The Jefferson City News Tribune was named the Kansas City Press Club's 2019 Newspaper of the Year (under 30,000 subscribers division).
The award was presented June 8 at the 2019 Heart of America Awards luncheon hosted by the Kansas City Press Club, a chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.
The News Tribune also won 25 awards credited to the reporting staff and individual journalists.
The News Tribune staff earned gold in the News Website category and in the Public Service Project category for the newspaper's annual "A Christmas Wish" series highlighting the work of United Way agencies and the clients they serve.
The News Tribune staff swept the Investigative Reporting category: reporter Jeff Haldiman earned gold for a series of stories following concerns about the Missouri Department of Corrections' staffing; reporter Phillip Sitter earned silver for a package of stories analyzing Westminster College's finances; and city editor Rebecca Martin earned bronze for "Child care desert," a pair of stories looking at Missouri's lack of access to affordable child care.
News Tribune reporters also swept the Beat Reporting category: Nicole Roberts earned gold for covering Jefferson City government; Sitter earned silver for covering Jefferson City Public Schools; and Joe Gamm earned bronze for covering health news and features.
Haldiman earned gold in Deadline Reporting/Breaking News for "Body of missing boy found," and Bob Watson earned silver for covering the resignation of former Gov. Eric Greitens.
Nicole Roberts earned gold in Feature reporting for "This was home. I didn't want to leave." - relating to Cedar City residents' look back 25 years after the Flood of 1993 - and Seth Wolfmeyer earned silver for "Family, community rally behind Braeden Sconce," a story about the South Callaway community's support of the Sconce family after 19-year-old Braeden was injured in a February 2018 car accident.
Photographer Julie Smith won gold in Breaking News Photojournalism for a photograph of a vandalized window at Helias Catholic High School.
Smith also earned gold in Feature Photojournalism for photos taken during the American Barnstormers Tours' vintage airplanes visited the Jefferson City Memorial Airport. Photographer Sally Ince earned silver for photos of area swimmers cooling off at Memorial Park Aquatics Center.
Assistant sports editor Greg Jackson and sports reporter Jason Strickland won gold in Sports Reporting for their coverage of the Blair Oaks High School football team's Class 2 state title win. Sports editor Tom Rackers won silver for a story about a Helias Catholic High School pitcher's no-hitter win against the Jefferson City Jays in April 2018. And Strickland earned bronze for a story about Calvary Lutheran High School runner Emma Homfeldt's Class 1 state 800-meter win.
Opinion page editor Gerry Tritz won gold in Editorial/Commentary for a News Tribune editorial calling for more communication among Jefferson City officials about a perceived problem with the city prosecutor's absences from court days rather than a proposed change to teh city charter. Tritz also won silver for an editorial calling for then-Gov. Eric Greitens to resign in the interest of the state.
Haldiman earned silver in the Profile category for a story about five members of the Berendzen family who serve in local fire departments. Sitter earned bronze for a story about a 2018 Blair Oaks High School graduate's plan to serve in the U.S. Air Force.
Martin earned silver in Business Reporting for "Going out in style," highlighting the history and community ties of Saffees as its family ownership announced the downtown Jefferson City business would close in late 2018.
Strickland won silver in Sports Photojournalism for an action photo during a Jefferson City Post 5 Seniors baseball game during the Zone 1 Tournament in July 2018.
Gamm earned bronze in General Reporting for "Bishop 'could not keep silent,'" covering the reaction of Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of the Catholic Diocese of Jefferson City to the Vatican's request that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops delay action on the sexual abuse crisis facing the church.