First Place, News Picture Story - Fred Squillante / The Columbus Dispatch
First Place, News Picture Story - Fred Squillante / The Columbus DispatchColumbus police stand watch at the scene of a triple murder on Fairmont Ave. Two men and a woman were found shot to death in a duplex that neighbors suspected was a drug house. As police investigated the murders, shots were fired in an alley behind the duplex, causing several moments of chaos as police drew their weapons in search of the shooter.
First Place, News Picture Story - Fred Squillante / The Columbus DispatchA woman mourns after arriving at the scene of three killings on Fairmont Avenue.
First Place, News Picture Story - Fred Squillante / The Columbus DispatchThe mother of a child of Franklin Walker, who is among the dead, mourns at the scene of a triple homicide on Fairmont Avenue.
First Place, News Picture Story - Fred Squillante / The Columbus DispatchTwo women mourn at the scene of a triple homicide where two men and a woman were found shot to death in a duplex.
First Place, News Picture Story - Fred Squillante / The Columbus DispatchA Columbus police officer responds to the sound of gunfire in an alley behind the duplex where three bodies were found. Police were already on the scene investigating the murders when the shots were fired.
First Place, News Picture Story - Fred Squillante / The Columbus DispatchA man runs from an alley where monents before several shots were fired behind the scene of a triple homicide investigation.
First Place, News Picture Story - Fred Squillante / The Columbus DispatchColumbus police Sgt. Rich Weiner detains a man who ran from an alley where shots were fired.
First Place, News Picture Story - Fred Squillante / The Columbus DispatchHomicide detective Vince Houpe (left) stands by as Sgt. Rich Weiner (right) yells at bystanders to move back. Some of the bystanders were yelling at police that the man being detained was a member of the victim's family. The man was later released.
First Place, News Picture Story - Fred Squillante / The Columbus DispatchA woman mourns at the scene of the triple homicide.
First Place, News Picture Story - Fred Squillante / The Columbus DispatchA woman mourns at the scene.
First Place, News Picture Story - Fred Squillante / The Columbus DispatchA Columbus police officer intercepts a distraught woman who had just arrived on the homicide scene; she was trying to get to the house with the bodies in it.
Second Place, News Picture Story - Carrie Cochran / Cincinnati Enquirer
Second Place, News Picture Story - Carrie Cochran / Cincinnati EnquirerIn December 2007, Four men were found dead -- stabbed through the heart in their apartment in a Cincinnati suburb. The four were all brothers and cousins who were illegal immigrants from the town of Villa de Ramos, Mexico. They came to Ohio to provide a better life for themselves and those they left behind in their homeland. I went back to attend their funeral and see who they left behind. Villagers say 70 percent of the men from this town who are physically able slip across the border to escape Mexico's $4.75-per-day minimum wage.Fearing that the truth would kill her, the family members of Luisa Duenas Sanchez, 63, have told her that her two sons Manuel, 31, and Jose de Jesus Davila Duenas, 21, were killed in an accident in Ohio. Luisa is in poor health -- her own mother has no idea her grandsons are dead. All the same, grief overcame Luisa during the funeral.
Second Place, News Picture Story - Carrie Cochran / Cincinnati EnquirerSergio Davila Duenas lost his two brothers: Jose de Jesus, 21, and Manuel Davila Duenas, 31. He is one of only two men left in the family -- he and his brother Jose Luis. His father died almost eight years ago.
Second Place, News Picture Story - Carrie Cochran / Cincinnati EnquirerBells toll in honor of the four men as children crane their heads upward. The entire funeral lasted more than two hours. Christmas in Mexico is not just a time to honor the birth of Christ, but weddings, baptisms and quinceaneras are planned around the arrival of the migrant workers. This year's homecoming was bittersweet as the village en masse said goodbye to four of their own.
Second Place, News Picture Story - Carrie Cochran / Cincinnati EnquirerCaskets of the four men were returned home nearly one month after they stopped showing up for work in the Cincinnati area. Getting the bodies home to Mexico was a difficult and costly task. The Mexican government picked up the estimated $42,000 bill.
Second Place, News Picture Story - Carrie Cochran / Cincinnati EnquirerJose Mauricio, 8, stands beside the casket of his father, Lino Guardado Davila, 45. In the days leading up to his father's funeral, Jose Mauricio family said he believed his father is speaking to him and tells him to study hard.
Second Place, News Picture Story - Carrie Cochran / Cincinnati EnquirerMore than a thousand people march through the streets of El Zacaton, trailing the caskets of the four men killed in Sharonville in December 2007, Lino Guardado Davila, 45, Conrado Lopez Guardado, 20, Manuel Davila Duenas, 31 and his brother Jose de Jesus , 21. Close to a month after they were killed, their bodies finally returned to Villa de Ramos. Their family believes that because they were working in the U.S. illegally, law enforcement agencies will not work to solve the crime.
Second Place, News Picture Story - Carrie Cochran / Cincinnati EnquirerThe funeral procession of the four bodies lasted an hour and drew more than a thousand people to trail the caskets down the mostly dusty roads. Those here that did not attend stopped what they were doing to pay their respects.
Second Place, News Picture Story - Carrie Cochran / Cincinnati EnquirerGeronimo Guardado Davila, 34, lost his father just months before losing his brother Lino Guardado Davila, 45, and his nephew Conrado Lopez Guardado, 20. Lino and Conrado had been living in Cincinnati at the time of their deaths.
Second Place, News Picture Story - Carrie Cochran / Cincinnati EnquirerThe sun began its decent over the high mountain desert at the same time the bodies of the four men are carried into the cemetery.
Second Place, News Picture Story - Carrie Cochran / Cincinnati EnquirerRosalia Gonzalez Tenoria, 29 (left) says a finaly goodbye to her husband, Manuel Davila Duenas. The couple would have celebrated their eighth anniversary later this month.
Second Place, News Picture Story - Carrie Cochran / Cincinnati EnquirerAfter walking for miles, the bodies were finally laid to rest a the edge of a cemetery at sundown. Brothers Manuel Davila Duenas Duenas, 31 and Jose de Jesus, 21, were buried side-by-side. Just a few feet away, their cousins Lino Guardado Davila, 45, and his nephew Conrado Lopez Guardado, 20, were buried.
Second Place, News Picture Story - Carrie Cochran / Cincinnati EnquirerGuillermina Guardado Davila, 38, clings onto a photo of her son, Conrado Lopez Guarado, 20, as people try to pry her away so that the caskets can be put into the ground. The photo came home with her son's body, but she will wasn't able to see him in person. She hadn't seen him since he left to work illegally in the U.S. when he was 17 years old. She lost a father, a brother and a son all in a matter of months -- the last two killed together in Cincinnati in December.
Third Place, News Picture Story - Shari Lewis / The Columbus Dispatch
Third Place, News Picture Story - Shari Lewis / The Columbus DispatchRobert McClendon spent 18 years in prison for a crime that DNA tests show he didn't commit. The Ohio Innocence Project represented McClendon and gave him the results of the DNA test. When they told him that his DNA didn't match the evidence that was tested he exclaimed, "Hello truth." Robert McClendon is transported from the Chillicothe Correctional Institution to Columbus for a hearing where he is expected to be released after serving more than 18 years for a rape that DNA tests show he didn't commit.
Third Place, News Picture Story - Shari Lewis / The Columbus DispatchOhio Innocence Project attorney Jennifer Paschen Bergeron delivers the results of the DNA test to inmate Robert McClendon. "Hello truth," McClendon exclaimed. The Ohio Innocence Project believes that this is a clear exoneration of McClendon.
Third Place, News Picture Story - Shari Lewis / The Columbus DispatchRobert McClendon holds onto an envelope containing legal papers on his case and a bible that was given to him by a friend as he waits for a hearing that will determine his freedom.
Third Place, News Picture Story - Shari Lewis / The Columbus DispatchRobert McClendon is escorted into a courtroom full of family and friends that have believed in him the past 18 years. During the hearing, the judge ordered McClendon to be released from prison. In the front row is his daughter Nicole Miller holding Sa'Rai Shelton, 9 months old, and Nicole's mother Angela Miller holding Ronnie Vaughn, 7. Both are Nicole's children and Robert's grandchildren.
Third Place, News Picture Story - Shari Lewis / The Columbus DispatchRobert McClendon is surrounded by his grandchildren after was released from prison.
Third Place, News Picture Story - Shari Lewis / The Columbus DispatchRobert McClendon looks out the window after being out of prison for three days. He realizes starting over isn't going to be easy, but knows that with his family's support he will make it.
Third Place, News Picture Story - Shari Lewis / The Columbus DispatchRobert McClendon gets a hug from his grandson Ronnie Vaughn, 7, while taking a break from dinner at his daughter's house.
Third Place, News Picture Story - Shari Lewis / The Columbus DispatchRobert McClendon is expected to receive between $1 million and $2 million from the state for being wrongfully imprisoned. Until then, he relies on the help of friends and family. One friend lent him enough money for a 2001 Mercedes, clothes and Christmas presents for the family and friends who gave him hope in prison.
Third Place, News Picture Story - Shari Lewis / The Columbus DispatchRobert McClendon shops for his grandchildren for the first Christmas he spent outside prison walls in 18 years.
Third Place, News Picture Story - Shari Lewis / The Columbus DispatchTheresa T. Parnell congratulates her uncle Robert McClendon after the two won a game of basketball against Robert's son and a friend.
Third Place, News Picture Story - Shari Lewis / The Columbus DispatchRobert McClendon has a talk with his oldest grandson Donavin Miller, 13, after finding out that he was suspended from school. McClendon said that he wants to be a positive male figure in his grandkids' life to help guide them as they grow up. He believes that they will listen to what he has to say because of his experiences.
Third Place, News Picture Story - Shari Lewis / The Columbus DispatchRonnie Vaughn cuddles up to his grandfather. Robert McClendon cherishes the simple pleasures of life like spending time with his family. McClendon's plan for the money he receives isn't lavish. He would like to buy a house and furnishings, buy a car, and have a memorial for his mother, who died while he was in prison.
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Tracy Boulian / The Plain Dealer
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Tracy Boulian / The Plain DealerWith foreclosures, crime, and drugs rampant in the eastern part of the city, churches that once thrived in these once more affluent areas are struggling to survive. An alcohol bottle litters the empty lot across the street from Emmanuel Baptist Church. While some of the churches have fled the city for the suburbs, Emmanuel has continued to remain at E79th and Quincy through the changes in the neighborhood.
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Tracy Boulian / The Plain DealerWhile the pews were once full, the congregation now has less than half the membership of the past.Those that remain are mostly elderly members. Patricia Bell is one of those remaining members who takes in the music during a Sunday service at Emmanuel Baptist Church on August 3, 2008.
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Tracy Boulian / The Plain DealerTo remain viable, the church is constantly trying to get new members, hoping especially to attract youth to keep them off the streets. On a Sunday in the fall, David Buttram (left)and pastor David Cobb get ready to dunk Jahru McCulley, 10, into the water bath above the alter to be baptized at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Cleveland.
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Tracy Boulian / The Plain DealerWhether the pews are full or not, soul shaking music rings out from the choir every Sunday. The church uses the choir and other membership groups to urge members to spend extra time around the safety of the church. Without a large membership, the church had to mix adult and children's choirs, rather than offering separate groups. Marvin Davies IV, 6, front, and members of the men's choir sing during the Sunday service at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Cleveland on Sept. 21, 2008.
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Tracy Boulian / The Plain DealerInstiling a set of morals in the children at the church and at the same time keeping them safe, is one of the missions of the church. Lenora Smoot leads Nakiah Thornton, 7 (left)and Jamir McCulley, 9, in prayer during a Sunday school class at Emmanuel Baptist Church.
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Tracy Boulian / The Plain DealerHelping kids grow up in the church and find faith is very important to the older members, who seek to keep kids on the right track. Further, a large part of what the church does is community outreach. Mary Boston, left, and Andrew Boston, right, greet Samuel Register, 14, middle, while they and others at the church work to set up for the block party at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Cleveland on July 19, 2008. The block party culminated an evangelizing push by the church to introduce and welcome community members.
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Tracy Boulian / The Plain DealerFinding new members is very important. Raiana Collins, 10, (left) and Sammie Eaddy, youth director, evangelize at the Villages of Carver Park and in the community to try to get people to attend the block party at Emmanuel Baptist Church on Saturday July 19, 2008. A group of church members spent part of the morning reaching out to the community by handing out fliers and trying to convince people to come visit the church.
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Tracy Boulian / The Plain DealerReligion is a central piece of the neighborhood surrounding E. 79th Street and Quincy Avenue in Cleveland, where Emmanuel Baptist Church stands. For many, there is little to look to but faith in this crime-ridden area. Down the street from Emmanuel, barbed wire protects an abandoned building, on which a sign hangs "With God All Things Are Possible." And every Sunday, numerous churches open their doors to those in the community and those willing to continue to travel to the area.
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Gus Chan / The Plain Dealer
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerEast 71St., in Cleveland, typifies what is happening to our neighborhoods. Drug dealing, foreclosed homes, an aging population compounded by an aging housing stock has put neighborhoods in crisis. Desiree Smith holds her two-month-old daughter Brionna Crute as she watches from her porch the goings on E. 71 St. Smith moved in with her family three weeks ago. Her mother lives in the adjoining unit. The two apartments are next to a complex of abandoned units.
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerThe neighborhood of E. 71St. would not be considered bliss, but Bliss Ave. does deadend into the street.
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerAnnabelle Rock leaves her fenced yard as her daughter Deborah holds back the family's German Shepherd.
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerRadu Onet puts the finishing touches on a boarded up home on E. 71 St. Onet works for Sunra Services which cuts the grass on foreclosed properties.
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerJoshua Olavarria, 3, walks past a former martial arts studio on E. 71 St. Olavarria has lived on the street fro six months, having moved from the Tremont neighborhood.
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerLinda Shay laments about the changes in her neighborhood, including chasing off drug boys from her porch.
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerPam Petty (center) share a laugh with Pat Waina (left) while sampling some of the offerings from Blue Pike Farm, an urban farm situated in the city of Cleveland.
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerLinda Shay closes a third floor window in a house she purchased and is renovating. Shay was arrested for growing more than 250 marijuana plants in her basement and backyard.
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerFirst graders at St. Francis School make their way back into the school after being shown where to go in the event of a fire drill, August 28, 2008. St. Francis school is one of the anchors that support the E. 71 St. community.
Award of Excellence, News Picture Story - Gus Chan / The Plain DealerThe Rev. Virgil Hasbery inside the home he purchased on E. 71 St. that serves as transitional housing for former drug addicts and a church home for his Old Landmark Christian Ministries.
