The results are in, and writers for the Columbia County Spotlight were showered with honors for their work in 2024.

The Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association presented the awards in its Better Newspaper Contest on Friday, July 18, at the Boulder Falls Center in Lebanon. The Spotlight staff was awarded a total of 10 awards for their coverage of Columbia County.

Former Spotlight reporter Scott Keith, assistant editor Kaelyn Cassidy and editor Lauren Bishop won a shared first place in Best Educational Coverage for ongoing coverage of the St. Helens School District reckoning with teacher sexual abuse allegations.

Cassidy also brought home two solo awards: second place in Best Writing for St. Helens School District’s communication adviser stepping down as well as a feature on the annual Shore to Ship and “‘We need change’”, a story covering the St. Helens protests. She also won second place in Best Enterprise reporting for the series on the St. Helens district’s communication adviser.

Keith won first place and second place in Best Coverage of Business or Economic Issue for “‘The right fit for everybody’” on the plan for Arcadia Paper Mills and “More than just rolling greens” on the proposal for the St. Helens golf course, respectively.

He also won second place in Best Government Coverage for “Police call for St. Helens resignations” and third place awards in Best Enterprise Reporting for “‘He was dead within the hour’”, stories on a dog that might have died from an algal bloom off Sand Island; in Best Personality Feature for “An ornithological phenomenon” on the bird man of Warren; and in Best Lifestyle Coverage for “Oregon’s stalking law enters the modern age.”

Former Spotlight photojournalist Jaime Valdez was honored with second place in Best News Photo for “‘It’s not getting swept under the rug’”, a story on the protests in relation to St. Helens school officials’ misconduct. Valdez won a total of 10 ONPA awards for 2024.

The association recognized reporters and editors from the Spotlight and other sister publications, among other media outlets across Oregon, for their outstanding coverage.

Lauren Bishop, editor for The (Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin and Sherwood) Times, the (Forest Grove and Hillsboro) News-Times, the Columbia County Spotlight, The Newberg Graphic and the Woodburn Independent received one solo second-place award and another third-place accolade for a story written in conjunction with colleagues.