Bob Hanna welcomes Tina Leonard to the weekly Rotary Club of Lake Placid meeting Thursday, May 24, 2018 at The Courtyard by Marriott. This was the first time she’d taken her new eSight electronic glasses to a Rotary meeting since receiving them in the mail earlier that week. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

SARANAC LAKE – Together, the Adirondack Daily Enterprise and Lake Placid News won 11 awards in the 2018 New York Press Association Better Newspaper Contest.

The awards were announced over the course of the NYPA’s annual Spring Conference and Trade Show Friday and Saturday at the Hilton in downtown Albany.

Attending the conference were Publisher Cathy Moore, Production Manager Steve Bradley, Enterprise Managing Editor Peter Crowley and News Editor Andy Flynn.

Crowley said he was most proud of winning third place in the general excellence category for the Enterprise.

“That’s the whole newspaper, and that means a great deal to me. It means that we’re giving our readers a solid overall newspaper.”

Below are the awards with judges’ comments.

—

Lake Placid News

– First place, Best News or Feature Series, Andy Flynn, for a three-part series on Tina Leonard, a legally blind woman from Lake Placid who had received eSight glasses as a result of a crowdfunding campaign. “The topic of the story was unique. I don’t think eSight is something that gets much recognition whether it’s locally or nationally. The stories flowed very well and it gave the history of Tina without spending too much time on the past. The choice of quotes in the stories, especially from Tina, were great and meaningful. The explanation of eSight was easy to understand and not overwhelming.”

– Honorable mention, “Rookie” Reporter of the Year, Griffin Kelly. “This writer handles hard news well and is a true story teller. I loved his lede in the story about the guitar maker and the rest of his story did not disappoint. I will remember this young man’s name.”

– Honorable mention, Coverage of the Environment, Andy Flynn, Griffin Kelly and Justin Levine for the “Top 5 Environmental Threats to the Adirondack Park” the five-part series. “This is a strong series exploring the environmental problems in the park as people see them. Surveying people to get their thoughts on the issues and ranking them is a smart way to cover what is important to your area’s residents. Each issue was then fully fleshed out and explored. Nice job.”

– Honorable mention, Feature Story, Andy Flynn, for a story about the mystery surrounding a U.S. Army private’s name that was left off the World War I memorial in Lake Placid. “Kudos for the effort in researching this story and keeping alive the memory of Paul Girard, believed to be the community’s ninth – but forgotten – World War I casualty.”

—

Enterprise

– First place, Sports Feature, Peter Crowley, for a story about a 30-year-old extreme runner’s death during the Whiteface Sky Race in Wilmington. “The headline and subhead captured the story about the runner’s life. I loved reading the great quotes provided by Nick’s girlfriend Danielle throughout the story. I especially loved the quote, ‘They were thick as thieves’ about how Nick and his sister Kym loved running together.” The headline was “‘The way he died is the definition of his life’ – Sky Racer’s sister, girlfriend say they understand why he ran himself to death.”

– Second place, Feature Photo, Aaron Cerbone, for a photo of Democratic congressional candidate Don Boyajian skiing off a ramp at the Gore Mountain Ski Center in North Creek. “This stunning photo tells a lot about the candidate and draws people into reading about the skier.”

– Third place, Past Presidents’ Award for general excellence. “In a very close vote, the Adirondack Daily Enterprise finished third among the many entries in this division. Judges scored the photos as good and the reporting above average. It takes a lot of work to put out a very good newspaper and the Daily Enterprise is a very good one. Like the format and the breadth of new coverage.”

– Third place, Special Sections/Niche Publications – Newsprint, Susan Moore, for Arts in the Park. “Coverage in this special section was well-put together, and the community calendar is a great addition. Use of high-quality photos is good.”

– Third place, Best Online Dynamic Ad, Steve Bradley. “‘Point of View’ open house ad draws your interest and makes you want to investigate it more.”

– Honorable mention, Thomas G. Butson Award for Investigative/in-depth reporting, Aaron Cerbone, for a new look at the murder case of Jeannine Glanda in Lake Placid. “Well researched. The quotes are great and the details make you want to know more.”

Staff Writer Griffin Kelly won honorable mention for the 2018 New York Press Association’s “Rookie of the Year” award for the Lake Placid News. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

– Honorable mention, Best Large Space Ad, Lindsay Munn.