Winner – Second Place – Best Environmental Reporting (Publication circulation below 10,000) - Indiana Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists 2022 Best of Indiana Journalism Contest

 

On Friday, April 21, 2023 at the 502 East Event Centre in Carmel, Indiana, the Indiana Professional Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) announced the winners of their 2022 Best of Indiana Journalism Contest.

I won second place for Best Environmental Reporting for publications with circulation below 10,000.

I was Editor of the Wabash Plain Dealer from June 2019 to October 2022. 

It was one of three awards I won that evening, the other two being second place for Best Business or Consumer Affairs Reporting and third place for Best Medical or Science Reporting.

For the Best Environmental Reporting category, I submitted five stories combined as one entry:

Invasive spotted lanternfly seen in northern Indiana

https://www.wabashplaindealer.com/news/invasive-spotted-lanternfly-seen-in-northern-indiana/article_db6797a4-8536-59ed-a34b-db712cfe99dc.html

By ROB BURGESS

Wabash Plain Dealer Editor

Aug. 19, 2022

Last summer, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) asked all Hoosiers to be on the lookout for invasive species, including the spotted lanternfly, or Lycorma delicatula. That alert has been heightened this year as the spotted lanternfly has now been identified in northern Indiana.

Wabash River Defenders to recognize U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

https://www.wabashplaindealer.com/news/wabash-river-defenders-to-recognize-u-s-army-corps-of-engineers/article_61540167-840c-51f7-b437-cb93c98d135d.html

By ROB BURGESS

Wabash Plain Dealer Editor

July 19, 2022

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will be honored by the Wabash River Defenders later this month.

Wabash Christian Church invites the community to 'Talk Trash'

https://www.wabashplaindealer.com/news/wabash-christian-church-invites-the-community-to-talk-trash/article_512eeab5-f768-539c-b6eb-8b709d5c2a8d.html
By ROB BURGESS

Wabash Plain Dealer Editor

June 10, 2022

Next week, Wabash Christian Church will present a special community forum on sustainability in Wabash County, said administrative assistant Susan Powell.

IDEM finds contaminants in five local private wells near Treaty Creek

https://www.wabashplaindealer.com/news/idem-finds-contaminants-in-five-local-private-wells-near-treaty-creek/article_8dc47510-b4d5-5277-89cb-989f3e2bfae6.html

By ROB BURGESS

Wabash Plain Dealer Editor

April 22, 2022

In late February, state and local agencies began asking several dozen southern Wabash County homeowners for permission to test their private drinking water wells after elevated levels of contaminants were detected in Treaty Creek.

IDEM looking to test private wells of several dozen local homeowners

https://www.wabashplaindealer.com/news/idem-looking-to-test-private-wells-of-several-dozen-local-homeowners/article_1cf44611-e89a-5a74-b116-667176bce0a4.html

By ROB BURGESS

Wabash Plain Dealer Editor

Feb. 25, 2022

Next week, state and local agencies will be asking several dozen southern Wabash County homeowners for permission to test their private drinking water wells after elevated levels of contaminants were detected in Treaty Creek.