SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Margaret Holt, a former editor at the Chicago Tribune, was named Friday the 2022 Lincoln League honoree during the Illinois Associated Press Media Editors Awards presentations at the President Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Springfield. Holt finished her career at the Tribune in January as standards editor.
She was also newspaper’s first female sports editor. The Lincoln League honors longtime Illinois journalists for their career contributions to the industry. IAPME winners were also announced for journalism excellence in news, sports, features, editorials, columns and photos from 2021.
Division I award winners: General Excellence: First place, The Southern Illinoisan; second place, Herald & Review; third place, Effingham Daily News. Best Digital Storytelling: First place, Herald & Review, 25th anniversary of Decatur tornadoes, staff; second place, Herald & Review, Golden Knights, Clay Jackson; third place, Herald & Review, Bird Boxes, Clay Jackson. Public Service: First place, Effingham Daily News, COVID and Our Community, staff; Dixon Telegraph, DCFS probed home five times before 7-year-old’s death, Kathleen Schultz; third place, The Quincy Herald-Whig, Pike County tax issues, Drew Zimmerman.
Enterprise Coverage: First place, Northwest Herald, Flooding on the Fox, Sam Lounsberry, Cassie Buchman and Emily Coleman (this story also was selected the Division I Sweepstakes winner); second place, DeKalb Daily Chronicle, Landlord transfer looms as City of DeKalb targets Hunter Properties buildings, Katie Finlon and Kelsey Rettke; third place, The Southern Illinoisan, High school earmarks nearly $900K of COVID-19 relief grant on football field, Kallie Cox. General News: First place, Northwest Herald, Man convicted in 1997 murder of Elgin toddler calls death an accident, Katie Smith; second place, Dixon Telegraph, A Slap In The Face, Rachel Rodgers and Kathleen Schultz; third place, DeKalb Daily Chronicle, Clerk drama returns with newly elected official, Katie Finlon and Kelsey Rettke. Feature: First place, La Salle NewsTribune, Fiesta!, Tom Collins; second place, The Southern Illinoisan, SIU aviation student remembered after tragic motorcycle crash, Makayla Holder; third place, The Southern Illinoisan, Why did you get the COVID-19 vaccine?, Marilyn Halstead.
Sports Story: First place, Herald & Review, Butterflies, prayers & Ashtyn, James Boyd; second place, Quincy Herald-Whig, The Life of Riley, Matt Schuckman; third place, Herald & Review, I’m so blessed: Players, coaches, friends honor LSA’s Tom Saunches, Matthew Flaten. Business Reporting: First place, Northwest Herald, Domino’s Pizza in Cary allegedly pressured staff to work after COVID-19 exposure, documents show, Kelli Duncan; second place, DeKalb Daily Chronicle, Amazon paid $6. 3M for nearly 59 acres of land in DeKalb, Katie Finlon and Kelsey Rettke; third place, Dixon Telegraph, Where are all the workers?, staff.
News Photo: First place, The Alton Telegraph, Amazon victims remembered, John Badman; second place, The Alton Telegraph, McDonald’s Destroyed, John Badman; third place, The Alton Telegraph, Top off rescue, John Badman. Feature Photo: First place, The Alton Telegraph, Exhausting work, John Badman (this photo also was selected the Sweepstakes winner); second place, The Southern Illinoisan, Winter walk, Byron Hetzler; third place, The Alton Telegraph, Memorial parade, John Badman. Portrait/Personality: First place, The Dixon Telegraph, Water Legend, Alex T.
Paschal; second place, the DeKalb Daily Chronicle, Honoring veterans, Mark Busch; third place, Northwest Herald, Love birds, Matthew Apgar. Sports Photo: First place, The Southern Illinoisan, Highs and lows, Byron Hetzler; second place DeKalb Daily Chronicle, Sportsmanship at its best, Mark Busch; third place, Dixon Telegraph, Moon Shot, Alex T. Paschal.
Division II award winners: General Excellence: First place, Chicago Sun-Times, staff; second place, The Daily Herald, Staff; third place, The Pantagraph, staff. Best Digital Storytelling: First place, Chicago Tribune, Failures before the fires, Cecilia Reyes, Madison Hopkins and Jonathon Berlin; second place, Chicago Sun-Times, Through the flames, Jesse Howe; third place, Chicago Sun-Times, A detailed timeline of the Adam Toledo shooting, Jesse Howe and Andy Boyle. Public Service: First place, Chicago Tribune, The failures before fires, Cecilia Reyes and Madison Hopkins; second place, Chicago Sun-Times/Better Government Association, The costly toll of dead-end drug arrests, Frank Main, Casey Toner and Jared Rutecki; third place, Chicago Sun-Times, Preserving homes in historic Black Chicago Figures, Maudlyne Ihejirika.
Enterprise Coverage: First place, Chicago Tribune, One gun, 27 shootings, staff (this story also was selected the Division II Sweepstakes winner); Chicago Sun-Times, Cook County property assessment failures, Tim Novak, Lauren FitzPatrick and Caroline Hurley; third place, Chicago Sun-Times, What’s in Illinois’ legal weed?, Stephanie Zimmerman and Tom Schuba. General News: First place, Preservicing homes of historic Black Chicago Figures, Maudlyne Ihejerika; second place, The Daily Herald, Our neighbor’s house is gone, Katlyn Smith, Lauren Rohr and Scott Morgan; third place, The Dispatch-Argus, Bridging the past, Brooklyn Draisey. Feature: First place, Chicago Sun-Times, Back from the brink, Patrick Finley; second place, Chicago Tribune, Women in radio call out toxic and sexist culture, Tracy Swartz, Christy Gutowski and Stacey Wescott; third place, Chicago Sun-Times, Into the darkness, Anne Costabile.
Sports Story: First place, Chicago Tribune, Steve McMichael in a vicious fight against ALS, Dan Wiederer; second place, Chicago Tribune, Lawsuits bring scrutiny to a former Blackhawks coach’s behavior, Phil Thompson and Christy Gutowski; third place, Chicago Sun-Times, Back from the brink, Patrick Finley. Business Reporting: First place, Chicago Tribune, The aftermath of Chicago’s 2020 civil unrest, staff; second place, Chicago Sun-Times, What’s in Illinois’ legal weed?, Stephanie Zimmermann and Tom Schuba; third place, The Dispatch-Argus, John Deere strike, Cara Smith. News Photo: First place, Journal Star, 12-year-old dies in fire, Matt Dayhoff; second place, Chicago Sun-Times, Salutes for a slain cop, Ashlee Rezin; third place, Daily Herald, Celebrating discharge, Brian Hill.
Feature Photo: First place, Daily Herald, A-mazing sunflowers, Jeff Knox; second place: Chicago Sun-Times, Wheeling record carp across a Chicago street in a shopping cart, Daisy Schultz; third place, Belleville News-Democrat, A Starr in the making, Derik Holtmann. Portrait/Personality: First Place, Daily Herald, Tough teenager, Brian Hill; second place, Chicago Sun-Times, Granddaughter of slaves, Anthony Vazquez; third place, The Pantagraph, Pandemics survivor, David Proeber. Sports Photo: First place, Daily Herald, Made It!, John Starks; second place, Daily Herald, Eyeing his Helmet, Brian Hill; third place, Journal Star, Bradley throwdown, Matt Dayhoff.
Column and editorial writing winners were judged in a single division. Column: First place, Chicago Sun-Times, John W. Fountain; second place, Chicago Sun-Times, Neil Steinberg; third place, Daily Southtown, Ted Slowik.
Editorial Writing: First place, Northwest Herald, Mark Baldwin; second place, Lee Bey; third place, Chicago Sun-Times, Sun-Times editorial board. The Associated Press.
