CHICAGO, Ill.--Articles in The Georgia Bulletin on the closing of Midtown Hospital and on Death Row inmates entering the Catholic Church received journalism awards in the 1999 Catholic Press Association competition.

The Georgia Bulletin was also recognized for its media kit and for an ad, both designed by production manager Mike Balfour.

Articles on the court-ordered closing of Midtown Hospital, written by Gretchen Keiser and Kathi Stearns, received third place nationally for best investigative reporting. Judges commented that “good reporting and writing brought to life the horrific conditions that led to the closing of Midtown Hospital ... The article paints a detailed portrait of a poorly run institution that, regardless of where the reader stands in the abortion debate, would certainly have him or her applauding the state’s decision.”

First- and second-place awards in investigative reporting were given to the National Catholic Reporter of Kansas City, Mo.

Another piece of journalism by Stearns on the efforts of Georgia Death Row inmate Jack Potts to bring others on Death Row to know Jesus Christ and to receive the sacraments of the Catholic Church was honored with two awards.

Among Catholic diocesan newspapers with over 40,000 circulation, the article was awarded second place for best feature story and third place for best personality profile.

Feature judges applauded the “strong story, good layout, striking photos.” Layout was done by Balfour and photos by staff photographer Michael Alexander. First place in this category was given to The Catholic Review of Baltimore.

Judges in the personality profile category said the story “was a natural, but it needed a treatment that wasn’t cliché-ridden. This one wasn’t. A good job.” First place was given to The Catholic Standard and Times, Philadelphia, and second place to The Leaven of Kansas City, Kan.

In the over 40,000 circulation category, a black and white ad designed by Balfour promoting the annual collection for the Catholic Church in Central and Eastern Europe received a third-place award.

The media kit he designed received a second-place award in the same circulation category. Judges praised the design of the kit, its easy-to-find information on the newspaper, developed by advertising manager Tom Aisthorpe, and a series of marketing pieces that individualized the kit for different advertisers and their needs. First place was given to The Dialog of Wilmington, Del.