YAKIMA – The Marysville Globe-The Arlington Times won 10 awards at the 131st annual Washington Newspapers Publishers Association convention over the weekend – including best website for any weekly paper in state.
“That was my favorite because it included all four circulation categories, and our entire team contributed,” managing editor Steve Powell said today.
Judges said of the website, “Solid local news site with good mix of fresh hard news, local features and useful information.”
Powell said the team works hard on the website.
“Even through we are a weekly, we treat the website like a daily, trying to put new news there every day,” he said. “As an added bonus we put many photo slide shows online that don’t get in the paper because there isn’t as much space. I know our readers – especially our prep athletes – appreciate that.”
Powell also won two first-place awards, and reporter Doug Buell also won one.
Powell finished on top in “Breaking News Story” with his article on the new Civic Campus coming to Marysville. Judges said, “Broke news, map/graphic was nice to show details of the plan. Reporting comprehensive.”
Powell also won for “Long General Feature Story” for his article and sidebars detailing the local “Suicide Watch,” led by chaplain Greg Kanehen of the Marysville Crisis Support Team.
Buell’s winning effort for The Arlington Times came in “Social Issue Story” with his “Power Against Parkinson’s” story with Bret Summers, owner of Summers Boxing Club in Arlington, helping folks literally fight back against the disease. The judges punned, “Don’t all of wish we could give debilitating diseases the 1-2 punch. Dementia, including Parkinson’s, is an epidemic. The story is a winner.”
Powell also received two second-place awards and three third-place honors.
Also, Buell and Powell combined on a number of stories last year about “Helping the Homeless.” That series of articles placed third in Comprehensive Coverage, multiple writers. Judges said: “The reporters put in the legwork to be on the scene during some key moments for these stories. And the coverage includes nuances of homelessness: That it’s not just about drugs and mental illness, nor does everyone respond the same way to offers of help.”
Runner-up awards came for: Sports Personality Profile for “Losing Site,” with youth league football coach Ren Leach of Arlington; and the Editorial “We dote on Doty” about former Maryfest president Darren Doty’s hard work, but the need for him to step down. “Very well done on a sensitive topic,” said the judges, who are newspaper editors in Wisconsin.
Third places went for: Business Feature “Banking to Baking”, about Erin Reynolds’ career change; Education Story “Teach Kids Good Choices,” about Kim Reynolds teaching Spanish-speaking mothers. “Nice job breaking down barriers,” judges said; and Long Personality Profile, Vet Remembrance about two Arlington vets. “Both of these vets spoke their minds about some hot-button topics, and your didn’t censor them,” judges said.
