Business

Lightning wins eight press awards

By Lightning Reports, Published: February 27, 2020

The Hendersonville Lightning received awards for its coverage of news, politics, government and the nonprofit community during the annual Winter Institute of the North Carolina Press Association on Thursday.

The local newspaper founded in 2012 by publisher Bill Moss won nine awards in all, including one for editorial writing on growth management, planning and the Highland Lake Road controversy.

"Your community is lucky to have such a newspaper to keep on top of the issues that affect its residents most," the judge for the editorial category said. "Bravo!"

The awards were:

• Business Writing, 1st Place, Bill Moss. Businesses along tracks say, yes, in my backyard.
• City, County Government Reporting, 1st Place, Bill Moss. A Tall Tale. "A great article on residents fighting for local standards."
• Election/Political Reporting, 1st Place, Bill Moss. McGrady takes on redistricting and liquor laws against the odds. "The reporter's rapport with the subject shines through in this piece. A good look at telling political stories with a human-interest touch."
• News Enterprise Reporting, 1st Place, Bill Moss. The Serpentine Solution. "Excellent article. I enjoyed every word."
• General Excellence for Websites, 2nd place. Lightning Staff.
• Editorials, 2nd Place, Bill Moss. Tap Root Proposal. Planning Broken. Road won't be the same. "Excellent analysis of the growth issue and the lack of adequate planning to accommodate it. The writer is obviously well-connected with the community, its transportation needs, and housing issues. Excellent arguments, clear and concise writing. Your community is lucky to have such a newspaper to keep on top of the issues that affect its residents most. Bravo!"
• Special Section, 2nd Place, Jan Chapin and Lightning staff. Season of Giving. "Fabulous layout. I like how this wasn't just about gifts and Christmas, but about actually giving back and helping/volunteering."
•  Election/Political Reporting, 3rd Place, Bill Moss. Gay pride proclamation draws dissent from council members.

"We like the awards and we enjoy recognition from our peers," Moss said, "but most of all we love it when judges recognize our commitment to the community in the way we report the news. What we liked, too, is that we won recognition for the kind of reporting that we consider the Lightning brand — government, politics, investigative and enterprise reporting and cogently expressed editorials."