Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Peninsula Pulse Entry Title: One Dead, One Missing in Butch's Bar Fire; Second Body Recovered; Lighter Fluid Suspected Cause; Judge Doesn't Budge; The Best of Butch's Entry Credit: Debra Fitzgerald Judge Comment: This series went above and beyond, and really evoked a sense of the place that was lost in an early morning fire: two lives, an iconic dive bar, and the affordable housing above the bar for tenants who were all “on the far downside of luck.”
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Northwest Now Entry Title: Waukesha Parade Tragedy Coverage Entry Credit: Cathy Kozlowicz, Alex Groth, Bob Dohr, Evan Casey Judge Comment: Full of moving and memorable stories about the people affected by the mass shooting at the Waukesha parade.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Ladysmith News Entry Title: Ladysmith school evacuated after bomb scare call Entry Credit: Luke Klink Judge Comment: Interesting story with good level of detail and with good perspective, including an examination of other recent threats to schools.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Wisconsin State Farmer Entry Title: Town of Palmyra neighbors fear unknown in avian flu composting operation Entry Credit: Colleen Kottke, Amber Burke Judge Comment: Very well written.
