L’Observateur / April 11, 2000

LAFAYETTE – L’Observateur was named Newspaper of the Year for its division for the second year in a row Saturday at the 120th annual convention of the Louisiana Press Association.

The designation is based on combined point totals from the editorial awards and the advertising awards during 1999. At the conference lastweekend, held at the Holiday Inn Holidome in Lafayette, L’Observateur received 22 awards in the editorial competition.

L’Observateur competed with newspapers published two to four times a week, including the Bossier Press-Tribune, Denham Springs-Livingston Parish News, Ville Platte Gazette, St. Charles Herald-Guide, Eunice Newsand the News Banner of Covington.

Other Newspaper of the Year winners in their categories included the Madison Journal of Tallulah, the Plaquemine Post/South, the Minden Press/Herald, the Courier of Houma, the Advertiser of Lafayette and the Times-Picayune.

The four first-place awards for L’Observateur were presented to Deborah Corrao and Leonard Gray for best news story, Michael Kiral for best overall sports coverage and for best action sports photo, and to the L’Observateur’s March 27 edition of Channels, titled “Taking Care of Business: A Woman’s Way.”Corrao and Gray’s team coverage of the Mother’s Day bus accident last May won top news story honors. Kiral was singled out for best action sportsphoto for an April 7 photo of Chris Bush of East St. John High School andfor best overall sports coverage.

Second-place awards were presented as follows: Best sports story went to Michael Kiral for a Jan. 13 story on localcoaches discussing a college football playoff concept; best action sports photo went to Tommy Williams for a Feb. 24 photo of Donriel Louis ofWest St. John High School; and best photo feature went to former staffwriter Stacey Plaisance for a Jan. 13 photo feature titled “Hands atWork.”Other second-place awards were presented for best news coverage, best family news coverage, best special section for the 1999 football section and total newspaper design.

Third-place awards were presented as follows: Best news photo went to Gray for a March 20 photo of Emily Ford in the wake of her trailer fire; best feature photo went to Williams for a Feb. 24photo of Blake Terrio at the St. Peter Spring Festival; most effective useof graphic design on a single page went to graphic artist Inez Smith for the cover of the Dec. 29 edition of Channels; and best sports feature photowent to Kiral for a May 1 photo of Rysean Brown of West St. John HighSchool.

The newspaper’s other third-place awards were for community service for the Sept. 29 edition of Channels on the fall elections, best continuingcoverage of a governmental issue on the HUD controversy in St. JohnParish public housing, best website and general excellence in editorial.

Honorable mention awards were presented as follows: Best editorial went to Sandy Seal for a May 1 editorial on the decision by the St. James Parish School Board to hire superintendent P. EdwardCancienne; most effective use of graphic design on a single page went to Sandy Seal; best action sports photo went to Kiral for a March 27 photo of Arlando Comminie of West St. John High School; and best front page.A total of 77 newspapers, publications and university student newspapers submitted 2,030 contest entries.

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