ANR earns World-Herald, newspaper contest honors

The Aurora News-Register received the Omaha World-Herald’s Service to Community and Service to Agriculture awards Saturday and later earned distinction as a top newspaper in its circulation class at the Nebraska Press Association convention in Lincoln.
In the World-Herald competitions, the News-Register was cited for its special workforce recognition and Veteran’s Day editions as well as its community photo contest. In the agriculture division, judges commended ANR staff for its weekly Ag Life section, a series on supply chain economics related to agriculture, as well as ag-based coverage that landed on the business page featuring stories on the Grain Weevil and Aurora Cooperative.
At that same awards luncheon, former news editor Cheyenne Rowe was named Outstanding Nebraska Young Journalist, receiving a placque along with a check for $500. ANR intern Emma Bullerman was also honored as one of four recipients of a $2,000 NPA Foundation scholarship.
In the Better Newspaper Contest, the News-Register placed second in the division of the largest circulation weeklies, behind the Orchard Antelope County News.
First place awards: Reader interaction/contest (the ANR annual photo contest); sports feature photo by Richard Rhoden; sports page layout by Richard Rhoden; editorial writing by Kurt Johnson; single feature story by Jacob Courtney; specialty/lifestyle sections by Kurt Johnson and Cheyenne Rowe; youth coverage by staff; headline writing.
Second place awards: Sports game coverage by Richard Rhoden; sports column by Richard Rhoden; classified pages by Paula Johnson.
Third place awards: General excellence for overall presentation by the entire staff; special section (sports preview editions) by Richard Rhoden; personal column by Cheyenne Rowe; breaking news story by Cheyenne Rowe; breaking news photo by Jacob Courtney; editorial page layout by Kurt Johnson.
The staff at the News-Register includes co-owners Kurt and Paula Johnson; Marc Russell, press supervisor; Gabi Brosman, advertising manager; Karla Senff, graphic design supervisor; Jill Bartling, graphic designer; Dave Adams, pressman and vinyl sign builder/installer; Richard Rhoden, sports editor; Jacob Courtney, reporter; Sonja Schaffert, inserter.