The Highlander wins three TPA awards
The Highlander has won three awards in the 2017 Texas Press Association Better Newspaper Contest.
The awards were announced during the awards brunch at the Texas Press Leadership Retreat held this year at the Inn of the Mountain Gods in Ruidoso, New Mexico.
The newspaper won second place in Community Service in Division 4, Semiweeklies, for its coverage and support of a possible bridge crossing at Wirtz Dam and its inclusion in the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) transportation plan for Burnet County. The Highlander ran numerous articles on the proposal, columns in support of a bridge crossing and stories about open houses held in the area regarding the transportation plan.
Judges from the Louisiana Press Association, who graded the contest, praised The Highlander's entry.
“Good job identifying a critical project for the community and driving awareness and participation in the process through a variety of means,” a judge wrote.
“I am especially pleased with winning second place in Community Service because The Highlander has a long history of being a leader in and supporting progress in the Highland Lakes community,” said managing editor Lew K. Cohn. “We believe in the need for the additional bridge crossing to not only alleviate traffic issues that exist but also to give first responders additional avenues to respond quickly in emergencies, which benefits everyone in the community.”
Cohn and staff writer Glynis Crawford Smith earned third place in news writing for coverage of the arrests of two suspects in the 2016 murder of former Horseshoe Bay resident Naomi Chaney in New Mexico and coverage of the fatal motor vehicle accident on Texas 71 near Spicewood which killed a woman and her son last November.
“Overall, a strong category,” one judge wrote of all contestants. “I actually wound up judging twice ... the second in an effort to place the top four stories. There could have easily been three or four honorable mentions in this category.”
“The Texas Press Association does so much to promote excellence in newspapers in the state,” Smith said. “It is an honor to be recognized by them.”
The Highlander staff also won fourth place in Blue Moon Section for the publication of its first-ever Summer Fun Guide last year. This competition put The Highlander against all twice-weekly newspapers in the state, regardless of size.
“Serving the Highland Lakes is our primary concern at The Highlander,” said publisher Frank Shubert. “And it is immensely gratifying to have our staff recognized for all of the hard work and hours they put in covering such an active community. They are heart and soul of the community newspaper business!”
Jim Moser was named the 2017 recipient of the prestigious Frank W. Mayborn Award for Community Leadership by TPA. Moser is president of Moser Community Media, LLC newspaper group, with which The Highlander is affiliated. See page 7A for more information on Moser's community service award.
A total of 143 newspapers submitted 1,410 entries in the contest.
