KANSAS CITY - The Jefferson City News Tribune reporting team took home more than 20 awards from the Kansas City Press Club's 2016 Heart of America Awards recently.
The newsroom received 23 total awards, including seven golds, for its 2015 coverage - one of the best showings yet for the local newspaper.
Michelle Brooks earned two gold awards, in beat reporting for faith coverage and in the public service project category for "Cemetery care," a series of articles looking at cemetery issues in the community, including the loss of a 200-year-old cemetery and work to identify graves in a once-segregated section of a city cemetery. She also brought home silver awards, in the profile category for an article on Nancy Thompson, who serves on the Jefferson City Cemetery Resource Board, and in the feature category for an article on the donkeys used at Lincoln University's Busby Farm.
Richard McGonegal won three out of four possible awards in the editorial category with a gold for "No offense, but equipment trumps motto," bronze for "Virtues of openness evaluated" and an honorable mention for "County must stop channeling tax dollars to charity." The gold editorial questioned whether money spent on placing the motto "In God We Trust" on patrol vehicles by Missouri sheriffs should have gone to training and other protective equipment.
City reporter Madeleine Leroux won gold in the investigative reporting category for "Wellness Center," a series of articles looking at the agreement between the Jefferson City Parks and Recreation Commission and Lincoln University for the planned wellness center on Lafayette Street. She also brought home two silver awards, for general reporting and public service project, as well as an honorable mention in beat reporting for her coverage of city government.
HER Magazine Editor Shelley Gabert and Leah Beane won gold for "Women in the Wild," and Gabert won silver for "Art Edition" in the magazine story category.
Education reporter Shelby Rowe won a gold award in the feature category for "Tracing his ancestor's journey," an article on a descendant of William Clark who was retracing the Lewis and Clark expedition, as well as a bronze in beat reporting for her coverage of education.
Sports Editor Tom Rackers won gold in sports reporting for "Perfect: Weirich keeps Helias off base" and a bronze for non-news column/blog for his Press Box column.
Features Editor Rebecca Martin won silver in arts and entertainment reporting for "Leona Williams comes home to Mid-Mo," an article about a classic country star returning to the stage in Mid-Missouri. She also won silver in beat reporting for her coverage of business and bronze in deadline reporting/breaking news/spot news for "Carbon monoxide suspected."
Martin and reporter Jeff Haldiman won silver in deadline reporting/breaking news/spot news for "End of the Rainbow," which covered an early morning fire that destroyed Rainbow Lanes Bowling Alley and Hook's Sports Bar.
City Editor Gerry Tritz won silver in investigative reporting for "LU graduation speech plagiarized," which found several ideas and words in a Lincoln University graduation speech were plagiarized.
Former sports reporter Tony Hawley received the silver award in sports reporting for "Belting one out: Kuensting shines."