EAST PEORIA – Illinois’ top newspapers were honored on June 5 at the Illinois Press Association’s annual convention at the Par-A-Dice Hotel and Casino in East Peoria. Nearly 85 daily and non-daily newspapers competed in 39 editorial categories.

The Georgia Press Association judged the nearly 1,700 editorial entries for work done in 2024.

The Mendota Reporter and The Amboy News were well-represented with awards, with Mendota claiming awards in six categories plus a Sweepstakes award, and Amboy winning four awards. Mendota competed in Division B (non-dailies 1,001-2,500 circulation) and Amboy competed in Division A (non-dailies 1,000 and under circulation).

Brandon LaChance captured five individual awards for The Mendota Reporter.

LaChance took first place in two categories. He claimed the first-place plaque in the Feature Writing category for his story, “One of Randy & Judy Phillips’ last wishes.”  The judges commented, “Good, informative story with a lot of emotion.”

LaChance also got to walk up to the stage to secure his plaque for taking first place in the Sports Column category. The judges said, “I appreciate that your column layout ‘looks’ like a column and that you use a conversational style. Two of your three columns showed your thoughts from personal experience and the enjoyment you get from sports.” The Sports Column category is divided into just two divisions – daily and non-daily – so LaChance competed against all non-dailies in the state for this award.

LaChance finished in second place in the News Reporting – Single Story class for his story “Progress being made to improve downtown Mendota.” The judges commented, “A well-written and expansive news feature that highlights the reality of the circumstances while offering hope for recovery.” LaChance also took second place in the Original Column category.

He received a fourth-place certificate in the Localized National Story titled, “Should phones be banned from Mendota schools?” The judges stated, “Great job localizing a national topic. Well thought out story with good interviews and quotes. There wasn’t a groundbreaking resolution, not sure there was much of a story here.”

LaChance and Kip Cheek teamed up to win second place in the General Excellence class, which is defined as overall presentation of the newspaper. Judging is based on scope of coverage in news and other sections, excellence in writing and photography, promotion of community interests, vigor in the editorial page, advertising enterprise and design. The judges explained, “This was such a close category to judge, especially between these top three winners. The Mendota Reporter is a great example of a well-rounded community newspaper.” The Regional News of Palos Heights was the first-place winner and the Community News Brief of Macomb finished third.

The Reporter was also recognized in the Sweepstakes competition in Division B. The Harold and Eva White Sweepstakes Trophy is awarded to a medium-sized non-daily newspaper and the winner this year was The Commercial-News of Danville. Second place went to the Community News Brief of Macomb. The Riverside-Brookfield Landmark finished in third place, while The Mendota Reporter placed fourth.

The Sweepstakes Trophies are awarded to newspapers earning the most points in six different circulation divisions. Points are awarded for first place through fourth win contest categories, including general excellence, photography, news writing, opinion writing, design, community service and editorial page.

For The Amboy News, a first-place plaque went to Cheek in the Sports Photo category. The photo was of the Coach Payne Gatorade Shower after the Amboy Clippers won their second consecutive Illinois 8-Man State Football Championship. The judges said, “State titles always are amazing opportunities to seize spirited emotions. Throughout sports, coaches being drenched with Gatorade has somewhat become the norm. What, however, makes this photograph a first-place winner is all the additional happiness viewed around the splash. Joy can be witnessed in the actions and faces of all in the photographic frame. Super moment caught with a super photo!”

LaChance was a second-place winner in the Special Section class for the Amboy Depot Days section and he grabbed third-place honors in the Original Column class.

LaChance and Cheek placed fourth in the Sports Section category for “Amboy Clippers win state championship.” The judges commented, “Nice coverage of the state championship team, with features on coaches and team support personnel.” The Sports Section category is divided into just two divisions – daily and non-daily – so The Amboy News competed against all non-dailies in the state for this award.