Sailors fighting for their lives, Qs about GM CEO Mary Barra, and court case among award-winning stories

Categories: autos, breaking news, watchdog/investigative, general news/enterprise

Every year on Memorial Day, I honor my father’s military service by celebrating freedom of the press. And this year includes something a little extra special.

Robert Wall would start my days with a call from Algonac, Michigan, to wish me a good morning and ask whether I was reporting or writing that day. The U.S. Army veteran quietly worried about the future and changing attitudes toward reporters.

Earlier this month, I was grateful to see my work recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, which awarded journalists in radio, TV, print and digital media statewide. I took home honors for autos reporting, breaking news, investigative reporting/watchdog and general news/enterprise in 2025.

As an independent journalist competing in tough categories that included teams of reporters from large news organizations, I feel proud and humbled. My automotive coverage was honored in two categories and included stories about Ford, General Motors, Rivian and Tesla.

My award-winning work from Substack focused on stories about key auto execs and cross-border ties, a sinking sailboat and sailors fighting to stay alive, fallout from a criminal child sex assault trial involving an accomplished sailor and D.C. policies triggering rapid responses on land and water.

Phoebe Wall Howard and Marty Fischhoff, president of the Society of Professional Journalists Detroit on Wednesday, May 20, 2026.

My Shifting Gears site has attracted nearly 700,000 page views from 49 states and 41 countries. Legacy media outlets have linked to my stories. During a trip to St. John, the smallest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, I met a family on the beach that recognized my byline from sailing coverage. It was astonishing.

Thank you for supporting original journalism during a time of AI.

Below are the categories and links to stories that earned recognition for 2025:

Autos reporting

• Can Mary Barra helm GM while juggling board gig at embattled Disney?

• He left Jeep for Rivian. Here’s why and what’s next.

• In Detroit, it’s Detroit and Ontario vs. the World

GM CEO Mary Barra

Breaking News reporting (sailing)

• Red Herring sinks in Lake Michigan while moving boat to Chicago for race to Mackinac

• Sailors fight for 90 mins to stay alive after boat sinks in Lake Michigan: ‘You feel very alone’

Red Herring

General News/Enterprise (autos, sailing)

• Tesla owners selling at a loss to cut ties with Elon Musk

• How Ford tariff team whipped together consumer campaign in 72 hours

• Canadian sailors redesign race course, avoid U.S. waters for ‘safety and security’

Watchdog/Investigative (crime, courts)

• Accomplished Mackinac sailor expelled by Bayview Yacht Club after sexual assault conviction.

• Mother of 3yo assault victim speaks on conviction of sailor from Grosse Pointe.

• Judge sentences sailor Bob Declercq to 25 years minimum: You’ve shown no remorse.

• When a child is a key witness: Experts explain how sex assault cases unfold

• Sailor Robert Declercq, imprisoned in Jackson, no longer facing second criminal trial.

Shoutout to the winners in my categories: Breana Noble at The Detroit News on Chinese auto competition; Paula Gardner at Bridge Michigan on Sandisk data storage; Aaron Mondry, Cydni Elledge and Matt Daniels at Outlier Media Corp. on Detroit’s Crypto landlord; Rose White and Gus Burns at MLive Media Group on immigration detention in Michigan.

More:

• All Shifting Gears stories here.

• Sailing/sailor stories here.

• U.S./Canada stores about sailing, border issues and cars here.

To those who may be inspired: Buy Me a Coffee

Robert Wall works the foredeck at age 90 during a race on Lake Huron on his Tartan 34C Chippewa in 2019. He died in 2021 at age 92. (Photo: Patti Samar)

I’m honored to be part of The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative that includes journalists, novelists, songwriters and poets.