Top awards issued at Nevada Press Association meetin

Monday, Sept. 25, 2000 | 4:25 a.m.

Here's a list of top awards in the 2000 Nevada Press Association "Better Newspaper Contest," announced Saturday at the association's annual convention:

General Excellence:

First Place: Class I (daily newspapers with circulation of 15,000 or more)--Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Judges' comments: "Just an outstanding job overall--from the writing to the layout to the editorial page, etc."

First Place: Class II (daily newspapers with circulation of less than 15,000)--Daily Sparks Tribune.

Judges' comments: "Photos and editorials were the clear difference in this winner. Very good photo reproduction."

First Place: Class III (weekly newspapers with circulation of 5,000 or more)-- North Lake Tahoe Bonanza (Incline Village).

Judges' comments: "Best feature of this winner is strong and effective photography--constant throughout the paper. Crisp layout with attention paid to all the small details."

First Place: Class IV (weekly newspapers with circulation of less than 5,000)--Mason Valley News (Yerington).

Judges' comments: "Good variety of local coverage. Impressive classified (ad) section. We liked the Spanish page in the one issue--nice touch."

Second Place: Class II--Tahoe Daily Tribune; Class III--Henderson Home News.

Third Place: Class II--Lahontan Valley News (Fallon); Class III--Tahoe World (Tahoe City, Calif.).

Outstanding Journalist--Daily Newspapers: Don Cox, Reno Gazette-Journal. Judges' comments: "The 29-part series in 1999 represents the talents this reporter possesses. Outstanding work--deserving of the title and recognition."

Outstanding Journalist--Weekly Newspapers: Jeff Burbank, Las Vegas Business Press.

Judges' comments: "The collection of work here clearly demonstrates a solid job of all-around reporting and writing."

Story of the Year: Steve Bornfeld, Las Vegas Sun. "Buddy can you spare a show?" Judges' comments: "When we sat down to look for the best story, a feature story wasn't what we expected to pick. However, the writing in this piece put it above the rest. The great writing made me read it to the end. The story's conversational and detailed approach immediately draws the reader in."

Photo of the Year: Debra Reid, Daily Sparks Tribune. "Sparks fountain." Judges' comments: "Perfect exposure for tricky situation. The most unique shot we saw. Captivating. Good color reproduction."

Editorial of the Year: Bruce Bledsoe, Reno Gazette-Journal. "Private briefings affront to public." Judges' comments: "Well-written editorial that clearly states the problem. Makes a strong case for severity of the problem and succinctly offers a solution."

Ad of the Year: Leesa Park and Tamra Sheline, The (Gardnerville) Record-Courier. "Lakeview Mortgage" ad. Judges' comments: "Large photo really draws you into this ad...Clean, precise and to the point."

Journalist of Merit

Class I: Stacy J. Willis, Las Vegas Sun. Judges' comments: "Stacy Willis is an excellent reporter and writer. Religion seems to be her No. 1 beat, but she had some other terrific stories..."

Class III: Andrew Becker, Tahoe World. Judges' comments: "We liked Andrew's range of stories. Adept at ...reporting on variety of subjects. A busy guy with great talent."