UPI's Bob Lowry wins another investigative award

Via Inside Alabama Politics  Volume 27 # 12 April 24, 2012

A few months back, Bob Lowry, an investigative reporter for The Huntsville Times was offered and accepted a buyout from the newspaper and its corporate owner, Advance Publications, which also owns The Birmingham News, the Mobile Press-Register, the New Orleans Times-Picayune. In most instances buyouts are offered with these words: "Take it or you're fired."

In the opinion of many Capitol observers, Lowry was one of the best at his job and, perhaps, lost his position because he was too good at sifting out the grime that permeates much of state politics.

His reputation will be buttressed soon with a top award from the Alabama Associated Press Managing Editors Association (APME) that somehow was leaked out in advance by the news media. IAP discovered  the story in NOLA, the website of the New Orleans Times-Picayune a few days ago.

The award signifies what Lowry was best at doing . . . investigative reporting . . . and it was the First Place honor in the APME contest this year for investigative reporting.

The particular reporting for which the award was given dealt with a story Lowry broke about the controversial $13 million no-bid contract awarded by the Bob Riley Administration to a secretive outfit called Paragon Source and that contract being terminated by Gov. Robert Bentley. The story was published on May 29, 2011.

Lowry is currently employed by the Alabama Education Association.