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county sesquicentennial," Gray continued. "These awards prove our staff ranks with any in the state and our paper holds its own with similar-sized publications across North Carolina."
Phillips' winning sports effort was selected the best of 24 entries. Titled "Dillard Dismissed," it tells of the firing of popular Blue Ridge School teacher, athletic director and coach Tom Dillard. Contest judge Rob Potter described it as an "excellent story."
"Although the superintendent would not comment, the reporter found others who would and tried to present a complete story anyway. The reporter worked hard for this story," Potter said.
The Herald sports editor also took second in that category for his story on the January 2000 retirement of coaching legend Boyce Deitz. Contest judge Potter described it as a "good, solid story."
"The story gave me a feel of who Coach Deitz was and how he improved the school and community," Potter said.
To take first among 14 entries in the sports columns category, Phillips submitted three columns from his "From the Sports Desk" series - one about the circumstances surrounding Dillard's dismissal; another about the death of Charlotte Hornets star Bobby Phills; and a one about the satisfaction of defeating your biggest rivals in football that featured Coach Deitz's memories and thoughts from his perspective as a fan, player and coach.
Phillips' columns "tell it like it is. Phillips speaks his mind and doesn't hold back no matter who he's up against," said contest judge Scott Forstner.
"Dealing with a school board is always an adventure because they usually never admit to anything," Forstner said with regard to the Dillard column.
Hotaling took third place among 30 entries for three columns - "Erosion's effects hit too close to home," which told of her son losing his biggest trout due to upstream development; "Solutions begin with taking responsibility," that discussed a lengthy statement by the school board that failed to accept responsibility for a decision that eliminated honorary graduation titles at Smoky Mountain High; and "Local family's kindness remembered for 25 years," a column that told of helping a photographer gather information about a group of children he'd photographed during the 1970s.
The category was judged by Michael Montz, who did not include comments about the winning entries.
The Herald's fifth honor was a third place staff award for editorial page. Three editorial pages from July 2000 were submitted for the judge's consideration. The Herald was judged third among 17 newspapers by Paul Laursen, who offered no comment on his choices.
Phillips and Hotaling accepted the newspaper's awards from Gov. Mike Easley Jan. 25 in Chapel Hill.
North Carolina's new governor had high praise for the state's community journalists.
"It's the community newspapers the weeklies, biweeklies and the dailies - that give us the information we wouldn't otherwise get and give us a sense of community," Easley said.
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