Globe wins 15 awards in 2023 Missouri Press Association contest

Sep. 25—The Joplin Globe brought home 15 awards from the Missouri Press Association's 2023 Better Newspaper Contest.

The awards were presented Saturday in St. Louis at the 157th annual Missouri Press Association convention.

Awards include:

—First place, best news or features series, for a series of stories by Kevin McClintock about Sofiya Bezpala, a former Webb City exchange student from Ukraine recalling the Russian invasion of her home country. Judges said: "Beautiful storytelling by the reporter and great localization of an international story. Fantastic use of quotes, too."

—First place, best editorial, for "Thoughts and prayers," an editorial by Editor Andy Ostmeyer written after the deaths of two Joplin police officers who were shot and killed by a gunman while responding to a call about a disturbance.

—First place, best magazine or alternative publication, for Joplin Magazine. Judges said: "Interesting stories on community people. Well designed with good layout."

—Second place, best humorous columnist, to Kimberly Zerkel, who writes regular columns mostly about life in downtown Joplin.

—Second place, best news or feature special section, for the 2022 Joplin Area Health Guide.

—Second place, best coverage of government, for reporter Debby Woodin's coverage of a $30 million bond issue proposal to renovate and expand Joplin's Memorial Hall, which was defeated by voters in April 2022. Judges said: "The story simplified an issue that may be complex for some readers."

—Second place, best story about the outdoors, to Ostmeyer for "Test driving life in my 60s," about a trip to the Grand Canyon.

—Second place, best story about history, to McClintock for a series of stories about Jess Claude Lines, a Joplin man who went searching for answers after his son was reported missing in action during World War II. Judges said: "Great story of Mr. Lines and his journey to California for answers and its unhappy end."

—Second place, best Newspaper in Education project, for the All-Area Academic Excellence Team, a Globe program that recognizes the top graduating high school seniors each year. Judges said: "Nice recognition for the graduating students. The formatted Q&A, along with their portraits, makes them a quick and easy read, and an obvious way for advertisers to show their support."

—Second place, best headline writing, to Jerry Willis, the Globe's design editor. Judges said: "Most creative headlines of the group."

—Second place, best news or feature obituary, to reporters Jeff Lehr and Kimberly Barker for their joint coverage of the funeral of Joplin police Officer Jake Reed.

—Third place, best editorial, to Ostmeyer for "Opponents, not enemies," written one year after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

—Third place, best serious columnist, to Ostmeyer. Judges said: "These are great columns for readers pertaining to what affects them. Your style of writing is enjoyable and the topics of your pieces open the doors for conversation."

—Third place, best sports feature photo, to photographer Roger Nomer for an image of the winning game that sent Diamond High School to the Final Four in state play for softball. Judges said: "Photographer was ready for the moment and captured a nice image."

—Third place, best news or feature obituary, to Lehr and Barker for their joint coverage of the funeral of Joplin police Cpl. Ben Cooper.