2005 ONPA Pictures of the Year

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Diontaie adames, 17, enroute to his aunt's place waits for the bus at the corner of E. 4oth and Community College.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

November 26, 2005, Children and their parents wait for the arrival of Santa Claus in Lorain outside the Palace Theater. Santa arrived at the scene via a Lorain fire truck.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

A small group gathers before a church service held inside a small Elyria, Ohio apartment building.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Rose Immke is comforted by her sister-in-law, Rose West at Rose's home in Pepper Pike. Rose's husband, Lloyd Immke has not been seen for almost two weeks since he walked away from her daughter's Mentor home.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Lance Cpl. Daniel Nathan Deyarmin Jr. killed in action in Iraq was buried in Old Tallmadge Cemetery. Hundreds turned out for the funeral including 4-year-old Simon Joseph Haas who had to succumb to a nap towards the end of the day. He was lovingly covered by the sign by his older brother who plays in the distance.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

This photo essay is a collection of Cleveland area holocaust survivors. There are between 1800 and 2000 still alive in the greater Cleveland area. It is not inconceivable that in a relatively short time there will no more living survivors of the holocaust. The trauma that these people have experienced is written into their faces. As a way of documenting the existence of the holocaust I would like to preserve those messages with photographs. I have undertaken a continuing project to photograph as many survivors in the Cleveland area for as long as I can.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Dr. Zev Harel, holocaust survivor with picture of himself after he was released from the Nazies. Photographed at his home in University Heights. .

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Sylvia Malcmacher holocaust survivor with her quilt that contains family photo images.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Albert Hersh halocaust survivor.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Frank Moss holocaust survivor.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Holocaust survivor Martin Czin laughs in his kitchen.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Holocaust survivor Bella Reisman is 84-years-old.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Holocaust survivor Frank Ekstein lives with his wife who is also a survivor.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Gita Frankel, holocaust survivor surrounded by family photos at her home.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Friends and family react during the viewing of 11-year-old Brandon Davis' body at Triedstone Baptist Church, Cleveland before Brandon's funeral service.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

One-year-old Alexander Montgomery, dressed in a Marine uniform, looks to the casket bearing his father, Lance Cpl. Brian Montgomery, of Mentor. The Marine Reservist was one of 48 members of a Brook Park-based unit killed in Iraq in 2005

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Approximately 160 Marines and Sailors of Brook Park based headquarters and service Co. known as the 3/25 return to their families at the Brook Park Recreation Center.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

In the 1950's Lorain, Ohio continued to prosper on the banks of Lake Erie and Ford contributed to Lorain's further economic growth by adding The Lorain Assembly Plant in 1958. Lorain was an American factory town producing steel, ships, and automobiles. Not five decades later almost of all Lorain's factories are closed. December 14, 2005 marked another chapter in Lorain's history as Ford's Lorain Assembly Plant closed its doors for good.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

The executive committee of United Auto Workers local 425 represented Lorain Assembly Plant workers. Now that the plant is closed the future of the 425 is uncertain.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Symbols of pride conflict with the deteriorating reality of downtown Lorain.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Trucks as big as houses are common in Lorain.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Herb Bennett Sr. and Jr. thought Ford was invincible. Herb Sr. made it to retirement but Herb Jr.'s future is uncertain.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Downtown Lorain dressed up for the holidays.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

A retired Ford worker finds himself alone at the Union Hall before a meeting. Because of the plant closing the fate of the Union Hall is unknown.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Clyde Jackson enjoyed a long career with the Ford plant in Lorain. Because of the closure of the plant his benefits are being challenged. He retired in 1984 and drives a Grand Marquis. He is worried about his future.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Two days before the Lorain Assembly Plant closed Ford allowed media in for a last tour of the factory that produced the Ford Econoline for almost fifty years.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

This enormous parking lot was used for overflow storage for vehicles produced at Ford's Lorain Assembly Plant. In the past this lot used to be full of Ford Econoline trucks.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Last summer inner city Cleveland was blighted by three separate homicides of middle school aged children. They were killed by rival gangs from different housing projects in Cleveland. The shooters and the dead are just children. Parents, residents and community activists infiltrated the ranks of the gangs and negotiated a peace plan that was signed by many of the youth involved in the violence. The city has had no new homicides involving children to this date.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Members of the community task force walk around the area where 11-year-old Brandon Davis was fatally shot near a playground at the Outhwaite housing project in Cleveland.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Tamara Cuevas sister of Brandon Davis grieves at a makeshift memorial on the site where Brandon fell from a fatal gunshot wound in front of the Lonnie Burton Rec Center at Outhwaite.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

A candle light vigil at the site of the Brandon Davis shooting attracted over 100 people, many from different Cleveland housing projects, all with the same purpose, to stop the senseless violence.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Family and friends filled the pews at the Shiloh Baptist Church, where they comforted each other during the funeral of Lennard Pinson, a 16-year-old freshman at East Tech High School in Cleveland. Lennard was fatally shot during a clash of rival neighborhood groups. Witnesses have said he was trying to make peace.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Lennard Pinson's body is carried from Shiloh Baptist Church to the awaiting hearse.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Deloris Walton a long time resident of Outhwaite has made it her mission to counsel young children in her neighborhood about the dangers of gangs.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

EZ bares a tattoo on his cheek he is a member of a gang at the Outhwaite housing project. He did not want me to photograph his whole face.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Friends of Brandon Davis say goodbye.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Community peace activist Khalid Sammad reaches out to the young people in the inner city of Cleveland.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Colletta Masterson Jablonski, 90-year-old matriarch and "grand old dame" of the west side Irish community poses with her dog, Benji.

First place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Mike Levy / The Plain Dealer

Safety Chris Crocker, used more frequently on blitzes, recovers a fumble after his sack of Bears quarterback Kyle Orton (right) ending a Chicago drive with 2:37 left in the game. Two plays later, the Browns extended their lead to 20-10.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Passengers squeeze in and hold on tight during a crowded ride on a commuter train into Boston.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

A pedestrian waiting to cross the street finds out why Chicago is nicknamed "The Windy City".

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Sister Regina helps resident Anna Mudry with Communion at the daily 11a.m. Mass at the Little Sisters of the Poor home in Pittsburgh. The nuns provide 24-hour hands-on care for 60 residents, age 70 to 100, who may not otherwise be able to afford a nursing home, hospice or other type of care. The Little Sisters of the Poor home was founded in Pittsburgh in 1872 to serve the elderly poor, nurture spirituality and assist the dying.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Maher Shallal of Sterling Heights, Mich., waves the Iraqi flag outside a polling site in Detroit as Iraqi expatriates in the United States took part in voting for Iraq's Transitional National Assembly in January. The small posters taped onto the flag are campaign leaflets for one of the election candidates. The historic vote began the process of Iraq's first free elections in more than 50 years.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Boy Scout troop leader Steve Szekely gathers the folded flags to be burned during a flag retirement ceremony on Flag Day at Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

As Hurricane Katrina passed through the Gulf of Mexico, its severity was raised to a category 5, the highest ranking. Headed straight towards New Orleans, the storm took a last-minute turn to the east, and the eye of the storm struck just west of Waveland, Miss., on the morning of 29 August 2005. "I've lost everything!" laments a weeping Peggy Smith (in red) as she is comforted by a neighbor who wished to not be identified, after viewing the remains of her house in Long Beach, Miss.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Linda Myers is reflected in pieces of a broken mirror as she sifts through the remains of her parents' house in Waveland, Miss., in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Ms. Myers' own house was along the same street; both house were completely destroyed as the eye of the storm struck just west of Waveland.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Robert Thompson (right) sucks on a tube to get gas flowing as he, Chester Mayo (left) and David Russell (not pictured) try to salvage gasoline from one of Mr. Russell's trucks that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina when it plowed through their town of Long Beach, Miss. The storm damaged gas availability and prices throughout the South, leaving hurricane survivors scrambling for supplies.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Jimmy Goodman (foreground) tunes into a small radio in hopes of getting news about the hurricane while staying with his brother Eric (background right) and mother Joanna Dubreuil (background left) in the remnants of a room at a heavily-damaged motel after their home in Waveland, Miss., was destroyed.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Sherri Higgins cruises through a bayou on a motorized canoe to go check up on one of her neighbors in Bay St. Louis, Miss. Her home was damaged by Hurricane Katrina and now she and her husband are living out of their car; the canoe is now their main mode of transportation. At left is a cabin that was damaged by the storm and pushed into the bayou.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Bryson Cuevas, 9 months old, sleeps next to his great-grandmother Pansy Cuevas at a Red Cross shelter at Harrison Central Elementary School in Biloxi, Miss., for survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Ms. Cuevas said they both were sick and awaiting medication. As many disaster relief services were concentrated in New Orleans, supplies and distribution in Mississippi were sometimes stalled, much to the frustrations of survivors there.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

National Guard troops take cover as an Army helicopter takes off after unloading food, water and other relief supplies on the beach in Waveland, Miss. As many disaster relief services were concentrated in New Orleans, supplies and distribution in Mississippi were sometimes stalled, much to the frustrations of survivors there.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Left homeless by Hurricane Katrina, Royce Davis (foreground) and a small group of other residents of Biloxi, Miss., have been living in a makeshift camp along the city's Gulf coast beach.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Mark Oehmichen replaces the flag in front of the remnants of his family's house in Long Beach, Miss. In the days following the hurricane, survivors had to decide how to rebuild their lives and homes. For many, the defiant choice was to rebuild atop the landscape flattened by the storm.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

In the first week of August 2005, 20 soldiers from the Ohio-based Marines 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment, were killed in a series of ambushes in Iraq. The news of some of the greatest mass casualties in the war thus far sent shockwaves throughout Ohio, as 14 of the 20 killed where Ohio natives. A riderless horse (left) is led behind the caisson carrying the body of Lance Cpl. Timothy Bell Jr. to a memorial service at his alma mater, Lakota East High School in West Chester, Ohio.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Dressed in a small Marines uniform, Alexander Montgomery, the 1-year-old son of Lance Cpl. Brian Montgomery, looks toward his father's casket during funeral services in Chester Township. Lance Cpl. Brian Montgomery was one of 20 Ohio-based Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment killed in the Iraq war. His brother, Lance Cpl. Eric Montgomery (not pictured), serves in the same Marine unit.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Carleen Gulley (facing camera) of Mantua, is consoled by Judy Mirtell of Brookpark, as she weeps next to a memorial site outside the Col. Justice M. Chambers U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Center in Brookpark. The center is headquarters for the Marines 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment. Ms. Gulley's son is scheduled to be deployed to Iraq in January.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Rosemary Palmer of Cleveland holds back tears as she reflects upon her son, Lance Cpl. Edward "Augie" Schroeder, who was one of the 20 members of the Ohio-based Marines 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment killed in the Iraq war in August. Palmer and her husband, Paul Schroeder, were against the war from the beginning but kept their protests silent while their son served. After his death their grief turned to anger, as they came out to publicly denounce the war and question the "noble cause" for which their son died.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

People in the crowd listen as Taps is played during a memorial service for fallen Marines at the International Exposition Center in Cleveland. Thousands attended the service to honor the 20 Marines from the nearby Brookpark-based 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment, who were killed in Iraq in August.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Ken Kelsch and his son, Ken Jr., age 8, pray together in the historic Tallmadge Circle for Lance Cpl. Daniel Nathan Deyarmin Jr., his family and other Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment, including one of Mr. Kelsch's former co-workers. They stopped by the town to pray as villagers set out hundreds of candles and luminaries on the circle the evening before Deyarmin's funeral.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Marine Lance Cpl. Eric Montgomery (left) consoles his sister-in-law Pam Montgomery as family members mourn during funeral services for Lance Cpl. Brian Montgomery (Pam's husband and Eric's brother).

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Hundreds of people line the street along the historic Tallmadge Circle to show their support during the funeral procession of Lance Cpl. Daniel Nathan Deyarmin Jr. Deyarmin, who had lived his whole life in the small town, was one of 20 Ohio-based Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment killed in the Iraq war.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

The American flag from the casket of Lance Cpl. Timothy Bell Jr. is presented to his family during a public memorial service in the gymnasium at his alma mater, Lakota East High School in West Chester.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

The family of Lance Cpl. Timothy Bell Jr. react as Marines fold the flag from his casket during a public memorial service at his alma mater, Lakota East High School in West Chester.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

The football field at East Clinton High School prior to funeral services for Lance Cpl. Brett Wightman in Sabina, Ohio. Wightman, a former prom king and football team captain at the high school, was one of 20 Ohio-based Marines from the 3rd Battalion, 25th Regiment killed in the Iraq war in August. By the end of 2005, total U.S. casualties in the war had surpassed 2,100.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Cast member Carrie Lynn McDonald hurries from the dressing room to the stage after a quick costume change during a showing of "Sex at the Box" at the Shadowbox Cabaret in Columbus.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

A visitor to Killbuck Marsh is silhouetted against a reflection of summer sky on the water's surface. Covering nearly 5,500 acres, Killbuck Marsh is Ohio's largest inland marsh.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Kathy Callahan of Parma Heights, holds a photo of her daughter Isabella, who died unexpectedly and without explanation at age 16 months, in a rare case of Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood. The diagnosis is similar to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) except that SIDS only applies to children who die at less than 12 months old. In the baby crib at left is her new daughter Mia, who recently turned one year old.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

A woman with a large pink bonnet has a front row view as defending champion Peter Jacobsen tees off on the 2nd hole in the final round of the U.S. Senior Open at NCR Country Club in Kettering. Jacobsen would fail in his bid to repeat as champion, finishing in a tie for 26th place. The tournament was won by Allen Doyle, who started nine shots out of the lead but shot an 8-under-par 63 in the final round and won as the other leaders fell off down the stretch.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Willie Reagan, who began his professional arm wrestling career in 1983, is now passing along his championship tradition to his 19-year-old son Boomer. At age 14, Boomer began competing in youth divisions at tournaments where his father was pulling in the adult classes. After a year of winning every youth tournament he entered, Boomer moved up and began competing against adults. Surrounded by trophies, Willie Reagan (left) and his 19-year-old son

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

In Reno for the arm wrestling World Championship in October, Boomer (right) and his father Willie relax in their hotel room the day before competition, trying to ignore the hunger pangs in their stomachs and not eat anything before the official weigh-ins that evening.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Boomer watches as his father Willie weighs himself in, hoping to make weight for the 154-pound division he wanted to enter at the arm wrestling World Championship. In his first weigh-in, Willie came in at 156 pounds. Needing to lose two more pounds, he returned to the hotel room to sweat off the extra weight.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

After an initial weigh-in found Willie two pounds over the weight limit for the 154-pound division he wanted to enter at the arm wrestling World Championship, Willie returns to the hotel room and stands in a makeshift sauna--the shower with the hot water turned all the way up--for 45 minutes to sweat off the extra pounds. "That's where champs are made, in steam rooms like that--this is what separates us," he said before returning to the weigh-in room for the second time and making the successful weight.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Willie tries to get Boomer psyched up, as the son's matches came up first. "This is it Boomer, it all comes down to this day," Willie says. "You're one year smarter and one year stronger." Boomer would compete to defend the world championship gold medal he won in 2004 in the amateur division of the 154-pound right-hand class.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Boomer in action as he tries to defend his world championship gold medal in the 154-pound right-hand class. He would get off to a promising start with a win in his first match of the double-elimination format.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Boomer registers his disappointment after failing to defend his gold medal at the World Championship. He made it to the finals again, but this year took home a silver medal after losing in a rematch with last year's gold medal opponent. Boomer would also later win a bronze medal in the left-hand division, which was little consolation. "I'm really homesick right now, I miss (girlfriend) Kayla," he would say soon after. "I wanted that gold medal."

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Willie chalks up his hands before a match. Arm wrestlers use the chalk to improve grip while pulling; if a competitor's hand slips during the match, the referee will stop the match and bind the competitors' hands together with a tight velcro strap before restarting.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Willie in action, going for gold medals in the Masters division 154-pound right- and left-handed classes. Willie, a veteran arm wrestler who has competed professionally for over 20 years, is now passing on the winning tradition to his son Boomer. Together, they are among the most successful father-son arm wrestling teams.

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Willie (left) celebrates after winning a World Championship gold medal in the Masters division 154-pound left-hand class. His son Boomer is at right. "Nobody went through what I did (mentally)," he said. "I wanted it (the gold medal) the most, and it was all worth it." But the win would be bittersweet for Willie because Boomer came up short in defending his own gold medal from last year. "I love my boy, I know he's disappointed," Willie would later say. "Its anybody's day on that (arm wrestling) table."

Second Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Greg Ruffing / Freelance

Back in their hotel room and away from the crowds, Willie (wearing his gold medal and a bronze medal he earned in right-hand competition) consoles his son Boomer after he came up short in defending his World Championship gold medal from last year. "No matter what happened today Boomer, I'm proud of you," he said.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

Maria Olmeda, wearing pressure gloves, holds the crucifix she was wearing when she was attacked last March. Olmeda was burned when she was set on fire by a neighbor who thought Olmeda was having an affair with her husband. The husband didn't exist.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

Steve Reilly gives his wife, Nanette, a kiss in the MetroHealth Intensive Care Unit, September 19, 2005. Nanette was admitted September 3rd after a jet ski accident.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

The Northeast Ohio Universities College of Medicine holds a memorial service for families and friends of the cadavers dissected during first-year anatomy class. Rachel Hardy, 8, of Wadsworth, looks over the headstone at Homeland Cemetery in Rootstown, where the remains of her grandmother, one of this years body donors, is buried.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

George Janik (center) cries a few fake tears as he gives a hug to longtime Saywell Drug Store worker Mary Ann Howe, October 25, 2005. The "Wisdom Club" presented Howe with a card and gift for Howe's years of service to the local coffee klatsch. Sharing in the ceremony is Irv Musson (left) of Akron.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

Andy Susak holds his son Jason, 2, while daughter Brittany, 6, finishes her nap. Susak and his wife, Tina, have six children, five of them with special needs.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

MetroHealth's Emergency Department is the busiest in the city, handling the most traumatic cases in northeastern Ohio. A security officer watches as a patient is being treated.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

A shooting victim is attended to by nurses in the emergency room.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

A victim of an assault.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

A nurse holds the hand of an elderly patient.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

A nurse is lost in her thoughts during treatment of a patient.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

Residents share a laugh as they tend to a drunken patient.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

An emergency nurse tends to a heroin addicted newborn going through withdrawal.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

An emergency room nurse tries to compose her self after tending to a newborn.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

The floor of the emergency room during treatment of a trauma patient.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

Veterinarian Beth Arnold listens to a parrot's heart and lungs at the home of an exotic bird hoarder that was raided, March 11, 2005.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

Edie and Dan Deyarmin support each other after finding out their son, Dan Jr., was killed in an ambush in Haditha, Iraq.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

Housing court bailiffs never know what will be waiting for them behind the next door. Al Humphrey checks the door of a house before the movers come to remove the contents of the home.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

Brandon Satchell kicks in the door of an apartment that was dead-bolted from the inside.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

Robert Sheehan surveys a family's home during an eviction.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

Al Humphrey pauses on the stairway to offer a landlord a few tips during an eviction.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

It took all of five minutes for movers to clean out an apartment of a mother of two in a housing project off E. 55th St.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

Cheryl Wiley frantically phones friends and family searching for someone to help her mover her belongings from the yard.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

A mover carries a mattress to the tree lawn during an eviction.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

Brandon Satchell waits patiently for movers to take everything out of an apartment in a public housing high rise.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

A mover stacks trash bags filled with clothing on the tree lawn as bailiff Al Humphrey keeps watch from his car.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

A Canadian goose spreads its wings as it greets the day on steam covered water at Oxbow Lagoon in the Cleveland Metroparks North Chagrin Reservation.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

Jean, a homeless woman who lives by the E. 55 St. railroad tracks, is one of many people Bill Hahn delivers food, books, and blankets to. She was photographed at her tarp draped domicile, January, 6, 2005.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

Copley's Ryan Dezso falls after crossing the finish line in the Division 1 4X800 meter relay in Columbus, June 3, 2005. Copley finished third.

Third Place, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer

Collinwood girls coach Lou Slapnik (right) gives a hug to Glenville boys coach Ted Ginn (left) after the two were presented with the team trophies in boys and girls Division 1 state track meet.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Jack White plays the accordion in the basement of his home as his wife, Kathy, listens. The Whites have turned the basement into the Cleveland Accordion Museum.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Lizzie Roche holds daughter, Helen Mae, in the studio of Parade the Circle. Roche is one of artists that make the floats and costumes for the annual event. Every day her daughter accompanies her to work.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Carpenter Keith Kuns walks the lift hill on Cedar Point's roller coaster the Mean Streak during a daily inspection of the ride.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Dr. Nicholas Smedira implants the new heart during a heart transplant at the Cleveland Clinic. It was the second transplant he performed that day.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Pinsetter, Zach Martin, 11, reacts with a "that was a close call" expression as bowling pins fly at Maple Lanes.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Ladies of the Red Hat Society at St. Augustine Manor, a residential facility for the elderly, gather for their monthly meeting.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Dimitris Ragousa and Tess Smith wait for their take out order at Steve's Lunch.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Homes are surrounded by flood waters in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Dwight Williams, 59, is helped out of an air boat after being taken back to his home the flooded out Arabi section of New Orleans to retrieve medication, Sept. 4, 2005.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Thousands of people were living near the intersection of I-10 and the Causeway awaiting evacuation out of New Orleans, Sept. 2, 2005.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

A young boy and his mother await evacuation from New Orleans. They were living beneath a highway overpass.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

A man assists an elderly woman through the squalor while waiting for a bus to evacuate him from New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Sept. 2, 2005.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

An Ohio National Guardsman passes out water at the Superdome in New Orleans, La., in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Ohio National Guardsmen, staff sergeant Dion Brodeur, of Lima, and specialist Joshua Park, of Spencerville, carry a man to a cart to be taken to a medical infirmary area at the Superdome in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Aug. 3, 2005.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

A sign warns looters on a storefront near downtown New Orleans Sept. 7, 2005.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Armed with a sawed-off shotgun, Phil Borges stands guard against looters, Sept. 5, 2005, New Orleans, La. Most of the city has been evacuated. Borges was escorting a friend as she collected her belongs. Behind Borges is the apartment house where Lee Harvey Oswald stayed.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Members of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne patrol an intersection in downtown New Orleans, Sept. 7, 2005, New Orleans, La. Numerous fires have broken out throughout the city in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Low water pressure and areas still flooded have hampered efforts fighting the fires.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

A man rows a boat down a flooded street in Arab, a section of New Orleans, La., in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

James Cooper, 91, sits on the St. Claude Ave. Bridge after being rescued from the flooded out Arabi section of New Orleans Sept. 4, 2005.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Dancers rehearse at Cleveland Public Theater. Like most non-profit arts organizations in the city, CPT, is struggling financially.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

A young duck hunter poses with the ducks he shot on the first day of the special youth duck hunt season.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Brooklyn High School assistant coach John Hribar gets his team fired up before their opening game against Rhodes High School. The year before the team was winless.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

St. Ignatius High School rowing team works out in the predawn hours on the Cuyahoga River.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Swimmer Tom Seabold, 44, emerges from Lake Erie after an early morning workout. Hot weather created a haze over the water obscuring the horizon.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Wendy Brubaker leaves her burned out home after talking with state fire marshals about an early morning fire that killed her youngest two daughters. Her two older daughters and husband survived the fire.

Award of Excellence, George S. Smallsreed Photographer of the Year Award - Dale Omori / The Plain Dealer

Cindy Faison (left) welcomes neighbor Deb Piccolo as residents of Jefferson Parish outside of New Orleans returned to homes ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.