Pine Village article wins national award

I was just informed by my editor that my article on the Pine Village killings won a second place award in the "best feature" category from the national Suburban Newspapers Association.
The association represents more than 2,000 newspapers, including companies such as Gannett, the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group, the Sun-Times News Group and the Black Press.

Phase two begins next month

I've sent out a few more letters seeking interviews from some individuals, including some jurors that convicted Carl Reimann. 

Speaking of Mr. Reimann, I sent a request to the Department of Corrections to see if I could get the names on his visitors' list. Apparently, that list is private. I also asked the DOC if I was on his visitors' list. They - going beyond their normal protocol - contacted the warden's office at Dixon, where staff personally visited Mr. Reimann and asked him point blank, again, if he wanted to meet with me. He said no. So that's that.

I also tried to contact members of Carl Reimann's family, but have not heard back. Same with some people who I think might be members of Betty Piché's family. So, for the portions of the book that deal with the background and personalities of both convicts, I will use mostly court records and interviews I conducted with former neighbors and other people who may know the family.

I also will consult with the local state's attorney's office for another inspection of their files. I hope to maybe obtain more photographs I have found - mug shots of the convicts, their car, etc., that I think will add more color to the book.

Possibly most importantly, I have already begun writing preliminary outlines in an effort to organize the book, and I have set a hard start time to begin writing at the end of May. This has been a wonderful learning experience, but I now have to start the task of putting this book together. Following the book's completion, I will then hunt for an agent and/or publisher. Wish me luck.

New ad

I placed an ad in my own newspapers - the Kendall County Record, Ledger-Sentinel, Plano Record and Sandwich Record - in the hopes of reaching some people to interview. 

I'm still hoping to start writing the book soon, but there are still some people I would like to talk to, if it's at all possible. Of course, I'm still seeking members of the Cantrell family who may be out there and whom I've attempted to contact, with no luck. If anyone knows their whereabouts and would like to contact me, or can pass along my information to them, please do so!

Also, obviously, I would still like to talk to a member of Carl Reimann and Betty Piche's families. I plan on sending another letter as a last resort effort to Carl this week, again in the hopes of getting an interview, but I am not optimistic about that.

Still looking

I'm hoping to start writing the book at the start of 2009. But I still hope to find a few more people.
I am seeking members of Betty Piche's family. Piche was born in Walnut Grove, Missouri, August 12, 1942 as Betty Dotson. She was second to the youngest of seven children born to Cecil and Ruby Dotson. She had some siblings living in Sandwich or Somonauk. If anyone out there knows where I can contact a member of that family, please e-mail me or leave a comment here.
Also, I am still looking for members of the Reimann family would want to be interviewed. Again, if anyone has any information for me, please e-mail me or comment.
In addition, I would appreciate an interview with anyone who was a former employee or maybe even a "regular" of the Pine Village, or an employee of any of the Plano drinking establishments (the Shamrock, the Sportsman's, etc.) at the time of the killings.
My goal is to make this book as comprehensive as possible, and these additional sources would help. If you think you can give me any kind of information at all, feel free to e-mail me. I would love to hear from you!

Another award...

This time from the Northern Illinois Newspaper Association. These awards are given by the Department of Communications at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.

The Pine Village article published last year received a first place award in the category of in-depth news story. It also received a second place award in the category of best feature story.

With the news published of these awards, I have had a few people I know approach me and tell me that they remember this incident quite well, that they either knew one of the victims or knew someone who knew someone affected by the crime.

Here is the judge's comment from the NINA contest:

This story takes an in-depth historical perspective about a crime that changed a small community's landscape. It is investigative with new information being offered, but also recreates the scene for readers who were not aware of the crimes from the 1970s. The story has tight writing, a local focus and good reporting about an event that happened 35 years ago.

Again, it's just nice to be recognized by my peers, and it's a good reinforcement that I'm headed in the right direction by wanting to turn this story into book that will, hopefully, be published.

Award winning story

Good news for those who keep track of such things. My story published last December in the Kendall County Record and Ledger-Sentinel on the 35th anniversary of the Pine Village murders won a second place award in the Illinois Press Association's annual convention. 

I obviously don't write to just garner awards, but it's indeed nice to be honored by one's peers. 

The story took a second place prize in the Enterprise / Feature Writing category, in Division B.

You can see a full list of 2008 winners here.

You can read the story published in the Ledger-Sentinel and the Record here.

The Northern Illinois Newspaper Association convention is next Friday, and I hope to take something home from DeKalb. But, of course, it's just nice to be nominated.

Why am I doing this?

Sometimes I ask myself this question, and sometimes it's asked to me by my interview subjects. 

It's been a slow crawl putting this project into motion. My day job is as a newspaper reporter, so I'm doing this on my days off (I had two this week already, to celebrate my 32nd year of life) and at night and, on occasion, during slow times at work (I've got a great boss; what can I say?).

But it's worth it. I think that, if nothing else, people should know about this brutal crime because, whether the "locals" like it or not, it's part of the area's history. Heck, it's part of Illinois history, and it shouldn't be buried in yellowed, archived newspaper articles or as part of some kind of urban legend-like lore passed on from generation to generation. There should be a written record of this terrible crime, and I hope to be the one to complete it.

Maybe this book will also teach people, as it has already started to teach me, the impact of violent criminal acts on families and friends of those involved. In this case, there are several "ripple effects" - on the victims' families and friends, on the witnesses who watched this slaughter take place, and even on the criminals' families. 

Just thought I'd give my thoughts for today. I hadn't posted in a while and wanted to let those who read this thing know that I'm still working on it, one piece at a time.

Thanks for reading.