Award winners. Northeast News Publisher Michael Bushnell, center, and Northeast News Managing Editor Leslie Collins, right, pose with Bethany Republican-Clipper Publisher and Missouri Press Association President Phil Conger to show off their multiple awards. Northeast News won six awards in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest for 2011. Submitted photo

Northeast News
October 3, 2012 

Journalists from every corner of the Show-Me State gathered in Columbia Sept. 22 at the 146th Annual Missouri Press Convention. The three-day gathering culminated with the traditional Saturday awards luncheon where newspapers are recognized for excellence in print journalism as part of the Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest.

This year, the Northeast News garnered six awards for stories and work published during calendar year 2011. Managing Editor Leslie Collins and former Art Director Erica VanDee secured a second place in the Best Photo Package category for a photo spread accompanying our June 29th article entitled “Spiders and lizards and snakes, oh my!” Leslie Collins and Publisher Michael Bushnell also secured a second place award in the Best News or Feature Series for their articles on Go Green Recycling. Political Cartoonist Bryan Stalder secured a third place award for his Zoo Tax cartoon published in October 2011. Another third place award went to Bushnell in the Best History Story category for a risqué postcard that ran as part of the weekly Historic Postcard feature in the Northeast News.

Two Honorable Mentions were garnered by Northeast News staff, one in the Best Photo Illustration category for a historic postcard on the 1921 dedication of the Liberty Memorial and another for the 2011 Back-To-School edition in the Best Special Section category.