News

Lightning wins eight awards at NCPA

Hendersonville Lightning editor Bill Moss and columnist Bill Humleker pose with awards at the NCPA’s Winter Institute last week.

By Bill Moss, Published: March 1, 2018

RALEIGH — The Hendersonville Lightning received eight awards during the North Carolina Press Association’s annual Winter Institute, including recognition for its coverage of the murder of Thomas Bryson, the fight over Hendersonville High School, news obits of prominent community figures and editorials.

Here are the awards, with judge’s comments (when available):
• Lighter Columns, 1st place, Bill Humleker, for columns on the trapping of a flying squirrel in his house, the vocabularies of his 2- and 4-year-old grandsons, and the trials and tribulations of helping family members move. (No judge’s comments.)
• Beat News Reporting, 1st place, Bill Moss, for news obits of retired Brig. Gen. Frank Blazey, Green River farmer Theron Maybin and community activist, education supporter and philanthropist Dot Marlow. (“Touching tribute to the VIPs in your community. Wonderful details about the person and — no pun intended — these details brought the person to life for the reader.”)
• News Enterprise Reporting, 1st place, for a story and timeline that reported new information on the murder of Thomas A. “Tommy” Bryson and manhunt that ended with the capture of Phillip Michael Stroupe II, who is charged with Bryson’s murder. (“Writer paid attention to detail.”)
• Profile Feature, 1st place, Moss, for “The Last Kraus,” a profile of the family of Kathleen and Ken Kraus and their 10 children, all of whom graduated from HHS (including Meredith, who graduated in 2017). (“This story is so much more than the story of 10 children who all graduated from the same high school. It’s a history lesson and an honest insightful look into the struggles and blessings of raising a large family. The writer obviously spent a great deal of time with the Kraus family and it paid off.”)
• Editorials, 2nd place, Moss, for editorials advising against a rollback of the county tax rate, on ways to improve Henderson County’s Walk of Fame nominations and selection, and on the questions surrounding Sheriff Charlie McDonald’s proposed $20 million shooting range and training center (‘Ready, fire, aim’ on sheriff’s facility’) (“Well-written pieces.”)
• Special Section, 2nd place, news designer Jan Chapin, reporter Natasha Townsend, advertising director Melanie Matteson, marketing consultant Ruth Birge, editor Moss, for Season of Giving, Apple Festival, Voter Guide special sections.
• Education Reporting, 3rd place, Moss, for 11 stories about the political battle over the construction of a new Hendersonville High School. (“Solid reporting on what was clearly a contentious local issue. Nice job keeping the public informed about the ongoing saga of school construction.”)
• Profile Feature, 3rd place, Moss, for a story on Frank Spehr, a Vietnam veteran who flew on an HonorAir flight with other combat veterans. (“This piece stood out in a category crowded with veteran profiles. The writer provides tremendous insight into the mind of a Vietnam veteran still struggling to come to terms with his past.”)
“We’re always honored when we win awards,” said Moss, who is editor and publisher. “What’s most validating is what we won for. As with the Duke Power transmission line, the partnership that produced the health sciences building, Alpine Woods, and HHS, for a second time, the Lightning leads the coverage in breadth and depth and often we get recognized for it. The bigger the story, the better we are. That’s why we made the Lightning.”