The Daily News and the Memphis News placed in nine categories in the Society of Professional Journalists’ annual Green Eyeshade Awards, including five first-place finishes. The regional awards cover an 11-state area.

The Memphis News placed first in public affairs reporting among non-daily newspapers for 2017 stories by Bill Dries on the city’s decision to end new sewer connections outside the city of Memphis and the controversy over the Beale Street Entertainment District’s Saturday cover charge.

(greeneyeshade.org)

The weekly’s editorials also finished first among all non-dailies in the contest.

Andy Meek's weekly coverage of the 20th anniversary of the opening of Wolfchase Galleria and the state of malls in retail trade won first place in business reporting.

Don Wade finished first in sports reporting and sports commentary among non-daily newspapers.

Reporters Patrick Lantrip and Michael Waddell placed second in non-daily technology reporting for Lantrip’s cover story on precision agriculture and the use of technology in farming and Waddell’s cover story on medical device companies in Memphis.

Bill Dries’ coverage of politics for The Memphis News placed third among all non-dailies, while his political reporting for The Daily News took third place among dailies of all sizes in the 11-state region.

The Daily News also took second-place honors for deadline reporting among small dailies for Bill Dries’ and Patrick Lantrip’s coverage of the January protest of President Donald Trump’s first version of a travel ban on immigrants.

Read the award-winning work here:

Sports Reporting / Non-Dailies
First Place: The Memphis News – Don Wade, Don Wade – 2017 Sports Reporting portfolio
• For NCAA-Bound Rhodes College, Line System Was Game-Changer
• Whether Toting Gloves or iPads, Women Have Role to Play in Baseball
• Redbirds Revitalization: Fun at the Old Ballpark and the Winning is Easy
• Life After Tony Allen? A Lot More Boring Than Life With Tony Allen
• Worth the Wait: For long-suffering Memphis football fans, 2017 has been a 'dream season'

Sports Commentary / Non-Dailies
First Place: The Memphis News – Don Wade, Don Wade – 2017 Sports Commentary portfolio
• Credit Coach Fizdale with an Assist on Greater Gasol
• Tale of a Lost Tiger: Woods Can’t Go Much Lower
• Redbirds Owner/Fan Freund Sweats Every Pitch
• FreezeFalling … Ole Miss Coach Exits in Disgrace
• Grizz Pay for Parsons And Fans Pay for Right to Boo Him

Public Affairs Reporting / Non-Dailies
First Place: The Memphis News – Bill Dries, Bill Dries – 2017 Public Affairs portfolio
• Summer in the City: The controversy over Beale Street’s Saturday night cover charge
• The Cutoff: The complex backstory of the Memphis cutoff of new sewer connections to areas outside the city

Editorial Writing / Non-Dailies
First Place: The Memphis News – Staff, The Memphis News – 2017 editorials
• Addressing Memphis' Most Important Crime Issue
• One Tom Lee Memorial, Not Two
• Memphis NAACP And The Crucible
• Keep Juvenile Court Memorandum In Place
• Make the System Take Down Monuments

Business Reporting / Non-Dailies
First Place: The Memphis News – Andy Meek, Wolfchase at 20
• Wolfchase At 20: Wolfchase still a bricks-and-mortar retail stronghold in the Memphis market

Technology Reporting / Non-Dailies
Second Place: The Memphis News – Patrick Lantrip & Michael Waddell, Genetic Code/Memphis Fusion
• Genetic Code: Contrary to pop-culture perception, farmers have been on the cutting edge of technology for thousands of years
• Memphis Fusion: Medical device companies rooted in Memphis spawn growing industry

Deadline Reporting / Small Dailies
Second Place: The Memphis Daily News – Bill Dries & Patrick Lantrip, Trump Travel Ban March Draws 1,000
• Trump Travel Ban March Draws 1,000
• Trump travel ban March: photo gallery

Politics Reporting / Non-Dailies
Third Place: The Memphis News – Bill Dries, The Memphis News – 2017 politics portfolio
• Trump’s Turn: What will the Trump presidency look like?
• Century Mark: A new day and new faces for the Memphis Branch NAACP
• The Next Four Years: Republicans, Democrats map out 2018 campaigns amid the ‘Trump effect’

Politics Reporting/All Dailies
Third Place: The Memphis Daily News – Bill Dries, Bill Dries – 2017 Politics Reporting portfolio
• Local Democratic and Republican Partisans Already Looking To 2018
• Mills Looks To Spread Republican Reach in City
• Local Democratic Party Organizers Grapple With Activism
• Strong: Democrats Must Reconnect With Voters
• Lenoir Starts Bid for County Mayor with Mix of Optimism and Challenge
• Party Leaders: Voter Turnout Trumps Trump
• Seeking Independence: Wamp calls for ‘bloodless political revolution’ in Congress