Investigative Reporters and Editors recently announced its 2009 award recipients. Our story about a herbicide called atrazine was a finalist. Atrazine is the second-most-widely-used herbicide in America; farmers saturate their crops with it. As our reporting shows, it may cause a significant risk to humans, animals and the environment. 

Although being a finalist isn't quite as sweet as winning, we're very proud of both of our reporters (Danielle Ivory and Lagan Sebert) who are young go-getters and were determined to help create an impact with their investigation. And they did: Sen. Barbara  Boxer seized the issue, the EPA reversed its former policy and will more closely examine the health effects of atrazine, and a few weeks ago a coalition of communities sued the company that manufactures the chemical.

Needless to say, we'll stay on top of the story. To see more of our coverage of atrazine, click here.