Herald wins newspaper awards

The St. Peter Herald won three awards in the annual Minnesota Newspaper Association contest.
The Herald placed first in sports reporting and editorial page as a whole and second in best use of video.
Awards were presented Thursday at the association's convention in Bloomington.
St. Peter Herald competed in the weeklies 1,500-2,499 circulation category.
Judges for sports reporting said: "Very nice section. Love the player profiles (a very good idea). Writing is crisp."
Judges for editorial page as a whole said: "Page has a nice small-town, folksy mix of editorials, columns and letters. The layout is not outstanding, but it is clean and easy to read."
For the "Rabbit Road man commuted to St. Peter" during the flood video, judges said: "A great way to let readers see exactly how this guy (Andreas Hendrickson) got to work. Captured the experience in a way just photos or text would not."
St. Peter Herald Editor/Publisher Ed Lee said the community's sense of teamwork shines through in the awards.
The North Carolina Newspaper Association judged the contest.
Huckle Media, LLC is a family-owned media company that owns area newspapers, websites, shoppers and magazines in Owatonna, Waseca, Faribault, Northfield, St. Peter, Le Sueur, Le Center, Kenyon and Lonsdale, as well as a central printing plant in Northfield.
Other newspapers in the Huckle group winning awards included:
• Le Sueur News-Herald placing first in sports reporting; second in general excellence.
• Le Center Leader placing second in headline writing and honorable mention for a sports photo (sports editor Pat Beck).
• Waseca County News placing first in new journalist of the year (sports editor Jordan Osterman); second in social issues story (writer Ruth Ann Hager); honorable mention in best use of video.
• Owatonna People's Press placing first in general reporting, advertising excellence, innovative online advertising (sales representative Deb Theisen and graphic designer Kerri Pohlner), and explanation of news operations or newspaper ethics (managing editor Jeffrey Jackson column); second in new journalist of the year (writer Ashley Peterson), and design portfolio (Jason Schmucker).
• Faribault Daily News placing first in the new journalist of the year (writer Joseph Lindberg), sports reporting, use of photography as a whole, and best magazine; second in covering diversity, and best use of multimedia; and honorable mention in human interest (writer Joseph Lindberg).
• Northfield News placing first in general reporting, best use of video, special section, editorial portfolio, business story (writer Jacqueline A. Pavek), and advertising excellence; second in typography and design, sports reporting, investigative reporting (writer David Henke), columnist (sports editor Shane Kitzman), and press photographer's portfolio; (honorable mention, sports editor Shane Kitzman).
• Kenyon Leader placing first in headline writing, best use of video, and best website; second in advertising excellence, and portrait and personality photo (Terri Washburn).
“We are very happy to receive these awards,” said Steven Pope, Huckle Media chief operating officer. “The recognition reflects the skill, effort and dedication that our journalists, advertising consultants and graphic artists bring to their craft every day. We are extremely proud to have these people as part of the Huckle Media team.”