2014 ONPA Pictures of the Year

First Place, George A. Smallsreed Jr.Award - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Cardiac surgeons Bryan Whitson (right) and Ahmet Kilic (left) work on a patient's new heart during a heart transplant in an operating room at Ohio State University's Ross Heart Hospital in the early morning hours February 12. The number of heart transplants performed in Ohio fell last year to its lowest point since 1989, but not due to less of a waiting list. As of February 7th, 59 percent of the 155 people who were waiting for heart transplants in Ohio had been waiting for at least a year. The highest rate in the nation.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

A man, who wished not to be identified for legal purposes, leaps off the cliffs into a deep pool at the Rock Mill on the Hocking River in Fairfield County as he swims with friends to cool off. Signs read no trespassing but jumpers still come to take a terrifying leap into the cool waters. The man said he comes to swim here every summer and this was his first time this year.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Ohio State defensive lineman Chris Carter (72) pauses with his eyes closed for a moment before the team runs on to the field for the Big Ten Championship game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Ohio State went on to shock the nation by defeating the Badgers 59 - 0.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Charlotte Rhea, of Columbus, makes a grand entrance at the Les Chapeaux dans le Jardin 2014, or "Hat Day," at Franklin Park Conservatory with her large red and black church lady hat with matching heels. The annual spring fundraiser at the Conservatory brings together more than 600 guests in all sorts of hats imaginable to raise funds for the Conservatory's education programs.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

A worker with A & E Glass works inside a building at Lazelle and Lynn downtown after glass was damaged from a nearby explosion. An underground explosion rocked a section of downtown Columbus last night sending manhole covers and flames into the air. Power was still out to some areas this morning.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Steve Downie (23) and Columbus Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky (17) land punches as they fight in the second period of a game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus. At the end of the second period the Columbus Blue Jackets were tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins 1 - 1.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Elmi Nur, 65, sits on his bed and holds his damaged right arm as he poses for a photograph in his Capital Park Apartment in Northeast Columbus. Nur was attacked and beaten steps from his home about two months ago by a group of four men from outside of the neighborhood. The police were notified but no one was apprehended. The apartment complex is home to a large population of Somalis but recently many Somalis have been preyed upon by outsiders.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Jordyn Wood, 16, snuggles with Buffy, the last of his grandfather Don Butts' 18 hospitalized labradors to be released from the Masterson Veterinary Clinic, as they get ready for the car ride home. "It's been hard on grandpa," said Jordyn. Last week between Wednesday and Friday, 18 of Butts' labradors were poisoned with ethylene glycol, commonly known as antifreeze, and had to be rushed to Masterson Veterinary Clinic once Don realized something was wrong after his dogs began to have seizures. An 8 year-old male named Storm was the only dog to die and his diagnosis saved the rest. "I found Stormy like that," said Jordyn. "It's not something you want to see again, but Stormy saved the lives of 17 other dogs."

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Commissioner Delena Edwards (left) and commission president Grady L. Pettigrew whisper during the Civil Service Commission hearing for former Columbus firefighter Marc Cain. Cain requested the hearing to try to get his job back after being terminated in March for dishonest, insubordinate and sexual behavior.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

A truck driver is pulled out of cab by Columbus fire fighters as it dangles on the edge of the 315 north-bound bridge over Sullivant Avenue on the West Side of Columbus. The north-bound lanes of 315 had to be closed as emergency responders worked to save the driver of a crashed semi trailer.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Emma Mason, 5, of Heath, peaks out of the Ladies Aid Society tent as her aunt Sara Rishel, of Zanesville, talks with a visitor on the lawn of the Ohio Statehouse during the 17th Civil War Encampment in Columbus. Sara said she tries to bring Emma out to play period dress up at least once a year and this time Emma was excited to get to see President Lincoln. Hosted by the 1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A, the event is open to the public Friday and Saturday from 9 am to 3 pm with canon firings every half hour and a host of different reenactors to learn from.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Ohio State forward Sam Thompson (12) reacts as the Dayton Flyers celebrate their win in the background during the second half of the second-round NCAA Tournament game at the First Niagara Center. The Dayton Flyers defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes 60 - 59.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Alex Oliver, 5, of Upper Arlington, pauses for a moment while he listens to a song on repeat on a tablet in his family's living room. Alex has severe epilepsy as well as autism and his parents are proponents of legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes. Alex's mother Ali Oliver says Alex will have almost a hundred small seizures a day where he will blank out for 30 to 40 seconds with a massive seizure coming roughly once a week.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) runs out of his shoe in the fourth quarter of the Big Ten Championship game against Wisconsin at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Ohio State Buckeyes went on to shock the nation by defeating the Badgers 59 - 0.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Justin Hernandez, center left, Jim Motter, center, and Conor Gerrity, center right, line up with other torch bearers in front of St. Patrick Church in downtown Columbus on St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick Church hosted a special mass in honor of their patron saint today, which ended in a solemn procession around their block complete with torches and the carrying of their St. Patrick statue.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Daniel Thomas, of Upper Arlington, walks through a September 11th memorial on the Ohio Statehouse lawn after taking a photograph. The lawn was covered with 2,999 American flags today to honor each life lost in the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. They were arranged in two columns to represent the twin towers with a pentagon-shaped cutout in the center.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

With Little Brown Jug pins from different years decorating his hat Ray Seeley, of Hilliard, FL, reads his program between races during the 69th running of the Little Brown Jug at the Delaware County Fairgrounds, Thursday afternoon. Originally from the central Ohio area, Seeley has attended the jug 49 years in a row. "It's my once a year vacation," said Seeley. "I love coming here." Yannick Gingras driving Limelight Beach won the Little Brown Jug.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Harness racing fans come and go between races during the 69th running of the Little Brown Jug at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

A horse and rider are seen warming up before the 12th race through a horse-themed canopy during the 69th running of the Little Brown Jug at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

With help from Stepanie Rees, of Delaware, not pictured, Julianna Edwards, of Exeter, PA, washes off See The Wind after the horse competed in the 11th race during the 69th running of the Little Brown Jug at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

A trashcan overflows with empty beer cans and bottles as race goers line up to place bets during the 69th running of the Little Brown Jug at the Delaware County Fairgrounds. Yannick Gingras driving Limelight Beach won the Little Brown Jug.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

A race fan takes a nap under her cowboy hat before the 13th race during the 69th running of the Little Brown Jug at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Yannick Gingras driving Limelight Beach, second from right, crosses the finish line to win the 69th running of the Little Brown Jug at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Driver Yannick Gingras (left) gives out a yellow rose to Lexie Delaney, 5, of Dublin, Ireland, after winning the 69th running of the Little Brown Jug at the Delaware County Fairgrounds.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

District budget cuts and declining enrollment have spelled the end for Brookhaven High School on Columbus' North Side. Once an athletic powerhouse that won state championships and graduated players in almost every professional sport, the school only has 486 kids attending classes this year, down from the building's capacity of more than 1,000. The doors shut for students one final time on Thursday, May 29th. The juniors, sophomores and freshman all had to transfer to new schools in the middle of their high school lives, with most of the students going to Mifflin High School. A set of doors leading into Brookhaven High School sit unused on a sunny afternoon.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Junior Brandee Baker gets a hug from Mrs. Milbry in second period business management.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Plenty of empty seats are seen during the annual awards ceremony in the auditorium.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Senior Ronnie Williams (right) and sophomore Nyshawn Ramsey (center) laugh at something on Ronnie's phone between hands in a game of cards with senior Netronne Backus (left) during lunch.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Between classes students check out their field day teams for the next day as OHSAA State Championship trophies in boys basketball (2002), left, girls track and field (1998), center, and girls basketball (1996), right, sit in a case in the main hallway of Brookhaven High School. Notable alumni to go on to play professional sports include Paul O'Neill, retired MLB right fielder and 5-time MLB All-Star, Terry Glenn, retired NFL wide receiver, WNBA guard Helen Darling and NFL players Jeff Cumberland and Marlon Kerner.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Sophomore Nyshawn Ramsey is led back to the school building and pulled from activities by Principal Duane Bland after getting in trouble during field day.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Junior Nautica Jordan signs the back of senior Ronnie Williams' goodbye Brookhaven shirt during field day.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Math teacher and 30-year veteran of Brookhaven High School, Cynthia Beck packs up her classroom as she gets ready to make the move into retired life.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Senior Jerrica Stephens waits for the last bus to take her home outside of Brookhaven High School. This marked the final day of school for Brookhaven ever.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Parents try to grab photos and video as their kids enter Brookhaven High School's graduation ceremony at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The very last senior class of Brookhaven High School received their diplomas in front of a loud and happy crowd of family members and friends.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Chayla Wigton, 32, reacts as she walks on stage to accept her high school diploma during the graduation ceremony for Brookhaven High School at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Wigton was supposed to graduate in 2000, but never had high enough test scores. Now after 14 years she got to walk with the final senior class of Brookhaven High School, which closed a few days prior.

First Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Eamon Queeney / The Columbus Dispatch

Students are seen inside and entering Mifflin High School in a reflection of the front doors during the start of the first day of school for Columbus City Schools. While 53,000 students were starting their first day of school the students of Mifflin High School were starting with a host of students from the recently closed Brookhaven High School.

Second Place, George A. Smallsreed Jr.Award - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Tom Sheppard, 65, of Willoughby, takes pictures of his long shadow in the expansive atrium at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Surmounted by a skylight the size of a football field, sun floods the institution with patterns, changing the mood of the space from one minute to another. At 39,000 square feet, the atrium slightly exceeds the Main Concourse in New York's Grand Central Terminal. The museum has completed it's $320 million expansion and renovation.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Kindergartner Tayson King, 5, waits in the principal's office for his grandmother to pick him up after his first day of school at Harvey Rice Elementary School.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Ed Schmitt, 56 takes his umbrella down that shaded his yet-to-be-named masterpiece on the huge grassy area of Mall C, on top of the Cleveland Convention Center. Schmitt has been working on this oil painting, which includes the skyline of downtown Cleveland and Santa Maria coming out of the clouds, on and off for years. It will take him years to finish it, he said. The inspiration to start painting again "en plein air" was his recent retirement from the Cudell Fine Arts Center.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

A demonstrator, who walked in before police locked the doors, protests inside the doors of Tower City Center with fellow protesters outside the locked door of Tower City Center. Police unlocked the doors to let her out as the crowd agreed to move away from the doors. Hundreds of demonstrators gather to protest the killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice wo was fatally shot by rookie Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann seconds after he arrived to investigate a complaint about Rice carrying what turned out to be a fake gun.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Antonio Guerra, 21, or "Tony Tycoon", practices a break dance move called a "head stall" near the Cleveland War Memorial Fountain. Guerra and fellow break dancers Daisun Santana, 25, and Elliott Durant, 27, were out in different downtown locations today to film dance moves to promote Daisun Santana's studio called CityBreaks Studio.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Tommy Tharp, 52, left, and his partner Chris Samonte, 57, of Phoenix, dance a western swing as they practice on an empty dance floor at the International Gay Rodeo Association's rodeo competition for the 2014 Gay Games at the Summit County Fairgrounds in Tallmadge. The dance floor will be crowded tonight during the Wild West Rodeo Dance. Athletes from all over the United States and the world compete in roping events, barrel racing and steer riding. This is the first time IGRA has coordinated their rodeo with the Gay Games.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Demonstrators gather to protest the killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice at Public Square. Protesters from Ferguson, Mo. also attended the protest. Rice was fatally shot on Nov. 22 by rookie Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann seconds after he arrived to investigate a complaint about Rice carrying what turned out to be a fake gun.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Leann Alferio, 33, right, squirts some Mr. Bubbles into the hands of her five children. The Alferio quintuplets are used to a crowded bath time in their cramped upstairs bathroom at their home in Medina. From left is Leighton, Giovanni, Kensley, Jade and Brooklynn (sitting on right but cannot see.) Their mother, Leann washes each kid, then passes one off to a family member or friend to be dried off. It has been a whirlwind since Leann and her husband Jake Alferio, 29, had the quintuplets 19 months ago. "I don't care if you forget my birthday or if you don't get me anything for Christmas," Leann Alferio told her husband, Jake. "Just don't forget Mother's Day." Leann's mother, Sandy Miller, drives in from 2 hours away and stays from Monday to Friday during the day to babysit as Leann and Jacob work as teachers in Brunswick.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Demonstrators gather to protest the killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice who was killed here at Cudell Recreation Center. Rice was fatally shot by rookie Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann seconds after he arrived to investigate a complaint about Rice carrying what turned out to be a fake gun.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

A participant receives a painful kick as he tries to wrestle the steer to the ground during the chute dogging event at the International Gay Rodeo Association's rodeo competition for the 2014 Gay Games at the Summit County Fairgrounds in Tallmadge. Athletes from all over the world compete in roping events, barrel racing and steer riding. This is the first time IGRA has coordinated their rodeo with the Gay Games.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Tony Shultz of North Ridgeville prepares his scuba mask moments before taking his very first sub-freezing dip in Lake Erie for The Polar Plunge at Huntington Beach in Bay Village. Shultz, a member of Christ the King Church in North Olmsted, brought in the new year with their annual fundraiser for Rescuing the Perishing, a ministry that feeds the homeless. About 50 people, ages 16 to 61, braved the heart-stopping temperatures, making sure even their heads were underneath the water, the only rule for the plunge.The fundraiser, their only one for the year, brought in $18,000 last year.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Priests lead the procession as they walk down Bridge Avenue in Ohio City during the annual Good Friday procession in Cleveland. The annual 3-mile procession shows the unity of the Hispanic Catholic community. The procession started at noon at St. Michael the Archangel Church on Scranton Road, where hundreds of people walked through the streets of Ohio City to St. Patrick church for a reading from The Gospel. The procession then walked to La Sagrada Familia on Detroit Avenue for the homily, adoration of the cross and a communion service.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Worshippers hold crosses made of driftwood as they watch the sun come up during community Easter sunrise service on the new pier at Kenneth J. Simms Park in Euclid. Christians from around the world are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead today on Easter Sunday. Dr. Jan Yandell, pastor of East Shore United Methodist Church in Euclid, led the sunrise service with her guitar and a singing meditation bowl. "The power of seeing the sun rise over the lake, it's like the sun is walking across to meet you, " Yandell said. "As the symbol of Christ, he meets us here."

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Cavaliers fans peek out from a new LeBron James mural for PowerBeats2 Wireless earphones hanging on a parking structure across the street from Quicken Loans Arena. LeBron James will anchor the Cleveland Cavaliers during their season opener tonight against the New York Knicks. Cleveland's prodigal son has returned home with open arms.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Mother Mary Thomas, 81, says she has been blessed by good light inside the Adoration Monastery where she has lived for 55 years. No more than five feet tall, Mother Thomas is a member of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, a cloistered order tracing its origins to the early 13th century. These days, she toils cheerfully on a mural many times her size. Currently, Mother Thomas, 81, spends hours on her knees painting a 30 x16-foot mural that she hopes to present to the pope when he arrives in Philadelphia in September. "Art is chiefly a prayer for me, an expression of my love for God and His people," she said. Mother Mary Thomas has painted in vivid colors for over 60 years, influenced by studying mural painting in Mexico in her early 20s. A teacher encouraged her to go to the Chicago Institute of Art because, she was told, her work already reflected the influence of Diego Rivera, the famed Mexican muralist. Later, she would work with David Alfaro Siqueiros, a muralist in Mexico. After World War I, the Mexican Muralism style evolved with the intent of creating public art as visual narrative, especially as a means of social commentary and historical perspective. In 1958, at the age of 25, she went to Rome to further study and paint. During an Easter prayer vigil at St. Peter's Basilica, she said, she was overcome with an intense sense of joy and knew then that joining a religious order was her vocation. "If you told me then that I would end up in a cloistered order of nuns, I would not have believed it," she said.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

A pink smock with kittens on it protects her vestments from the acrylic paint. Mother Mary Thomas, 81, spends hours on her knees painting a 30 x16 mural that she has titled "Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament and the Communion of Saints" inside the upper chapel. Mother Thomas first sketches the entire painting, paints in acrylics, then later in oil paints.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Mother Mary Thomas is heavily influenced by Mexican Muralism and cubism. This is a portion of the vivid mural titled "Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament and the Communion of Saints". After World War I, the Mexican Muralism style evolved with the intent of creating public art as visual narrative, especially as a means of social commentary and historical perspective.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Mother Mary Thomas, 81, has painted in vivid colors for over 60 years, influenced by studying mural painting in Mexico in her early 20s. A teacher encouraged her to go to the Chicago Institute of Art because, she was told, her work already reflected the influence of Diego Rivera, the famed Mexican muralist. Later, she would work with David Alfaro Siqueiros, another great muralist in Mexico.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Mother Mary Thomas, 81, points to where "God's light" comes into her favorite workroom behind the upper chapel. Behind her is a painting she completed in the 1950s. She actually gave up painting for about 12 years, after she joined the order, until 1972 when she started painting religious themes for the church.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Mother Mary Thomas, 81, left, visits with Sister Mary Joseph, 51, in the garden of the Adoration Monastery at The Church of the Conversion of St. Paul. Mother Mary Thomas, 81, has lived here as a cloistered nun of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration for 55 years. She is one of the 18 nuns that live here in silence. Speaking is only allowed at certain times of day.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Mother Mary Thomas, 81, kneels as she prays in the private, cloistered chapel of The Church of the Conversion of St. Paul. One of the 18 sisters is perpetually praying here, 24 hours a day. She actually gave up painting for about 12 years, after she joined the order, until 1972 when she started painting religious themes for the church.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Mother Mary Thomas, 81, right, laughs with Sister Mary Catherina Yu, 35, left, as they visit together in one of the few moments when speaking is allowed in the monastery. Sister Mary Catherina is kidding Mother Mary Thomas about her cooking and smelling her spicy South Korean food on the days that she cooks for the 18 sisters living at the monastery.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Mother Mary Thomas, 81, spends hours on her knees painting in silence. She has decided to paint Pope Francis into her 30 x16 mural that she has titled "Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament and the Communion of Saints". Mother Thomas was commissioned to do the mural for a church in Philadelphia. Her hope is to present the mural to Pope Francis when he comes to Philadelphia in September.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Mother Mary Thomas, 81, has always thought she has the world's greatest art studio. She works alone and in silence inside the upper chapel at the Church of the Conversion of St. Paul, a Gothic marvel originally built for an Episcopalian congregation in 1875. It is also the only spot where she could work on her
30 x16 mural that she has titled "Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament and the Communion of Saints".

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

The gessoed canvas is nailed to the floor to prevent shrinking. Mother Mary Thomas, 81, has always thought she has the world's greatest art studio. She works alone and in silence inside the upper chapel at the Church of the Conversion of St. Paul, a Gothic marvel originally built for an Episcopalian congregation in 1875. It is also the only spot where she could work on her
30 x16 mural that she has titled "Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament and the Communion of Saints". She hopes to present the mural to the pope when he comes to the states in September.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

***PLEASE read synopsis from RTF file. It cuts it off here in caption block *** Just hours after being released from prison in January, Blaine Murphy, 46, tries out his new air mattress he just got from Target in his frigid upstairs bedroom at the house where he will live for the next 18 months in the Slavic Village neighborhood. Judge Richard McMonagle released Murphy today to serve the remainder of his 18-month prison term from a fixed-up home he owns on Beyerle Road in Slavic Village. Until he completes 3,000 hours of community service - the equivalent of a full time job for the next 18 months - and pays his remaining $250,000 in restitution, he will be shackled to Slavic Village. A proud, working-class neighborhood still anchored with original Polish immigrants, Slavic Village is straining to recover from the foreclosure crisis, an unnatural disaster that left it littered with thousands of vacant and abandoned homes. Murphy made the neighborhood worse, according to prosecutors. Murphy's crimes involved buying hundreds of rundown homes sight-unseen from banks then flipping them to another buyer at a profit, ignoring code violations and failing to pay taxes. The homes would often sit vacant, contributing to neighborhood decay and acting as magnets for crime. Murphy begged to go back to prison instead of living among the people who would blame him for their ruined neighborhood. He feared for his safety. Worse yet, McMonagle wanted Murphy to answer to Tony Brancatelli, the Cleveland councilman elected to serve the area. Brancatelli publicly painted him as a careless carpetbagger who greedily scooped up properties in the neighborhood, only to let them rot. Little did Murphy know, Slavic Village needed him just as much as he needed them. As Slavic Village neighbors surprisingly opened their arms to him, Murphy learned more about their forgiving character then he thought he deserved. Long-time neighborhood activists like Lynda Lewis knew Murphy was the catalyst Sla

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

On their first working day together, Cleveland City Councilman Tony Brancatelli, left, tries to get to know convicted felon Blaine Murphy, right, during lunch at his favorite Polish spot in Slavic Village called The Red Chimney. Judge Richard McMonagle released Murphy to complete his 3,000 of community service with Councilman Brancatelli serving as his de facto probation officer. Brancatelli vocally testified against Murphy as a careless carpetbagger who greedily scooped up properties in the neighborhood, only to let them rot. Brancatelli grew up in the Slavic Village neighborhood and gave Murphy his first tour today and will work with Murphy closely throughout his community service.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Can Blaine Murphy get his neighbors to like him? Sensing some hostility, Blaine Murphy, left, keeps his distance as he talks with a neighbor who came out to see what Blaine was up to. As the neighbor warmed up to the charming Murphy, he tells Murphy that this porch just caved in last week. The neighbor said the guy abandoned his home just the week before. Blaine gave a Slavic Village Development card to him and to call if he sees more dumping or looting. Blaine Murphy visits this OVV property, or open, vacant and vandalized properties, on his endless code enforcement tours of Slavic Village, part of his community service.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Blaine Murphy walks through illegally dumped tires behind a garage on E. 78th Street. Murphy counts over 100 tires in just one location. This is one of Murphy's stops on his endless code enforcement tours of Slavic Village.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

" I don't even know how to fix this ", says Blaine Murphy. "This was not a victim of the housing crisis. This was something that was falling apart for years and years." Murphy refuses to believe he is the only one to blame for properties like this. Murphy records what he sees illegally dumped behind a vacant home on E. 76th Street. Blaine Murphy visits this OVV property, or open, vacant and vandalized properties, on his endless code enforcement tours of Slavic Village.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Little did Murphy know, Slavic Village needed him just as much as he needed them. Long-time neighborhood activists like Lynda Lewis knew Murphy was the catalyst Slavic Village craved. Blaine Murphy and some neighbors have tried to turn this vacant corner lot into a tiny park, erecting a flagpole and building a walking path to a seated area. Vandals keep coming back, time after time, destroying the flagpole as well as defacing the stones with graffiti. Knowing they were on borrowed time, Lewis and Murphy started the momentum by boarding up houses, cleaning up over 2,000 tires, hauling away dumpsters of junk from vacant homes, creating parks, planting trees. Life-long friendships blossomed.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Blaine Murphy boards up yet another abandoned house on Huss Avenue in Slavic Village. Vandals tore the old boards off. Murphy is working with the Slavic Village Development Corporation and combing the neighborhood for code violations, such open vacant homes. Murphy works nearly 12 hours a day to get closer to his 3,000 hours of community service.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Blaine Murphy, left, takes pictures of neighbor Mary Hess blowing out her birthday candles at Lynda's house. As Slavic Village neighbors surprisingly opened their arms to him, Murphy learned more about their forgiving character then he deserved. Little did Murphy know, Slavic Village needed him just as much as he needed them. Murphy, who lives a couple blocks away, is struck by the ironic friendships with people he now considers family.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Can Blaine Murphy, a convicted felon, get his neighbors to like him? Murphy, the house flipper, gets creative as he tries to fit into the small-town, working-class neighborhood of Slavic Village. Murphy's attempts to get people to like him endears Murphy to many of the old-time activists in the neighborhood. Wearing a Dalmatian suit for his ride on the fire truck, "Sparky" waits for the start of the Cleveland May 3 Polish Constitution Day Parade. Judge Richard McMonagle released Murphy from prison to serve 3,000 hours of community service in the Slavic Village neighborhood prosecutors say he ruined by illegally flipping housing which contributed to the foreclosure crisis. Murphy begged to go back to prison instead of living among the people who would blame him for their ruined neighborhood. He feared for his safety.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Can Blaine Murphy get his neighbors to like him? Murphy's attempts to get people to like him endears Murphy to many of the old-time activists in the neighborhood. Murphy gets creative as he tries to fit in to the small-town, working-class neighborhood and rents a dunk tank. Blaine Murphy plunges into the dunk tank after a young girl throws the softball onto the bullseye. Blaine Murphy, "The Flipper" and Cleveland City Councilman Tony Brancatelli both volunteered to be dunked during the annual "Feet on Fleet" festival in Slavic Village. Judge Richard McMonagle released Murphy from prison to serve 3,000 hours of community service in the Slavic Village neighborhood prosecutors say he ruined by illegally flipping housing which contributed to the foreclosure crisis. Murphy begged to go back to prison instead of living among the people who would blame him for their ruined neighborhood. He feared for his safety.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Blaine Murphy, right, gives Lynda Lewis a Halloween gift of a haunted house at her home in Slavic Village. As Slavic Village neighbors surprisingly opened their arms to him, Murphy learned more about their forgiving character then he deserved. Long-time neighborhood activists like Lewis knew Murphy was the catalyst Slavic Village needed. Her home was his punishment, his prison. Knowing they were on borrowed time, Lewis and Murphy started the momentum cleaning up the neighborhood. Lewis now considers Murphy her son and will be crushed when he leaves.

Second Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Lisa DeJong / The Plain Dealer

Blaine Murphy laughs as neighbor and good friend Lynda Lewis laughs and cries at the same time on his shoulder after Judge Richard McMonagle lets him go home to Florida after serving less than his 3,000 hours of community service. The two have grown very close and Lewis is heartbroken on many levels that Murphy is leaving town. On left is councilman Tony Brancatelli, his de facto probation officer. Murphy is struck by the ironic friendships created by the unique sentencing by Judge McMonagle. Lewis says she will visit her "son" in Naples, Florida, every winter.

Third Place, George A. Smallsreed Jr.Award - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Family members say goodbye to Auxiliary Bishop Robert Donnelly during funeral services for him at Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Jacob Thompson, 10, watches the action from a window of a log home during the First Siege at Fort Meigs in Perrysburg.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Lancelot C.A. Thompson reflects about becoming the first African American faculty hired by the University of Toledo, where he taught and served as an administrator for 55 years, while sitting at the Toledo Club.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Toledo Central Catholic High School player Stephon Campbell (7) loses his helmet as he breaks up a pass intended for Perrysburg High School player Jake Myers (11) during the first quarter in Perrysburg.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Mike Jordan, 17, a junior at Emmanuel Christian School, adjusts his rear view mirror as he prepares to go for a driving lesson with All Star Driver Education instructor Jennifer Kelly at the Frederick Douglass Center. A new program pays for central city youth to obtain their drivers license.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

A priest captures the occasion with his iPad during the installation ceremony of Toledo's new Bishop, the Most Reverend Daniel E. Thomas, at Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Roasary Cathedral.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Rich Synowiec heads back to the exit hole after completing a dive on a shipwreck under 20 inches of ice on Lake Erie near Colchester, Ontario. Trapped air on the underneath of the ice provides a mirror-like effect.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

A young boxer trains at the Glass City Boxing Gym. The gym has been steadily turning amateur boxers into professionals.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

An emotional Michelle Janollari holds an American flag during the playing of the National Anthem, as the Student Veterans of America UT Chapter retires several American flags during a ceremony near the Student Union at the University of Toledo. The Avon native said the event had a real emotional impact so close to Veteran's Day.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Members of the media and auto industry attend the unveiling of the Volkswagen Beetle Dune at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Casey Sparkman of Massilon Perry reacts after scoring the winning takedown in overtime to defeat number one ranked Perrysburg wrestler J.P. Newton in their Division I 152-pound match during the championship semi-final round of the 77th Annual State Wrestling Individual Tournament at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Friday.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Lake High School player Joel Densic gets a hug from senior Emily Ervin after she accepted his prom proposal. Densic surprised Ervin with the proposal after the Flyers defeated Genoa High School 2-1.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Sandy Feicht and Duane Mills, both of Sandusky, enjoy a dance against the setting sun as Centennial Terrace celebrates its 75th anniversary with the Johnny Knorr Orchestra.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Northern Illinois University player Chad Beebe (82) rolls over and looks at his arm after breaking it on a play during the first quarter of the MAC football championships against Bowling Green State University at Ford Field in Detroit.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Cre’Ana Bell has endured more than most high school students in the last few years. She has experienced the joy of the birth of her son Cedyn, now 2, the sudden loss after her sister was murdered, and the pain of dealing with her estranged boyfriend, the father of her son. Despite all this, Ms. Bell, 21, was among 18 graduates from Polly Fox Academy, a public charter school begun in 2003 for pregnant and parenting girls ages 13 to 22 in seventh through 12th grades.

Dressed to head to work after school, Cre'Ana Bell listens intently in Nathan Blust's government class at Polly Fox Academy.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Cre'Ana Bell tries to cheer up her grumpy two-year old son Cedyn Bell as she picks him up from daycare at the Catholic Club in Toledo.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

LaChela Benton and her daughter Za'Naya Flowers, 2, left, and Cre'Ana Bell and her son Cedyn, 2, go shopping for beauty supplies for graduation,

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Cre'Ana Bell has her hair done by friend LaChela Benton as her son Cedyn, 2, becomes upset while playing with LaChela's daughter Za'Naya Flowers, 2, at LaChela's Moody Manor apartment.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Cre'Ana Bell checks her hair before the 10th Annual Commencement Exercises for Polly Fox Academy at Cedar Creek Church.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Jay'via Badgett, left, Cre'Ana Bell, LaChela Benton, Alexis Brown and Rocio Gonzalez, right, line up for the 10th Annual Commencement Exercises for Polly Fox Academy at Cedar Creek Church. Sixteen girls received their diplomas.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Cre'Ana Bell walks across the stage as she's introduced during the 10th Annual Commencement Exercises for Polly Fox Academy at Cedar Creek Church.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Jacqueline Moore hugs her daughter Cre'Ana Bell after the 10th Annual Commencement Exercises for Polly Fox Academy at Cedar Creek Church, At left is Donovan Woodard, Cre'Ana's estranged boyfriend and father of their son, Cedyn Bell, 2, right.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Cre'Ana Bell gets a kiss from son Cedyn Bell, 2, after the 10th Annual Commencement Exercises for Polly Fox Academy at Cedar Creek Church.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Toledo Firefighters James Dickman and Stephen Machcinski were killed in the line of duty on January 26th. A large memorial service was held for the pair with firefighters from all over the country attending. Dickman, who had yet to graduate with his class from The Toledo Fire and Rescue Department Training Bureau, was laid to rest in Sandusky, where he was from. The procession drove past the fire station where he formerly worked en route to the his final resting place. Tributes for Toledo firefighters James Dickman, left, and Stephen Machcinski stand beneath the stage before their Last Alarm funeral service at SeaGate Convention Centre. The pair were killed fighting a fire.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Toledo Fire Chief Luis Santiago salutes the casket of firefighter James Dickman during the Last Alarm funeral service at SeaGate Convention Centre. Firefighters Dickman and Stephen Machcinski were killed fighting a fire.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Firefighters stand as family members enter during the Last Alarm funeral service at SeaGate Convention Centre for Toledo firefighters Stephen Machcinski and James Dickman.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Paige Dickman, 3, daughter of Toledo firefighter James Dickman, holds American and Ohio flags while sitting on the lap of her mother Jamie, wife of Mr. Dickman, as she is consoled by his father Greg Dickman during the Last Alarm funeral service at SeaGate Convention Centre for Toledo firefighters Stephen Machcinski and James Dickman.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

The casket of James Dickman is escorted out following the Last Alarm funeral service at SeaGate Convention Centre for Toledo firefighters Stephen Machcinski and James Dickman.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

City of Sandusky firefighters salute as the Dickman family passes in front of Perkins Fire Station 2, where Toledo firefighter James Dickman used to work, as the funeral processes to Oakland Cemetery.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Kim Cowie, Sandusky, holds a flag as she and others stand in front of Perkins Fire Station 2, where Toledo firefighter James Dickman used to work, as the funeral processes to Oakland Cemetery.

Third Place, Photographer of the Year - Large Market - Andy Morrison / The (Toledo) Blade

Firefighters salute as the casket containing Toledo firefighter James Dickman arrives at Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky.