So if you re after the latest news, The Washington Post will give you the most, And if you re craving the latest views, The Washington Post is the one you need, sir. They ve got the comics and the crossword puzzles, too. They ve got the help wanted pages and want ads there. So if you think you ll ever find a better paper in the world, You better go to church and say a prayer (and say a prayer). In the state of Tennessee the first newspaper was started by George Raulstone in Rogersville. Raulstone, under the patronage of Gov. William Blount, thought the seat of the territorial government was to be Knoxville, but because of the dangerous proximity of the Indians at the time, Blount was afraid to go to Knoxville and therefore stopped at Rogersville, for a time at least. The first edition was published Nov. 5, 1791 at Rogersville. It was called the Knoxville Gazette, as it was intended to be published there and was later moved to Knoxville as soon as it was safe. This illustrious history is just a blip in the life we live in today s fast-paced world. We ARE important. Just as important as we were in Just as important as we were in 1787, as Mr. Jefferson stated. Sure, we ve gone through some tough times, but we ve done that in the past. We ve made it through depressions and recessions and wars, and we ve gone through Art Powers the good times as well. I believe we re here and here to stay. We have endured the onslaught of radio and TV. Now we re facing Internet forces, Facebook, Twitter, ipads, smart phones, Kindles, and who knows what is next. The important thing to remember is we do news better than anyone else. We re often criticized as being slow to react to new technologies, but our websites are stronger than any of our competitors. Our new mobile services are growing exponentially. Our digital readers are growing too. We re on the move as an industry and so is our press association. To continue to be strong, we must have your participation, your input and ideas. If you and your newspaper are not involved with TPA, then the members of our General Assembly won t give us the time of day. They certainly won t listen to us when we have discussions about the Sunshine Law, freedom of information or public notice advertising. We have an exciting year in front of us, and with your involvement, we will surely be stronger this time next year. I want to thank my family for being here today and giving me their support and love. My wife, Fran, and daughters, Erin and Logan. Our son-in-law was unable to make it due to his work. I also want to thank several of our Johnson City Press department heads and spouses for traveling to Nashville for today s ceremony. Our managing editor, John Molley, and his wife, Carla; our sales and marketing director, Tom Harris, and his wife, Vicki, and our information technology director, Alan Broyles. I also want to thank the TPA staff for once again doing a great job putting this luncheon together with great assistance from partners at the University of Tennessee. Of course, I want to thank Victor Parkins for his year of dedication and the many successes he has had. I hope to do just as well. Thank each of you for coming today. I know it will be a happy time for all when you come forward to receive your awards. I ll do my best to be your president. Please call any time with any suggestions you may have. Awards luncheon factoids 160 attendees, including staff, UT representatives and guests 52 newspapers represented by 147 attendees 19 dailies, with 58 attendees 33 non-dailies, with 89 attendees Paper with most attendees: Johnson City Press with 9 Remember, you can post job openings on website Have a job opening? Post the position at no charge in TPA's employment area, Only authorized personnel from member newspapers can post jobs or review resumés. First-time users will need to register with a user name and password. Once online registration is completed, the user should contact Robyn Gentile, member services manager, for access (865) , x105, or rgentile@tnpress. com. Read then pass it on

3 SEPTEMBER 2010 Installation & Awards - 3 ROBYN GENTILE TPA Beth Elliott and Kevin Slimp applaud as TPA Executive Director Greg Sherrill shows the President s Award presented the staff by President Victor Parkins. The staff was treated to lunch Aug. 23 at a Knoxville restaurant. Parkins picks TPA/TPS staff for President s Award Victor Parkins, Tennessee Press Association (TPA) president, selected the entire TPA/Tennessee Press Service (TPS) staff to receive the 2010 President s Award. Parkins cited the excellent group effort to implement the work of the association. The award was accepted on behalf of the staff by Executive Director Greg Sherrill. The plaque reads: 2010 President s Award Presented to The Staff of Tennessee Press Association and Tennessee Press Service The TPA is grateful for your support and constant efforts on our behalf Presented by Victor Parkins - President Tennessee Press Association The presentation came at the installation and awards luncheon July 16 in Nashville. On Aug. 23, TPA employees were treated to lunch at a Knoxville restaurant. The staff of 15 represent 115 years experience. The member with the longest continuous experience is Robyn Gentile, member services manager, who began working at TPA in 1990 and has worked 20 years in all. She received the President s Award in 2008 from Pauline D. Sherrer, publisher of the Crossville Chronicle. Brenda Leek, a member of the Clipping Bureau, is the employee with the earliest service and the most total years, having worked at TPA from 1980 to 1993 and then rejoining TPA in years in all. In the area of member services, there are three employees with combined experience of 40 years; in advertising, network and ROP, five employees with 33 years; in accounting, two employees with 17 years; and in clipping, four employees with 31 years. The employees, their job titles and years of service are as follows: Member services Greg Sherrill, TPA Victor Parkins executive director, 14 years; Robyn Gentile, TPA member services manager, 20 years; Kevin Slimp, TPS technology director, seven years; and Angelique Dunn, member services assistant, six years. Advertising Barry Jarrell, advertising director, 11 years; Beth Elliott, Network advertising manager, 11 years; Pam Corley, senior print media buyer, eight years; Earl Goodman, print media buyer, three years; and Hannah Willen (part time), a recent addition to the staff. Accounting Laurie Alford, TPS business controller, 10 years; Kathy Hensley, accounting services representative, seven years. Clipping Jeanie Bell, managing reader, six years; Jessica Price, managing reader, three years, Brenda Leek, tabber, 21 years; and Alisa Subhakul, reader/scanning technician, one year. Elenora E. Edwards, who works for TPS as an indendent contractor, has been managing editor of for 19 years. Slimp and Elliott also worked in earlier periods. Before Parkins left the lectern, he recognized officers and directors of TPA as well as committee chairmen. Pauline D. Sherrer, president, presented Parkins the past president s plaque. Parkins is editor of The Milan Mirror-Exchange. WORTH REPEATING Mothers buy newspapers, too BY BEN GARRETT Independent Herald, Oneida Association has announced the winners of this year s state press contest, which is conducted jointly by TPA and the University of Tennessee. Our newspaper won awards in a few categories, none of them first place which is about what I expected. We placed in the categories I expected us to place in and I didn t expect a first place finish in most of those categories (with one exception, and after looking at the winning entries I still believe ours was the best, but I m obviously biased and that s neither here nor there). Last week, the judges critique sheets from our entries were returned. Each year, a newspaper association in another state judges the entries. The critique sheets are always interesting because they include evaluations of your work by your peers something that is often of great value. I got a little bit of a chuckle out of one of the critique sheets this year, however. On education reporting (a category we often place well in but this year did not, for understandable reasons), the person doing the judging wrote of our high school honors reporting (two stories out of many included in the entry): Valedictorian coverage doesn t do much in my estimation to inform the public. It s more for scrapbooks and refrigerators. No one has ever accused newspapers of being out of touch (sarcasm intended). This note was probably written by someone who works at a daily newspaper and has little experience with community weeklies. The majority of our readers are mothers and grandmothers who take pride in seeing their child or grandchild s name in the paper and, yes, they often clip out those mentions and paste them on the refrigerator or in a scrapbook. ENGRAVINGS Winners of the National Newspaper Asssociation Better Newspaper Contest have been announced, and among them is a Tennessee newspaper. The Hickman County Times, Centerville, won two We run a handful of special sections each year (sports, Christmas and graduation-themed). And guess what the best seller is each year? The grad issue, which incorporates those same stories about the honors graduates at the local high schools. I might understand her point better if she s arguing that such stories shouldn t be presented as news, but I would still disagree. In a small community, graduating as valedictorian of one s senior class (or winning a university scholarship as an outstanding athlete, etc.) is news... and fairly big news at that. Newspapers often fall into a pattern of reporting only the blood and the scandals, leaving the good news coverage relegated to a page buried deep inside, where it isn t news at all. I m not knocking daily newspapers at all; they play an important role in an informed public. But metro or suburban dailies are totally different from their community weekly counterparts. In most weekly newspapers, the news is more than who shot who or which government official called another lazy and fat. News in weeklies is who was born, who died (in fact, there s no more widely read section of a weekly newspaper than the obituaries section), which businesses opened and closed, what time the band concert will be, who is in town for a reunion, who the new pastor at the First Baptist church will be and, yes, the blood and the scandal, too. An assignment to cover the high school graduation might not be nearly as luxurious as an assignment to cover the trial of a public official charged with corruption, but to the mothers and grandmothers who comprise our readership, they re just as important if not moreso. A wise man with a lot of experience in the newspaper business said it best: The public is curious about how its friends are doing. The weekly newspaper should reflect that. Manage time for investigative stories BY DOUG HADDIX IRE training director Time management can be a reporter s biggest challenge when it comes to watchdog stories. During a recent Better Watchdog Workshop in Denver, two seasoned investigative journalists shared tips and tricks they ve learned to make time for the big story. Advice and tips came from Raquel Rutledge of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Laura Frank of the I-News Network based in Denver. Rutledge drew examples from her Cashing in on Kids series about fraud in tax-subsidized day care winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. Frank recalled lessons learned from her award-winning investigations at the Rocky Mountain News and other newspapers where she worked before founding the nonprofit news center. Here s a sampling of their time-management tips: Keep an active list of ideas for bigger stories. Feed it regularly as you get ideas while covering daily beat stories. Use one notebook for daily stories and another for bigger enterprise pieces. During any down time, pick up the enterprise notebook and chip away at the story. Stay organized by using a source list, a to-do list (updated daily), a quotes file or index, a timeline of key events, and a players tree to look for connections. Such lists save time later during reporting and writing. Ask yourself: Who would disagree with this? Talk to those sources early. Request data early because it might take weeks or months to get it. Use short progress memos or notes to keep your boss up to date and to keep yourself focused. Do a quick daily story to prime the pump and shake out sources for the bigger story. ( July 26, 2010) honorable mention awards for best feature story and best health story. The paper competed in the small-circulation, non-daily division. Bradley A. (Brad) Martin is editor.

4 4 - Installation & Awards SEPTEMBER 2010 FIRST PLACE WINNERS - UT-TPA STATE PRESS CONTESTS From left: First row Chad Howard, The Paris Post-Intelligencer; Skyler Swisher and Samantha Ballard, The Daily Herald, Columbia; Darren Reese, The Standard Banner, Jefferson City; Lynn Richardson, Herald and Tribune, Jonesborough; Duay O Neil, The Newport Plain Talk; Steve Marion, The Standard Banner, Jefferson City; Eddie West, Carthage Courier; Terri Likens, Roane County News, Kingston; Mark A. Stevens, The Erwin Record; Danny Parker, David Melson and Sadie Fowler, Shelbyville Times-Gazette. Second row Aaron Hardin, Nicholas Beadle and Dan Morris, The Jackson Sun; Rich Jones, The Greeneville Sun; Frank (Buzz) Trexler, The Daily Times, Maryville; Jack McElroy, News Sentinel, Knoxville; Andy Ashby, Business Journal; Holly Roeder, Chester County Independent, Henderson; Glenna Howington, Citizen Tribune, Morristown; Tracy Ayer, Pulaski Citizen; Heather Mullinix, Crossville Chronicle; Glenda Caudle, Union City Daily Messenger; Hilary Trenda and Amelia M. Hipps, The Lebanon Democrat. Third row Jim Zachary, Grainger Today, Bean Station; John Peterson, Manchester Times; Andy Sher, Chattanooga Times Free Press; J. Todd Foster, Bristol Herald Courier; Tena Lee and Dessislava Yankova, The News Examiner, Gallatin; Duane Sherrill, Southern Standard, McMinnville; Jimmy Hart, The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro; Richard Stevens, The Leaf- Chronicle, Clarksville; Tim Adkins, Ashland City Times; Jim Thompson, The Courier, Savannah; Louis Graham, The Commercial Appeal,. SECOND PLACE WINNERS - UT-TPA STATE PRESS CONTESTS From left: Front row Andy Ashby, Business Journal; Samantha Ballard, The Daily Herald, Columbia; Michael Williams, The Paris Post-Intelligencer; Mark A. Stevens, The Erwin Record; Sonya Thompson, The Portland Leader; Terri Likens, Roane County News, Kingston; Skyler Swisher, The Daily Herald, Columbia; Danny Parker, Shelbyville Times-Gazette; Becky Watkins, Carthage Courier. Second row Carolyn Selby and Gary Nelson, Crossville Chronicle; Mary Reeves, Shelbyville Times-Gazette; Glenn Tanner and Lesley Jones, The Paris Post-Intelligencer; Karen Weathers, Misty White and Shirley Nanney, Carroll County News-Leader, Huntingdon. Third row Ron Shaming, The Courier, Savannah; Missy Wattenbarger, Crossville Chronicle; Rich Jones, The Greeneville Sun; J. Todd Foster, Bristol Herald Courier; Katie Brake, Brandon Shields and Tracie Simer, The Jackson Sun; Marjorie Lloyd, The Gallatin Newspaper; Steve Marion, The Standard Banner, Jefferson City.

5 SEPTEMBER 2010 Installation & Awards - 5 THIRD PLACE WINNERS - UT-TPA STATE PRESS CONTESTS From left: First row Lisa Christian and Connie Seaton, Tennessee Star Journal, Pigeon Forge; Andy Ashby, Business Journal; Samantha Ballard, The Daily Herald, Columbia; Michael Williams, The Paris Post-Intelligencer; Mark A. Stevens, The Erwin Record; Sonya Thompson, The Portland Leader; Terri Likens, Roane County News, Kingston; Skyler Swisher, The Daily Herald, Columbia; Danny Parker, Shelbyville Times-Gazette. Second row Jim Zachary, Grainger Today, Bean Station; Ken Walker, The Paris Post- TWSA cites newspapers for good work Intelligencer; Duay O Neil, The Newport Plain Talk; Frank (Buzz) Trexler, The Daily Times, Maryville; Aaron Hardin and Dan Morris, The Jackson Sun; David Melson, Shelbyville Times- Gazette; Mariann Martin, The Jackson Sun. Third row Ronnie Housley and Darren Reese, The Standard Banner, Jefferson City; J. Todd Foster, Bristol Herald Courier; Linda Folkerts, The Courier, Savannah; Marjorie Lloyd, The Gallatin Newspaper; Eric Miller, Robertson County Times, Springfield. The Tennessee Sports Writers Association presented its 2010 news media awards at an event July 16 in Nashville. Newspaper winners were as follows: Division I Gary Lundy Writer of the Year Mike Strange, News Sentinel, Knoxville Gary Lundy Writer of the Year, second place Stephen Hargis, Chattanooga Times Free Press Gary Lundy Writer of the Year, third place John Adams, News Sentinel, Knoxville Best daily section The Commercial Appeal, Best special section Chattanooga Times Free Press Best columnist Ron Higgins, The Commercial Appeal, Best feature writer Ron Higgins, The Commercial Appeal, Best event writer Mike Strange, News Sentinel, Knoxville Best news writer Austin Ward, News Sentinel, Knoxville Best prep writer Jesse Smithey, News Sentinel, Knoxville Best investigative/series Mike Griffith, News Sentinel, Knoxville Roland Julian Headline Writer of the Year Gregg Hampton, News Sentinel, Knoxville Best individual layout Jamie Poole, Chattanooga Times Free Press MEEMAN WINNERS - UT-TPA STATE PRESS CONTESTS Representative of newspapers winning 2010 Meeman Awards recognizing editorial writing and public service: from left, J. Todd Foster, Bristol Herald Courier; Samantha Ballard, The Daily Herald, Columbia; Jim Zachary, Best outdoors writer Bryan Brasher, The Commercial Appeal, Division II Gary Lundy Writer of the Year Mike Hutchens, Union City Daily Messenger Gary Lundy Writer of the Year, second place Adam Sparks, The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro Gary Lundy Writer of the Year Thomas Corhern, Herald-Citizen, Cookeville Best daily section The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro Best special section Union City Daily Messenger Best columnist Greg Pogue, The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro Best feature writer Adam Sparks, The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro Best event writer Adam Sparks, The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro Best news writer Tom Kreager, The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro Best prep writer Tom Kreager, The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro Best investigative/series Mike Hutchens, Union City Daily Messenger Roland Julian Headline Writer of the Year Kenneth Coker, Union City Grainger Today, Bean Station; Mark A. Stevens, The Erwin Record; Terri Likens, Roane County News, Kingston; Dan Morris, The Jackson Sun. Each award carried with it a plaque and a $250 cash prize. Daily Messenger Best individual layout Craig Delk, Herald-Citizen, Cookeville Division III Gary Lundy Writer of the Year, third place Craig Harris, The News Examiner, Gallatin Best special section The News Examiner, Gallatin Best feature writer Craig Harris, The News Examiner, Gallatin HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES George Lapides, former sports editor of Press-Scimitar George Bugbee, former sports editor of Press-Scimitar Kreager leads TSWA Tom Kreager, who for a year and a half has been prep editor of The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro, is serving a two-year term as president of the Tennessee Sports Writers Association. Earlier, he was the sports writer for a year and a half at the Robertson County Times, Springfield, then was a high school sports writer for four years at The Tennessean, Nashville.

6 6 - Installation & Awards SEPTEMBER 2010 UT, TPA present 2010 State Press Contests awards Erwin Record gets top award for eighth straight year The University of Tennessee (UT) and the Tennessee Press Association (TPA) presented awards to publishers, editors, reporters, photographers and designers in the 2010 State Press Contests. The Erwin Record, The Standard Banner, Jefferson City, the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, The Jackson Sun and The Commercial Appeal,, won the top General Excellence Awards at an awards luncheon July 16 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Nashville. One hundred sixty people attended. The event followed the installation of the TPA president, Art Powers, publisher of the Johnson City Press. UT has co-sponsored the annual contest since General excellence honors are based on total points accumulated for all award categories. For the eighth consecutive year, The Erwin Record, a weekly newspaper in Unicoi County in East Tennessee, won the top award for its category. The Record has circulation of 4,319. General excellence honors are based on total points accumulated for awards in each of five categories, based on average weekly circulation, and include small and large daily and non-daily papers. The Illinois Press Association judged a total of 1,468 entries from 76 of the association s 124 member newspapers. Other highlights: The Erwin Record also earned the most first place honors with 12. It won for local features, best single feature, community lifestyles, sports writing, editorials, best single editorial, best personal humor column, best spot news coverage, best news reporting, headline writing, best special issue or section and best website. The Commercial Appeal won eight first place awards, for local features, best single editorial, best personal column, headline writing, best news photograph, best feature photograph, best sports photograph and best website. The Daily Herald, Columbia, EDITOR S NOTE In this section, The Tennessee Press is printing first place winning entries from five circulation groups in the following categories: Best Single Editorial, Best Personal Column, Best Personal Humor Column, Best News Photograph, Best Feature Photograph and Best Sports Photograph. We wish we were able to print the winning photos in color, as large and in the same compelling manner as when they were originally published, but we ve had to adapt them for this publication. Thanks to all who provided their articles or photos and in other ways provided information. Elenora Edwards managing editor Charles Primm pauses in announcing winners while Hank Dye presents an award to Brad Martin, Hickman won six first place awards, for best single feature, editorials, best single editorial, best personal column, best education reporting and promotion of newspapers. The university s Edward J. Meeman Foundation honored 10 newspapers for their accomplishments in editorial writing and public service journalism with $250 awards in the categories of best single editorial, editorials and public service. The foundation was established in 1968 at UT to fund the contests and support journalism scholarships and faculty fellowships. Winners of Edward J. Meeman Awards were the following: The Commercial Appeal, The Daily Herald, the Union City Daily Messenger, Grainger Today, Bean Station, and The Erwin Record, best single editorial; The Advocate & Democrat, Sweetwater, and The Erwin Record, editorials; and Bristol Herald Courier, The Jackson Sun and the Roane County News, Kingston, public service. In general competition, winners of five first place awards were as follows: Bristol Herald Courier, for make-up and appearance, best personal humor column, investigative reporting, public service and best special issue or section; Shelbyville Times-Gazette, for best single feature, community lifestyles, best personal column, best news photograph and best sports photograph; The Standard Banner, Jefferson City, for local features, best single feature, best sports photograph, best special issue or section and promotion of newspapers; and The Tennessean, Nashville, for sports writing, editorials, best spot news coverage, best news reporting and best education reporting. Winners of four first place awards: Grainger Today, Bean Station, for best graphics and/or illustrations, best single editorial, headline writing and public service; Southern Standard, McMinnville, for make-up and appearance, local features, sports writing and headline writing; The Daily News Journal, Journal,Murfreesboro, for local features, sports writing, best spot news coverage and best news reporting; The Jackson Sun, for investigative reporting, public service, best feature photograph and best website; and The Lebanon Democrat, for editorials, best education reporting, investigative reporting and best special issue or section. Other first place award winners: Mt. Juliet News, best education reporting, investigative reporting and public service; News Sentinel, Knoxville, best single feature, community lifestyles and best graphics and/or illustrations; Roane County News, Kingston, best personal humor column, public service and best feature photograph; Murfreesboro, for local features, sports writing, best spot news coverage and best news reporting; The Jackson Sun, for investigative reporting, public service, best feature photograph and best website; and The Lebanon Democrat, for editorials, best education reporting, investigative reporting and best special issue or section. Other first place award winners: Mt. Juliet News, best education reporting, investigative reporting and public service; News Sentinel, Knoxville, best single feature, community lifestyles and best graphics and/or illustrations; The Roane County News, Kingston, best personal humor column, public service and best feature photograph; Carthage Courier, best personal column and best feature photograph; Business Journal, makeup and appearance and investigative reporting; The Advocate & Democrat, Sweetwater, County Times, Centerville. Martin won first place for a best personal column. editorials and best news photograph; Ashland City Times, best sports photograph; Chattanooga Times Free Press, Sunday editions; Chester County Independent, Henderson, best personal column; Citizen Tribune, Morristown, community lifestyles; Crossville Chronicle, best spot news coverage; Herald and Tribune, Jonesborough, best feature photograph; Herald-Citizen, Cookeville, best personal humor column; Hickman County Times, Centerville, best personal humor column; Johnson City Press, headline writing; Lake County Banner, Tiptonville, best news photograph; Manchester Times, sports writing; Pulaski Citizen, best spot news coverage; The Courier, Savannah, best website; The Daily News,, best news reporting; The Daily Times, Maryville, best sports photograph; The Greeneville Sun, best special issue or section; The Herald-News, Dayton, community lifestyles; The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville, makeup and appearance; The Mountain Press, Sevierville, best news photograph; The Newport Plain Talk, best news reporting; The News Examiner, Gallatin, best education reporting; The Paris Post-Intelligencer, best website; The Tomahawk, Mountain City, makeup and appearance; and Union City Daily Messenger, best single editorial. Hank Dye, UTK vice president for public and government relations, presented the awards and talked about the UT-TPA relationship that has existed for more than 60 years. He also talked about UT s accomplishments on behalf of Tennesseans and the nation. Charles Primm, also of UT media relations, announced awards. Kristi Hintz handled the PowerPoint presentation prepared by UT. Also representing UT were Gina Stafford and Amy Blakely. Donn Jones, photographer for the Titans in Nashville, was engaged by UTK to shoot photos of the winners with Dye. The complete list of winners begins on page 7. After the newspaper listing, the staff members responsible for the entry are listed. In most cases, judges comments follow the listing of first place winners. UTK PHOTO Josh Peterson of the Manchester Times receives a first place award from UTK s Hank Dye.

7 SEPTEMBER 2010 Installation & Awards - 7 List of 2010 UT-TPA State Press Contests winners Make-up and appearance 1. The Tomahawk, Mountain City Bill Thomas, Angie Gambill, Heather Ward, Mabel Hodge, Jill Penley, Rita Hewett, Matt Hill 2. Carroll County News-Leader, Huntingdon Karen Weathers, Misty White 3. The Millington Star 4. Tennessee Star Journal, Pigeon Forge Connie Seaton, Lisa Christian 5. Herald and Tribune, Jonesborough Kristen Swing, Saundra Kelley, Kate Prahlad, Lynn Richardson, John Kiener, Charlie Mauk I 1. Business Journal 2. The McKenzie Banner Brittany Washburn 3. Grainger Today, Bean Station 4. Independent Appeal, Selmer 5. Macon County Chronicle, Lafayette Kathryne Belle, Debbie Gregory, Jessie Ellefson, Lisa Spivey, Cherry Cole, Misty Gammons II 1. Southern Standard, McMinnville Great use of graphics and photos would be even better if the reproduction were more consistent. Very appealing appearance overall. 2. The Wilson Post, Lebanon Dana Bryson, John B. Bryan 3. Shelbyville Times-Gazette David Melson 4. Crossville Chronicle Heather Mullinix 5. The Lebanon Democrat Marie Corhern V 1. The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville Staff Your design and makeup make the newspaper very pleasing to read. Nice hierarchy in headline size and weights to really drive readers through pages and also convey info on multiple layers. Inside pages have a clean, crisp feel your attention to detail is impressive. 2. The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro 3. The Jackson Sun 4. The Daily Herald, Columbia 5. The Greeneville Sun 1. Bristol Herald Courier Great use of color and photos. Good reproduction. Very pleasant appearance with some nice graphics. 2. News Sentinel, Knoxville 3. Chattanooga Times Free Press 4. The Tennessean, Nashville 5. The Commercial Appeal, Kim Coleman, John Stamm Best spot news coverage 1. The Erwin Record Downtown Inferno Mark A. Stevens, Robert Sorrell, Lesley Hughes, Eileen Rush Excellent work on this. A very comprehensive look at an important news story, even more impressive considering the impact on the newsroom. Very nice. 2. The Portland Leader Puppy mill raid yields 100 dogs Sonya Thompson 3. Ashland City Times Mix-up leads to inmate s release 4. Carroll County News-Leader, Huntingdon New Generations Closes Shirley Nanney 5. The Portland Leader Tornado strikes homes Sonya Thompson I 1. Pulaski Citizen Triple Homicide/Arson Tracy Ayers Tragic story, well told. Readers were kept up to date on the Web and the print story provided the details. What was missing was a motive but that will probably come out at trial. 2. The Courier, Savannah Homeowner 2, burglars 0 Ron Schaming 3. The Daily News, Herenton Resigns 4. The Advocate & Democrat, Sweetwater Couple charged with stealing drugs Michael Thomason 5. The Dickson Herald Teacher commits suicide Chris Gadd II 1. Crossville Chronicle Mullinix to Lloyd - I forgive you Michael R. Moser A compelling, gripping account of a trial for a sensational murder. The writing is outstanding good use of quotes, descriptions of the characters and the atmosphere in the courtroom. Almost makes readers feel as if they were present. Good to recount the background in the sidebar. One criticism there s no time element for the trial in the stories. 2. Union City Daily Messenger Tragedy averted John Brannon 3. Shelbyville Times-Gazette Hire locals first Brian Mosely 4. Southern Standard, McMinnville Children in fatal fire home alone 5. The Paris Post-Intelligencer Kentuckians seek warmth, food in Paris Glenn Tanner, Bill McCutcheon, Heather Bryant, Dave Phillips V 1. The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro Boro Battered: Twister rips path of destruction Coverage of a devastating tornado by the newspaper s staff shows how a newspaper is not only a source of information but also a community resource under such circumstances. This coverage showed how the Web site and print newspaper each work together using the best features of each. The Web site constantly updated news and information, while the print edition followed with second-day stories full of human interest as well as new angles. 2. The Daily Herald, Columbia Small car hopes curbed William Bowers, Chris Graham, Skyler Swisher, Chris Fletcher, Susan Thurman, Alex Miller, Samantha Ballard 3. Johnson City Press Unusual fire Rex Barber 4. The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro SEE, PAGE 8 A sweepstakes history The UT-TPA State Press Contests began many years ago, in During a period at about the mid-20th century, a sweepstakes awards was established. Later it was abandoned. Then the Sweepstakes Award was reestablished in 1999 as a pointsbased award. At that time, points were assigned as follows: first place (6 points), second place (5 points), third place (4 points), fourth place (3 points), fifth place (2 points), sixth place (1 point). The newspaper in each of the four contests divisions (Group One, Group Two, Group Three and Group Four) with the highest total points in its group received the Sweepstakes Award. In 2006, the category of General Excellence replaced the Sweepstakes Award. Since 2007, only five places were awarded, with points as follows: first place (5 points), second place (4 points), third place (3 points), fourth place (2 points) and fifth place (1 point) Sweepstakes Award winners : Chester County Independent, Henderson I: The Review Appeal, Franklin II: The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro V: The Tennessean, Nashville 2000 Sweepstakes Award winners : Chester County Independent, Henderson I: Southern Standard, McMinnville II: The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro V: The Tennessean, Nashville 2001 Sweepstakes Award winners : The Rutherford Courier, Smyrna I: Southern Standard, McMinnville II: The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville V: The Tennessean, Nashville 2002 Sweepstakes Award winners : Chester County Independent, Henderson I: Southern Standard, McMinnville II: The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro V: Chattanooga Times Free Press 2003 Sweepstakes Award winners : The Erwin Record I: Southern Standard, McMinnville II: The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro V: The Tennessean, Nashville 2004 Sweepstakes Award winners : The Erwin Record I: Southern Standard, McMinnville II: The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro V: The Tennessean, Nashville 2005 Sweepstakes Award winners : The Erwin Record I: Southern Standard, McMinnville II: The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro V: The Commercial Appeal, 2006 General Excellence Award winners : The Erwin Record I: LaFollette Press II: The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville V: The Tennessean, Nashville 2007 General Excellence Award winners : The Erwin Record I: The Standard Banner, Jefferson City II: The Daily Herald, Columbia V: The Commercial Appeal, Note: A fifth division was added for All divisions are based upon total weekly paid circulation, which meant some dailies and non-dailies competed in the same division. The divisions are as follows: : Combined weekly circulation of 5,000 or less I: Combined weekly circulation of 5,001-15,000 II: Combined weekly circulation of 15,001-50,000 V: Combined weekly circulation of 50, ,000; : Combined weekly circulation of 200,001 and above 2008 General Excellence Awards winners : The Erwin Record I: Business Journal II: Southern Standard, McMinnville V: The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville : The Tennessean, Nashville 2009 General Excellence Awards winners : The Erwin Record I: The Standard Banner, Jefferson City II: Southern Standard, McMinnville V: The Daily Herald, Columbia : The Commercial Appeal, 2010 General Excellence Awards winners : The Erwin Record I: The Standard Banner, Jefferson City II: Shelbyville Times-Gazette V: The Jackson Sun : The Commercial Appeal, Note: The Erwin Record has won the top award eight consecutive years, while the Southern Standard, McMinnville, has won eight years but not consecutively.

8 8 - Installation & Awards SEPTEMBER 2010 Best place to be is on the right side of politics BY MARK A. STEVENS The Erwin Record For years, the politicians in Nashville thought the state s eastern border ended somewhere around Knoxville. Now, it seems, they ve located all 95 Stevens counties on the map. With this enlightened sense of geography and a slim majority at the State House, the Republican party would like to put its stamp on every corner of the state. The state s Republican party now controls the approval of appointments to each county s election commission, and the power hungry in Nashville want to tell the people who to appoint and who to hire. The state party would like to see Unicoi County Republicans dismiss Sarah Bailey, a Democrat, as Unicoi FROM PAGE 7 Inauguration 5. The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville Mom, two kids killed in home Chris Smith, Ann Wallace 1. The Tennessean, Nashville McNair Slain Staff Tremendous coverage. It is obvious from reading this that Tennessean staff drove the national coverage. Very little was left undone. The straight story was there as were reactions and analysis. Supplementary work on the Web was excellent, too. A great job. 2. News Sentinel, Knoxville House Explodes 3. The Commercial Appeal, Gone...Again Staff 4. The Tennessean, Nashville It was like she died yesterday Kate Howard 5. Bristol Herald Courier Family in shock after murder suicide Clair Galofaro Best news reporting 1. The Erwin Record County Republicans will support Bailey Mark A. Stevens, Anthony Piercy, Lesley Hughes Interesting story told in compelling detail. 2. Herald and Tribune, Jonesborough Confederates in Veterans Park Kristen Swing, Lynn Richardson, Kate Best single editorial The Erwin Record County s administrator of elections and replace her with someone who holds only one qualification that he or she is a Republican. It s outrageous and egregious, and it s a slap in the face of every conscientious voter in Unicoi County and the state of Tennessee. In Republican-leaning Unicoi County, most residents would welcome the attention of Tennessee s policymakers, but when Rep. David Hawk told local Republicans last week that he and his Nashville colleagues wanted to put politics above the good of the people, citizens from both sides of the political aisle recoiled. And it was more shocking when Rep. Hawk went to the media with a story that Bailey had given his Democratic challenger in last year s election a Prahlad 3. The Portland Leader Binkley sentenced to 12 years Albert Dittes, Sonya Thompson 4. The Erwin Record Downtown Inferno Lesley Hughes, Eileen Rush, Mark A. Stevens 5. The Westmoreland Observer Derek Williamson First Degree Murder Trial Ed Cahill I 1. The Daily News, Stanford Shocker Andy Meek Clearly one of the most detailed, wellresearched and demanding entries. The scope of the coverage and the size of the story would have made covering it a challenge for a team of reporters. For one person to have covered it in this much detail is a testament to his reporting and writing abilities. 2. Weakley County Press, Martin Serial rapist/bruce Tuck series Sabrina Bates 3. The News Examiner, Gallatin Tornadoes: One year later Cheryl Tatum 4. Business Journal PILOT Program Andy Ashby, Trey Heath 5. The Dickson Herald County Jail Crisis Teri Burton II 1. The Newport Plain Talk Rockslide qualifying petition when Greene County officials had refused to do so. But that turned out to be a completely false accusation. The facts were clearly proven by public documents both in Greene and Unicoi counties. On Monday (March 30), Rep. Hawk apologized, as he should have. But the whole fiasco underlines again why the administrator of elections position does not need more political intrigue. Rep. Hawk, who has enjoyed wide support from both Democrats and Republicans in Unicoi County, should have been loath to place petty politics above the good of the people he is sworn to represent, and all of Nashville s politicians would do well to stay out of our county s internal affairs. Perhaps these politicians, who enjoy the hospitality of Nashville at taxpayers expense, have forgotten they were elected to represent the citizens of their district rather than dictating orders from on high. The state of Tennessee is facing a billion-dollar deficit, which would Jones Rick Hooper, Nelson Morais, Duay O Neil The topic is not as sexy as some other entries but certainly vitally important to readers. What s great about it is that newspaper looked at how the rockslide would impact people and businesses. It looked at travel, commerce, gov t. Best news photo Lake County Banner, Tiptonville seem enough on the plate for Nashville s elected officials, but power-hungry politicians may have bitten off more than they can chew with their blatantly political maneuver. When will politicians learn that citizens those unnamed faces who make up We the People in the Constitution do not need advice from Nashville or Washington on how to live our lives? Bailey, a married mother of a newborn, is a young, intelligent and most capable administrator. She is active in making her community a better place to be, and she is serving as president of the Erwin Kiwanis Club, the county s oldest and most prestigious civic organization. Both Democrats and Republicans say Bailey s politics have never played a part in her job as administrator of elections. Hundreds have shown their support for her by signing an online petition. Now is not the time to make our county s election office a political budgets, the clean-up process, etc. Good use of quotes, too. 2. Southern Standard, McMinnville Children die in fire 3. Shelbyville Times-Gazette Flume collapse Brian Mosely 4. Crossville Chronicle punching bag. The Unicoi County Republican Party on Monday officially threw its support to Bailey, and, for that, they should be commended. The Grand Old Party of Unicoi County did the right thing for everyone. To replace Bailey as administrator solely based on her personal voting record would have taken our county down to the lowest common denominator of partisan politics. In a letter Rep. Hawk handed out last week in Unicoi County, he said, I bring to you the encouragement and understanding that a Republican will be named coordinator of elections in Unicoi County. With all due respect to Rep. Hawk and his colleagues in Nashville, we, the people of Unicoi County, both Republicans and Democrats, are quite capable of thinking for ourselves. And, yes, we know the difference between right and wrong even if the folks in Nashville don t. (March 31, 2009) EVAN S. JONES LAKE COUNTY BANNER, TIPTONVILLE Electric crew members from Southwest Tennessee Electric in Henderson work on powerlines in front of the Jamison residence in Tiptonville. (Jan. 28, 2009) Election Commission Gary Nelson 5. Crossville Chronicle Swafford: It s in your best interest to retire Michael R. Moser SEE, PAGE 9

9 SEPTEMBER 2010 Installation & Awards - 9 Hawkins Today balances county budget; no tax hike Thomason Best news photo I The Advocate & Democrat Sweetwater FROM PAGE 8 V 1. The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro The Good Friday Tornadoes An impressive collection of writing and reporting. A lot of good stuff written on deadline. Lot of information, too, about helping people cope with damage. Good followups and tracking previous stories. The best of an outstanding selection of entries. 2. The Daily Herald, Columbia GM factory s Chris Graham, Samantha Ballard, Skyler Swisher, William Bowers, Alex Miller 3. The Jackson Sun Locksmith shot Mariann Martin 4. The Mountain Press, Sevierville Dennis Bolze Derek Hodges 5. The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville Suicide in the Ranks MICHAEL THOMASON THE ADVOCATE AND DEMOCRAT, SWEETWATER Black smoke filled the sky outside of Tellico Plains Friday morning when Helms Tire Shop on Highway 68 caught fire. No one was injured in the fire, which is believed to have been electrical in nature. The fire burned for several hours as the building and thousands of dollars worth of tires were claimed. Several fire departments, including Tellico Plains, Notchey Creek, Christianburg, Mt. Vernon, Englewood and Madisonville, helped fight the blaze. (March 15, 2009) Jake Lowary, Mark Hicks, Tavia D. Green 1. The Tennessean, Nashville Needless Death Heidi Hall Fantastic coverage with loads of information. The personal stories are touching without overdoing it. I especially liked the reporter s notebook where Ms. Hall provided personal history. This is a subject we all can relate to. We ve all known people with cancer and we all know folks who refuse to go to the doctor. Ms. Hall captures all the nuances well. This is a winner. 2. The Commercial Appeal, Always a Fighter Marc Perrusquia 3. The Tennessean, Nashville TVA Coverage Anne Paine, Brad Schrade BY JIM ZACHARY and MARK DeWITTE Grainger Today, Bean Station In many respects government needs to be run like a business. Businesses and industries throughout our county and all across the nation are cutting budgets Zachary because of the ailing economy. Companies have asked department heads to cut costs. Many of our own Hawkins County citizens have been laid off because of company budget DeWitte cuts and downsizing. During a time when businesses and industries are cutting back, why should Hawkins County even be contemplating spending more? Is the proposed 22 cent property tax increase really the best our elected officials can do? We don t think so. In fact, now we know for sure they can do better because we re giving them an example. The question is will they even try? When people are out of work, struggling to make ends meet and having difficulty balancing their household budgets the last thing elected officials should be thinking about is increasing their financial burden by raising their taxes. Using the exact same business principles and sound fiscal management practices employed by successful businesses, Hawkins Today has balanced the Hawkins County budget with no increase in taxes. We are not saying this is the definitive final budget. We are not saying our numbers are carved in stone. But we are saying it can be done. During countless hours of deliberations at Budget Committee meetings, not only were the numbers we changed not discussed, they were 4. Bristol Herald Courier Breach of Trust Daniel Gilbert 5. Bristol Herald Courier Financial Disclosure Investigative reporting 1. Mt. Juliet News High Cost of High School Dropouts Laurie Everett A thorough look at a local education issue. An effective blend of policy and humor stories illustrating the impact. 2. The Erwin Record Public Safety Program Eileen Rush, Lesley Hughes Best single editorial I Grainger Today, Bean Station not even questioned. Hawkins Today spent less time than the Budget Committee spent and combed through the proposed budget line by line, digit by digit and did the exact same kinds of things that any responsible fiscal manager would do, or even what any of us would have to do in order to trim our household budget so that we could live within our means. Some of the cuts may hurt, but think about it. That s why they call them budget cuts. None of the things we trimmed are necessarily desirable, but they are doable and difficult times call for difficult decisions. As you look at the county budget one of the most noticeable disparities is the high percentage of employee benefit costs compared to salaries. A single employee benefit package adds about 50 percent to the cost of paying a county employee. In the business world an employee benefit package is generally 15 to 25 percent of the employee s salary. In neighboring Grainger County, for instance, comparing apples to apples, the county benefits, including health insurance along with federal and state withholdings, are less than 20 percent of pay. Reducing employee benefits at this stage may be a bit drastic, but maybe it s time to get new competitive quotes on things like health insurance. Certainly, using part time employees that do not qualify for full county benefits is one way of cutting payroll costs appreciably and we ve made those changes where that potential exists. Every department has a little padding here and there, even though office holders may not like to admit it. That s the way budgets are prepared. Remember, these are challenging times, not ordinary times. However, the cuts go deeper and they should. This year is even more challenging than last year and spending should be controlled to an even greater 3. The Erwin Record David Hawk apologizes for making false accusations Mark A. Stevens 4. The Hartsville Vidette Drug Court helps nonviolent offenders Liz Ferrell 5. Lake County Banner, Tiptonville Whatever happened to Annie Mae I 1. Business Journal Pilot Program Andy Ashby, Christopher Sheffield, Trey Heath The best part of this effort is the measure. As office holders, budget committee members and county commissioners look at our numbers they should distinguish between wants and needs, focusing on essential services only. If you study the numbers on the following pages, you will see our changes highlighted in yellow in the rightmost column. Some departmental budgets with fewer line items and no changes have been condensed to just a line showing their total. In most of our changes, we have held county offices to what they actually spent during the last fiscal cycle, while giving consideration to the new expenses the Justice Center will bring. We have also eliminated overtime except for in the Sheriff s Department and Justice Center budgets, which are hard to control and inevitable given the unforeseen circumstances being dealt with. Some office holders may say cutting out overtime pay is unreasonable, but that is exactly what we do in the business world. Keeping in mind what we ve had to do in our own homes and businesses, we ve taken out most of the other new capital expenditures and deferred them to a time when the economy improves. Against our better judgment, we left all county contributions alone. However, once again we ask county commissioners if people pay their taxes for donations or should they just be assessed for essential county services? No one seems to want to address this issue either because it is emotional or because they are more concerned about getting votes in the next election than they are about doing what is fiscally responsible for Hawkins County. Regardless of what county commissioners do when they meet next Monday, if they steel themselves against better judgment and ignore how much average citizens are hurting and raise taxes, the one thing they can t say is, We did all we could do. We ve shown that they haven t. (Aug. 26, 2009) incredible depth of context. The stories make it abundantly clear what other communities are doing differently. 2. Business Journal Stanford Asked Chamber Christopher Sheffield 3. Grainger Today, Bean Station Voter fraud Jim Zachary 4. Weakley County Press, Martin Trailer Park Woes Sabrina Bates 5. The Standard Banner, Jefferson City The Pride of the county has faded Steve Marion SEE, PAGE 10

10 10 - Installation & Awards SEPTEMBER 2010 An open letter to John Tanner BY GLENDA H. CAUDLE Union City Daily Messenger Dear Congressman Tanner, The people of the Eighth Congressional District have much to thank you for as a group of people and as individuals. You have done many good things for the folks back home Caudle during your 20 years as a Congressman. You deserve our appreciation. Face-to-face meetings with your constituents would afford many of us the opportunity to express that sentiment. Such meetings would, as well, give us the chance to ask questions about matters that have recently come before the Congress, that are presently competing for Congressional attention and that may require legislative action in the future. Then, too, such sessions would provide both you and us the privilege of communicating up close and personal in ways that letters and s and phone calls just can t duplicate. Body language can speak volumes, alone. And when many people have a desire not just to hear what you have to say, but to tell you what is on their hearts and minds, face-to-face interaction is simply unbeatable. When there are too many voices to be heard as individuals, public-minded citizens can even paint a poster and wave it in your line of vision at a real town hall meeting, hoping you will not forget their sentiments whether they are positive or negative. Technology is a wonderful thing. It lets people who cannot be in proximity, for a variety of reasons, communicate Best single editorial II Union City Daily Messenger across great distances. It provides an instant way to convey an opinion. But it does not permit the intimacy or the impressions or the memories or the urgency of face-to-face meetings. It does not assure that a message is heard or a question is answered. It is true that your constituents may phone, fax, or drop by your offices in the Eighth Congressional District at almost any time. It is true that your staff is composed of wonderful people who do their best to assist the citizens of this district. They certainly deserve our respect and appreciation. But it is equally true that all these things are, in a way, buffers. They are not the same thing as seeing you as hearing you, as talking to you in person. We need to see you in the flesh, Congressman. Telephone town hall meetings may meet your needs, but we ask you to please understand that they will not necessarily meet ours. How are the thousands of participants your press release assures us will be able to participate guaranteed you will notice them? People need to be noticed, particularly in these difficult times when fears and frustrations are at such a high level. That is really what those who desire real town hall meetings not some sanitized technological version of interaction are asking for. You are both a Congressman and an employer. I am trying hard to imagine your approach, in the latter role, if you became aware that there were things going on in your business or your Congressional offices you had serious concerns about. I am trying to envision you politely inviting the employees who could clear up your concerns to meet you face-to-face to discuss the situation. I am trying to summon up a mental image of your reaction if those employees said, Mr. Tanner, we will be glad to discuss this issue with you. Please call in and register. It s a simple procedure. Just leave your name and number and indicate the things you want to discuss and we ll get back to you by phone when it s convenient for us. We really feel this new format will be the best tool. I m having a little trouble with this image, for some reason. But not nearly so much as I have with the fantasy of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking you to come to her office for a face-to-face over a serious concern she might have concerning say your voting record. You see, no matter how tightly I close my eyes, or how intensely I concentrate, I just can t see you telling Madame Speaker you think a telephone get-together is preferable and is, indeed, the only way you will be willing to hear what she has to say. It just wouldn t happen. And Mrs. Pelosi isn t even your boss! But we are. We are. Please remember that, Congressman Tanner, and respond appropriately. Sincerely, Glenda H. Caudle Citizen of the Eighth Congressional District (Aug. 11, 2009) Melson DAVID MELSON SHELBYVILLE TIMES-GAZETTE The child safety seat in which 2-year-old Ana Singleton was riding when it was thrown from an overturning van Wednesday night on U.S. 231 North landed some distance away from the vehicle. She was critically injured, investigators say. (May 28, 2009) Best news photo II Shelbyville Times-Gazette FROM PAGE 9 II 1. The Lebanon Democrat State of LHS Hilary Trenda Comprehensive look at the abysmal conditions at a local high school and paths to fixing it. The photos really play an important part in telling this story. She examined the history of the building, contingency plans, renovation vs. bldg from scratch and the best way to find fixing the school. Would have liked some pull out graphics and comments from students. But an easy-to-follow description of the problem and the challenges to fix it. 2. Southern Standard, McMinnville City Finances Lisa Hobbs 3. The Newport Plain Talk Rockslide Rick Hooper, Nelson Morais, Duay O Neil 4. The Wilson Post, Lebanon Some Wilson residents dry with 6 utilities offering water Connie Esh 5. Roane County News, Kingston Brown applied for park job weeks before dismissal from election post V 1. The Jackson Sun Elder Care Dan Morris Excellent report that should be a keeper for everyone in town. Exhaustive look at options for elderly. Fabulous use of graphics charts, ratings. Faces of people define the issues for readers. This was a well planned, well written series that is head and shoulders above the other entries. This is how you do a special report on a topic of interest to many. Writing is first class. 2. Johnson City Press Appco Jeff Keeling 3. The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville CDE adviser has ties to ISI Eric Snyder 4. The Jackson Sun Broken Promises? Nicholas Beadle 5. The Mountain Press, Sevierville Dennis Bolze Derek Hodges 1. Bristol Herald Courier Underfoot, Out of Reach Daniel Gilbert A perfect example of a necessary poking of a hornet s nest and a satisfying result from investigative journalism a sloppy system getting better and money finding itself into the proper hands. Clearly this piece had a very strong impact on the authorities involved. This complex subject was made as clear as possible and included the journalistic equivalent of a spy thriller. I wish the entries with the average man interviews would have been included. The strong writing voice also occasionally stretched into editorializing, and a more clear understanding of what each story was meant to portray/accomplish would have helped. 2. The Tennessean, Nashville Bond Fund, Brad Schrade 3. Chattanooga Times Free Press Community Awaits Answers Pam Sohn, Dave Flessner 4. The Commercial Appeal, Armed and Dangerous Marc Perrusquia 5. Bristol Herald Courier Magistrate Fakes Documents to Steer Bonds Michael L. Owens Best education reporting 1. Mt. Juliet News Laurie Everett The A-part series on high school dropouts boosted this entry head and shoulders above all the rest. Good information, well presented and a definite display of initiative. Ledes are good throughout and topics well chosen. Congratulations! SEE, PAGE 11

11 SEPTEMBER 2010 Installation & Awards - 11 Probation politics: Citizens get surprise look behind curtain BY CHRIS FLETCHER The Daily Herald, Columbia Longtime readers of The Daily Herald might have expected this editorial to criticize Commissioner Bob Farmer for proposing Maury County open a Fletcher probation office that he would run. They probably predicted that the newspaper would holler about how unethical it is for an elected official to try to create a paid government job for himself. Readers also might have expected us to remind them that Farmer has consistently supported higher pay for commissioners and already is on the county s payroll as an on-call bailiff. They wouldn t have been surprised if we suggested that there is something rotten in Denmark when Farmer, the county s most vocal advocate of building a big new judicial center, gets support from the county s judges to start this new misdemeanor probation department. Best single editorial V The Daily Herald, Columbia And few would have been shocked if we questioned the idea that taking business away from private companies and growing local government by four employees would result in a long-term savings for taxpayers or improved efficiency in our judicial system. Well, not so fast, faithful readers. Your Daily Herald is not that predictable. You won t catch us singing the same old refrains about henhouse-guarding foxes or conflict-of-interest paloozas. No, this time we re keeping it positive. We congratulate the plainspoken Mr. Farmer on helping improve transparency in local government. Thanks to his take-charge, nobull approach, residents got a rare glimpse into how the public s business frequently gets done around these parts. If Farmer hadn t told Mediation Center worker Sheila Hickman she had to vacate her downtown office in a month because he would need it for his probation office (a story he demurely denies), the public might not know nearly as much about the plan. If he hadn t declared, I ain t going to do it for free, in regard to his expectation of remuneration and said that he would leave the decision of whether to resign from the commission once he got the new job up to his own sense of what s right, we might have been left to ponder the vagaries of the situation. Even Farmer s colleagues on the county s Administrative Committee seemed a bit stunned by his frank disclosures about his future job at Thursday s open meeting. One questioned whether it was a good ol buddy affair. The county mayor felt the need to stop the discussion, pointing out that a reporter was present. But we say Mr. Farmer did the right thing by laying the entire matter, warts and all, out on the public s table. Now we can all see it for what it is. Mr. Farmer has done his part with regard to the county probation office. Now it s up to the Administrative Committee to vote it down. (July 23, 2009) Habraken FROM PAGE Ashland City Times 3. Herald and Tribune, Jonesborough Lynn J. Richardson, Kristen Swing, Kate Prahlad, John Kiener, Saundra Kelley 4. The Tomahawk, Mountain City Jill Penley, Paula Walter 5. Macon County Times, Lafayette Deidre Wilson, Clay Morgan I 1. The News Examiner, Gallatin Jennifer Easton, Tena Lee, Dessislava Yankova, Cheryl Tatum Excellent depths reporting on local education issues. Stories presented consistently provided interesting detail and demonstrated expertise. 2. The Standard Banner, Jefferson City Steve Marion 3. The Gallatin Newspaper CURT HABRAKEN THE MOUNTAIN PRESS, SEVIERVILLE Personnel set up a human chain to lower the driver of a wrecked truck down to the gurney for transport. (July 17, 2009) Best news photo V The Mountain Press, Sevierville Marjorie Lloyd 4. The Courier, Savannah Ron Schaming, Linda Folkerts 5. Grainger Today, Bean Station II 1. The Lebanon Democrat Hilary Trenda Good attention to the small details that make what could be dry stories have impact and readability. 2. Roane County News, Kingston 3. The Tullahoma News Brian Justice 4. Crossville Chronicle Heather Mullinix 5. Shelbyville Times-Gazette John Carney, Sadie Fowler V 1. The Daily Herald, Columbia Chris Graham, Skyler Swisher Stories are well-written and the topics ENGRAVINGS Martin wins Gannett President s Ring second time Stacey Martin of Nashville, Gannett Co. s South Group director and vice president/operations, Nashville, again has been named a Gannett President s Ring winner. It was her second win. Bob Dickey, president of Gannett U.S. Community Publishing, May 5 announced the recipients of USCP are the most compelling among those submitted in the category. The mix of classroom features, administrative policy and social tie-in is very strong. Info. boxes are eye-catching and helpful. 2. The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville Ann Wallace 3. The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro 4. The Greeneville Sun Bill Jones, Tom Yancey, Amy Rose 5. Johnson City Press Rex Barber 1. The Tennessean, Nashville Jaime Sarrio This is journalism at its best. A reporter would be proud to have one piece of investigative journalism like this on his or her resume. Having two President s Rings for outstanding performance during President s Rings are the division s top honor. This award recognizes outstanding work, exceptional performance and strong leadership. With all of the challenges we experienced last year, in one year is amazing. The stories have impact and led to changes in policy. It s what we should all strive to do in our work. The depth and breadth of the coverage is amazing with good use of breakout boxes and art to break up the text. The writing is very good, although in the credit-card story it seemed to drag a bit with all the various examples of abuse. However, I don t think it could have been done better. It was no contest. This was far and away the best education reporting of the category. 2. The Commercial Appeal, Kristina Goetz, Dan Wolken, Jane Roberts 3. Chattanooga Times Free Press Joan Garrett, Kelli Gauthier 4. Bristol Herald Courier Debra McCown, David McGee, Joe these honorees stand out for helping the company move forward. They are all stellar performers who are dedicated to giving their very best and inspiring others to do the same, said Dickey. I give them my deepest thanks. Congratulations to all! Tennis 5. News Sentinel, Knoxville Lola Alapo Best single editorial 1. The Erwin Record Best place to be is on the right side of politics Mark A. Stevens Great hook in the lede! Excellent job of boiling down an issue that s really inside baseball and making it understandable for readers telling them why this is important. Nice hometown feel. 2. Carroll County News-Leader, Huntingdon Sheriff s lawsuit will cost taxpayers Shirley Nanney SEE, PAGE 12

12 12 - Installation & Awards SEPTEMBER 2010 Mayor, friends are raking it in Weber FROM PAGE Macon County Times, Lafayette Shopping Local 4. The Lauderdale County Enterprise, Ripley Aldermen: We re Hurting 5. Mt. Juliet News The dropout situation Laurie Everett I 1. Grainger Today, Bean Station Hawkins Today balances county budget Jim Zachary, Mark DeWitte Wow! What a monumental and fantastic undertaking. The essence of public service journalism is right here. Excellent job holding officials accountable and offering solutions to problems. Fantastic! 2. Macon County Chronicle, Lafayette From the Editor s Desk Jessie Ellefson 3. Grainger Today, Bean Station TCA Monkey business Jim Zachary 4. Hickman County Times, Centerville A citizen s job Bradley A. Martin 5. Carthage Courier Rebuild Cordell Hull Bridge Eddie West II 1. Union City Daily Messenger An open letter to John Tanner Best news photo The Commercial Appeal Glenda H. Caudle A clear winner, if for no other reason than its unique approach. However, the success of this piece goes far beyond that. It is well thought out, logically put together and brings the matter at hand down to the simplest, most obvious of levels. If anyone, including the Congressman, had wondered why face-to-face meetings were necessary, now they know. 2. The Paris Post-Intelligencer We must not lose this marvelous opportunity Bill Williams 3. The Lebanon Democrat County leaders need to say no to Bible Park Amelia Morrison Hipps 4. Southern Standard, McMinnville School Board dodged responsibility 5. Southern Standard, McMinnville Cover-up attempt a disgrace V 1. The Daily Herald, Columbia Probation Politics: Citizens get surprise look Chris Fletcher Great use of satire to make the point and several examples to prove it. Written with a humorous slant about a serious issue. Well done! 2. The Daily Herald, Columbia Officials suddenly stingy as savings on payroll possible Skyler Swisher MARK WEBER THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL, MEMPHIS Saturday, 10:06 p.m., Midtown: Union Precinct officer Josh Stanley (middle), with the help of fellow officers, arrests a combative Demetrius Franklin in the 1700 block of Nelson. Franklin, who has a lengthy criminal history, had gotten into a scuffle with officers Stanley and Prinshere Hall (not pictured) on the home s front porch. (Sept. 27, 2009) 3. The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville Open process needed Alane S. Megna 4. Elizabethton Star Republican Party is bigger than any one person Rozella Hardin 5. Citizen Tribune, Morristown The search for Crumley s replacement John Gullion 1. The Commercial Appeal, Mayor, friends are raking it in Staff Tough category. Some top-notch entries. Tone of winning edit was persuasive and tinged with outrage. Good use of numbers, too. 2. Chattanooga Times Free Press Politics of destruction 3. The Tennessean, Nashville Aim veto at dangerous gun bill Ted Rayburn 4. News Sentinel, Knoxville Restricting gun data Hoyt Canady 5. The Commercial Appeal, Gun battle goes local Staff Editorials 1. The Erwin Record BY STAFF The Commercial Appeal, Eleven years ago Yalanda McFadgon was relieved of her duties with the Police Department after being nabbed in a federal drug investigation. She went to prison, but later got a fresh start in the administration of Mayor Willie Herenton and worked her way up to deputy director of public services and neighborhoods at a salary of $105,900. Twenty-three years ago Ken Moody was playing basketball for legendary coach Larry Finch at then- State University. He would eventually become director of public services and neighborhoods at City Hall, earning $118,300 a year. Soon they ll join the ranks of retirees from city government service in who have climbed the steps on Mayor Willie Herenton s gravy train. Moody, at age 43, will draw a pension of $38,650 a year; McFadgon, at the ripe old age of 46, will get $59,900. They re not alone, of course. Dozens of city employees, including some who have been catapulted into deputy directorships or better by Herenton, have taken or are planning to take advantage of an ill-advised decision by the City Council. In 2001, purportedly to attract and retain the best talent to city government that money could buy, the council lowered retirement eligibility requirements for elected and appointed officials. The decision was later rescinded, but 300 eligible employees were grandfathered under the rule that permits retirement after only 12 years of service. Herenton, who s leaving office at the age of 69 to run for Congress, stands to draw a yearly pension from the city of about $75,000. That s in addition to his state pension Mark A. Stevens, Janice Willis Burnett, Ralph Hood, Connie Denney, Ray Knapp Good mix of subjects not shying away from controversy and arguing persuasively. 2. Smithville Review Tom R. Duggin 3. The Courier News, Clinton Ron Bridgeman 4. Mt. Juliet News Laurie Everett 5. Carroll County News-Leader, Huntingdon Shirley Nanney, Dennis Richardson I 1. The Advocate & Democrat, Sweetwater Mia Rhodarmer, John Taylor, Tommy Millsaps 2. Grainger Today, Bean Station Best single editorial The Commercial Appeal of about $55,000 for 30 years with City Schools. Retiring Chief Administrative Officer Keith McGee had a $61,000 pension approved this week, while former Herenton bodyguard Tony Elion, who last year was named the Public Works deputy director over waste management, will get $49,989. Michael Gray, a former Herenton bodyguard, former deputy director of public services and neighborhoods who also sold real estate for the mayor before being named last year the deputy director of the library system, will retire from city employment next month and start drawing a $65,740 pension. Of course, no discussion of the current rain on the city treasury should omit the decision by the city attorney s office to offer former Light, Gas and Water Division chief Joseph Lee $426,422. That s to settle his lawsuit against the city seeking payment of attorney Robert Spence s $426,422 bill. Spence did about 16 months of legal work for Lee while he was fighting federal corruption charges that were eventually dropped. Taxpayers who are unamused by all this should keep in mind that if Herenton is elected to Congress next year, he would be paid upwards of $174,000 per year, depending on the size of cost-of-living increases. After five years of service there, he would be eligible for a federal pension, too. It would not be presumptuous to predict that he would accept. (July 1, 2009) Jim Zachary 3. Business Journal Terry Hollahan, Jane Donahoe 4. Pulaski Citizen Scott Stewart, Hershel Lake 5. The News Examiner, Gallatin Matt Moynihan, Leonard Assante II 1. The Lebanon Democrat Amelia Morrison Hipps By far the best set of opinions. Ideas clearly stated. Good arguments. The only critique I have is I like the lede to state the opinion. It s a chance to grab more readers. 2. The Wilson Post, Lebanon Sam Hatcher 3. The Paris Post-Intelligencer 4. Roane County News, Kingston SEE, PAGE 13

13 SEPTEMBER 2010 Installation & Awards - 13 The line of duty, the family s perspective BY HOLLY ROEDER Chester County Independent, Henderson In the back of my mind is a dark quiet place. A place where certain thoughts and fears are contained. The solitary remoteness allows for a tidy suppression in daily awareness. Roeder There, they are kept as if in a tight little box, never to be uttered, because to speak their truth gives them power, makes them real. Thursday night the box broke open in a very real and horrific way. I am the wife of a police officer. While my husband happened to be off duty at the time, the news that a Henderson police officer, one of our own, had been shot shattered the safe haven I have built for myself and my family over the past years. With a kiss goodbye, an I love you, and a be safe, I have ushered my man out the door to his job each day, refusing to entertain the thought that it might be the last. When you send a loved one off to work each day, it simply is not sensible to do so laden with fear of what may happen to them on the job. The truth is, anything might happen to anyone, anywhere at anytime. However, it is also true that a police officer is more likely to find himself or herself in those anywhere places more often than others. Families of those in law enforcement understand this, whether or not we FROM PAGE 12 Terri Likens 5. The Tullahoma News Larry Nee V 1. The Daily Herald, Columbia Chris Fletcher, Skyler Swisher Your editorial voice is strong and persuasive exactly what we, as newspapers, should be doing more of. What makes your entry the far-andaway winner is its advocacy stance. You re trying to make a difference! That s great. Don t ever wander from your watchdog stance. 2. The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro Sam Stockard 3. The Mountain Press, Sevierville Stan Voit 4. The Jackson Sun 5. The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville Alane S. Megna 1. The Tennessean, Nashville Strong editorial voice. Positions are Best personal column Chester County Independent Henderson willingly admit it. The majority of us send them to work with well wishes and prayers for their safety, but largely, we keep that ugly knowledge of the actual danger involved tucked away, for sanity s sake. Over time it becomes fairly easy to pretend it is just a job. I think we re guilty of becoming complacent, said Mandy Rhodes, wife of Henderson Crime Prevention Officer Jason Rhodes. You don t think about what his job entails, she continued, because if you did, it would drive you crazy. But as much as we do not think about or linger on the danger of the job, the knowledge is very securely tucked away in that little spot way at the back of our consciousness. It is never truly forgotten. I always pray for him and all the guys on the force. I trust God to do the rest, said Laura Purvis, wife of Chester County Sheriff Deputy Don Purvis. Of course I realize there is evil in the world and I know bad things can happen to good people but I can t dwell on those kinds of things. Knowing these men and women in uniform are watched over and supported also helps us maintain our fabricated view of their job. I also know he works with a lot of wonderful and supportive people, clear and well reasoned. Editorials have an impact on their audience. 2. The Commercial Appeal, Staff 3. Chattanooga Times Free Press 4. Kingsport Times-News Stan Whitlock 5. Bristol Herald Courier J. Todd Foster Public service 1. Mt. Juliet News Silent Epidemic Laurie Everett Silent Epidemic Home run! Grand slam! Thorough, compelling, relevant subject and treatment. Solid reporting, backed by research and facts, and great graphics, sidebars and editorial support. 911 Thorough look at pros and cons but not enough to persuade change. Editorial support and results of poll would ve added. SEE, PAGE 16 Purvis continued. They are a tight knit family that are always there for one another. What more could I ask for? God and family. None of those things have changed (after Thursday night s shooting), so I know when he goes out the door again I still can have that same reassurance. He is always in my mind and heart. Hopefully now there will be more people praying against all the evil that still does exist in the world. While it is not customary for us to verbally admit the danger of the job, we tend to be fiercely protective of our guys and girls. Often, we are subject to good-natured jokes about what the police department or sheriff department does or does not do, many of these jabs include a mention of doughnuts. Yes, it is hilarious, and no, we haven t heard that one a thousand times before, we smile as we walk away, but what we really want you to know is that we hope our loved one never earns their pay. When we hear it is a slow night at work, we are relieved. It is the busy, eventful shift that gets us edgy. And does anyone want to bring up compensation for their days spent drinking coffee, writing tickets, or responding to a burglary in progress? It is all the same, no matter the task. Law enforcement personnel are not known to make an extravagant living, especially when one considers the risks they take. Mandy Rhodes explained, They get paid for what they might have to do, in Dennis (Cagle) case, he gave his life. Rhodes continued to say that as she completely supports our military, she feels the public forgets about Mauk Best feature photo Herald and Tribune Jonesborough those who are fighting on the homefront. Whereas military personnel are typically on duty for months or a year or two at a time, they come home and most go back to their lives as before, with vivid memories of their tour of service. Police officers fight the same battle day in and day out, for years. We fight to protect the community every day of the week, said Rhodes, who is a federal law enforcement officer with Tennessee Valley Authority. Furthermore, she pointed out that a police officer is never really off duty. Police officers are trained to be observant, and that is not something they can hang up when they punch their time card at the end of the day. They don t get the respect they deserve, said Candace Crouse, wife of Chester County Sheriff Deputy Bradley Crouse. Day to day they don t know if they re coming home. Consequently, we don t know if they are coming home. You never know on a domestic call what they are walking in on; whether it is just a man and woman fighting, or if there are weapons or if there are children involved, she continued. As the family of law enforcement personnel, we see our loved ones go to work each day to uphold the law and to fight to keep our community safer, much to the resistance of those they come into contact with. We see them disrespected, cursed and harassed. We see them constantly field comments and questions about the law and who may be breaking it, and those who are looking for a companionable loophole. And occasionally, rarely, we see someone shake their hand in sincere thanks. When everyone else is in their beds asleep with their husbands and their families, or enjoying family time, our husbands are out there patrolling the streets, protecting the community to keep everyone safe, said Rhodes. More often than not, your family comes before our family. And most of the time, we are OK with this. We are proud of these men and women who serve our local community. And whether or not it is the profession we would have chosen for them, we would ask them to do nothing else, because it is who they are, what they are. And we tuck away the fears and apprehension we feel at sending them out to protect and watch over our town. We put on a smile and hope that the worst we can imagine will never come true. But it did. It happened to us, to our family. Thursday night. One of our husbands was shot. Our men were forced to pull their weapons and fire at another man. One of our husbands died. And we grieve. We grieve with and for Judy Cagle. We grieve for our husbands and those who worked with Captain Dennis Cagle. We tell our loved one we love them, one more time, as they walk out the door to go to work, proud of the service they have chosen and honored to be a part of it. And we wouldn t ask them to do anything else. (Dec. 17, 2009) CHARLIE MAUK HERALD AND TRIBUNE, JONESBOROUGH [Note: This photo ran on the cover of a special section.] Players for Daniel Boone High School and David Crockett High School are amped up for this year s Musket Bowl, which takes place on Oct. 30 at Boone. As the final game of the regular season, the 38th Annual Musket Bowl pits the two county schools against each other in what could be one of the most competitive matchups in the event s recent history. Check out this special preview of the big game so you ll be ready when the rubber meets the road. (Oct. 27, 2009)

14 14 - Installation & Awards SEPTEMBER 2010 SEPTEMBER 2010 Installation & Awards - 15 GENERAL EXCELLENCE THE ERWIN RECORD General Excellence Award - BRIANNA MURPHY THE ERWIN RECORD Seated, Publisher Mark A. Stevens; standing, from left, Kevin Lewis, Brenda Sparks, Dennis Swift, Donna Rea, Brian Reese, Kenneth Whitson and Lesley Hughes. THE STANDARD BANNER, JEFFERSON CITY General Excellence Award - I THE STANDARD BANNER, JEFFERSON CITY Staff members are, from left, front row, Angel Isbill, Gayle Page, Lisa Seabolt, Karen Trolinger and Ray Seabolt; back row, Steve Marion, Kim Cook, Shane Cook, Ginger Burchett, Pat Sexton, Darren Reese, Dale Gentry and Dave Gentry. Not pictured are Paul Young, Ronnie Housley, Gary Fowler and Teresa Gentry. SHELBYVILLE TIMES-GAZETTE General Excellence Award - II HUGH JONES SHELBYVILLE TIMES-GAZETTE From left, front row, Brian Mosely, Mary Reeves, Danny Parker, Editor Kent Flanagan, Sadie Fowler and David Melson. Not pictured is John Carney. THE JACKSON SUN General Excellence Award - V THE JACKSON SUN Staff members of The Jackson Sun, from left, Brandon Shields, Matthew Borenstein, Dan Morris, Jacque Hillman, Sherri Jordan-Anderson, Steve Coffman, John Semien, Helen Comer, Stanley Dunlap, Kenneth Cummings, Tajuana Cheshier, Katie Gould, Dave Thomas, Mariann Martin, Katie Brake, Michael Odom, Carol Dix and Aaron Hardin. Not pictured: Tom Bohs, Ned Hunter, Amy McDaniel, Tracy Simer, Nicholas Beadle and Matt Vines The Erwin Record 85 points I The Standard Banner, Jefferson City 47 points II Shelbyville Times-Gazette 51 points V The Jackson Sun 64 points The Commercial Appeal, 85 points THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL, MEMPHIS General Excellence Award - Members of the news staff of The Commercial Appeal,, with Editor Chris Peck, second from left JOHN SALE THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL, MEMPHIS

15 16 - Installation & Awards SEPTEMBER 2010 Appalachia...and the curiosity of a journalist BY EDDIE WEST Carthage Courier More than 20 years ago, I ventured down a narrow gravel road called Kennedy Road. The road, which I didn t know existed, began at the former Carthage Fairgrounds and West traveled northeast outside the Carthage city limits. At the end of the dirt road (what we referred to as gravel roads years ago), I came to a white, single-story, wood frame house which would have used a fresh coat of paint. I walked up to the house and knocked on a side door. A few seconds later a burly stranger, whom I had to look up to, opened the door. I explained to the stranger the county was looking at purchasing a tract of land adjoining his property for a new landfill a fact he was well aware of. As I recall, the stranger was leasing a portion of the land as pasture for his cattle from its owner. I explained to the stranger I was knocking at his door to get permission to cross his property to reach the place I needed to go in order to take some pictures for an upcoming story. Since nobody wants to live next to a landfill, I wasn t sure what type of response I would receive from the stranger. His reply was, you re welcome to do whatever you need to. I thanked him and proceeded on foot across his property. After a short hike along a hillside, I located the sight needed to take my pictures and was soon back on my way to the office. Later the county would purchase the property and excavation for a new landfill started. Signs were posted and the landfill opened for business. Over the course of its development, I made several trips to the landfill property. The same individual who greeted me at the door to the lone house on Kennedy Road had been stationed at a closet-sized booth located at the entrance to the landfill property. I was always greeted with the utmost respect by the burly gentleman whom I later came to know as Derrel Kennedy. Best personal column I Carthage Courier During subsequent conversations, I learned he was raised in the Defeated community. While I was born and raised just north of the Difficult community, many of my family roots come from the McClure s Bend area, which merged with the Defeated community before being separated by the impoundment of the Cordell Hull Lake. Journalists/writers view individuals differently from most people. People are life stories to a writer. I have heard it said that every snowflake that falls is shaped differently. I know for a fact, no two individuals have ever lived the same life. Depending on the variables, some life stories may be viewed as more intriguing than others. From the millionaire to the homeless, writers possess a natural curiosity to learn more about individual life stories. What I found fascinating about the individual called Derrel Kennedy was the simplicity of the way he lived his life story and his contentment with the life he lived. I detected it from his surrounding environment and witnessed it in his conversation. In many ways, Derrel Kennedy continued to live his life much like he was raised in the Defeated community, resisting modern influences. And then there was a certain respect he showed, even to strangers. While those native to Smith County perceive ourselves as being middle- Tennesseans or residents of the Upper Cumberland, we are also people of a unique region known as Appalachia. Because our culture some of which was on display at the county fair this past week and part of which is on permanent display at the Smith County Heritage Museum is not flamboyant or exotic, it is often overlooked because of its simplicity. Appalachians come from an impoverished past which, to a great extent, continues in many areas of the region today. Because education was secondary to earning a living with our hands, through the years we were often degraded by ALERT The deadline for the 2011 UT-TPA State Press Contests is 4 1/2 months away. Stash those potential winners now so you ll be prepared to submit entries in mid-february. being labeled backwards. Even with advances in education, many people outside the Appalachian region, who do not understand our culture, can be caught referring to its people as hillbillies or rednecks. Myself, I am proud of where I was born and how I was raised and consider it a unique privilege describe me however you want to. Derrel Kennedy felt the same. As a youth when someone would ask me where I was from, I would always respond, I m from just above Difficult because the only people who knew where Cartwright was located were the people who lived there. When my French teacher at Tennessee Tech asked me where I was from, I told him Difficult. He was baffled by the response. A friend from the Baxter community happened to be in the same class and she told the professor, That s right, he s from Difficult. Some years ago, a school teacher in a north Georgia school had the foresight to record Appalachian culture in a best setting series of books entitled Foxfire. The series books led to Foxfire Magazine. Through the years, I made many trips down Kennedy Road to listen to the stories of how life was lived in the Defeated community in the early to mid-1900s. I found there were many similarities in how my friend was raised and myself. During the visits, I often found myself reliving the good ole days. During one of those visits some years ago, Derrel informed me he had walked on his grave while attending a friend s burial at Smith County Memorial Gardens. I was confused by what he had said. He went on to explain that he and his wife, Gale, had purchased their burial plots. At the time, I thought this was unusual since neither was in bad health other than the usual aches and pains we all have. I jokingly asked him if he thought he would be satisfied with the location. He jokingly replied, yes. It s going to happen to us all some day and you might as well be prepared for it, I recall him saying to me more than once. Some years ago, Derrel and Gail Kennedy moved from the country to the city, locating on Smotherman Ave. in Carthage. Today, Kennedy Rd. is Landfill Lane. With a profound regret, I helped lay my friend, Derrel Kennedy, to rest Friday evening at Smith County Memorial Gardens. I will always remember the day, July 31, 2009, my 48th birthday. I lost a friend who defined the word and who provided me with an irreplaceable connection to the past, and the county lost a significant part of its heritage. (Aug. 6, 2009) West FROM PAGE 13 EDDIE WEST CARTHAGE COURIER Two Cub Scouts salute the American flag as it is raised during Sunday s Veterans Day service. (Nov. 12, 2009) Best feature photo I Carthage Courier Merchants Purpose? Didn t recognize dateline is lying to readers. (Same thing this as public service. with the Knoxville dateline on 10/28.) 2. The Erwin Record Tax Excellent work on this. Exactly Election Commission what community newspapers are Mark A. Stevens, Lesley Hughes, supposed to be doing asking hard Robert Sorrell, Anthony D. Piercy questions, demanding answers and 3. The Portland Leader uncovering government problems. You Bill aims to protect mountaintops guys knocked it out of the park on this Bonnie Fussell one. Impressive. 4. Chester County Independent, 2. Macon County Chronicle, Henderson Lafayette Let s All Play Tornado 1 year later Julie Pickard, Holly Roeder Debbie Gregory, Lisa Spivey 5. Herald and Tribune, Jonesborough 3. The Gallatin Newspaper Bark for Life If you need a friend Kristen Swing, Charlie Mauk, Kate Marjorie Lloyd, Scott Wilson, Gary Prahlad, Lynn Richardson, Sandi Grace Hartwick, Bea Casey 4. The Standard Banner, Jefferson I City 1. Grainger Today, Bean Station Steve Marion Tax Hike 5. The McKenzie Banner Jim Zachary, Mark DeWitte The Carroll Co. Lake - A Dream Enjoyed reading your submissions. Realized Some thoughts: Voter fraud story, June Ernie Smothers, Joel Washburn 24 The biggest thing I took issue with II is the lack of Clemente being quoted. 1. Roane County News, Kingston I find this troubling. Did the paper not TVA disaster contact him? If he did not respond, Terri Likens, Damon Lawrence why was that detail not disclosed? This was a local story of national In fact, he was never quoted. That raises attention and ramification. The Roane questions about the import of the stories. County News staff coverage is a Topix Interesting topic. The series clear winner in this category. There would have been better if specific was excellence on every level. Strong allegations or objectionable posts editorial voice was supported by were detailed in the first story. We re outstanding (and clear) reporting... left to kind of guess at what s so coupled with vivid photography and controversial. A small thing The appealing design. This is public service dateline in the 7/29 and 8/5 stories journalism at its best! Kudos to all imply the reporter is in Palo Alto. Is involved. that the case? If not, using a California SEE, PAGE 17

16 SEPTEMBER 2010 Installation & Awards - 17 Though my tears may fall, my hero will stay strong BY SADIE FOWLER Shelbyville Times-Gazette His charisma is unmatched, his charm second to none. His heart is made of pure gold. Yes, he s spoiled the only farmer I know who likes the spa as much as Ivana Trump and Fowler also has about three assistants who follow him around to perform tasks even the rich do themselves. And, yes again, he can be a bit grumpy at times. But after 45 years of building one of the best dairies in his part of the country, I d say he s entitled to all of the above. He s one of the best cattle buyers in New York, if not the U.S., and I m not just saying that because of my personal attachment to him. I had the opportunity to watch him in action last week for the first time in many, many years. As I sat back and studied his subtle gestures (that are hard for even those who know him best to detect) while bidding for cows at an auction in Central New York, I was as proud as a daughter could be. The only downside throughout this awesome experience was the disappointment and regret I felt for not having taken an interest in his passion sooner. During all this, however, I was puzzled. How is it possible for a man even a man of his grandeur to do business as usual, under these grim circumstances? His face lit up as he worked the auction. His talent was so obvious. He was in his element, and he FROM PAGE Southern Standard, McMinnville Honoring 40 yrs of Pioneer athletics 3. The Lebanon Democrat Hilary Trenda, Marie Corhern, J.R. Lind, Amelia Morrison Hipps, Mark Rodgers, Dallus Whitfield 4. The Wilson Post, Lebanon A new Lebanon High School Connie Esh, Sam Hatcher, John B. Bryan, Jennifer Horton, Ben Dudley 5. The Newport Plain Talk V 1. The Jackson Sun Elder Care Dan Morris Concise, page one display, added graphics, expanded coverage on Web, lots of resources I.D., great personal sidebars, nursing home ratings and inspections very helpful. Thorough. Free special section shows commitment to subject. Only shortcoming editorial support. 2. The Daily Herald, Columbia GM Sputters 3. The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville Best personal column II Shelbyville Times-Gazette was happy. About one month ago, my 52-year-old father was diagnosed with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. Obviously, the prognosis for a cancer victim at this stage is not good, and I m holding on for dear life, right there with him, as he battles this disease with only the strength one of his kind has. This tough-as-nails man won t let you, me, business associates or family members know how cancer has changed his life. But let me tell you what it s done to me. As my father s only daughter, who lives 1,200 miles from home, this disease has ripped my insides out, turned my world upside down, and broken my heart into a million and one little pieces. My father is my life, my world, the apple of my eye. Watching him fight this battle is heart-wrenching. Why do I share this? Well, first of all, I m a writer, and writers consider writing therapeutic. Second of all, I want to explain to my Bedford County friends, supporters and loyal readers that I may not be around full-time during the next several months. I ve already lost seven years of time with my father by moving to Tennessee in The guilt of that is almost unbearable at this point, and I don t plan on losing any more time with him than I absolutely have to. CDE contracts questioned Eric Snyder, Tavia Green, Alane Megna, Stacy Leiser 4. The Mountain Press, Sevierville Lisega coverage 5. Cleveland Daily Banner Wrinkle Case Solved 1. Bristol Herald Courier Underfoot, Out of Reach Coal bed methane series was clearly the highlight of your entry. Conversational, narrative writing style helped get readers comfortable with a complex issue and you always came back to the human impact. Wachovia angle was interesting and timely. Good that you covered reaction to stories, as well as other action/fallout, and I got a strong sense that you intend to keep after the story long beyond the series. 2. Chattanooga Times Free Press 3. The Commercial Appeal, SEE, PAGE 18 Of course, I love and need my job, and so I will be here, but I have been approved for leave under the Family Medical Leave Act. And I plan on using it. Last week, I went up there with hopes to get some good time in while my father is still feeling well. We had our good times, with a few bumps in between, like when the grumpy old man told me visiting again in three weeks was a terrible idea that made no financial sense. You don t need to come back until September, he said. I was mad at first, then realized my being home only reminds him of the problem about which he s currently in denial. I will go back, and hope to experience just as many laughs and tears as I did this past week. Cancer is bad, and last week tears came often, but the nature of my relationship with my father is one of humor at its best. And that made this trip one of the best trips home I can recall in many years. For instance, while my father and I were sitting in the hospital s waiting room, waiting for his turn at radiation last week, a doctor came out and said, What is that I smell? I about died laughing when I looked down at my father and realized farmer Dan had forgotten to change out of his barn boots before entering the hospital. When his hair began falling out last Doonan Best feature photo II Roane County News, Kingston week, rather than getting too upset about it, my father, who has been divorced for five years, went to the salon to have his head shaved. I m glad he did that, but I think he wanted to see the cute hairstylist and receive a head massage as much as anything. The stylist was 31 years old. Well, you re one year older than my daughter so that means I can take you out on a date, he joked with her. Again, I about fell on the floor laughing at this spirited man s enthusiastic attempt for a date. At another point in my trip, I was riding in the middle of his cattle truck, my father in the driver s seat, and a friend of his in the passenger s seat. While driving with a load of cows, his friend, a non-farming businessman who I would call a guardian angel (he s been there for my dad through this whole process), was trying to make a business call concerning a mortgage. My father began coughing, hacking and sneezing uncontrollably, and his friend never missed a beat with his phone conversation. I think the person on the other end may have wanted to break off this business deal, probably wondering with what kind of freak he was talking. I just laughed, thinking what a collision of worlds this is right now. A journalist, a farmer and a broker, all in a cattle truck, sharing an interesting, but definitely good experience together one I ll never forget. Just before my departure, I asked my dad how he was feeling about having to go in for his second round of chemotherapy on Friday. I wouldn t be there to go with him and I felt really bad about that. His response was that he couldn t wait to go to chemo so he could have a six-hour nap, and have some peace and quiet for once in his life. He was dead serious. Again, you kind of have to know him and his quirky personality, but I was not expecting that response, and I was crying this time due to laughter. So, in the months to come I will be a part-time cowgirl, catching every priceless moment I can with one of the best men I know. When I m here, I ll continue to share stories with you, and maybe even provide updates on my dad s condition from time to time (bear with me). In the meantime, I would urge all of you to participate in the American Cancer Society s Relay for Life, to be held May 29 at Bedford County Agriculture and Education Center. For more information, contact Wendy Stacy at Farmer Dan and his daughter, and the millions of others affected by this terrible disease, would be most appreciative of your support. (April 26, 2009) DAVID DOONAN ROANE COUNTY NEWS, KINGSTON A red-shouldered hawk flies off with a nonchalantlooking rodent grabbed near the Kingston waterfront Monday. (Nov. 27, 2009)

17 18 - Installation & Awards SEPTEMBER 2010 Confessions of a chubby newspaper copy editor Hardin FROM PAGE 17 True Crime Staff 4. News Sentinel, Knoxville Fly Ash Spill Scott Barker, Matt Lakin, Ed Marcum, Rebecca Ferrar, Michael Collins 5. The Tennessean, Nashville Bonds Brad Schrade, Jaime Sarrio, Heidi Hall Best single feature 1. The Erwin Record Down-to-Earth: Night crawler business Saundra Kelley Very nice job. Excellent selection of quotes. I would, however, have liked to hear from a customer somebody who buys worms, which would have rooted the story deeper. Nice photos, too. Overall, a nice job. 2. Ashland City Times Downs returns to the 278th 3. Lewis County Herald, Hohenwald Here a cluck, there a cluck, everywhere a cluck, cluck Becky Newbold 4. Hamilton County Herald, Chattanooga Luther Masingill building legacy after Best feature photo V The Jackson Sun more than 65 years David Laprad 5. The Portland Leader Genuine tribute to The King Sonya Thompson I 1. The Standard Banner, Jefferson City Final Harvest Steve Marion A story that includes human interest and history as a farmer reminisces about the demise of tobacco farming after 62 years of it. 2. The Dickson Herald Hampton marker is for all generations 3. The News Examiner, Gallatin Former inmate leads by example Katrina Cornwell 4. The McKenzie Banner McKenzie Native Finds Rewarding Work in Haiti Joel Washburn 5. Independent Appeal, Selmer Street Preacher II 1. Shelbyville Times-Gazette Those are my boys Sadie Fowler A very poignant story told in a relaxed style that makes the reader AARON HARDIN THE JACKSON SUN University School of Jackson junior Audrey Hazlehurst placed second overall for the third straight year in the cross country state championships at Nashville. (Dec. 23, 2009) feel like part of the family miracle. Congratulations! 2. Shelbyville Times-Gazette Forging a future Mary Reeves 3. The Tullahoma News Blue Monarch - A dream of hope Carrie Hollowell 4. The Paris Post-Intelligencer A dream of Africa: HCHS grad studies for three months in Kenya Glenn Tanner 5. Crossville Chronicle Up, Up & Away! Hubbard sets out to see the space shuttle launch Margarita Wattenbarger V 1. The Daily Herald, Columbia A Mom s Struggle Skyler Swisher This was the first entry I read and you set the bar so high no one could climb over you. Congratulations on a feature that has it all. Great lede. Drama, feeling, perspective and the larger issue of health care and insurance for those who need it most. Wow what a complete package. 2. The Jackson Sun We re called to be lambs, not wolves Tracie Simer BY SAMANTHA BALLARD The Daily Herald, Columbia My name is Samantha Ballard, and I m addicted to food. Cake, cheese ravioli, fried chicken, pizza, honey-baked ham, macaroni salad, ice cream, burgers, Ballard french fries, pie... You name it, I ve shoveled pounds of it directly into my stomach. Because I haven t met a food I didn t love, I have been obese almost my entire life. I wish I could say some genetic factor has been at play, some illness that has made the pounds pile up around me, but I can t. I m just one more American who can t say no. For years, I have relied on fast food joints to cook for me. These places were my comfort, the magical buildings that kept me oblivious to my own well-being. I was well aware that the food going in wasn t healthy. I was just too busy and lazy to care. Taco Bell was my favorite. Mounds of Border Sauce packets still fill my desk drawer at the Herald. Even when I was designing Healthy Living, I d down tacos and burritos like they were going out of style. You would think someone supplying healthy news to readers would be a bodybuilder with computer skills, or at least someone not mainlining their weight in cheese and refried beans. How hypocritical can you get? Then one day, the button on my jeans popped off. They weren t the skinny jeans in the back of the closet either. These were the favorite pair. It wasn t the first time I had a wardrobe malfunction because of my weight, but I swore it would be the last. Once I started looking at my food vices, my triggers and how my relationships reinforced my growing appetite, I realized how bad it had gotten. I was 24 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall and 240 pounds. My legs ached, I was 3. Elizabethton Star The Can Man Rozella Hardin 4. The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro Victory Lap 5. Johnson City Press The Saddest Christmas Rex Barber 1. News Sentinel, Knoxville Cheated Out of Childhood Don Jacobs, J. Miles Cary Best personal column V The Daily Herald, Columbia always hungry and my breathing was just as heavy as me. While other women my age were gaining weight because they were pregnant, I was just gaining because I couldn t stop eating. I was, and still am, convinced that if I didn t make significant changes I was going to die young, overweight and unhappy. I now know what I do and don t want out of my life.: I want to die of natural causes or because the parachute didn t open. I don t want to have to shop at Lane Bryant, Avenue or any other special clothing store. I want to run in a 5K race without needing paramedics on stand-by. I don t want any more red marks on my body from clothes that barely fit me. I want to reward my accomplishments with something other than food. And most importantly, I don t want to spend another day killing myself with fat, because my family and friends mean too much for me to willingly eat myself into an early grave. In the coming months, I d like to share with you the steps I am taking to settle into a healthier life. My ever-growing, ever-changing outlook on diet, exercise and how behavior can change the number on the scale seem to be working for me, but I m in no way an expert. If you share even a bit of my struggle, feel free to contact me to tell your story. After two decades of bad choices, I m going to need all the help I can get. And it wouldn t hurt to consider me part of your support system either, right? I m in the fight of my life now, but I m ready. Oh boy, am I ready. Starting weight: 240 Current weight: 221 Goal weight: 160 (Oct. 21, 2009) A powerful story well told with graphic images painted by words. This was another strong group of single features. Congratulations for coming out on top. 2. The Tennessean, Nashville Cockfighting Jennifer Brooks 3. The Tennessean, Nashville Nudist Camp Jennifer Justus 4. The Commercial Appeal, SEE, PAGE 19

18 SEPTEMBER 2010 Installation & Awards - 19 Case for gun-permit listings trumps emotional opposition BY CHRIS PECK The Commercial Appeal, Misunderstandings with people who carry guns can turn ugly. This past week it has been ugly at the newspaper, after passionate gun owners latched onto three very wrong Peck ideas about why The Commercial Appeal s Web site now lists all those in Tennessee who have a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Wrong idea No.1: The newspaper is against the Second Amendment that gives Americans the right to keep and bear arms. Wrong idea No. 2: The newspaper is invading people s privacy by posting the permit-to-carry-guns list on its Web site. Wrong idea No. 3: Posting the list is empowering criminals. The Tennessee Firearms Association and others have fanned the frenzy against our Web site posting of the permit-to-carry list. Pro-gun groups orchestrated a protest campaign that has spread nationwide. By late last week, Commercial Appeal executives were receiving as many as 600 s a day, along with dozens of phone calls at home, at work and on their cell phones. Maps to their houses, with ominous warnings, had been posted online. Our crime? Putting up a Web-only database that allows people to search by name or ZIP code for those who have a permit to carry a concealed weapon in Tennessee. The list came from the Tennessee Department of Safety and is available to anyone who wants it, simply by contacting the agency s office. The state of Tennessee, to this point, has decided that the right to carry a concealed weapon comes with the responsibility of agreeing to have a public record of who is packing. The newspaper did edit the state s publicly available list. We removed street addresses and birth dates from the information to lessen any chance that somebody might use information Best personal column The Commercial Appeal on the list for identity theft. As a result, our posted list of permit holders for concealed weapons has less information about individuals than the phone book, your voter registration form or the credit card you use to buy dinner at a restaurant. No matter. The posting of this list somehow conjured up deep fears about personal safety, criminals and the media being soft on crime and hard on the Second Amendment. This newspaper isn t soft on crime. We know that crime is the No. 1 issue that needs to be addressed in. We urge public officials to get tough on crime. We back Republican-led efforts to take a hard line on gun crimes and repeat offenders. Only last week we gave prominent coverage to Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton s call for a tougher gun-offender registry in Tennessee. We hope that proposal comes to pass so we can post the names of all who commit gun offenses and the names of all those arrested for carrying a gun without a permit. And we re not enabling criminals by posting the list of Tennesseans who have carry permits. Think about it for a minute. Many, if not most, households in possess a firearm. So you don t really need a list to find a house with a gun. And, if criminals were checking the permit-to-carry list before picking a target, would they likely choose a house where they know the owner could be carrying a gun, or would they more likely steer away from that house to avoid a possible confrontation? Neither logic nor common sense is carrying the day on this issue. It s emotion. After listening to dozens of phone calls, it seems that the issue, for them, boils down to a simple core equation: I have a constitutional right to possess a firearm; any effort to infringe on that right will be opposed. For all those who are a notch or two away from a strict black-and-white view of gun rights, there s a powerful case to be made both for a permitting process to carry concealed weapons and for keeping that permitting process public. To begin with, the permit-to-carry law helps identify responsible gun owners. If you are a felon, have committed a crime with a gun, have a history of mental problems, etc., you can t get a permit. That s good for society. Next, violation of the permit-to-carry law can lead to an arrest. In other words, somebody stopped for a traffic violation or frisked at a bar, who has a gun but no permit, can be busted right there. Another plus. Finally, when somebody who has a permit for a concealed weapon messes up with a gun, they lose their right to have that concealed weapon. For example, Harry Raymond Ray Coleman, the Cordova man charged recently with shooting a man to death after an argument about whether the dead man s SUV was parked too close to Coleman s vehicle, will lose his permit to carry a concealed weapon. Isn t that the way it should be? That s a good segue into why the permit-to-carry list needs to stay public. News events like the Feb. 6 shooting at Trinity Commons shopping center led many people to wonder, logically and instantly, who else might be packing a gun. At the point of that shooting, the online list of who is licensed to carry a concealed weapon became a matter of deep public interest. That s why, during the past week, thousands of people looked at the list that had been sitting mostly unnoticed on the Web site for two months. A mom might now check the list to see if the parents at her kid s sleepover next door had a concealed weapon permit. If so, maybe it would be worth talking to them to make sure the gun is locked up. A school official, concerned about whether teachers were bringing guns onto school grounds, might check the list to see whether anyone on the staff has a permit to carry, and then have a discussion about it. Business people who sell goods and services that might be of interest to those who carry concealed weapons might use the list to generate new leads. But there is one overriding, enduring reason the permit-to-carry list needs to be public. Once a concealed weapon is pulled out at a shopping center, a hospital or a business, what happens next with that gun becomes a matter of public concern to everyone. That s why commercialappeal.com posted the list. It s a tiny bit of local information, and we re in that business of gathering and distributing local information. Granted, news organizations do have some things to learn about this changing media world where print is about stories and online is about data and search. We need to learn how to massage databases more efficiently to ease out particular information, such as how many convicted felons in Shelby County have a concealed weapons permit. (Nine, as it turned out when we did this story back in August 2008.) We ll learn. The feedback, flaming and otherwise, from gun owners concerned about this issue has been helpful. But there isn t much room to go back on this mixing of news in print with data online. If it s not The Commercial Appeal doing this, then it will be Google or a hundred Web sites. As more news and information gathering shifts online, local newspapers like this one simply must make sure that those who are searching for information about local communities are directed to newspaper-based information sources. That s why we continue to add databases to our Web site for people to use. We ve already got restaurant cleanliness scores, missing IRS refund checks and school test score results. We re working on addresses of sex offenders, real estate transactions and more. So can we exhale on this? The newspaper isn t anti-gun. We are pro-news and information. That s our job, and we want to do it right. (Feb. 15, 2009) FROM PAGE 18 The woman within Cindy Wolff 5. News Sentinel, Knoxville Father s Dream Realized Kristi L. Nelson Local features 1. The Erwin Record Mark A. Stevens, Lesley Hughes, Saundra Kelley The top three in this category made this a tough choice, but the quality of the feature writing set the Erwin Record apart. Good variety in feature topics, treatment and quality of photos and display. Good visual appeal even in non-feature material and in other feature material not marked for judging. 2. Herald and Tribune, Jonesborough Saundra Kelley, Kristen Swing, Charlie Mauk SEE, PAGE 20 Weber Best feature photo The Commercial Appeal MARK WEBER THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL, MEMPHIS The hard way: Cherry Adams, 16, on the verge of tears, calls her dad to tell him she got suspended from school on the first day. Daddy, I got kicked out of school, she said. Daddy, seriously. This time, Daddy, I didn t do nothin. I m not playin. Cherry was ultimately suspended nine days for insubordination/threat against school personnel. (Dec. 20, 2009)

19 20 - Installation & Awards SEPTEMBER 2010 FROM PAGE The Millington Star Thomas Sellers Jr., Christina Morgan 4. The Courier News, Clinton Ken Leinart, Frances Hamilton Oates, Chris Silcox 5. The Portland Leader Sonya Thompson, Albert Dittes, Bonnie Fussell, April Walls I 1. The Standard Banner, Jefferson City Steve Marion, Gayle Page Nice mix of community features and hyperlocal news. Nice display. Especially enjoyed story about tobacco farmer. Nice photo and break-out box. Like the small touches in the story ( Hoe, hoe, hoe ) as well as selection of quotes. Good work. 2. The Advocate & Democrat, Sweetwater Tommy Millsaps, Michael Thomason, Sharon Livingston, Mia Rhodarmer, Rebecca Pearson 3. The Gallatin Newspaper Marjorie Lloyd, Tim Nixon, Alyssa Danae Dawson 4. The Courier, Savannah Linda Folkerts, Ron Schaming 5. Overton County News, Livingston Debbie Forsman, Emily Sells, Robert Forsman, Dewain E. Peek, Darren Oliver II 1. Southern Standard, McMinnville Good variety of feature subjects: grandmother visitation rights; comparison of city future to Youngstown, Ohio; dancing competition; river restoration project. Best of all: We the People Salute to Variety of Veterans. Great visual display, good short stories. 2. Crossville Chronicle Margarita Wattenbarger 3. The Paris Post-Intelligencer Glenn Tanner, Leslie Sensing, Heather Bryant 4. The Wilson Post, Lebanon Ben Dudley, John B. Bryan, Ken Beck, Jennifer Horton, Tommy Bryan 5. Insufficient entries V 1. The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro Photos and features awe inspiring. 2. Johnson City Press 3. Cleveland Daily Banner Gwen Swiger, Grey Kaylor, Beth Foster SEE, PAGE 21 Moomaw Best sports photo Ashland City Times No, I m not seeing red, but I am mad RANDY MOOMAW ASHLAND CITY TIMES No one size fits all at Sycamore High School s summer football camp where 32 future all-stars, ages 6-13, were mentored by staff and players from the SHS War Eagles football team. The three-day camp took place July 7-9 at Ralph Spangler Stadium on the SHS campus. (July 15, 2009) BY MARK A. STEVENS The Erwin Record Two weekends ago, Amy said we should drive up Interstate 26 toward Flag Pond to look at the leaves. I went outside, picked up one of the two million leaves decaying in our Stevens yard and brought it back inside. Here, I said, I m pretty sure this one blew down from Flag Pond. I think it was a Sycamore leaf or, maybe, a Sassafras. OK, I don t know, it might have been from a great oak tree, for all I know. As you can plainly see (or read), I m about as interested in looking at leaves today as I was as a kid when every year teachers sent forth pupils into the deep forest (OK, the backyard) to collect leaves and paste them onto construction paper. I just don t get the fascination with the changing colors of leaves. Actually, I don t see it. I m red-green colorblind, so the burst of colors that normal people see aren t as vivid for me. Looking up at the hills and mountains during the fall, I see a change in the overall color scheme. A tree full of yellow leaves, for Best personal humor column The Erwin Record example, stands out, but my eyes see no great distinction between most of the varying hues. Normal people, like Amy, find this disconcerting. See, Amy asked last week, that big tree there? Uh huh, I said with about as much interest as a guppy you ve just asked to play fetch. It s bright red! Can t you see it? Normals just can t understand it. They see red, so they want everyone to see red. The only red I see is from the anger building up inside me. People who can see all the colors of the rainbow enjoy playing games on those of us who can t. They even do it with, of all things, rainbows. If there are five or six distinct colors in a rainbow, I might see three or four, but it doesn t stop others from saying, Can you see all the pinks and purples? (No, I can t, and thanks for reminding me that even a rainbow isn t as nice as to my eyes as it is to your oh-so-perfect eyes.) But even when there s not a big ol rainbow around, those afflicted with colorblindness have to face questions and observations from so-called friends and co-workers. Basically, it s a simple little game that goes something like: Normal: Hey, what color is my shirt? My answer: Um, I don t know, maybe brown? Normal: Brown! Ha! He thinks this is brown. Can you believe it? Brown! It s teal green not brown! Of course what I really want to say is, I don t know what color your shirt is, but I do know that it s ugly like your face. Basically, you want to punch these people with a box of Crayolas and not that silly eight-crayon box but that great big 64-piece box with the built-in sharpener. It s discrimination that s what it is. Being red-green colorblind is, after all, a medical condition. I looked it up, and here s what I learned: Those with protanopia, deuteranopia, protanomaly and deuteranomaly have difficulty with discriminating red and green hues and that it s sex-linked (aren t all the problems of the world?). Genetic red-green color blindness affects men much more often than women, because the genes for the red and green color receptors are located on the X chromosome, of which men have only one and women have two. Females are red-green color blind only if both their X chromosomes are defective with a similar deficiency, whereas males are color blind if their single X chromosome is defective. Did you catch that? I m a defective male. (I wonder, do women think the words defective male are redundant?) I ve known I was different all my life. In kindergarten, for example, when the teacher had us draw a tree, I colored the trunk green and the leaves brown. (Kids can be so cruel, too, which prepares you for unfeeling so-called friends and co-workers later in life.) Years later, at age 36, I took an Ishihara exam, which is a test comprised of a series of colored spots, that is used to diagnose red-green color deficiencies. The test begins with the simplest and gets progressively more difficult. On the first picture, I was supposed to The Daily Post see the figure 8 in the middle of a circle of colored spots. Well, oh Ishihara, there was no 8 in my sight. The nurse put the test down and said, Well, there s no point in doing the rest. If you can t see it there, you won t see any of the others. In my research for this column, I also learned that color blindness almost never means complete monochromatism. In almost all cases, colorblind people retain blue-yellow discrimination, and most color blind individuals are anomalous trichromats rather than complete dichromats. Well, that s some small comfort. I ve been accused of a lot of things, but I hate to think that I was going through life as a complete dichromat, or some version of that. (Nov. 3, 2009) Have questions about the Sunshine Law or other legal matters of concern for newspapers? Member newspapers can call the TPA LEGAL HOTLINE at (865) Hollow & Hollow, LLC, 410 Montbrook Lane, Knoxville

20 SEPTEMBER 2010 Installation & Awards - 21 FROM PAGE The Daily Herald, Columbia Chris Graham, Samantha Ballard, Skyler Swisher, Chris Fletcher 5. The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville 1. The Commercial Appeal, Staff Very strong feature coverage sprinkled throughout papers. Photos are wellplayed. I particularly like the use of stand-alone art. 2. News Sentinel, Knoxville 3. The Tennessean, Nashville 4. Chattanooga Times Free Press 5. Bristol Herald Courier Community lifestyles 1. The Erwin Record Mark A. Stevens, Millard Day, Saundra Kelley, Brenda Sparks, Anthony D. Piercy, Bryan Stevens You clearly have more space and resources to work with than some other entrants, but you also do a lot of things well that they could emulate great, consistent labeling of elements; excellent use of headline hierarchy, helps reader navigate section. Very nice job on feature fronts. 2. Herald and Tribune, Jonesborough Saundra Kelley, Charlie Mauk, Kristen Swing, Kate Prahlad 3. Tennessee Star Journal, Pigeon Forge Connie Seaton, Lisa Christian 4. Independent Herald, Oneida Cora Queener 5. Smithville Review I 1. The Herald-News, Dayton Michelle Friesen A lot to like about these pages. Clean design, content well-edited, use of headlines, sigs, etc. is very reader-friendly. Not sure if spot color on certain words helps feature heads. Very good display of features. (BTW, check spelling of licenses. ) 2. News-Herald, Lenoir City Vicky Newman 3. The Gallatin Newspaper Marjorie Lloyd, Scott Wilson, Margaret Norris 4. Pulaski Citizen Sheila Holden 5. Grainger Today, Bean Station II 1. Shelbyville Times-Gazette Sadie Fowler Great features and color photography displaying the full spectrum of life in the local community, including family and social interests. I applaud the editor s diversity in filling the appetites of her readers various interests. 2. The Wilson Post, Lebanon Dana Bryson 3. The Tullahoma News 4. Crossville Chronicle BY DONNA S. WALLACE Hickman County Times, Centerville As you well know, the Yankee has a passel of medical problems. This week he has been bravely fighting off the latest bout of kidney stones. And by bravely fighting off I mean rolling Wallace around on the carpet crying like a 6-year-old girl. All the appropriate testing was done and he was scheduled for a medical procedure that is hard to describe in a family newspaper without naming specific and somewhat embarrassing body parts. I will, however, do my best. The Yankee is severely allergic to many, many things. And I don t mean annoyingly allergic as is, OMG, look at that silly rash on my thumb! I mean, OMG, somebody get me an ink pen and a sharp knife, your father s throat is swollen shut again! All those anaphylactic episodes have left his lungs in shreds, so along with the lovely medical alert necklace he also goes everywhere with other necessary medical emergency supplies either dangling from his neck or strapped to his arm in a little black bag. These items include an epi-pen, 2.5 gallons of benedryl, 14 inhalers, two tongue depressors, copper tubing, PVC joints, bionic anti-inflammatory medication, antacids and a picture of the pope. He cannot tolerate any smell stronger than oxygen. Perfume, gas fumes and lasagna render him unable to breathe. I explained all this just so you d understand why he was so flabbergasted to walk into the outpatient surgery center yesterday only to discover it was in the process of being painted. He walked through the door, got a snoot full of paint fumes and the fun began. I always thought all that screaming and cussing and yelling things like stat! and code blue! was just on television. Who knew? Eventually they got him stabilized and moved to a non-funky room and gave him some valium. They took some, too. I saved mine for later because I had to drive home. He very quickly became very mellow and happy. He said he hated feeling that way. Given the option, the rest of us would put him on a permanent valium pump. Hey! Don t judge me! I didn t say that out loud... in front of him. Margarita Wattenbarger 5. The Lebanon Democrat Marie Corhern V 1. Citizen Tribune, Morristown Glenna Howington, John Gullion, Mike Williams How to kill a Yankee Best personal humor column I Hickman County Times Centerville They finally came and took him down to surgery and I was left on my own for two hours. I spent the first 20 minutes trying to figure out how to turn off the television. Hey! Blonde. Born that way. Can t help it. Pay attention. Once the television was turned off, it quickly became apparent that there was a metallic clanging noise issuing from within the wall. This noise never stopped. It sounded like someone had dropped a screwdriver into a heating duct. Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang. Clangety- Clang. For two hours. I can t see anything six feet from the end of my nose, so God has compensated for that by giving me superhuman ears. After 30 minutes of that clanging, I was ready to crawl out of my skin. After an Reese This was by far the best entry. Wide scope of coverage, good cover stories and an intense focus on local stories and getting lots of names in the paper. The main features were interesting and well written. 2. The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville Best sports photo I The Standard Banner Jefferson City hour I decided I had to have relief. And no, Mr. Hospital Administrator, don t even think about suing me. If your maintenance men can t keep their hands on their tools, women should not be blamed for going a little crazy. And as much as you are charging us for this little surgery, I should be able to destroy two walls without so much as a peep from you! After a couple of hours, the surgeon came back to the room to inform me of the Yankee s condition and prognosis. He was a nice guy, and actually used the proper terms for all the body parts, which a lady of my class appreciates. However... I would like to point out in as delicate a manner as possible that when a medical professional is talking about a man s nether regions, and that medical professional is explaining how a stent-on-a-string might be pulled from said man s nether regions, said medical professional should probably not use accompanying, repetitive hand gestures. Especially if said doctor just happens to be talking to a woman who is capable of laughing at funerals. Have you ever noticed how touchy 3. The Daily Herald, Columbia Marvine Sugg 4. The Mountain Press, Sevierville 5. Cleveland Daily Banner Bettie Marlowe, William Wright, Melissa Snyder doctors get when you laugh at them? Anyway, the doctor explained to me how the rest of the kidney stones would have to be dealt with, since there are seven of them, and only one was dealt with on that day. He told me that he would send home a paper about possible causes for these recurring kidney stones. But, he cautioned me, the paper is very technical. You mean, like, big words? Whatever shall I do? Apparently, doctors don t like to be mocked, either. He assured me that he was without a doubt the best kidney stone specialist in the state. I told him he didn t have to be modest on my account. After all this, a friend told us that you can get rid of kidney stones by drinking a lot of beer. Boy, he could have saved us a lot of trouble by telling us that sooner. Who knew a six-pack of Bud Light could save you $40,000. But then I wouldn t have gotten the pleasure of meeting the lovely doctor who talks with his hands. You know what I m hoping for next time? A puppet show! (May 4, 2009) DARREN REESE THE STANDARD BANNER, JEFFERSON CITY Dalton Wright of the Dandridge Cubs celebrates after drawing a bases loaded walk to score the winning run against the Jefferson City Cubs in Minor League action Tuesday evening. (June 4, 2009) 1. News Sentinel, Knoxville Really like how presentation of centerpieces reflects their content some very thoughtful editing going SEE, PAGE 22

21 22 - Installation & Awards SEPTEMBER 2010 Intruder alert: Momma, put away your gun! Parker FROM PAGE 21 on here. Plenty of entry points, very reader-friendly. 2. The Commercial Appeal, Scott Sines 3. The Tennessean, Nashville 4. Chattanooga Times Free Press 5. Bristol Herald Courier Jan Patrick, Jennifer Estep, Joe Tennis Sports writing 1. The Erwin Record Kevin Lewis, Jeff Birchfield The writing here is well-organized. Ledes are succinct and, for the most part, draw readers attention into the rest of the story. The reporters don t rely on tedious, trite phrases and that s always a plus! 2. The Millington Star 3. The Courier News, Clinton Ray Blakney 4. Independent Herald, Oneida Ben Garrett, LeEtta Boyatt 5. Ashland City Times I 1. Manchester Times Josh Peterson Title Town Well-written lede. Descriptive. Second half mistakes Very well- Best sports photo II Shelbyville Times-Gazette written narrative. Friendship scattered Good idea but lede was too tedious and didn t get to the point until the 5th graph. 2. The News Examiner, Gallatin Cecil Joyce, Chris Lynn, Craig Harris 3. The Standard Banner, Jefferson City Darren Reese 4. The LaFollette Press Dwane Wilder 5. The Herald-News, Dayton Cathy Barnes II 1. Southern Standard, McMinnville Good variety of articles. Features are very well-written. Good use of quotes leads get to the point and spur interest in the story. Writing on game stories, while not special, was very good with good use of quotes. Overall, writers showed excellent knowledge of the subject matter. 2. Union City Daily Messenger Mike Hutchens 3. Shelbyville Times-Gazette Danny Parker, Gary Johnson, Jimmy Jones 4. The Tullahoma News Robert Holman 5. The Lebanon Democrat Andy Reed DANNY PARKER SHELBYVILLE TIMES-GAZETTE Three teams earned TSSAA state baseball championships Friday at MTSU. Farragut players pile up on the mound after the Admirals earned the school s sixth title by defeating Mt. Juliet 2-1. (May 24, 2009) V 1. The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro Kreager and Sparks have put together a solid body of work. Kreager s piece, Of football and family, was a very good read. And his story, Return of title rings, was nicely done. Sparks, meanwhile, did nice work on Playing for pizza. These two writers are a solid 1-2 punch. 2. The Jackson Sun Matt Vines, Brandon Shields, Matthew Borenstein 3. The Daily Herald, Columbia Justin Lamb, Marion Wilhoite, Skyler Swisher 4. Elizabethton Star Ivan Sanders, Tim Chambers 5. Johnson City Press Trey Williams, Joe Avento, Jeff Birchfield, Doug Fritz, Kelly Hodge 1. The Tennessean, Nashville Bryan Mullen Good analysis of a touchy subject. Stories go beyond the numbers to identify the problem. The context with baseball and with professional football helps round out the package. Well done. BY TERRI LIKENS Roane County News, Kingston Only my mother would call the police and pull a gun on AOL. The other morning, she called me breathlessly to tell me about the mysterious intruder on her property the night before. Likens She kept hearing a banging noise kathunk. Ka-THUNK. KA-THUNK! She said it sounded like somebody with a towel-wrapped baseball bat striking something. I told her it was likely a raccoon in the large storage area where my late father s aluminum boat is. I imagined the sound of a large raccoon plopping down into the boat a ka-thunk for sure. But Mom said the sound had come from the other side of the house in the vicinity of the room across the hall from her own. She had called a neighbor and called the Jefferson County Sheriff s Office. She also got her gun and made sure her bedroom door was locked. When the sheriff s deputy arrived, he checked the perimeter outside while my mother still armed went from room to room. They found nothing. As she told me the story adding that 2. The Commercial Appeal, 3. Bristol Herald Courier Spencer Campbell, Brian T. Smith, Allen Gregory, Jim Cnockaert 4. News Sentinel, Knoxville Mike Strange, Jesse Smithey 5. Chattanooga Times Free Press Best personal column 1. Chester County Independent, Henderson The line of duty, the family s perspective Holly Roeder A straight-from-the-heart column that tied closely to a tragic community event. 2. Mt. Juliet News Buying Brooks Bucks... namesake alive Laurie Everett 3. The Erwin Record Remember names of heroes, not vandals Mark A. Stevens 4. The Millington Star Patrick Swayze s death Christina Morgan 5. The Portland Leader Kids lost opportunity to express Best personal humor column II Roane County News, Kingston a few more ka-thunks were heard even after the deputy left, I began to put two and two together. Mom, I said, go in the bedroom across the hall and see if your computer is on. Why? she asked, but I could tell from the sound of motion on the cordless phone that she was complying. Then, Yes, it is on, she said. I must have forgotten to turn it off last night. OK, I said. Is there any chance that you are still logged on to AOL? Yes, Mom replied slowly. There s your intruder, I said. What? Mom said. My explanation will be clearer to those of you with AOL who use its instant messaging program. Mom, you know how your AOL Buddy List makes the sound of a door slamming when people sign in and out of your buddy list? That s your ka-thunk. Oooh, she said sheepishly. We didn t let the sheriff s office in on our little secret. (Aug. 28, 2009) themselves Sonya Thompson I 1. Carthage Courier Appalachia... And the Curiosity of a Journalist Eddie West Well written personal reminiscence with a message. 2. Grainger Today, Bean Station Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes Jim Zachary 3. The Advocate & Democrat, Sweetwater Music clubs, CDs may soon be things of the past Michael Thomason 4. The LaFollette Press Faced with the challenges of change Jennifer Caldwell 5. Hickman County Times, Centerville Bountiful memory Bradley A. Martin II 1. Shelbyville Times-Gazette Though my tears may fall, my hero will stay strong Sadie Fowler A touching column that had to be SEE, PAGE 23

22 SEPTEMBER 2010 Installation & Awards - 23 A really old-fashioned Christmas BY BOB McMILLAN Herald-Citizen, Cookeville So, there I was, slumping down the aisle at MegaMart with my tub of Tums, being screamed at over the store speakers by deranged chipmunks wishing me God rest ye merry gentleman, when over the din and through the mob I heard it: An outraged howl a banshee could brag about to all his grandbanshees. Little Brayden was being dragged away from the toy section by his shellshocked mom. You could see it in every eye clicking that direction: Here s a kid who s moving straaaaaight to the top of Santa s bad list. I m guessing little Brayden heard that one before. So what if some old coot in a freaky red suit has a lump of coal with his name on it. This kid was going to get himself one of those robohamsters and everything else he could claw off the shelf. Du-uh. It s the getting season, right? And there s the problem. Not only has Christmas been commercialized to dust, Old St. Nick has lost his mojo with today s kids. What s the old guy going to do, dispatch a hit squad of grumpy elves? A bundle of switches? Ha! Some of these kids could breeze through hard time at Alcatraz. I ve heard people grumble that it s time to bring back Christmas the way it used to be. Yes! It s just, I m ready to do Christmas the really old-fashioned way. I think it s time to bring back Krampus. Who? Obviously you ve never spent December in Germany or the Alps. You d have noticed being menaced FROM PAGE 22 Best personal humor column V Herald-Citizen, Cookeville on the streets on Dec. 5 by a guy in a shaggy suit and devil s mask shaking a whip. And that s just Sven, the village barber, three sheets to the wind in a hairy Krampus suit. The kids of the hamlet are all quaking under their beds hoping the real Krampus momma and poppa told them about won t tote them away in his sack this year like he did little Ernst. And Ernst was a standup guy, he was just slow with the gertoothbrushen. It s not reindeer on the rooftops they re listening for. It s chains and heavy breathing. Versions of Krampus vary from one Alpine region to the next, depending on how far you go up those snowy valleys and whether the churches have crosses. In tamer celebrations, he s cartoony and sly, like the Grinch. Usually he s like a Peter Jackson orc with horns and hooves, only smellier and his tongue drags the ground. In earlier tales, the Krampus was in cahoots with Santa. Santa catered to all the good little children. Krampus mopped up with all the rest. That bundle of switches your parents threatened you with? Originally they weren t left by Santa if you were bad. Krampus brought them. And used them. With gleeful abandon. Right before hauling you away in his sack. After that? Kids were left to their awful imaginations. German efficiency, you can t beat it. Not only does Krampus put teeth into parents threats, but he lightens Santa s load considerably. No wonder he s suspiciously jolly. No brats to mess with. But, you say all this sounds a little... pagan? Sure it is. You think hanging mistletoe was invented by the Baptists? Methodists decorated the very first Christmas tree? The Easter Bunny is a Presbyterian? You re still waiting for the Nigerian treasurer to put that stack of money in your bank account, aren t you? The truth is, scratch the surface of most of our fondest holiday traditions and you ll find wild and wooly origins. We take what we like. We leave the rest. Apparently folks in the Alps are big on men in goat suits and drinking themselves silly since Krampus Day, Dec. 5, now stretches into Krampus Week in many hamlets. They don t have football like we do, remember. Sure, we ll have to spiff Krampus up a bit. Smaller horns. Less goat smell. He ll have to do something about that tongue too. Maybe he can blow a party favor. But I say he keeps the chains and the whip. We re dealing with some real hard cases here, these kids. No, not your kids. I m talking about those other little hooligans, naturally. Go spend some time in the toy section this week, you ll spot em right away. Crazed with holiday glee. So, let s put the wonder back into Christmas. Make em wonder if Krampus has room in his sack for one more. Terrorize your little loved ones for the holidays. It s a tradition! (December 12, 2009) Sullivan DARYL SULLIVAN THE DAILY TIMES, MARYVILLE Maryville s Josh Maner, left, collides with Farragut keeper Shea Beltran late in the game at Farragut Wednesday night. (May 7, 2009) Best sports photo V The Daily Times, Maryville difficult to write. A personal column should offer a big part of the writer s heart and that certainly shows with this one. Congratulations. 2. Crossville Chronicle Covering a once in a lifetime story Gary Nelson 3. Roane County News, Kingston Tolerance, tact learned on neighbors porches Terri Likens 4. The Paris Post-Intelligencer Dealing with the loss of a loved one Michael Yanuck 5. Shelbyville Times-Gazette Hope is always the better choice Mary Reeves V 1. The Daily Herald, Columbia Confessions of a chubby newspaper copy editor Samantha Ballard Well-crafted. It s a real skill to poke fun at yourself without making it an inside joke. You feel her frustration with her weight and the determination she has to get that weight down. Well done. 2. The Greeneville Sun Lane Kiffin: Good Riddance Wayne Phillips 3. The Daily Times, Maryville Domestic abuse never acceptable Amanda Greever 4. The Mountain Press, Sevierville New Era Begins Jason Davis 5. The Jackson Sun Welcome to the gangster lifestyle Tom Bohs 1. The Commercial Appeal, Case of gun-permit listing Chris Peck Excellent explainer to readers of a controversial position taken by the newspaper on the always touchy issue of guns. Well framed without being preachy. Outstanding work. 2. Kingsport Times-News First day of... Vince Staten 3. The Tennessean, Nashville Don t end historic week with vote for English-only Gail Kerr 4. The Commercial Appeal, Zen & the art of living in Geoff Calkins 5. The Tennessean, Nashville Grief we assign to celebrities is an easy out Bob Smietana Best personal humor column 1. The Erwin Record No, I m not seeing red, but I am mad Mark A. Stevens You have a real flair with words. This one made me laugh out loud and the headline was so good! Easy to read style and humor throughout. Congratulations. 2. The Erwin Record I m the proud parent of a smart dog Mark A. Stevens 3. Herald and Tribune, Jonesborough Potty training takes on new meaning Kristen Swing 4. Carroll County News-Leader, Huntingdon TN Treasures Lorna Jablonski 5. Hamilton County Herald, Chattanooga Party Time Jay Edwards I 1. Hickman County Times, Centerville How to kill a Yankee Donna S. Wallace Funny and relatable. Good use of exaggeration. 2. Overton County News, Livingston North County Lines Robert Forsman 3. Business Journal Crimpy gals Bill Wellborn 4. Grainger Today, Bean Station One trillion exceeds stars Jim Zachary 5. The LaFollette Press On tonight s menu - fried goldfish Susan Sharp II 1. Roane County News, Kingston Intruder alert: Momma, put away your gun! Terri Likens Short and sweet and oh so funny! 2. Southern Standard, McMinnville Vacations make you enjoy work Duane Sherrill 3. Southern Standard, McMinnville Math homework can make you cry Duane Sherrill 4. Crossville Chronicle Breaking up is hard to do Caroline Selby 5. Shelbyville Times-Gazette SEE, PAGE 24

23 24 - Installation & Awards SEPTEMBER 2010 My brush with a pothead parachutist, his coonskin hat BY J. TODD FOSTER Bristol Herald Courier I recently marked the 20th anniversary of the dumbest thing I ve ever done. There were no champagne toasts or high-fives or whatever the kids are doing these days, just appreciation Foster that I lived to recount this event. Twenty years ago, even though I was deathly afraid of heights, I apparently was more afraid of being emasculated, so I agreed to do something that under any normal and sober circumstances would be thought of as insane. I agreed to jump out of an airplane. And then did it. We re not talking a tandem parachute jump with an instructor, or even a static line jump from a capable aircraft with a large bay door. This was a solo jump from the wing strut of a rusting Cessna under the tutelage of an instructor/ pilot who seemed to have an obsession with marijuana specifically, smoking it at every opportunity. The following story is not exaggerated. My imagination is not fertile enough to craft such a tale, or the main character. In late 1988, a cocky rookie reporter at the Chattanooga Free Press and no, it wasn t me; I started in 1985 organized a skydiving trip, although purists would point out that the free fall was limited to a couple of seconds. Call it a parachuting trip then. A half-dozen newspaper colleagues signed on, but I declined on the grounds of acrophobia, and because I hadn t yet started drinking that day. (It was an afternoon newspaper and our shift ended at noon.) After being peppered all day with crude slings and arrows, I agreed to go parachuting the next spring, April Best personal humor column Bristol Herald Courier Six months was an eternity, I thought. How many more brain cells will these guys kill in six months? They ll never remember this. But as the howling winds of March gave way to the warm soaking rains of April, I learned the unthinkable: The parachuting trip was a go for the upcoming Saturday. I forked over 90 bucks and joined my comrades-in-air at a rundown facility on Raccoon Mountain, a few miles west of Chattanooga, where we spent the morning and early afternoon repeating the jump procedures. Over and over we practiced deploying imaginary reserve chutes and jumping 15 feet from plywood scaffolding to mimic the effect of landing. We learned the banana roll to protect us from injury. And at the end of the day, much to my utter surprise, the instructor informed the 10-member class that I was the most proficient among them a Cinderella valedictorian if there ever was one. I would later prove the instructor a bad judge of talent. The instructor a mid-30s, bearded man who wore a coonskin hat with a long tail had impressive skydiving credentials. Yet his technique troubled me because of his constant analogies that had nothing to do with skydiving: If you get in trouble up there and your chute doesn t open, grab your reserve handle like it s a big ol Bob Marley joint, he barked repeatedly. And pull that big doobie! I was not a pot smoker. My poison was a Marlboro Light 100, actually 30 of them a day, and whatever was on tap. But as a journalist whose friends were all journalists, I was familiar with marijuana lingo. I think this guy is stoned, I whispered to one of my skydiving co-workers. My, you really are an investigative reporter, he responded sarcastically. All 10 jumpers loaded into a van for a short trek to a rural airfield outside Jasper, Tenn. We would go up two at a time, and the first flight would include the cocky little snit who organized the trip. His descent from 3,000 feet was uneventful, until he landed on a runway light and injured his back. A friend carted him to the emergency room with minor injuries. Then it was my turn. One of my best friends and I climbed into the back of a Cessna 172 whose ability to still fly amazed me. There was no door on the passenger side. As we climbed to 3,000 feet, the instructor lectured us with a quote I ll never forget, even if I live to be 100. It was highly sacrilegious, but I was a captive in an airborne version of the Stockholm syndrome: From this point forward, I m Jesus Christ! You will do whatever I say! When I say climb out under the wing, you ll do it immediately! Then I ll kill the engine and tell you to jump! You will jump, immediately, got it?! When a bearded pothead in a coonskin hat speaking in exclamation points and with one hand on the controls of a small plane and the other holding the tiny pilot chute designed to deploy your main chute and spare your life tells you he s the son of God, that particular moment is not the appropriate time to debate theology. I climbed out onto the strut, he killed the engine and he yelled jump. Rather than going feet first with an arched back, however, I went back first. He threw my pilot chute out behind me. Time seemed to stand still. The plane hovered above me. I was looking straight up at my friend, whose face was pressed against the window and laughing like I had never seen him do before. I tried to scream but there was no sound. It was the oratorical equivalent of a dry heave. All those horror movies had been wrong: When you are about to die, you don t emit an ear-piercing scream; you mime one. Seconds later, I was jerked upward and peered toward the clouds. I beheld a large canopy a nylon angel that was filling with air. My chute had opened! Good thing, because I would have been unable to remember my name, anything I learned during hours of instruction and certainly would have been unable to locate the reserve chute handle. The next 90 seconds admittedly were among the most serene of my life. Until I spotted the pond in my glide path. I remember thinking... I hope I find the person who built a runway next to a pond, because I m going to hunt them down and... Reaching up, I found a toggle attached to a steering line and tugged it with my right hand. Slowly the chute drifted away from the pond. Then reality set in. When you re parachuting, you get the sensation that you re floating. The ground, however, comes at you quick, especially at the end. Let s just say I didn t stick the landing. Had there been a Czech judge, he would have shaken his head in disgust. But I limped away from my one and only jump. Two months later I would meet and fall in love with a woman who later became my wife. First I had to make two promises: No more parachuting, and I had to give up smoking. The first was hardly a concession; the second was the most difficult act I ve ever accomplished. But on May 11, 1991 two hours before we exchanged vows at sunset off the coast of Northwest Florida I walked over to a Dumpster at our condominium on Okaloosa Island, near Fort Walton Beach. I pulled out a cigarette, lit it and then ditched a half-pack of Marlboro Light 100s and an orange butane lighter into the metal beast. It would be the last cigarette I would ever smoke and I sucked it like a Bob Marley joint. (June 7, 2009) FROM PAGE 23 I d go through fire to get what I want Sadie Fowler V 1. Herald-Citizen, Cookeville A really old-fashioned Christmas Bob McMillan Great comedic style. Head and shoulders above the pack. 2. The Greeneville Sun Pillow Talk Allison Adams 3. Herald-Citizen, Cookeville Count the fogs to predict the weather Bob McMillan 4. The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville Beware of the Ugly Virus Maria McClure 5. The Daily Times, Maryville Note to Self Steve Wildsmith 1. Bristol Herald Courier My Brush with a Pothead Parachutist, His Coonskin Hat J. Todd Foster Anyone who s ever been talked into doing something stupid can relate to this. Wonderful imagery and good turns of phrase. I smiled throughout and chuckled a time or two. 2. Bristol Herald Courier My Battle with a Marine for Air Supremacy J. Todd Foster 3. News Sentinel, Knoxville She Had Some Real Juice on It Sam Venable 4. The Commercial Appeal, Squirrels thwart ecosystem efforts Scott Sines 5. The Tennessean, Nashville Notes from Roo Knight Stivender Headline writing 1. The Erwin Record SEE, PAGE 25 Weber MARK WEBER THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL, MEMPHIS Doneal Mack battles Montana State teammates Marquis Navarre (bottom) and Cameron Henderson for a loose ball during Wednesday night s Tiger win at FedEx Forum. (Dec. 10, 2009) Best sports photo The Commercial Appeal

24 SEPTEMBER 2010 Installation & Awards - 25 FROM PAGE 24 Shriner Shiner Mark A. Stevens Shriner Shiner was best head of bunch but others are worthy. 2. The Millington Star Black to the Future Christina Morgan, Thomas Sellers Jr. 3. The Portland Progressive Thou Shalt Not Seal 4. Smithville Review Beer Board Brew-ha Tom R. Duggin 5. Chester County Independent, Henderson The Buck Starts Here Holly Roeder, James A. Webb, Julie Pickard I 1. Grainger Today, Bean Station Overtaxed Jim Zachary 2. Carthage Courier If... Such a Big Word Beverly Baines, Scott Winfree 3. Macon County Chronicle, Lafayette Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward Men Jessie Ellefson, Debbie Gregory 4. The Standard Banner, Jefferson City Darren Reese 5. The News Examiner, Gallatin EPA, Legge, Flea Market Mike Towle, Cecil Joyce, Melissa McDonald II 1. Southern Standard, McMinnville Texts r not 2 bad Heads are appropriate and slightly cutesy. 2. The Wilson Post, Lebanon Busch-league antics mar race Anne Donnell, Tommy Bryan, Ken Beck 3. Shelbyville Times-Gazette Smokers: Keep your butts away David Melson 4. The Lebanon Democrat Drunken Leprechauns Marie Corhern 5. Roane County News, Kingston Big Boy Terri Likens V 1. Johnson City Press Gone in a flash Don Armstrong Headlines are clever, accurate, attention-grabbing without going overboard on puns. Made me want to read the stories. 2. The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville Once a haven J.J. Lusk, Chris Smith 3. The Jackson Sun Katie Gould, Treneé Truex, David Hampton 4. Citizen Tribune, Morristown John Gullion, Bonnie Buffaloe 5. The Daily Herald, Columbia Wiener Wars Samantha Ballard 1. The Commercial Appeal, Henry Bailey, Reg Garrett, Stefanie Holmes Very tough call on this one. Six strong entries. However, the one-two punch of To Air Is Humane and Sibling Revelry edged out the field. Very nice touch. Just the right tone. 2. The Tennessean, Nashville No shirts, no pants, no problem 3. Chattanooga Times Free Press Rick Moore 4. News Sentinel, Knoxville Donna Cruze 5. Kingsport Times-News KPD Frank Cannon, Carol Broyles, Todd Yates Best news photograph 1. Lake County Banner, Tiptonville Winter s wrath Evan Jones A well-composed collection of photos. Really captures the severity of the event. 2. The Portland Leader Puppy mill raid yields 100 dogs Sonya Thompson 3. Herald and Tribune, Jonesborough Basketbrawl Charlie Mauk 4. The Erwin Record Fire destroys Chestoa Church Lesley Hughes 5. The Portland Progressive Police Ed Cahill I 1. The Advocate & Democrat, Sweetwater Fire destroys tire shop Michael Thomason 2. The Gallatin Newspaper 108 puppies rescued in multiple agency effort Scott Wilson 3. The Dickson Herald Troops return to a welcoming county Chris Gadd 4. The Dickson Herald County adjourns, budget not passed D. Frank Smith 5. The McKenzie Banner Whooping cranes depart Carroll Co. Joel Washburn II 1. Shelbyville Times-Gazette Crash tosses baby David Melson In a close contest between first and second, this photo wins out because it clearly tells the story of what happened. The focus on the child seat and the line the debris trail makes to the van for the reader s eye is what makes it a winner. 2. Roane County News, Kingston Onlookers watch as Roane Co. Sheriff s deputies arrest attorney David W. Doonan 3. Roane County News, Kingston An emotional Leon Houston wipes away tears David W. Doonan 4. The Newport Plain Talk Cosby teen critical David Popiel 5. Crossville Chronicle Saying goodbye Michael R. Moser V 1. The Mountain Press, Sevierville Team Work Curt Habraken Team Work also describes what makes this photo entry superior. The trio of photos works well together to tell the story. The eyes are carried through the bottom photo right into the other two. Good job. 2. The Jackson Sun Long Horn Steakhouse burns Devin Wagner 3. Elizabethton Star Kindergarten student Tyler Gibson Brandon Hicks 4. The Jackson Sun A true national hero Aaron Hardin 5. Herald-Citizen, Cookeville Heavy rains cause area flooding Daniel Flatt 1. The Commercial Appeal, True Crime Staff A truly excellent package. There s drama and emotion to virtually every photo. Many of these could stand alone as individual award-winners. The design really lets the photos take center stage. 2. Kingsport Times-News Full Blast Erica Yoon 3. The Tennessean, Nashville Aurelius Ross, Mandy Lunn 4. Chattanooga Times Free Press Shouting Match Allison Kwesell 5. Chattanooga Times Free Press Rock Slide Patrick Smith Best feature photograph 1. Herald and Tribune, Jonesborough Ride fast. Play hard Charlie Mauk A really fun way to highlight coverage. This photo compels you to read more. Nicely composed and thought out. 2. The Tomahawk, Mountain City Plowing time in the mountains Angie Gambill 3. The Erwin Record Precious Memories Brenda Sparks 4. Independent Herald, Oneida Substation nears completion 5. The Portland Leader Grape Expectations Sonya Thompson I 1. Carthage Courier Commanding Attention Eddie West Patriotism, youth, scouting, and great eye concentration make this a photo to remember. 2. The Standard Banner, Jefferson City A day to celebrate Steve Marion 3. The News Examiner, Gallatin Two scoops, please Matthew Diggs 4. The McKenzie Banner Tea Party Joel Washburn 5. The Dickson Herald Hampton marker is for all generations Chris Gadd II 1. Roane County News, Kingston A red-shouldered hawk flies off David W. Doonan Great moment. Excellent composition. Excellent technicals. Strong image. 2. The Paris Post-Intelligencer Low-fly zone Glenn Tanner 3. Crossville Chronicle Kickin It Country Style Heather Mullinix 4. The Lebanon Democrat I ll catch the next drop! Dallus Whitfield 5. Union City Daily Messenger All Smiles Donna Ryder V 1. The Jackson Sun Speed force Aaron Hardin Love the composition of this photo and the interplay of light and shadow. You get a real sense of speed with capturing her in stride with both feet off the ground. Also like the backdrop of the brick wall. 2. The Jackson Sun Family wants answers Devin Wagner 3. The Mountain Press, Sevierville Godspeed 278th Curt Habraken 4. Johnson City Press City workers Ron Campbell 5. Herald-Citizen, Cookeville Just Practicing Ty Kernea 1. The Commercial Appeal, Cherry s Choice Mark Weber This is the clear winner in a very competitive category. You have a great eye. The framing, composition, and sense of place are superb. 2. The Commercial Appeal, Where Would Jesus Live? Nikki Boertman 3. The Tennessean, Nashville Sisters play Shelley Mays 4. Bristol Herald Courier Running Start Earl Neikirk 5. Bristol Herald Courier Flames of Glory Andre Teague Best sports photograph 1. Ashland City Times Thrills and drills drive SHS summer camp Randy Moomaw 2. The Humboldt Chronicle Nailed at the plate Barry DeLoach 3. Ashland City Times Muddy Buddy makes a splash Randy Moomaw 4. The Westmoreland Observer Safe Call Ed Cahill 5. The Portland Leader Superbowl bid Sonya Thompson I 1. The Standard Banner, Jefferson City Winning run celebration Darren Reese Excellent image! Captures lots of emotion. My only critique would be: I would crop it much tighter (eliminate the coach in background) and make it a larger, vertical image. 2. The LaFollette Press Slippery base path Dwane Wilder 3. The Standard Banner, Jefferson City No helmet? No problem! Ronnie Housley 4. The Democrat-Union, Lawrenceburg Action at plate 5. The Elk Valley Times, Fayetteville Wakefield Wins Paul Henry II 1. Shelbyville Times-Gazette Championship Friday Danny Parker The pile-up photo is an absolutely SEE, PAGE 26

25 26 - Installation & Awards SEPTEMBER 2010 FROM PAGE 25 fantastic moment in time. The sense of movement and framing are excellent. Superb work! All-around excellent package. 2. Shelbyville Times-Gazette Reason to cry Danny Parker 3. The Wilson Post, Lebanon Wildcats Steve Wampler 4. Union City Daily Messenger I Don t Think So Kenneth Coker 5. Roane County News, Kingston Harriman s Brian Phillips went airborne David W. Doonan V 1. The Daily Times, Maryville Soccer Collision Daryl Sullivan Great capture of action! (A little soft, but not enough to matter) Might crop a little tighter, but overall, this conveys plenty of action and emotion. 2. The Jackson Sun Spring Bling Katie Morgan Brake 3. The Jackson Sun Union City tackle Aaron Hardin 4. Johnson City Press Greyson Janeway Lee Talbert 5. Elizabethton Star Happy Valley s Tyler Marlowe Brandon Hicks 1. The Commercial Appeal, Mack Attacked Mark Weber This image is amazing it captures the tension on the players faces, catches the action at a peak moment and the tight cropping makes it pop out. 2. News Sentinel, Knoxville Loss Amy Smotherman Burgess 3. The Tennessean, Nashville Titans George Walker 4. Bristol Herald Courier Foiled Again David Crigger 5. The Commercial Appeal, City of Hoops Nikki Boertman Best graphics and/or illustrations Groups I, II & III 1. Grainger Today, Bean Station Robert Turner, Mark DeWitte Outstanding cartoons Turner s style is a riot. Does everyone in Grainger Co. look like something out of a horror movie? Info graphic on navigating a website is a great idea. 2. Business Journal Lee Swets 3. The Standard Banner, Jefferson City 4. Mt. Juliet News Don Olea, Mark Rogers 5. Carroll County News-Leader, Huntingdon Karen Weathers Groups IV & V 1. News Sentinel, Knoxville Dan Proctor, Don Wood, Rey Pineda 2. Chattanooga Times Free Press 3. Kingsport Times-News Karen Crigger, Elizabeth Bricquet 4. The Jackson Sun Sherri Jordan 5. Bristol Herald Courier David Crigger, Jerry Shell, Steven Shortridge, Earl Neikirk Sunday editions Dailies 1. Chattanooga Times Free Press From the quality of photo reproductions, to the font choices, and the convenient layout, the Times Free Press stood out. 2. The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville Staff 3. News Sentinel, Knoxville 4. Bristol Herald Courier 5. Elizabethton Star Rozella Hardin, Ivan Sanders, Bryan Stevens, Janie McKinney, Missy Hale, Robin Johnson Best special issue or section 1. The Erwin Record Downtown Inferno Mark A. Stevens, Robert Sorrell, Lesley Hughes, Eileen Rush Usually a special section demands hours of work, but the speed with which this one was turned around makes it the best effort in this group. Excellent photography and impressive coverage from a number of different angles all accomplished overnight. Well done! 2. Lewis County Herald, Hohenwald Meriwether Lewis Commemorative Event 3. Mt. Juliet News Our Home 4. Ashland City Times Cheatham Co. Fact Book Tennessee Star Journal, Pigeon Forge September 2, 1940 Connie Seaton, Lisa Christian I 1. The Standard Banner, Jefferson City Community 2009 A big undertaking well done. Clean look with good writing throughout. Great ad support and a good variety in the stories, which are all well written. Congratulations! 2. The Daily News, Health Care Special Edition Lindsay Jones, Preston Lauterbach 3. The Courier, Savannah Hardin County - One year later Ron Schaming, Linda Folkerts 4. Pulaski Citizen State Champion Bobcats Scott Stewart, Johnny Phelps, Martha Horn, Donna Yant, Paul Manke, Cary Jane Malone, Tim Nave, Ken Webb 5. Overton County News, Livingston Livingston Academy 100 Years Betty Aronson, Julie Young, Darren Oliver, Susan Gaumont II 1. The Lebanon Democrat Our Home Holidays Mark Rodgers, Bonnie Bucy, Sabrina Garrett, Liz Ferrell, Hilary Trenda, Laurie Everett, Bill Cook, Dallus Whitfield, Amelia Hipps One of the best holiday sections I ve seen in a long time. Fun articles, beautiful photography and good ad support. Congratulations on a job well done. 2. The Paris Post-Intelligencer Love Stories Lesley Jones 3. Crossville Chronicle Welcome to Cumberland County Heather Mullinix, Kim Whitney, Elizabeth Williams 4. Union City Daily Messenger Front & Center Mike Hutchens, David Fuzzell, Kenneth Coker 5. The Newport Plain Talk Smoky Mountain Homeplace Duay O Neil, Angela Hull, Janie Holt V 1. The Greeneville Sun Magnavox in Greeneville Beautiful piece well written, excellent layout all in all a wonderful vendor piece. Definitely a 1st place effort. 2. Johnson City Press Her Magazine Jan Hearne, Mike Murphy, Doug Janz, Allison Alfonso 3. The Jackson Sun Elder Care Dan Morris, Katie Gould 4. Cleveland Daily Banner Greetings, Wacker 5. The Daily Herald, Columbia Healthy Living August Bristol Herald Courier President Barack Obama: Hope & History Out of the two inaugural sections, the nod goes to you because of more local content and a wonderfully produced local graphic in the center. Congratulations. 2. The Commercial Appeal, Inauguration 2009 Staff 3. News Sentinel, Knoxville The Smokies at Chattanooga Times Free Press Chattanooga Now 5. Insufficient entries Promotion of newspapers Dailies 1. The Daily Herald, Columbia American Valor Series Excellent use of color, graphics coupled with appeal to a broad readership. 2. News Sentinel, Knoxville Reaching Readers in New Ways Vivian Vega 3. The Tennessean, Nashville TN Media Group 4. The Greeneville Sun Fatz Cafe Circulation Staff 5. Chattanooga Times Free Press Growth Non-dailies 1. The Standard Banner, Jefferson City Photos Online 2. Carthage Courier Read It Online Becky Watkins 3. Grainger Today, Bean Station Bigger, Brighter, Better 4. Carroll County News-Leader, Huntingdon Bulldog Campaign Karen Weathers 5. The Democrat-Union, Lawrenceburg US Army Field Band Best website 1. The Erwin Record Mark A. Stevens, Lesley Hughes, Anthony D. Piercy, Donna Rea The Record Player and the professional video editing really set this apart from other sites. Well done. Very userfriendly. Great! 2. The Portland Leader Sonya Thompson, Jared Wilber, Jamie Johnson, April Barton 3. Independent Herald, Oneida Ben Garrett 4. Macon County Times, Lafayette Brian Bennett, Deidre Wilson, Brad Gaskins, Clay Morgan 5. Insufficient entries I 1. The Courier, Savannah Jim Thompson Nice, fun video. I liked the webcam... I really liked the nifty Flash page flip, which allows the reader to go through the paper. Excellent! 2. The News Examiner, Gallatin Melissa McDonald 3. The Dickson Herald 4. Business Journal 5. The Daily News, II 1. The Paris Post-Intelligencer Chad Howard 2. Crossville Chronicle Caroline Selby 3. The Wilson Post, Lebanon 4. Southern Standard, McMinnville 5. Insufficient entries V 1. The Jackson Sun jacksonsun.com Clean Web design with lots of headlines. Staff does a nice job of updates with new stories regularly. 2. The Daily News Journal, Murfreesboro 3. The Leaf-Chronicle, Clarksville 4. The Greeneville Sun greenevillesun.com 5. The Daily Herald, Columbia 1. The Commercial Appeal, Staff 2. News Sentinel, Knoxville 3. Chattanooga Times Free Press 4. The Tennessean, Nashville tennessean.com 5. Bristol Herald Courier tricities.com First Amendment Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. In the long run of history, the censor and the inquisitor have always lost. Alfred Whitney Griswold Writer, educator, 1952 Courtesy, Freedom Forum