News-Journal reporter Andrew Lyons
took home a top award Friday from the state's newspaper
editors.
Lyons' first-place honor for feature writing was
among nine awards presented to News-Journal editorial
staff members by the Florida Society of Newspaper
Editors during a luncheon at the group's annual
conference in Ponte Vedra.
His story about Jimmy Carpenter, a young man fighting
to recover from a month-long coma after a drunk driver
struck his car in New Smyrna Beach just hours before the
Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, was published last
September. The story captured a family's grief and a
young man's pain as they struggled to overcome personal
tragedy that coincided with national tragedy.
Among other staff members recognized for journalistic
excellence were Kelly Markowitz and Connie Hester-Moore,
who teamed up to finish second place in news page design
for their "Vanishing Wings" spread on butterflies. Also
placing second were The News-Journal's design staff for
excellence in front page design and Thomas S. Brown for
business writing.
A series by investigative reporter Ron Hurtibise and
reporter Audrey Parente on the consequences of Florida's
"Tough Love" approach in the juvenile justice system
took second place in investigative reporting. Columnist
Mark Lane got a second-place award for his "Footnote"
columns.
Environment writers Dinah Voyles Pulver and Ivona
Lerman shared a third-place prize for explanatory
reporting for a piece on toxic puffer fish. Pulver won a
first-place award last year in the same category for her
story on Florida's dependence on a dwindling water
supply.
Courts reporter Henry Frederick's look into a lawsuit
surrounding NASCAR's alleged monopoly earned him a
third-place award for sports reporting. Also placing
third -- in special section design -- was the
newspaper's design staff. Markowitz and George Hanns
designed the winning entry, which was titled "NASCAR
101."
Columnist Pamela Hasterok took home an honorable
mention for her "Vantage Point" columns.
The News-Journal was judged against other Florida
newspapers with circulation between 40,000 and 125,000.
Judges were newspaper experts from outside the state.
ryan.fox@news-jrnl.com
