“Poetic... I love the tongue twister,” a judge commented on her headline “Bobcats bruise Brahmas in brawling barn-burner.”
Her second head “Poodles for pits,” also garnished praise.
“Refugio County had my favorite and number three headline of all the entries. A lot of great/good entries,” a judge wrote.
Her award-winning community service pieces dealt with the problem of pit bulls in the community.
Her writing, coupled with the letters to the editor, caught the judge’s attention, earning her the Farris Block Community Service Award.
A second place award was given for her special section on graduating seniors.
“Some good people stories,” a judge wrote.
Andy Pate Jr., writer of Pipelines by Putt, won second place for his editorial column.
A judge wrote, “It’s tough to write on for-profit business and keep objectivity. I think Mr. Pate handled it well by acknowledging he has eaten at both places and he has made a ruling based on his opinion and others.”
The column, titled “Moya’s: a reputation worth keep and promoting,” highlighted Refugio’s own Moya’s Cafe.
“Moya’s Cafe reigns in Refugio,” Pate wrote in his column. “And in my opinion, it always will.”
The newspaper also won a third place certificate in the serious columns category.
“Excellent column on significance of historical sites,” a judge wrote. “Comparison to Europe is great way to compare and show readers the importance of preserving history.”
“Excellent detailing of personal loss,” a judge wrote after reviewing her second entry. “Very touching recount given while giving credit to the community. Good writing style to bring the reader into the story.”
In the feature writing category, Kenda Nelson won second for her two stories – “Farewell, Fancy Nancy” and “Roberts’ jail ministry brings peace and hope to female inmates.”
“Beautifully told story,” a judge wrote in reference to the first. “I could picture her office and all of the things in her treasure chest.”
“This is a great story,” a judge wrote in reference to the second story. “The flow was great, and the impact was excellent. I feel like I know Ms. Roberts, and I enjoyed your pieces. You are a talented writer.”
Nelson’s news writing earned the same award.
“Solid reporting,” a judge wrote.
“Another nice job by this reporter turning what could have been a routine story into something interesting, different and relevant to readers,” another said.
The two stories were titled, “Waiting for justice” and “103-year-old bridge scrapped.”
Nelson also won an honorable mention in the feature photo category for shots taken during Memorial Day services and at Roberts’ jail ministry.
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