For the second consecutive year, Florida Weekly has been named the most outstanding weekly newspaper in the state, racking up 24 journalism awards at the annual Florida Press Association convention in St. Petersburg last week.

In addition to the first place award for weekly newspapers with circulation above 15,000, Florida Weekly writers, designers and editors won 12 first-place, six second place and five third-place awards.

Writer Roger Williams won the prestigious Claudia Ross Memorial Award for investigative journalism for his in-depth look at how the Fort Myers Housing Authority spends taxpayer money. He also pocketed five other writing awards.

Writer Bill Cornwell won the Gwen Stevenson Memorial Award for best news story in the state for his reporting on the BP oil disaster and how it affected Southwest Florida.

Presentation Editor Eric Raddatz won three awards, including first place for front page design.

CORNWELL
“It’s especially gratifying to be honored by your peers,” says Florida Weekly Executive Editor Jeffrey Cull. “The fact that 12 of our staffers and freelancers won awards reinforces our decision to invest in quality journalism.”

In addition to the individual awards, the editors and staff won for best special section, “The Best of,” and headline writing. Contest judges said “The Best of” was “An irreverent, entertaining must read… Could not put it down until I read every ‘Best of’.”
First Place

&brkbar; Humorous column:  Roger Williams for “Political Animals”
&brkbar; Environmental or conservation: Roger Williams for “Panther Predilections”
&brkbar; Investigative reporting (Claudia Ross Memorial Award): Roger Williams for “Sugar Sweet Stimulus”
&brkbar; Headline writing: staff
&brkbar; Special section: staff for “The Best of”
&brkbar; Front Page makeup: Eric Raddatz
&brkbar; Individual graphic:
Eric Raddatz for “We Got Lucky”
&brkbar; Feature story: Bill Cornwell for “Saltwater Cowboy”
&brkbar; News Story (Gwen Stevenson Memorial Award): Bill Cornwell for “Oil Headaches” &brkbar; Best Obituary: Evan Williams for “The lives they led”
&brkbar; Criticism: Nancy Stetson for three
theater reviews
&brkbar; Business Writing: Oswaldo Padilla
for “Has Florida’s ship come in?”

Second place

&brkbar; Individual graphic: Eric Raddatz for “It’s Tea Time”
&brkbar; Best Obituary: Nancy Stetson for “A tribute to Richard D. Westlake”
&brkbar; Religion writing: Bill Cornwell for “Being Muslim in Southwest Florida”
&brkbar; Website development: staff
&brkbar; Education: Roger Williams for “Paying up: the rising cost of college”
&brkbar; Serious Column (Sally Latham Memorial Award):
Roger Williams for “Give ’em the good old gun”

Third place

&brkbar; Outdoor writing: Betsy Clayton for three columns
&brkbar; Criticism: Phil Jason for three book reviews
&brkbar; News story: Evan Williams for “Warning — May cause addiction”
&brkbar; Health: Jeannette Showalter for “Health care for all — at what price”
&brkbar; Humorous column: Roger Williams for “The great white north”

Florida Weekly is locally owned and publishes newspapers in Greater Fort Myers, Greater Naples, Charlotte County and Palm Beach Gardens with a combined circulation of 80,000.

The Florida Press Association’s Better Weekly Newspaper Awards are open to monthly, semi-monthly, weekly, semi-weekly, and tri-weekly newspaper members. &brkbar;