Limestone Post Contributors Take Home Five SPJ “Best in Indiana” Journalism Awards

Limestone Post collected five awards, including one first-place honor, at this year’s Indiana Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalist “Best in Indiana” Journalism Contest hosted in Carmel on Friday, April 17, 2026. This brings our total number of SPJ awards won to 24 since 2024. Hiromi Yoshida claimed first and third place finishes for her stories “B-Town Is 1st City in U.S. for ‘Group Portraits’ by European Photographers” (Arts and Entertainment) and “‘History Reclaimed, Stories Retold, Theatre Revealed’” (Coverage of Race and Diversity Issues). Diane Walker’s “Grief and Mystery: The Unsolved Murder of Ann Harmeier, Parts One and Two,” an extensive investigation into the young IU student’s 1977 death, was awarded second place for Investigative Reporting. Mark Stosberg and Dason Anderson rounded out the award ceremony with third place finishes for their stories “‘Today in Bloomington’ Is Not the Local Newsletter It Appears To Be” (Non-Deadline Story) and “Tatanka Roadshow Calls for Better Management of Hoosier Forests” (Environmental Reporting).

We are honored to have so many talented voices dedicated to quality work in journalism recognized at this prestigious event.

The ceremony is also an opportunity to rub elbows with other Hoosier reporters. Limestone Post shared a table with award-winning members of The Owen News and Mirror Indy.

Other Bloomington-based publications earning multiple awards this year were WFHB, WFIU Public Radio, WTIU Public Television, Herald-Times, Bloom, photojournalist Jeremy Hogan, and the Indiana Daily Student, which was also awarded the Indiana Journalism Courage Award alongside the Purdue Exponent in light of Indiana University’s efforts to censor the school’s student newspaper last year.

Limestone Post enters the contest as a publication with circulation below 10,000.

Read the award-winning stories:

“Grief and Mystery: The Unsolved Murder of Ann Harmeier, Parts One and Two,” by Diane Walker

Grief and Mystery: The Unsolved Murder of Ann Harmeier, Part One

LP contributor Diane Walker, like many people who grew up in Cambridge City, Indiana, in the 1970s, still wonders at the unsolved murder of Ann Harmeier. So, she started searching. Walker’s years-long attempt to unearth answers includes scouring court records, newspapers, and other documents. She wr

Limestone Post MagazineDiane Walker

Grief and Mystery: The Unsolved Murder of Ann Harmeier, Part Two

After years of research into the unsolved 1977 murder of Indiana University student Ann Harmeier, LP contributor Diane Walker might have found the identity of an individual, not previously named publicly, who initial investigators suspected may have committed the crime.

Limestone Post MagazineDiane Walker

“‘Today in Bloomington’ Is Not the Local Newsletter It Appears To Be,” by Mark Stosberg

‘Today in Bloomington’ Is Not the Local Newsletter It Appears To Be

Bloomington has several news outlets that report on pressing issues in the community, but because the local news landscape is fragmented, many residents have expressed a desire for a curated summary of the news. A newsletter called Today in Bloomington says it does just that. But is it truly part of

Limestone Post MagazineMark Stosberg

“‘History Reclaimed, Stories Retold, Theatre Revealed’,” by Hiromi Yoshida

‘History Reclaimed, Stories Retold, Theatre Revealed’

Since 2016, Danielle Bruce, Gladys DeVane, and Liz Mitchell have enlightened the public on “the many unknown and un-celebrated contributions of African Americans” to Indiana and U.S. history. The next live performance in their Remarkable Women Series is about Judge Viola Taliaferro. They shared thei

Limestone Post MagazineHiromi Yoshida

“B-Town Is 1st City in U.S. for ‘Group Portraits’ by European Photographers,” by Hiromi Yoshida

B-Town Is 1st City in U.S. for ‘Group Portraits’ by European Photographers

In February, European fine art photographers Jon Tonks and Roman Franc began working on a project to photograph various groups in and around Bloomington. The results will be exhibited at Pictura Gallery in the FAR Center for Contemporary Arts beginning June 6, coinciding with the Fourth and Rogers B

Limestone Post MagazineHiromi Yoshida

“Tatanka Roadshow Calls for Better Management of Hoosier Forests,” by Dason Anderson

Tatanka Roadshow Calls for Better Management of Hoosier Forests

The Tatanka Roadshow is a series of events calling attention to what organizers call destructive land and forest management practices by the U.S. Forest Service in southern Indiana. The roadshow will be in Paoli on June 28, featuring comedian Stephanie Lochbihler, singer-songwriter Tim Grimm, noveli

Limestone Post MagazineDason Anderson