“News coverage is well-balanced,” judges said. “News writing is good, concise and creative when it needs to be. Presentation is good. Photos enhance the stories. Feature photos add to overall presentation of local news coverage.”
The award was one of five Georgia Press awards, including two first-place awards, received by The Catoosa County News staff this year.
The awards, which recognized Georgia newspapers’ outstanding achievement during 2001, were announced June 28 during the annual GPA meeting at Jekyll Island.
In 2001, an editorial staff re-organization placed Stan Guess as editor of The Catoosa County News, Catherine Edgemon as editor of the Fort Oglethorpe Press, Misty Martin-Chastain as sports editor, Randall Franks and Chris Zelk as staff writers, and Don Stilwell as publisher of The Catoosa County News and Fort Oglethorpe Press, both News Publishing Co. newspapers.
The relatively new staff garnered the first-place win competing with 60 other weekly newspapers in the state.
“Local news coverage is the heart and soul of any community newspaper,” Stilwell said. “We have an excellent staff. As our staff — and all of Catoosa County — continues to grow, local reporting will also grow so that we can keep our readers even better informed.”
Articles by Chris Zelk and Randall Franks garnered a third-place win for business coverage, the first award earned in this category in 10 years.
“Good breadth of coverage and clear writing make CCN business reports vital to readers,” judges said.
In her first year as sports editor, Misty Martin-Chastain placed second in sports writing.
“Nice feature stories, very interesting and readable,” judges said. “Handles ‘transfers’ story well. Touching story on Cody Heard.”
Staff photographer MiChelle Maynard, also in her first year, received second place in the news photograph category with her photo “Back to Bethlehem” shot during Briarwood Baptist Church’s Walk through Bethlehem.
“This photo looks like a Christmas card,” judges said. “Beautiful light and quiet moment.”
Randall Franks received first place among 49 entries in the feature photo category for a mirror image he snapped of the White Oak Mountain Boys, a bluegrass band, during Grand Opening festivities at The Colonnade.
”Way above all the rest in this category!” judges said. “Nice composition with lots of depth and layering.”
The Catoosa County News, which has been serving Catoosa County continuously since 1949, is one of five News Publishing Co. newspapers that earned a total of 36 awards from the Georgia Press Association this year. The five awards given to The Catoosa County News this year add to 21 GPA awards presented to the newspaper since 1991.
News Publishing Co. is headquartered in Rome, Ga
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