Local

WVIA News honored with four Professional Keystone Media Awards for 2024 reporting

WVIA

Published June 23, 2025 at 5:43 PM EDT

WVIA is pleased to announce that the WVIA News team has won four Keystone Professional Media Awards for its journalism during 2024.

The annual awards contest is organized by the Harrisburg-based Pennsylvania Newsmedia Association to recognize "journalism that consistently provides relevance, integrity, and initiative in serving readers and audiences, and faithfully fulfills its First Amendment rights/responsibilities."

WVIA News received a first-place award for Sarah Hofius Hall's education beat reporting, second-place awards for business and news feature stories by Roger DuPuis, and a second-place award for the news team's reporting on issues related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

"These awards are a great honor for our team, and for the individual journalists whose work is being recognized," WVIA President & CEO Carla McCabe said.

"They are also a reminder of WVIA's ongoing commitment to local news across our coverage area, a commitment to our community."

The awards will be presented at the Keystone Media Awards Luncheon Oct. 16 in Harrisburg.

The awards were as follows:

Students from Cowanesque Valley and Wyalusing Valley high schools hear about last summer's flooding in the region from Lacy Miles, a first responder and Cowanesque teacher.

News Beat Reporting, First Place: Sarah Hofius Hall for education beat reporting.

Hall has won awards for her coverage over the years, but this was her first time receiving the coveted beat reporting award for her body of work in a given year.

"The competition is fierce, and so is Sarah's commitment to bringing the most impactful education news to students, parents, educators, and all those in our coverage area," WVIA News Managing Editor Faith Golay said.

Hall, who has covered education for nearly 20 years, worked at The Times-Tribune in Scranton from 2006 until joining WVIA News last year.

Her 2024 stories, which were submitted in consideration for the award, were:

Dushore Pharmacy owner Melissa Keller reaches for a medication bottle from the shelves at the drugstore in Dushore, Sullivan County. The business, which Keller took over last year, is the rural county's only pharmacy, with the nearest competitors nearly 20 miles away. While Dushore Pharmacy has a loyal customer base, Keller acknowledges that her business faces many of the same challenges as other independent drugstores in Pennsylvania, notably from pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. 'Sometimes we'll lose $50 to $100 on a prescription,' she said.

Business or Consumer Story, Second Place: Roger DuPuis and Borys Krawczeniuk were recognized for "Script for disaster: PBM practices widely blamed as Pennsylvania 'pharmacy deserts' grow."

DuPuis looked at the growing problem of pharmacy deserts, defined as places where the nearest drugstore is at least five miles away. They can range from densely populated urban neighborhoods to rural areas such as Dushore, where he visited the only pharmacy in Sullivan County. Krawczeniuk assisted with interviewing a key industry expert for the story.

"Roger hit the road to report on this enterprise story, reaching all those affected by the shrinking availability of pharmacies for residents, especially in rural areas," Golay said. "With more pharmacies closing every day, stay tuned for more on this topic."

Susie Subia sits in what owner David Lightman calls the best seat on his boat, Promise, as it sailed the Chesapeake Bay last month. Subia, who spent much of this year fighting breast cancer, was a guest aboard the craft as part of the Sail Beyond Cancer program, which provides three-hour cruises for people battling the disease and their families. Lightman, who lives in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, has volunteered for over 20 cruises since joining the program last year.

Feature Story, Second Place: Roger DuPuis for "A seaworthy mission: Pa. doctor participates in nonprofit respite sails for cancer patients."

DuPuis and photographer Aimee Dilger traveled to the Chesapeake Bay one warm Saturday last fall to experience a respite sail for Susie Subia, a 47-year-old mother of three who underwent a double mastectomy in August as part of her treatment for breast cancer.

"This story is one of the best suggestions that came from a member event in Lewisburg," Golay said. "After being approached by David Lightman and his wife at the event, Roger wasted no time hitting the high seas to tell a beautiful story about a non-profit that hosts private respite sails for cancer patients."

The trips are provided by the group Sail Beyond Cancer USA with help from volunteers such as Lightman. The Lewisburg resident and his wife, Clayton, volunteered their 49-foot sailboat, Promise, for the excursion.

Abril De La Cruz works on a worksheet in her kindergarten class at the Hazleton Newcomer Center.

Excellence in Reporting on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Second Place: WVIA News staff, for the following stories: Newcomer Center offers support to growing Hispanic population in Hazleton; Ramadan Mubarak observed on campus; Transgender Day of Visibility; More women taking on Pa. politics; A South Wilkes-Barre spin on Dominican Republic breakfast.

Those stories represented the work of several reporters — in addition to Hall, DuPuis and Dilger, they included Kat Bolus, Lydia McFarlane and Sarah Scinto.

"Acknowledgments like this are even more impactful when they represent the team for a body of work, especially when that work embraces all the communities we serve, ultimately enhancing the overall quality of our news coverage," Golay said.