Chronicle judged best newspaper in Wyoming

The Lovell Chronicle has been judged the top newspaper in Wyoming.

As announced at the 126th annual winter convention held at Little America in Cheyenne, the Chronicle was judged the top paper in the medium weekly division, Division B, based on circulation (1,400 to 3,000). Sister paper the Greybull Standard was judged the top newspaper in Division C (under 1,400 in circulation).

This was the Chronicle’s fifth general excellence award in recent years, receiving the honor in the small weekly category in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2018. The paper received the Hanway Plaque for Division B under a new breakdown of circulation numbers.

Judges wrote of the Chronicle: “Clean layout and design, good variety of news, features, sports and photos. Consistent placement of newspaper attributes. Photos and graphics tied in well.”

The Lander Journal was judged second for general excellence in Division, and the Uinta County Herald of Evanston received honorable mention recognition.

The Chronicle also received second place honors for the Sweepstakes Award based on the number of individual Pacemakers awarded to staff members.

Chronicle and Standard publisher David Peck said he was honored to see Big Horn County newspapers judged the best in two of the three circulation divisions.

“This reflects the hard work our crew puts in week after week and the attention to detail and care with which our people produce the paper,” Peck said. “We have had many staffing issues in Lovell this year, but our team simply bears down and produces the best paper they can. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate the efforts of all of our team. For us, it is truly a labor of love – love of this paper and the community we serve.

“This award is also a reflection of our community. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: This is your newspaper, and we truly appreciate everything our readers do to help make us successful.”

Pacemakers

Chronicle staff members were honored with 15 individual Pacemaker Awards at the convention in various categories.

Reporter Patti Carpenter received a Pacemaker in the Spot News Story category for her stories about the incident in which fireworks ignited in a car just west of Cowley on the Fourth of July, seriously burning four young men.

Wrote judges: “Comprehensive reporting on a tragic event. Tastefully reported, yet didn’t sugarcoat the seriousness of the incident. The angle taken that provided readers with an understanding of what happened and how it was handled was done very well.”

Carpenter also received a third place (honorable mention) Pacemaker in the News Feature category for her story about a benefit planned for a Cowley boy with cerebral palsy. Judges wrote, “A remarkable story that takes the readers on quite a ride along on this young boy’s life. You brought out the joy that is his life, along with the challenges. Very moving. Thank you.”

Editor/publisher Peck received a first-place Pacemaker in the Sports Column category for columns he wrote about State Wrestling, Caitlin Clark and pressure on teams and coaches.

“A trio of pieces that at times pack an emotional punch while also celebrating what’s great about sports,” judges wrote. “Great columns that are well-written and make their point clearly and concisely while entertaining the reader.”

Peck received a second-place ribbon for general column writing for columns he wrote about fans cheering against their team or people rooting against their own country, about “Ghosting” by people in modern day electronic communication and about the arrival of granddaughter Esme and sibling rivalry.

Judges wrote: “Topics are varied, which your readers should enjoy. I once interviewed a young man for a job and at the end of our talk, he said to me, ‘I’ll let you know.’ He didn’t get the job either (Ghosting column)! Thanks for sharing snippets of your life with readers.”

Chronicle advertising manager Stormy Jameson received a first-place blue ribbon in the Sports Feature category for her story about Cleve Wilson competing in the 100-mile run in the Big Horn Mountains.

“This story rose above the rest because of the many insightful and inspirational quotes from its subject,” judges wrote. “Writer included good detail on the physical agony of the race itself.”

Peck received honorable mention in the same category for his feature about longtime Rocky Mountain cross country and track coach John Bernhisel being selected for the Wyoming Coaching Hall of Fame. Judges wrote, “Solid feature on award-winning career of cross country coach.”

The Chronicle staff won a second-place Pacemaker for Special Section or Supplement for the 2024 Mustang Days Edition. Wrote judges: “Nice, airy layout. Not over-crowded. Good job!”

The Chronicle received one first-place Pacemaker in photography in the Sports Action category for a wrestling photo taken by Peck of Carson Asay being gouged in the eye by a Moorcroft wrestler at the state wrestling tournament in Casper. A judge wrote, “The facial expressions on these wrestlers are what makes the photo great.”

In the area of advertising and design, Chronicle designer Karlie Hammond won a first-place Pacemaker in the Institutional Ad category for an ad for Dr. Michael Hill during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Wrote a judge, “I kept coming back to this ad. It’s simple, clean, has great design and gets the message across. It’s impactful without being color or large. That’s the sign of a good ad.”

Hammond also won a blue-ribbon Pacemaker in the Merchandise Ad category for a Hillside Floral open house ad.

“Nice lines, good use of color and surprising element with the chainsaw photo,” a judge wrote. “Really drew me in to find out what was happening at this store. Thanks!”

Hammond won a first-place Pacemaker in the Use of Color in an Ad category for a Successful Gardens Spring Madness ad. Wrote the judge, “This is an example of fantastic use of color. The spring across the top with the different designs and colors is very striking, and the rest of the ad flows well with great use of the green all the way down. Not too busy or over the top. Great ad.”

Another Successful Gardens ad received a second-place ribbon for Best Designed Ad. Wrote the judge about the “Leaping into Spring” ad: “Very effective layout and use of graphics to categorize the text. Nice job!”

Winning a third-place ribbon in the Small Ad category was a “Ladies Night Out” ad designed by Hammond. Wrote the judge: “Graphic draws the desired readers in. Crisp and clear. The 5 Ws are included!”

Hammond also received honorable mention in the House Ad category for her “Perfect Gift for Christmas” ad. A judge wrote: “Simple and effective use of clip art with nice typography for the season.”

Hammond and the staff won a third-place Pacemaker in the Open Page Design category for a sports page.