Tag Archives: Toledo Press Club

Local Journalists, Communicators and Community Leaders Honored at 2026 Touchstone Awards

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The Press Club of Toledo celebrated the people who tell Northwest Ohio’s stories, connect communities and strengthen the region Thursday, Sept. 10, at the 2026 Touchstone Awards at WGTE Public Media.

From investigative reporting and compelling personal stories to podcasts, photography, public relations and student journalism, this year’s winning work reflects the depth and vitality of local media. Twenty Touchstone Awards were presented to journalists, communicators and emerging talent whose work informed, challenged, entertained and connected audiences across the region.

The evening also honored community leaders whose work has made a lasting difference in Northwest Ohio. The Press Club presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to The Blade’s Tom Troy; Contributor Awards to Christina Rodriguez, executive director of Mom’s House of Toledo, and the Grand Lodge Food Pantry; the Golden Touchstone to longtime WTOL 11 journalist Dan Cummins; and the Norm Cartwright Award to 13abc investigative reporter Shaun Hegarty.

The Press Club also named Steven Iwanek of WTOL 11 the 2026 Emerging News Media Professional and awarded scholarships to four students pursuing careers in journalism. The evening included a remembrance of Mary Alice Powell, The Blade’s first food editor and a 2020 Golden Touchstone recipient who died in July at age 98.

The 2026 Touchstone Awards were supported in part by SSOE Group, with additional support from AAUW Toledo Branch, Northwest Ohio PRSA and the Toledo Free Press.

2026 Touchstone Award Winners

Audio Production

  • Podcast – Arts and Entertainment: Telling it Our Way – Chris Peiffer, Becca Monteleone and Ally Day, WGTE Public Media
  • Podcast – News and Opinion: The Four Hundred and Nineteen – Shane Potgieter, Gretchen DeBacker, Matt Killam and Kevin Mullan, WGTE Public Media
  • Podcast – Sports: Women Got Game – Chris Peiffer and Sophia Fisher, WGTE Public Media
  • Radio: The Local Thread – Chris Peiffer, WGTE Public Media

Blog/Website

Digital/TV

Digital/Print

Photojournalism

Public Relations Campaign

  • Building for the Future – Stephanie Elton, Toledo Lucas County Public Library

Social Media Campaign

  • Satori Communication – Carey Cifranic

Student

  • Digital Video/TV: The Swoop – Nick Windholtz and Raymond Cotis, BG Falcon Media
  • Print/Online: Best of BG – Ali Khoramshad, BG Falcon Media
  • Radio/Podcast: Toledo Sports Hour – Anthony Kruska, WXUT Toledo

Emerging News Media Professional: Steven Iwanek, WTOL 11

The Emerging News Media Professional Award recognizes an early-career news media professional who demonstrates integrity, commitment to public service and meaningful contributions to the community. Iwanek was recognized for his reporting related to the death of Kei’Mani Latigue.

2026 Scholarship Recipients

  • Kurt G. Franck Scholarship: Mark Mackowiak and Megan Matthews, University of Toledo
  • Bernard F. Judy Scholarship: Breana McGrier and Allison McVicker, Bowling Green State University

2026 Community Award Honorees

Lifetime Achievement Award: Tom Troy, The Blade

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a lifetime of outstanding contributions to the community through business, public service, philanthropy and other areas of community leadership.

Troy has spent more than four decades in journalism, including more than 35 years at The Blade. He has covered courts, education, Toledo government and politics and served in several editorial roles. Since 2022, he has served as The Blade’s opinion editor, writing and editing staff editorials and overseeing the newspaper’s editorial page.

Contributor Award: Christina Rodriguez, Mom’s House of Toledo

Rodriguez has served as executive director of Mom’s House of Toledo for 19 years, helping the organization raise nearly $10 million, expand its programs and develop a Gold Star Rated Early Learning Center. Most recently, she led a $12.1 million collaborative effort to establish a second Mom’s House location and shared community resource center.

With more than 30 years of community service, Rodriguez has also served in numerous leadership roles throughout Northwest Ohio, including the State of Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission, Lucas County Mental Health and Recovery Services Board and Lucas County Fatherhood Coalition.

Contributor Award: Grand Lodge Food Pantry

Since 2001, the Grand Lodge Food Pantry has provided food to Toledo-area families, serving thousands of people each year and as many as 28,000 meals annually. Its work is powered by dedicated volunteers, many of them City of Toledo employees, who help ensure families have access to food when they need it.

The Press Club recognized the pantry for its longstanding commitment to improving the quality of life in Northwest Ohio.

Golden Touchstone: Dan Cummins, WTOL 11

Cummins’ career has been intertwined with the Toledo community for more than four decades. He joined WTOL in 1980 as a young weekend sports anchor and reporter, later becoming sports director before moving to the news desk and anchor role.

During his 46-year career at the station, Cummins covered the World Series, Super Bowl, Heisman Trophy and Ohio State’s 2002 national championship. His community contributions included Big Board Friday and support for organizations including Make-A-Wish, Acoustics for Autism, Bittersweet Farms and Flag City Honor Flight. He accompanied veterans on 24 Honor Flights to Washington, D.C., and mentored generations of journalists at WTOL.

Cummins retired from WTOL in August.

Norm Cartwright Award: Shaun Hegarty, 13abc

Hegarty, an investigative reporter and anchor with 13abc, has built a reputation for tough questions, government accountability and reporting that examines how public institutions serve the community. Before joining 13abc’s investigative team, he worked as an anchor and executive producer at Fox Toledo.

A longtime Press Club of Toledo supporter and former president, Hegarty has helped bring journalists and community members together, served as master of ceremonies for the Touchstone Awards and consistently championed the work of local journalists. The Norm Cartwright Award recognizes efforts to promote the Press Club’s principles and honors the legacy of its founding member, Norm Cartwright.

Press Club ‘MythBusters’ Mixer

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MythBusters Mixer Press Club of Toledo

The Toledo Press Club is hosting a special mixer event at Imagination Station on Wednesday, October 21. Our mixers at the perfect opportunity for local media and PR professionals network and strengthen relationships.

Press Club of Toledo MythBusters Mixer

  • Wednesday, October 21
  • 5-7 pm at Imagination Station Science Center, MythBusters Exhibit
  • Cash bar and light hors d’oeuvres; Admission is free

The Press Club hosts mixer events as a way to bring reporters, editors and producers from all local media to meet each other, in addition to the people they cover. The October 21 ‘MythBusters’ mixer is a special addition to our quarterly calendar and should not be missed! The Imagination Station address is 1 Discovery Way, at the corner of Summit and Adams Streets on the riverfront in downtown Toledo.

Join us for an evening of good conversation while strengthening professional relationships.

For more information about the Press Club of Toledo, visit our Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter @ToledoPressClub.

Pressing Issues Forum Discusses Crisis Management

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The February 27 Pressing Issues Forum held at the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library was a platform in which media and PR professionals had the opportunity to discuss the topic of crisis management, which has been at the forefront for Toledo’s PR and media professionals the past year.

The crisis management panel was moderated by Shaun Hegarty, investigative reporter at WTVG-TV, 13abc, and included Jim Blue, anchor and managing editor of WNWO-TV, Channel 24, Dave Kielmeyer, senior communications director at Bowling Green State University, and Shannon Lands, the public information office for the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department.

Public Relations: Crisis Management

The August 2014 ‘Toledo Water Crisis’ was the topic of much conversation during the forum. The media professionals present at the forum said that they would rather have received phone calls at 2 a.m. regarding the crisis, rather than faxes during the middle of the night.

One of the reasons the Press Club of Toledo hosts Pressing Issues forums is to help public relations professionals to better share information with members of the media.

Panelist Jim Blue explained, “I’d prefer to have a phone call on my personal phone.”

Toledo Press Club - Crisis Management

Other highlights of the forum included the mention of social media and how during times of crisis, anyone can provide information or misinformation. It was highlighted that BGSU uses social media to distribute the correct information out to large numbers of people quickly.

For information regarding future Pressing Issues forums, stay tuned to the Press Club of Toledo’s event’s calendar.