After giving up hope and writing this category off as a loss, the judge finally came through. Congratulations to the winners. See results and judges comments below.
Category: Analysis-Daily/Weekend
1st – Maine Sunday Telegram: “Tax relief scarce in school consolidations”
Comments: A very impressive – and thorough – analysis piece which looks at the state’s consolidation issue – and history. All the angles were covered here. The chart and timeline were added pluses. I also liked that there was no determination of positive or negatives – just data and experiences.
2nd – Morning Sentinel: “Ayla Reynolds Case: Three Years Later”
Comments: This piece was gripping and walked readers through the entire case, including sidebars of all the people involved in the tragedy. The map and extensive – full page! – timeline was very comprehensive.
3rd – Sun Journal: “Out-of-Control Kids”
Comments: This is a solid offering about a complicated issue facing schools, parents, and clinicians today. The writer spent worthwhile time building – and sharing – the complicated health crisis with readers. It’s always good to add resource info, too.
Category: Analysis-Weekly 1
1st – The Camden Herald: “Family Asks ‘what-if’ in pharmacy robbery”
Comments: A very good piece by the writer. It’s clear he spent time with the family and police reports to tell the story. Quite heartbreaking, actually.
2nd – The Weekly Packet: “Is downtown Blue Hill dying – or just changing?”
Comments: While the question never really gets answered, a lot of folks in town had stuff to say about their community’s main drag. The writer touches all the bases in this piece.
3rd – York County Coast Star: “Worker visas move forward”
Comments: A nice overview of how vital foreign workers are to the tourism trade in the region. Nice job!
Category: Analysis-Weekly 2
1st – Pinetreewatchdog.com: “The ‘gatekeepers’: Ten wealthy Mainers giving $3.95 million to this election”
Comments: A great team effort here looking at the top political donors in the state. Exhaustingly researched and compiled. More news orgs should really put the time and effort into sharing this information so that their readers know who is pulling the political purse strings.
2nd – Pen Bay Pilot: “In aftermath of Rite Aid standoff and death, Camden Police investigate gun history”
Comments: A thorough overview of a terrible tragedy all around. The writer was able to look at some different angles with the story which gave it solid footing and reader insight.
3rd – The Courier-Gazette: “Our new generation of veterans”
Comments: A very good piece, with heart and insight, from those who have served in the modern era. The reporter clearly was able to gain the comfort of the sources which is not an easy task.