As I look back on 2021 — my first full year as executive editor ofthe Evansville Courier & Press— I feel moved to highlight the important work this great team has accomplished.
For our region, like the rest of the nation, it was a year of trying to get back to normal after the chaos of2020. I was glad for theoccasional break from COVID-19 news, as I imagine most readers were, although the pandemic continued to affect all aspects of our lives.
I'm thankful to our staff for doing the important journalism the community needs and wants, and I'm especially thankful to our subscribersfor investing in us so we can continue to keep you informed.
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Watchdog journalism
What did we write about instead of 365/24/7 pandemic coverage? For one thing, the Courier & Press held our local government leaders accountable and turned the spotlight on how some citizens without money and influence are treated.
In October we published the first two stories from reporterMark Wilson's investigation into the fees people must pay fordrug testing and electronic monitoring while on probation or awaiting trial in Vanderburgh County.
Judge David Kiely has ano-bid deal with his friend, Danny Koester, that forces the participants to use Koester's company,ABK Tracking, for these services. The company, Mark found,charges significantly more than other companies and agencies. The alternative to paying? Jail.(Note: Initially these stories were available only to subscribers, but now they can be read by anyone who hasn't reached their monthly limit for free views.)
More:Commissioners are silent on Vanderburgh judge's no-bid deal with company. Readers aren't.
More:Evansville man who stopped paying probation fees must now finish sentence in jail
This month we wrote about a father of four who has had to pay ABK more than $10,000 for testing and monitoring while awaiting trial for 18 months. That's a hefty cost for someone who is innocent until proven guilty.
We will continue to cover this issue until your and our questions are fully addressed.
The Courier & Pressalso wrote several stories about Woodland Park, an apartment complex whose absentee ownerswho have been lax about paying the utility billsas well as general upkeep.The site's long, unhappy history, reported by Sarah Loesch,is a textbook example of the pitfalls many city governmentsencountered in the last century when theyleveled lower-income communities in the name of urban renewal. Jon Webb's story on the current owners showswhy it wasn't a simple matter for the city to find them and hold them accountable for poor living conditions.
The most controversial story we publishedthis year was one from Tom Langhorne about an extramarital relationship, which is not our usual subject matter. However, the relationship was between two elected officials in Vanderburgh County—one who had recently run for re-election as a family man and the other who was making not-so-subtle commentson social media. We felt there was a legitimate voter interest in knowing the situation.
Literally earth-shaking news
Photographers Denny Simmons, MaCabe Brown and Minh Connors and reporter John Martin brought readers and viewers the implosion of Evansville's tallest buildingon acold, wet morning last month.
A planned implosion is a fascinating event to witness live as literally tons of concrete and metal collapse into a pile of rubble in less than a minute.
An earthquake, of course, would be an entirely different, scarierstory.
That's a real possibility for Evansville, asJon Webb explained to readers in April. We are near the New Madrid Fault, which has gotten a lot of attention over the decades, but we should also be concerned about the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone, which is less of a media darling but much closer to us.
When a horrific natural disaster struck nearby earlier this month, C&Pstaffjumped into action. Denny, Minh, John and Mark were among the first journalists on the scene documenting the devastationin Western Kentucky after possibly record-setting tornadoes tore through Dec. 10.
In the money
John also had several smart stories this year about business trends, includingone on the changing retail landscape on Evansville's Green River Road,and one on whether the 10-year-old Ford Center was a good investment.
The region had several big economic wins in 2021, andI particularly liked theJuly story from freelancer Chuck StinnettaboutHenderson, Kentucky, our neighbor just over the Ohio River,landingPratt Paper.
Our yummiest coverage
I love that the Courier & Press has a trained chef as our full-time food writer. Week in and week out, Aimee Blume brings readers news of openings and closings, and the stories behind the storefronts.
She also writes longer features occasionally, such as one about Evansville's growing foodie reputation.
And, yes, COVID
Even as we broadened our coverage in 2021, COVIDremained in the news most days. Vaccines became available for adults, and eventually kids.We followed thepeaks and valleys in case numbers and deaths, a growing divide over vaccines and masks, and the rise of new variants.
Tom Langhorne was dogged in monitoring all angles, including the evolving public health response — from uncoveringlocal bars that weren't complying with a statewide mask mandatein January to findingout that local officials were making decisions based on old datain November.
These are only a few examples of the stellar work our staff has produced in 2021. It's just not possible to do justice to a year's worth of work in a handful of paragraphs.
Jon Webb told a fascinating story about a Warrick County lady who believes she bought a gun from John Dillinger — a half century after he was reported to have been killed by the FBI. Other offbeat storiesincluded one about cicada butts and another about a horse who escaped Ellis Park and trotted down a highway.
Our sports department excelled in covering the news of sports and bringing readers the personal stories behind the scores — coverage that sports editor Chad Lindskog is highlighting separately.
I can't wait to see what 2022 will bring. We're making lots of plans, but both the fun and the frustration of journalism is not knowing what's going to happen next.
Thank you forpaying us to do this important work.
Cindi Andrews is executive editor of the Courier & Press and The Gleaner and regional editor for Gannett's southern Indiana newsrooms. She can be reached at cindi.andrews@courierpress.com.
