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	Southtown Wins 4 Lisagor Awards Daily Southtown [Chicago IL] April 29, 2007 http://www.dailysouthtown.com/news/362715,291NWS4.article The Daily Southtown received four Peter Lisagor Awards for Exemplary Journalism on Friday night from the Chicago Headline Club — for deadline news reporting, editorial writing, in-depth education reporting and column writing. Reporters Courtney Greve and William Lee won for their deadline report about a New Lenox police officer who was wounded in a shooting on the street near Lincoln-Way Central High School. The Southtown's series of editorials titled "A Solid Deal for Schools?" won the editorial writing award. The series explored the various aspects of the governor's ill-fated plan to sell the lottery to finance the state's public schools. The editorials were written by John Hector, Donna Vickroy, Kristen McQueary and Dennis Robaugh. Reporter Kati Phillips, who recently left the paper, was a winner for in-depth education reporting. Her series of stories exposing fraud and mismanagement in the Calumet Park public school system led the state to step in and take over the poor, troubled district. Judges called the work "inspiring and heart-wrenching." And columnist Tim Placher won the column-writing competition for his evocative first-person piece about sexual abuse at the hands of a Joliet Diocese priest and his attempts to involve Bishop Joseph Imesch in confronting the problem. "This is strong, honest and brave writing that will stay with readers for a long time," the judges wrote. The Lisagors, the premier journalism prize for news organizations in Chicago and its collar counties, are named for the late Peter Lisagor, Washington bureau chief of the Chicago Daily News, who was one of the nation's most respected and best-known journalists at his death in 1976 at age 61. More than 700 works were entered by news organizations, and 65 winners were chosen for such attributes as enterprise, accuracy, scope, style and impact. The Southtown had four finalists in the 30th annual competition. Photographer Chris Sweda was a finalist in sports photography. Photographer Joseph P. Meier was a finalist in feature photography. The Southtown reporting staff was a finalist in in-depth news reporting for its investigation of Harvey Mayor Eric Kellogg. And former reporter Dan Lavoie was a finalist in lifestyle reporting. Photographer Brett Roseman also won a Lisagor for photography in the non-daily newspaper division for work published in the Star Newspapers. Former Star Newspapers reporter Patrick Ferrell also won a Lisagor for in-depth news reporting for a series of stories published in the Star about unsolved crimes. The Chicago Sun-Times, part of the same news group as the Southtown, won six Lisagors. The Chicago Tribune print staff also won six Lisagors. The Tribune's web staff won three, and Chicago Tribune magazine won one.
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