A special issue of the Potomac Almanac about teen driving, published in December, 2004, won first place for public service from the Maryland Delaware D.C. Press Association. The Almanac also won first place for coverage of local government, sports column and sports pages.
The teen driving report, called “Dying to Drive?” reported and written by Ken Millstone and Alex Scofield, incorporated months of research, and included on-the-scene reports and photos from a weekend with the Montgomery County alcohol enforcement unit, an interview with parents who lost their teenage son in a car accident, interviews with students about possible solutions, and a look at statistics, studies, proposed legislation, drivers education and programs in schools.
“Simply outstanding,” said the judges about the public service entry. “Hard-hitting, compassionate, real-world coverage of a big problem that affects us all.”
The Almanac has won the award for Public Service the last four years.
The awards were announced in Baltimore on March 11 at the annual meeting of the Maryland Delaware D.C. Press Association.
Ari Cetron’s special report on affordable housing in Potomac and Montgomery County won first place for coverage of local government. The project looked at the history of affordable housing programs in Montgomery County, examined some proposed zoning changes designed to foster building of affordable housing, and gathered reaction from current residents of “moderately priced dwelling units,” in Potomac. Judges praised the extensive research that went into the report.
Cetron, former Potomac reporter who now covers the town of Vienna and the City of Fairfax for the Almanac’s sister Connection Newspapers, won second place for coverage of state government for “No Traffic Jams for the Wealthy?” focusing on proposals for express toll lanes on the Beltway and I-270.
Kenneth Lourie, Almanac columnist, took first place for sports column for “Red Sox Nation — Indivisible.”
In an annual tradition, the Almanac’s coverage of the PGA tournament held at the Tournament Players Club in Avenel, formerly known as the Kemper Open, won first place for sports page design. Designer Stuart Moll and photographer Pam Brooks, teamed up with Ken Moore and Jeff Graham to produce a visual guide to the professional golf tournament.
The Potomac Almanac’s sister papers, The Connection Newspapers, which consists of 14 weeklies in Northern Virginia, won more than 50 press awards from the Virginia Press Association, announced on March 5 in Norfolk, Va.