Free Press staffers win WNPA awards

KENNEWICK – Free Press Publishing staffers brought home several awards from the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association annual gala celebration Saturday night, Oct. 7.

Journal reporter Dale Brown received a third-place award for his coverage of the investigation in to the Adams County Elections Office alarm being tripped last year.

Brown's brother-in-law, Byrne Bennett of Reardan received a third-place award for his photography at the Haunted Train last year.

And the company's Teresa Simpson of Colfax received second place for her reporting on the train derailment near LaCrosse last year.

Both Bennett and Simpson routinely have stories published in The Journal.

Artist Brad Skiff of Bridgeport, whose work is featured on The Journal's Opinion Page, swept the political cartoon category, wining first, second and third places

And Journal owner/Publisher Roger Harnack won multiple photography awards, including first-place awards for photo essays, online photo galleries and sports action, and third-place for features.

In other awards:

• The company's Whitman County Gazette received the General Excellence Award for being the best newspaper in the state in its size category. Justin Slatyon, Olivia Harnack, Teren Kowatsch and Teresa Simpson were recognized.

• Paul Delaney won second-place for sport profile writing.

• Graphic artist John Myers won second-place in page design. Slayton followed in third-place.

• Kowatsch won first-place for sports feature photography.