Telegram earns honors in newspaper competition

MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation presented awards to winners of the 2012 Better Newspaper Contest at the Madison Marriott West during the group’s 159th annual convention Friday in Madison.

The 2012 Better Newspaper Contest included 3,003 total entries, including editorial entries from 126 newspapers, and advertising entries from 64 newspapers. Eligible entries were published between Sept. 1, 2011, and Aug. 31, 2012.

The Superior Telegram received six awards including three first place awards for outdoor column writing, local education reporting, and business reporting. A second place award was given for local column writing and third place honors were given for local government reporting and sports page design.

The contest was judged by members of the Missouri Newspaper Association.

Third place awards recognized Sports Editor Ken Olson for his Sept. 30, 2011, cover, and Editor Shelley Nelson for a series of stories on problems in the police department that resulted in one officer facing the Police and Fire Commission on theft charges and a police captain resigning his position after allegations of perjury that were never substantiated arose.

Photographer Jed Carlson was recognized for his columns “The third time has to be a charm, doesn’t it?; Last chance, Santa; and What’s with the beard?”

First place honors were awarded to Nelson, Staff Writer Maria Lockwood and Darrell Pendergrass, a freelance outdoor columnist published in the Superior Telegram.

Pendergrass columns entered in the contest included “Stalking turkeys just for fun; Fishing like a caveman; and What’s the fishing report?”

“Just a great moment, out on the water and facing down embarrassment in front of the family,” the judges wrote in their comments about Pendergrass’ work. “You captured it well. Good work.”

Lockwood was honored for education reporting, which included a story about a partnership between Douglas County and Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College that turned a tax delinquent house into a learning opportunity for students at WITC.

“Great stories on an interesting topic — not just your run-of-the-mill education beat reporting,” the judges stated.

Nelson earned first place for a series of stories on local economic development efforts, including a story about a homeowner who held up the Super One project for years, refusing to sell his home in the project area. Judges said the Super One story — which included a side story on the legal issues in the matter — highlighted the package that included stories about Kestrel Aircraft and Magnetation considering Superior, and Exodus Machines expanding after reaching an agreement with Caterpillar Inc.

Tags: douglas county, news, business, superior