LINCOLN — Osmond Republican Editor Regina Lorenz was honored Saturday, April 27, for feature stories she wrote about Osmond’s veterans. Lorenz received a second-place award for a Division A feature series in the 2024 Better Newspaper Competition.
The award presentation was part of the 151st annual Nebraska PressAssociation Convention at the Cornhusker Marriot Hotel.
The series on Osmond’s veterans pays tribute to each of the many military veterans that have lived in Osmond. It began with Civil War and Spanish-American War veterans and continued with Osmond’s Honored 15 who died in service.
The series continues now with those who served during World War I, World War II, and other conflicts. Each article contains details about the veteran’s life, where or when they served, and a photo if available.
The Osmond Republican editor commented, “Researching these servicemen is something I enjoy doing. I will continue to write these columns as a tribute to them so that they are not forgotten. I want them to be remembered not just as a name on a headstone, but as a living breathing person who fought for his country and, in many cases, came back and served this community.”
Other Northeast Nebraska News Awards
Three other Northeast Nebraska News Company newspapers were also honored during the awards banquet.
The Wausa Gazette won a pair of awards during Saturday’s annual Nebraska Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. Mark Mahoney earned a first-place plaque for his reporting after a wind storm whipped through Wausa, severely damaging several buildings and trees and causing extensive damage to Gladstone Park. The Gazette also earned a secondplace plaque for its headline writing.
The Randolph Times earned a first- place plaque for a story by Times Editor Trisha Benton and Mahoney about the issues rural residents are having with garbage collection. Benton also earned a third-place plaque for her articles concerning a sports co-op between Randolph and Osmond.
Darin Epperly’s photos from a dance studio recital in Randolph also earned a third-place plaque.
Cedar County News was named as one of the top weekly newspapers in the state Saturday during the annual newspaper convention. The News won 21 awards to claim the sweepstakes award for its circulation category. The News competes in the second largest circulation category for weekly newspapers.
This year’s annual Better Newspaper Contest featured 2,569 separate entries judged by members of the South Carolina Press Association.
The Cedar County News also took third place in the overall sweepstakes competition, which pits all weekly newspapers — regardless of size — against each other. The Stanton Register took first-place honors in the sweepstakes competition, while the North Bend Eagle took second.
Two Cedar County News staffers also earned special recognition on the night.
News photographer Jeremy Buss was honored for taking the Feature Photo of the Year - the top feature photo published in 2023 in any sized weekly or daily newspaper in the state. The photo was taken last summer during swimming lessons at the Hartington Municipal Swimming Pool.
Cedar County News Editor Rob Dump was honored for penning the Editorial of the Year, the best editorial published in 2023 in any sized weekly or daily newspaper in the state.
Dump’s editorial was written to draw readers’ attention to National Newspaper Week. The editorial talked about the challenges all small town businesses face, and the unique challenges the newspaper industry is facing today. He also won a first place award in the Class C division for his editorial writing as a whole.
The newspaper’s editorial page earned a second-place plaque. The page features local editorials and columns by publishers Rob Dump and Peggy Year, as well as local or state editorial cartoons and a history column by Roger Tryon.
In all, the Cedar County News won 11 first-place plaques, five secondplace awards and five third-place
awards.
