West Central Tribune earns 27 awards in 2022-23 MNA Better Newspaper Contest

Feb. 6—BROOKLYN PARK — The

West Central Tribune,

of Willmar, took home 27 awards in the 2022-23 MNA Better Newspaper Contest, presented Jan. 31-Feb. 2 at the Minnesota Newspaper Association's annual convention.

Competing in the Multi-Day 5,001 to 10,000 Division, the West Central Tribune won second place in General Excellence, with judges noting it earned "a strong second place in a competitive category. Excellent local package of news, sports, commentary, advertising."

The West Central Tribune also swept the Hard News — Coverage of a Court/Crime category with articles by reporters Tom Cherveny, Dale Morin and Linda Vanderwerf. Coverage included following the case of Algene Vossen, who was charged in 2020 in with the 1974 homicide death of Mae Herman in Willmar, and the vacating of Thomas Rhodes' murder conviction.

The judges' comments observed that reporters included "important details and background here that helps readers get the full picture of what went on" in the Vossen case, and provided "great insight on all the different details of the case that led to Rhodes' conviction being vacated."

The Tribune also earned first place in Local Breaking News Coverage for a full package of reporting, photos and video when a BNSF Railway train derailed in Raymond in the early hours of the morning on Thursday, March 30, 2023.

In addition, photographer Macy Moore won third place in two categories — Photography News Photo and Photography Photo Story — for her documenting of the Raymond derailment and its subsequent cleanup efforts as residents were allowed to return home from a rude awakening. Judges commented that "this essay linked the physical train accident to the emotional response."

Cherveny went 1-2 with additional first- and second-place individual awards for Human Interest Story with a pair of tribute articles to longtime conservation activist Roger Strand and Lac qui Parle County resident Betty Jane Johnson, who lived a modest life, but created a trust that distributed more than $2.2 million to 22 different organizations after her death.

Comments from the judges described Strand's life as "well-lived and full of impact. The writer did an amazing job of assessing this individual and what they brought to the community. Great lead. I knew exactly where the writer was going to go."

Judges described the Johnson feature as showing the "epitome of human interest," and "a great story of one woman's unexpected kindness and its impact on her community."

Cherveny further took home a third-place finish in Hard News for the coverage of the Xcel Energy electric generation plant in Granite Falls.

Vanderwerf retired from the newspaper business in June 2023, but not before landing a final first-place finish for Human Interest Story with a feature looking at the positive impact of a complimentary phone call home from your child's perspective, highlighting the efforts of Roosevelt Elementary School in Willmar.

The judges commented that "this story had me from the moment I read it. Great lead, photos and flow about a school that has turned an often-perceived negative experience into a positive one that encourage good deeds, large and small. Heartwarming reaction by both the kids and their parents."

Vanderwerf's coverage of the Willmar School Board throughout the year, including the public school district's struggle to find qualified teachers amid a nationwide shortage, earned a second-place finish, with judges commenting "every piece was well-written, thorough and a pleasure to read. The style and quality of writing, both creative and skillful, is perhaps what stands out most with this diverse entry. Very nice work that is deserving of recognition."

Sports reporter Joe Brown won a trio of first-place awards and took home an additional third-place finish for his sports coverage.

The first award, for Photography — Sports Photo, featured a shot of New London-Spicer junior Carter Herman competing in the Essler Invite on May 4, 2023, at New London. Judges commented that "that dirt kicked up by the jumper caught my eye — and kept me coming back to the photo."

His second first-place finish featured coverage of longtime New London-Spicer assistant football coach Chad Gustafson, who took over as the Wildcats' head coach and helped coach the team to the Class AAA championship at U.S. Bank Stadium in December 2022.

Brown further took home a first-place award in the Sports Feature Story category for his article detailing the antics of umpire Blue Lou, received high praise from judges, who "LOVED this story! What a fun read, and really unique. You don't read many stories about umpires, and this story does a great job of telling the story of Blue Lou. Good use of quotes mixed in. This one really hooked me and and I wanted to keep reading."

Brown's feature on Willmar wrestler Carson Eichhorst, who participates in three sports while maintaining a 4.0 GPA, placed third in the Sports Feature Story category.

Not to be forgotten, features and county reporter Shelby Lindrud took home five individual awards, including three second-place and two third-place finishes.

Lindrud won second place in the following categories: Human Interest Story — Personality Feature/Profile with a story on Denny Baker's 50 years of service on the Kandiyohi County Fair Board, a position from which he retired last year; Business Story, with an article detailing the Lower Sioux Community's efforts to create hempcrete housing with locally grown and manufactured hemp; and Best Magazine Article, with her feature on high school entrepreneur Hunter Dahline and his poultry-hatching small business, on which judges commented, "love stories that show young adults are finding their passion and turning it into something positive. Article is well-written and engaging to read."

Lindrud took home an additional two third-place finishes in the Business Profile category with a feature on Kandi Acres owner Tiffany Farrier and her efforts to produce halal-certified meat goats near Hawick, and in the Arts and Entertainment Story category with a feature on the Willmar Area Symphonic Orchestra's 65th season.

The West Central Tribune also earned second place overall in its division for General Reporting, Sports Reporting, Use of Photography as a Whole, and Headline Writing, and took home third place for Magazine Use of Photography as a Whole. It also won second place in the Special Section category for its Winter Home Improvement magazine.