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Times newsroom wins 3 press awards
Extensive reporting of last June's tornado, a photo conveying residents' feelings about rising gas prices and an observation from last November's elections all comprised Times entries that received individual accolades last weekend at the New York Press Association's annual spring conference.
The Cheektowaga Times won second place in the Spot News Coverage category and earned third place awards in the Editorial Cartoon and Feature Photos categories at the conference, held in Saratoga Springs.
The contest, judged by the New Jersey and Oklahoma press associations, celebrated the best work of 2006 from newspapers across the Empire State.
Times Newsroom Director John J. Hopkins earned second place in the Spot News Coverage category for his story of the June 30 tornado that bounced through Cheektowaga.
A secondary headline that quoted a witness's recollection of the twister that read, "It was Kaboom! And there was glass everywhere," was a hit with the judges.
"The pictures draw the reader to the page one story," the judges said. " 'Kaboom!'- Clever lead."
Hopkins and the Times also won second place in the same category last year for his report of a Cleveland Hill fire chief pulling a woman from the wreckage of a burning car.
Dale Neseman's November 2006 editorial cartoon depicting a mouse, serving as the voice of the people, scaring the GOP elephant into the comforting arms of the Democratic donkey was called "very satisfying."
Judges said that the cartoon was excellent imagery.
"All the while, Dems reap the benefits," the judges said. "Simple, straightforward, leaves something to the imagination."
Neseman's editorial cartoons appear once per month in the Cheektowaga Times. His work first appeared in the Times in 2003.
Two photos taken by Hopkins of a Harlem Road gas station won third place in the feature photos category.
When the price for a gallon of gasoline soared above $3, the operators of Edward's Service Station offered a sarcastic opinion on their gas price display.
Following the price for regular unleaded gas, the cost for the two higher octane fuels were posted as "Arm," and "Leg," respectively. The photos on the front page of the August 10, 2006 edition of the Times were titled "Gas pains."
"The photos really display the readers' sentiment about high fuel prices," judges said.
Since joining the Times in February 2001, Hopkins has won five NYPA awards for his writing and photography.
This is the second straight year that a Times reporter has won an award for feature photography. Reporter Steve Dlugosz last year won a first place award for a photo of a Cheektowaga Central staff member floating in a dunk tank after he had been "dunked."
The photo showed the man looking straight ahead with his arms spread out and T-shirt rising toward the top of the tank.
The 2006 Better Newspaper Contest featured 227 participating newspapers submitting 4,084 entries.
The New York Press Association, of which the Times is a member, was founded in 1854 and offers services to hundreds of weekly newspapers.
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