2018 Editorial Winners

By Dedra Cordle, Columbus Messenger Featured Story – 1st Place Like many children his age, Jaiden Gray is just looking to make a connection. He tries to strike up conversations about popular subjects, is always willing to share his beloved Legos, and generally loves sharing in the company of his peers. The only problem is

By Rick Palsgrove, Columbus Messenger Featured Story – 2nd Place Some giants are hidden in plain sight. Recently Marc DeWerth of the organization Big Trees Ohio came across two such giants in southern Madison Township. The Bur Oak “I was driving home from Tar Hollow and was heading toward Groveport when I noticed this large

By Rick Palsgrove, Columbus Messenger Featured Story – 2nd Place Sailor the horse earned his retirement after 10 years of pulling the plow and performing other heavy farm work. On July 6, Sailor, an 18-year-old Percheron standard bred cross gelding who has worked closely with the public at Metro Parks’ Slate Run Living Historical Farm,

By Kyle Valentini, AloNovus Corp Featured Story – 3rd Place Since 1950, Guggisberg Cheese has been making cheese in the Doughty Valley using techniques developed by its founder, Alfred Guggisberg who immigrated from Switzerland in 1947 bringing with him years of cheese-making expertise. What started in the rolling hills of Ohio’s Amish Country so many

by Susan Hartley, The Early Bird Featured Story – 3rd Place GREENVILLE – Lindsey McGlinch isn’t afraid of trying something new. The 2005 Greenville High School graduate started a new career when she was hired as a GHS school nurse this past summer, keeps stats for the GHS girls basketball team, and is a member

Spohn Earns Eagle Scout Rank While Adapting To Vision Loss By Chelsea Peifer, Engle Publishing Company Featured Story – Honorable Mention During the summer before his freshman year at Manheim Central High School (MCHS), Nicolas Spohn began researching and planning for his Eagle Scout project. That was also when he began to notice changes in

by Andrea Cordle, Columbus Messenger News Story – 1st Place Six years ago, Grove City resident and Vietnam Veteran John Hensley lost his vision. Macular degeneration brought on by diabetes was the cause. Now, all he can see is shadows. “It was rough when I first went blind,” said Hensley. “It came on quick.” In

BMX star reaches out to Ottawa County middle school students By: D’Arcy Egan, The Beacon News Story – 2nd Place Tony Hoffman was once a failure, morphing from a fantastic pro athlete to a convicted felon, all because of an addiction to drugs. These days, Hoffman is a hero, connecting with young people all around

By Kyle Valentini, AloNovus Corp News Story – 3rd Place Trained in textile design at the Cleveland Institute of Art, Dover native and 1990 Dover High School graduate Jon Stucky has made a successful living as an artist with his thoughtful paintings and mixed media pieces that often depict a struggle between good and evil

by Rick Palsgrove, Columbus Messenger News Story – Honorable Mention Two fights erupted at Groveport Madison High School on Oct. 29 resulting in the school being placed on lockdown for part of the day. According to Groveport Madison Communications & Community Relations Director Jeff Warner, one fight happened around 9 a.m. and the other occurred