News-Register wins General Excellence award at inaugural NW News Contest

The News-Register won the General Excellence Award for newspapers of its size in Oregon, Washington and Idaho at the annual Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association conference, held July 18.

This was the first year ONPA opened the competition to newspapers of all sizes from all three states, creating the new Pacific Northwest News Contest.

In addition to General Excellence for its overall content, writing, photography and appearance, the News-Register won six other first-place awards, six seconds and five thirds.

Associate Editor Racheal Winter won first for Best Page 1 Design. Winter also was third in the Best Headlines category for a selection of headlines. Both categories were “open,” meaning newspapers of various sizes were competing.

Viewpoints Editor Steve Bagwell won first for Best Editorial for a piece about who should make choices for people, “Leave medical choices to us, without political interference.” Viewpoints section staff also won first for Best Editorial Page.

Kirby Neumann-Rea, who was editor in 2024 before retiring this April, won first place in the Best Feature category for his story about what happens on Third Street from 1 to 2 a.m. The piece was part of the staff’s ‘24 Hours in Yamhill County project. Neumann-Rea placed second in the Best Feature Personality division for “Clearing the Lens” about Linfield Professor Dawn Nowacki.

Reporter Starla Pointer placed first for Best Editorial Coverage for her story about the new Career-Tech Education facilities and programs at Dayton High School. Pointer also picked up a third-place award for “Positive Force,” a story about a Carlton police officer and a young woman in crisis, in the Best Feature category.

Photographer Rachel Thompson was first in the Best Photo Essay category, with photos of McMinnville’s Lunar New Year Celebration. Thompson also placed second in Best Feature Photo for a picture of the parents of the late Shanny Fugere, a Navy member who was killed in a car wreck while home on leave.

Photographer Rusty Rae was second in the photo essay contest with “Whee!”, pictures of people having fun in the snow.

Another ‘24 Hours story, Reporter Emily Bonsant’s article about 6 to 7 a.m. at the gym, picked up second place in the Best Lifestyle category. Bonsant also placed third in the Best Sports Story division, with “Opportunity of a Lifetime.”

Former sports editor Tanner Russ had the second-place Best Sports Story with “Wrestling Rising Up.”

Reporter Scott Unger also won for a ‘24 Hours story, a third-place award for a piece about a Yamhill County Sheriff’s deputy doing DUII enforcement from 11 p.m. to midnight.

Publisher Jeb Bladine placed third in Best Local Column for his venerable Whatchamacolum.

Former NR Reporter Nicole Montesano, now with the Grand Ronde Tribal newspaper, placed second in Government Coverage for “Committee slashes HHS budget.”