It has been another banner year for the Watonga Republican and its readers. The 132-year-old publication, started by T.B. Ferguson before statehood, brought home numerous first place awards as well as multiple other wins.
Felicia Hays was the recipient of first place for small space ads for her Ross Seed Co. advertisement.
This reporter brought home a first place in column writing, a three-peat for A Bubble off Plumb, as well as first for indepth reporting, chronicling the details of an embattled Watonga Police Officer. She also won a sweepstakes award from Oklahoma Natural Gas for column writing.
The paper won a second place finish for layout and design, a second for advertising and another second for its Breast Cancer Awareness special section.
While awards ceremonies are always fun, the convention was also filled with guest speakers like Cindy Byrd, state auditor and inspector, and Eric Meyer, publisher of the Marion County (Kansas) Record who made national headlines when his newsroom was raided by police whose questionable activities were outlined in the paper.
There was also a business meeting and training sessions on best practices in news writing, photography, webbased media and advertising.
Stay tuned to your local source for news to see more award-winning advertising, writing and special sections. It is an honor to serve you, our readers.