Whitman County Gazette brings home best newspaper award

KENNEWICK – Readers typically like to have good news.

Well, the Whitman County Gazette has good news – literally.

On Saturday, Oct. 7, The Gazette received the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association General Excellence Award for being the best newspaper of its size in the state over the last year.

"It's a great achievement for our young staff," Gazette Owner/Publisher Roger Harnack said following the banquet. "Not only does it speak well for our news and advertising team, it means readers here are getting better coverage of local news, sports and events than their peers around the state."

General Manager Justin Slayton and reporters Teresa Simpson and Olivia Harnack received the award on behalf of the newspaper. Former sports reporter Teren Kowatsch wasn't present for the event.

"I'm really proud of both our current and former staff who helped make this possible. In a time where an almost infinite amount of information is available at your fingertips, it means a lot that the Gazette is still a choice newspaper for the locals in our community and those whom have moved away who still want to keep up with where their roots lie," said Slayton.

In addition to the overall newspaper award, Simpson received a second-place spot news reporting award for her coverage of the train derailment near Hay in May 2022 and Slayton received a third-place award for front page design, right behind his Cheney Free Press counterpart, John Myers.

Both newspapers are part of the Free Press Publishing family of newspapers serving Eastern Washington's wheat country.

In addition, Kowatsch won first-place in feature sports photography for capturing the Oakesdale celebration after the Nighthawks won the state 1B volleyball title last November – it was their sixth title in the last seven years.

And artist Brad Skiff of Bridgeport, whose political cartoons regularly publish in The Gazette, swept that category. For winning first, second and third, Skill received a broom award for sweeping the competition.

Gazette Owner/Publisher Roger Harnack, too, brought home awards, taking first place in sports action photography, online photo galleries and photo essays. He also won third-place in feature photography.

Other Free Press family members winning awards include:

• Sports reporter Paul Delaney of Cheney, second-place for sports profile writing.

• News reporter Dale Brown of Ritzville, third-place for his coverage of the investigation in to the Adams County Elections Office alarm being tripped.

• Reporter Byrne Bennett of Reardan, third-place in general news photography.