A baker’s dozen was added this week to the bevy of honors The Times has accumulated during the news industry’s awards season.
The reporting team of Andrew Chiappazzi and Daveen Rae Kurutz was named Sports Writers of the Year, placing first in their division. Tom Bickert, editorial page editor, was named Editorial Writer of the Year, placing third in that division. These national title honors were announced Wednesday by GateHouse Media.
In addition, Kurutz was named Reporter of the Year by the Pennsylvania Women’s Press Association during its annual luncheon June 2 at the Keystone Press Conference in Gettysburg. This marks the third consecutive year that Kurutz received this state honor.
She also received first-place awards in Lifestyles and Business & Consumer categories; second place in Sports, Investigative/Enterprise and Outdoors/Environmental; third place in Religion; and honorable mention in Features.
Also in PWPA, Kurutz and Chiappazzi placed second in the Education category for their series on “Who’s Keeping Score?” and Lisa Micco placed first in Columns.
These awards bring the total to 46 that The Times has received for coverage in both print and digital published in 2017.
In addition, The Times was named 2018 Keystone Sweepstakes winner for Division III for the third consecutive year by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association.
“I’m extremely proud of the work our newsroom staff has accomplished on both the state and national levels,” said Tina Bequeath, publisher. “This has been a challenging year for us - and the industry as a whole - and I’m lucky to have an exceptional staff of writers and editors who come in every day at all hours for the greater good of community journalism.”
The Times earned 17 individual Keystone awards, including six first-place, five second-place and six honorable mentions. It also received 13 awards from the Pennsylvania Associated Press Media Editors association at the June 1-2 event in Gettysburg.
It also won national recognition as one of the Top 10 Best Websites in the country by The Associated Press Sports Editors.
Scott Tady won a Robert L. Vann Media Award sponsored by the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation for his feature story “Inspiration & Interpretations.”
Keystone Press Awards
First place
Times staff, Series, “Aging of Aquarius.”
Marsha Keefer, Features, “Full throttle.”
Tom Davidson, News Beat Reporting, “Veterans of Beaver Valley.”
Sports staff, Page Design, “Before there was ‘Broadway Joe’ Namath,” “Win-Win” and “Valued Pack.”
Steve Hughes, Graphic/Photo Illustration, “Show me the money”
Chiappazzi, Marina Weis and Kristen Kudlow, Video Story, “Let Us Play.”
Second place
Katherine Schaeffer, Mike Bires, Lucy Schaly, Gwen Titley, Weis, Special Projects, “Quigley at 50.”
Bires, Sports Column, “Jula,” “Lincoln Park” and “Reflections on Steelers’ chairman.”
Hughes, Page Design, “Keepers of the Cup,” “Empire Penguins” and “Show me the money.”
Chiappazzi, Sports Beat Reporting, “Parent and Boosters,” “RMU,” “Transfer issues.”
Staff, Headline Writing, “EMS sends SOS,” “Razing Pell” and “Hey there, corgeous.”
Honorable mention
Kurutz, Investigative Reporting, “Evidentiary privilege.”
Davidson, News Feature Story, “He didn’t text back.”
Kirstin Kennedy, Kate Malongowski and Kurutz, Ongoing News Coverage, “First carfentanil death,” “Coroner withholds data,” “Tracking opioid crisis,” “County fourth in heroin,” “Narcan used” and “Overdose deaths.”
Sports staff, Special Project, “The Times’ Amazing High School Football Preview.”
Megan Miller, Page Design, “Laying down tracks,” “Colors and critters” and “New target on the block.”
Sports staff, Graphic/Photo Illustration, “Valued Pack.”
PAPME
First place
Hughes, Best Full-Page Design, "Gold Standard."
Chiappazzi and Kurutz, Best Enterprise Reporting.
Micco, Best Column.
Times staff, Best Headline Writing.
Gwen Titley, Best Short Video, “Betty Douglas inspires with her art.”
Titley, Best Long Video, “Notorious Beaver County.”
Kurutz, Best Spot News Coverage, "Ellport man shoots, kills home intruder,” Ellwood City Ledger, Division I.
Second place
Hughes, Best Full-Page Design, "Show me the money."
Bickert, Best Editorial Writing.
Keefer, Best Sports Feature, “From pro to altruistic coach.”
Mary Beth Eastman, Best Illustration or Graphic, “Beaver County is for lovers.”
Sally Maxson, Best Feature Photo, “Gymnastics.”
Chiappazzi, Weis and Kudlow, Best Long Video, “Let Us Play.”
Vann Media Awards finalist
Keefer, Newspaper Feature, “The Light on the Hill.”