January 23, 2001

WKU Student Newspaper Wins KPA General Excellence Award

Bowling Green, Ky. - The College Heights Herald, Western Kentucky University's student newspaper, has received the General Excellence Award in the Kentucky Press Association's 2000 Fall Newspaper Contest.

Herald staff members won 11 first-place awards in the 22 categories in the KPA Associates Division.

Award winners were:

Jerry Brewer, a May graduate from Paducah, first for best sports column, best sports story, best enterprise or analytical story; and second for best headline. Brewer, Herald co-editor in the spring 2000 semester, is a sports writer at the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Jim Gaines, a December graduate from Bowling Green, first for best editorial and second for best general news story. Gaines, a reporter at the Vero Beach (Fla.) Press Journal, also shared a first for best news picture essay with Cara VanLeuven.

Shannon Back, a May graduate from Mount Sterling, first for best feature story. Back is a reporter at the Tampa (Fla.) Tribune.

H. Rick Mach, a junior from Sterling, Va., first for best use of graphics/photo illustration and best feature picture; and third for best news picture essay.

Cara VanLeuven, a May graduate from Fort Wayne, Ind., first for best news picture essay with Jim Gaines and second for best feature picture.

Jonathan Kirshner, a senior from Santa Cruz, Calif., first for best feature picture essay and third for best spot news picture.

Andrew Otto, a December graduate from Vail, Colo., first best sports picture and second for best news picture essay and best sports picture. Otto is an intern at the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch.

Jeremy Lyverse, a senior from Prospect, first for best sports picture essay, second for best spot news picture and third for best sports picture. Lyverse is an intern at the Flint (Mich.) Journal.

Travis Mayo, a May graduate from Maysville, second for best sports column and third for best enterprise or analytical story.

Mattias Karen, a senior from Uppsala, Sweden, second for best investigative story or series.

Krystal Kinnunen, a December graduate from Louisville, second for best feature picture essay. Kinnunen is an intern at Sun Publications in Chicago.

Wendi Thompson, a junior from Pensacola, Fla., second for best sports picture and honorable mention for best feature picture.

The Herald received a certificate of merit for best spot news package.

Two staff members were honored for work they produced during internships.

Rex Hall, a sophomore from Louisville, placed second in best enterprise story for a story he wrote at the Henry County Local. John Lok of Bowling Green won first for best general news picture while he was a summer intern at the Messenger-Inquirer.

In the Associates Division's General Excellence competition, the Kentucky Kernel finished second and the Murray State News was third. The General Excellence winner is based on points accumulated in the overall contest.

For more information, contact Bob Adams, Herald adviser, at (270) 745-6278 or robert.adams@wku.edu.