Hazel Borden, Front L to R: Pam Stevens, Shane Kantzer and Desiree Cahoon.

The staff at the Lake Stevens Journal made a trip down to Olympia, not just to enjoy the beautiful fall colors surrounding the State Capitol but also to find out what is new and exciting in the world of community newspapers.

Publisher Desiree Cahoon along with Editor Pam Stevens, Production Manager Shane Kantzer and Sales Rep Hazel Borden spent the weekend at the annual Washington Newspaper Publisher’s Association (WNPA) convention learning new things and celebrating awards that were given in recognition of work well done.

The Journal earned a First Place Award in the Tourism/Community Guide for their annual Welcome Guide.

“This is a good-looking product,” the judges said. “The content is very well organized, I think the use of modular ad sizes probably went a long way in giving the section an easy to read feel.”

Shane Kantzer was also recognized for his outstanding ad designs, taking home two second place awards, one for our Restaurant Guide and one for Best Special Promotion Ad.

Editor Pam Stevens also took home a second place award for Best Editorial, “Gun owner proves ignorance is deadly”.

“A gut wrenching example of how ‘you can’t fix stupid’,” the judges said. “This is not another case for control but it is one for ‘people’ control”.