Leader newspaper staff won 18 awards in the 2016 Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest, including three first-place awards.
Editor Peggy Bess and associate editor Gordon Bess attended the awards banquet in Springfield to receive the honors on behalf of the staff.
The Jefferson County Leader took third place in general excellence.
“A great variety of engaging stories,” judges noted in that category.
“We’re always proud to be recognized for general excellence,” Peggy Bess said. “Judges in that category look at newspapers from the front page to the back page on randomly selected dates over the course of the year to pick the winners.”
Retired editor Patrick Martin won first place in the Best Feature Story category with “End of an Era” about the retirement of Sheriff Glenn Boyer.
“Engaging, honest, humorous,” a judge wrote. “The writer did an outstanding job of reflecting the subject and bringing him to life, even for those who will never meet him. Outstanding layout also put this story over the top.”
Photographer Ted Howell won best sports photograph with a shot called “Safe at Home,” depicting a dramatic tag at the plate during a high school baseball game.
“Nice action,” a judge wrote. “Smart crop, to keep the teammates in the frame.”
Martin also won first place for best editorial pages.
“Honest. Non-critical and not offensive,” a judge wrote. “Well thought out argument with an injection of humor and humility works for me. Great job on a most interesting and convincing editorial.”
Leader staff won 14 other awards.
■ Leader cartoonist Judy Dixon won second place for best editorial cartoon for one about the city of Pevely’s fondness for spending tax money on lawsuits.
“This cartoon, especially when paired with the opinion piece, is extremely poignant,” a judge wrote. “The detail and artwork is impressive and the idea is original with a pretty clear message.”
■ Community editor Steve Taylor won second place in best news or feature special section for the November 2016 Voters Guide.
“A wealth of information that voters would find very useful,” judges wrote.
■ Martin also won second place in the Tilghman Cloud Memorial Editorial Award for a column titled, “Put the hunt back in Easter egg hunts.”
“Sharp and pointed writing makes the mundane interesting, and resonates to everyone familiar with this common shift in a popular holiday tradition,” a judge wrote. “While the
subject matter is light, the writer takes a strong position and defends it.”
■ Leader staff took second place in headline writing
■ Special sections editor Laura Marlow won second place for best story about the outdoors for a story about a local couple who renovated a camper on a shoestring budget.
“Great interview that is written well,” a judge wrote. “I left this story wanting to know more about these people.”
■ Sports editor Russell Korando and former sports editor Gordon Bess won third place for best sports pages.
■ Howell won third place for best sports feature photograph with a shot of the triumphant St. Pius X Lancers celebrating their volleyball state championship.
In addition, the Leader got seven honorable mentions:
■ Gordon Bess won honorable mention for best sports columnist and for best sports feature story for a piece about Festus athlete Ross Baumer switching from baseball to cross country.
■ Managing editor Kim Robertson won honorable mention for best investigative reporting for a story about a boundary dispute in the Fox C-6 School District.
“This entry should be commended for exploring the ‘why’ as well as the ‘what’ of this strange and interesting bit of local school news,” the judge said.
Robertson also won honorable mention for best breaking news story for a piece on the departure of Margie Sammons from the Rock Township Ambulance District.
■ Leader staff received honorable mention in best front page and best business coverage.
■ Marlow won honorable mention in best news or feature obituary for a Life Story on Crystal City councilman Charlie DeBoor.
All the Leader awards were for Class 3 weekly newspapers.
The awards were presented Sept. 30 at the 151st annual MPA convention.