Independent wins award in 2015 Michigan Press Association contest

The report of a car towed by J&T Crova for the Belleville Police and left at the J&T storage lot for more than seven years won a statewide prize for the Belleville Area Independent.
The story “Belleville gets $50,000 judgment against it over car” was published March 12 and earned a second-place award in Government / Education News for the Belleville-Area Independent in the Michigan Press Association’s 2015 Better Newspaper Contest. Winners were announced at the MPA Convention Jan. 28-29 in Grand Rapids.
A judge from the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association wrote: “This is an engaging, fascinating story with lively writing and strong reporting.” Writer was editor Rosemary K. Otzman.
The Independent enters in the Weekly Class C category for publications of circulation from 3,001-7,000.
For the second year in a row, more MPA members submitted more entries in the contest. Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association reviewed 3,833 entries submitted by 113 Michigan newspapers in 2015.
In exchange, last fall MPA members reviewed entries in the Pennsylvania NewsMedia competition.
“As our members evolve in a multi-platform world, they remain the foundation of vibrant communities across the Great Lakes State,” said MPA Executive Director Mike MacLaren. “We’ve seen double-digit increases in this contest and the tougher competition helps our members capture audience attention and build better communities.”