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Battlefords News-Optimist up for seven Sask. newspaper awards

The finalists will see if they take home the first-place prize at a virtual ceremony on May 9, 2024.

THE BATTLEFORDS — The Battlefords Regional News-Optimist is once again in the running for a slate of Saskatchewan Weekly Newspaper Awards. 

Announced on March 20, the shortlist broke down the 119-year-old newspapers' seven nominations in seven categories.

Lisa Joy, a former News-Optimist reporter, has been nominated for two awards for her feature, Canada's Alabama: Have we learned anything from a racist past? which dove into a 1963 killing in Glaslyn. The story was nominated in two categories, once for Best Feature Story and once for Best First Nations Coverage. 

Candace Mack-Horton, the News-Optimist's Sales Manager, has been nominated for Best Advertisement for a Dekker Centre for the Performing Arts ad last year in November.

Miguel Fenrich, News-Optimist Editor and former staff reporter has been nominated for four awards. His coverage of Fort Battleford's 2023 closure was nominated for Best Tourism Story or Series of Stories, his interview with Todd Renebhom and his battle with mental health was nominated for Best Healthcare Coverage, and his feature on the musician Sugartop was nominated for Best Cultural Story.

Lastly, his three-part series Everbody Has a Story, which featured interviews with Michelle Good, Jayne Foster, and dee Hobsbawn-Smith was nominated for Best Arts or Cultural Series.

A virtual awards ceremony will be held on May 9th, 2024, at 1:45 p.m.