Island Packet staff wins 35 SC Press Association awards plus President’s Cup for 5th year
The Island Packet has won the President’s Cup for being the outstanding mid-sized daily newspaper in the South Carolina Press Association awards for the firth year in a row.
“This 2024 President’s Cup represents a year of consistent excellence, and I couldn’t be prouder of our entire newsroom team for delivering it every day,” said Robert York, the Packet’s senior editor.
In addition to the President’s Cup, current and former staff members at the Packet received 35 awards, including 13 first-place honors, for their work in 2023. The newspaper’s work was entered alongside other medium-size daily newspapers and websites across South Carolina. Here is a breakdown of the winning stories:
First-place honors
Arts and Entertainment Writing: Karl Puckett for a story about a movie being filmed in the Beaufort area inspired by the “Gentlemen Smugglers”
Breaking news: Evan McKenna, Sebastian Lee and Karl Puckett for coverage of the abrupt resignation of Beaufort Mayor Stephen Murray
E.A. Ramsaur Award for Editorial Writing: David Lauderdale for the following three columns:
Beaufort County Council pours kerosene on the fire in complaint against administrator
Settlement does not end the job for justice in Murdaugh cases
Beaufort mayoral drama should jerk all of us into seeing the big picture
Education Beat Reporting: Mary Dimitrov for the following three stories:
Financial crisis and teachers fired. What’s happening at Bluffton’s May River Montessori
‘He was dangerous:’ The harassment Beaufort County teachers face by the book ban movement
What does it take to ban a book in Beaufort County? In some cases, just 3 people
Feature Video: Drew Martin for a video of James Beard semifinalist Chef Bernard Bennett
Food Writing: Karl Puckett for a feature about St. Helena’s role in supplying the East Coast with tomatoes
Growth and Development Beat Reporting: Mary Dimitrov for these three stories about Beaufort County’s growing pains:
Old graves halt new construction. Okatie burial ground is center of neighborhood dispute
HHI service worker housing again under threat: ‘We are here and we are human beings’
‘One of the largest’ pieces of land in Bluffton is for sale. What will it mean?
Investigative Reporting: Sarah Haselhorst and Mary Dimitrov for a story about how coastal climate change is hurting affordable housing residents
Lifestyle Feature Writing: Sarah Haselhorst for a story about the SC island home once owned by Ted Turner
News Feature Writing: Sarah Haselhorst for a story about how an underwater robot could save North Atlantic right whales
Newsletter: Lisa Wilson for the Afternoon News roundup (Sign up free at islandpacket.com/newsletters)
Short Story: Mary Dimitrov for the following story: It landed with a ‘big thud’ in her Sea Pines courtyard. Did a shark just fall from the sky?
Sports Feature Story: Mary Dimitrov for a story about a Hilton Head woman who has attended every RBC Heritage tournament since 1969
Second-place honors
Arts and Entertainment Writing: Mary Dimitrov for a story about musician John Mellencamp performing at a Savannah church
Breaking news: Sebastian Lee and Lisa Wilson for coverage of the massacre of six people in a Green Pond home
Enterprise reporting: Sebastian Lee, Sofia Sanchez and Lisa Wilson for this story: How one man’s private war is turning Beaufort County public meetings into a battleground
Food Writing: Lisa Wilson for a feature about the landmark Benny Hudson Seafood Market and its plans to relocate
Growth and Development Beat Reporting: Blake Douglas for these three stories about Hilton Head:
Islanders and council clash as long-debated Sea Pines Circle rezoning passes first reading
A bedroom that sleeps 11? Living next door to a Hilton Head party rental is no party
Sued by developers at 93, Hilton Head great-grandmother fights for her Jonesville Road land
Investigative Reporting: Sebastian Lee for a series of stories about a Beaufort County administrator being accused of misconduct then fired along with the county’s purchase of $35,000 worth of weighted blankets
Lifestyle Feature Writing: Sofia Sanchez for a story about a very loyal dog who stayed with a his friend the deer after it was hit
Profile Feature Writing: Karl Puckett for a story about a set of triplet brothers going through Marine boot camp together at Parris Island
Sports Column Writing: David Lauderdale for the following three columns:
Why can’t the rest of us learn what golf taught Jim Ferree?
The darkness and inspiring light of a lost Hilton Head golf legend
Hilton Head’s 2-star general: ‘Work hard. Take risks. Invest in people.’
Spot Sports Story: Karl Puckett for the following story: Golfer gets to hear about Rahm’s Masters play at Heritage Pro-Am. ‘Incredible champion’
Third-place honors
Breaking news: Evan McKenna for reporting after a St. Helena mother was accused of drowning her 6-year-old daughter in a bathtub
Business Beat Reporting: Mary Dimitrov for these three stories related to Beaufort County real estate trends:
Real estate market at a glance: $525K Hilton Head, Beaufort, Fripp Island and Bluffton homes
‘You love it or you hate it.’ Wet bath design is popping up in real estate across Lowcountry
‘Just part of a machine:’ Palmetto Bluff flip-flops on club membership and short-term rental rules
Enterprise Reporting: Blake Douglas for the following story: Hilton Head’s dark roads and pedestrians are deadly combo. What the town is doing about it
Food Writing: Lisa Wilson for a feature about Okan Chef Bernard Bennett, a James Beard semifinalist who was cooking at the time in a local food truck
General Excellence: Staff
Government Beat Reporting: Sebastian Lee for the following three stories related to Beaufort County government:
Administrator Eric Greenway fired by council, misconduct investigation “ongoing”
Man who resigned and sued Beaufort County rehired in a newly created $123K position
Documents reveal rift between Bluffton’s new and old police chiefs that led to firing request
Growth and Development Beat Reporting: Karl Puckett for the following three stories related to Port Royal development:
Can a grandma save a 350-year-old tree in Port Royal? ‘It’s one little thing I can do’
Port Royal protesters send message to Safe Harbor at Town Hall rally: ‘Don’t ruin our port’
Port Royal OKs highest penalties in SC for tree removal. ‘We have a responsibility’
Lifestyle Feature Writing: Sarah Haselhorst for the following story: Track of shark tagged off Hilton Head is reminder of beloved Bluffton teen ‘Amazing Grace’
News Video: Drew Martin for the following video: A Beaufort mom’s anguish. Months of heartbreak and silence since daughter, grandson vanished
Reporting in Depth: Karl Puckett and Sofia Sanchez for coverage of multiple Marine training deaths on Parris Island, including the following stories:
Marine recruit dies on Parris Island, marking the fourth death on base in two years
Focus should be on accountability ahead of trial in Marine recruit’s death, mother says
Sports Feature Story: Mary Dimitrov for a feature about a Hilton Head rugby team trying to make a comeback
Website: Staff
