The Laker/Lutz News received seven awards in the Florida Press Association’s Weekly Newspaper contest for work completed in 2017.
The competition included a total of 1,439 entries from 64 newspapers. Judges for the contest were editors and publishers from Arizona, California, Colorado, Ohio, Missouri, Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York. The awards were announced on Aug. 10 in Orlando.
The Laker/Lutz News took home three first place awards, two second place awards and two third place awards. It competed among newspapers with circulations exceeding 13,000 — the largest circulation class in the contest.
“The awards we received this year from Florida Press are reflective of the good work our journalists do every week reporting on the issues in our communities,” said Publisher Diane Kortus. “This year, I am especially proud that every member of our news team was recognized, and that their work covered such a wide variety of topics.”
Staff writer Kathy Steele took first place honors in the Education Reporting category for a story she wrote about the Spring Fling Buddy Ball at Wesley Chapel High School.
Steele also took third place in the State and Local Tax Reporting category for a story she did about the use of tourist taxes to help finance the Wiregrass sports complex in Wesley Chapel.
Stefanie Burlingame, the newspaper’s graphic designer, took first place in Spot News photography for her shot of a flooded River Road in Dade City, in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.
The newspaper also captured the top two places in the category of Photo Series in One Issue.
Fred Bellet, a regular contributor, won first place in that category for a series of photos he shot to illustrate a story about The Tampa Bay Water Ski Show Team’s free performance at Tower Lake in Oldsmar.
Randy Underhill, also a regular contributor, won second place in that category for a series of photos he shot to showcase the activities of the Bay City Flyers, a radio-controlled flying club, which meets in Land O’ Lakes.
Editor B.C. Manion received second place in the Faith and Family category for her account of a Land O’ Lakes family grappling with the uncertainty of whether their son had survived Hurricane Maria. The hurricane ravaged the island of Dominica, where their son was in medical school.
Staff writer Kevin Weiss won third place in the Community History category for his story tracing the history of the Jewish community in Tampa, which dates back more than 170 years.
Published August 15, 2018
