Want to Recognize Some of The Miami Herald Reporters Who Won the Sunshine State Awards. By Geniusofdespair

Thanks all of you for your excellent reporting:

The James Batten Award for Public Service and the Gene Miller Award for Investigative Reporting were awarded to Jack Dolan, Matt Haggman and Rob Barry for their series, ''Borrowers Betrayed,'' showing the state's failure to keep criminals out of the mortgage industry. Breaking News Photography, Patrick Farrell, for his photos of the destruction and deaths in Haiti caused by last year's storms. International Reporting, Jacqueline Charles, for her stories of the same storms and the human tragedy that followed.

Local Political Government Reporting, Larry Lebowitz, for his series, ''Taken for a Ride,'' highlighting widespread waste in Miami-Dade's transit tax program. (more)

Medical /Health Care/Science Reporting, Jay Weaver, for his series, ''South Florida's Medicare Racket,'' showing massive fraud among recipients of Medicare dollars.

Serious Column Writing, Fred Grimm, for his street columns on a wide range of topics, including the homeless beating trial, the Miami underpass camp for sex offenders and the impact of the Everglades land deal on Clewiston.