Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper
Your independent hometown award-winning newspaper
HE'S THE BIGGEST WINNER – All the readers of the La Conner Weekly News are winners because news editor Bill Reynolds is dedicated to covering the happenings of our little town. Reynolds won 11 best newspaper contest awards; two stories took first place. All together 37 awards went to 14 staff members for stories, photos, page design, headlines and columns. Great job, team!
Great staff, great results: The La Conner Weekly News won 37 WNPA best newspaper awards at the annual Better Newspaper Contest of Washington's community newspapers, a bit short of doubling last year's total of 21. More individuals, 14, won in more categories. Weekly News staff swept first, second and third place five times, including art reviews, art features and general and topical columns.
Bill Reynolds led with 11 certificates, with first place for a news and an education story. He shared the sweep for best headlines with Kurt Batdorf and Ken Stern.
Batdorf's first place headline is "Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam, SPAM" from the 2023 Tom Robbins Day. He won three page design awards, a first for an editorial page and second and third place for front pages. Rhonda Hundertmark and Stern shared the front page category awards.
New writers winning this year are Meg Holgate, first place for her art feature on Natalie Nieback; Sara Walls, second place for her review of Matika Wilbur's "Project 562" photography book; Greg Whiting, first place for his energy transition column; Adam Sowards won three times: a second place for his history feature on Northern State Hospital and third place for his art feature on the "Surge" exhibit at MoNA and his environmental story on the summer 2023 drought.
Judy Booth won first and second place for her stories on the closing of the La Conner Drug Store, Anne Basye took second place for her art feature on the Shelter Bay Chorus holiday concert. Mel Damski won first for his monthly column. Nancy Crowell won first place for a news photograph.
Pat Paul won second place for her recipe column. Don Coyote took second place for his photo essay memorializing Brodie, his dog.
Stern's 11 awards include first place for an editorial ("Free speech in Shelter Bay") and his review of "The Tempest."
The contest time period was for newspapers published from April 2022 through March 2023. Awards are presented in four groups. The Weekly News is in group 1, circulation under 2,000. Judging was by members of the Arizona Newspapers Association. Awards were announced Oct. 5.
The community can be rightfully proud of the well-crafted stories, photos and ads that are in every issue.
The Weekly News staff is rightfully recognized in its efforts to bring news to the community.
The behind-the-scenes staff of Eileen Engelstad ensure each week's publication minimizes its mistakes, while Tony Harrah and Rick Shorten distribute each edition.
The Washington Newspaper Publishers Association is a member organization of community newspaper publishers.
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