Summarized by Mormon News Editor

LDS Reporter Awarded in First Year

MORRIS, ILLINOIS -- Vickie Speek, a features reporter with the Morris Daily Herald has won third place in the "columns" division in the recent Illinois Associated Press newspaper competition.

Speek has also won honors in the Illinois Press Association competition in the "best school board reporting" division and the "best education reporting" division. The actual winning places in the IPA contest are not divulged until the awards presentation.

This is the first year that Speek has been eligible to enter the annual competitions. She worked for several years as a freelance correspondent in Illinois and Michigan before joining the Herald staff in February.

The "columns" award came from three different columns that Speek, a member of the Mormon Church, wrote in March and April dealing with genealogy and family. She writes a weekly column on family history in addition to features and hard news reporting. She is also the director of the LDS Family History Center in Morris.

It was Speek's coverage of the controversy surrounding the dismissal of a tenured school nurse that won her honors in the "best school board reporting" and "best education reporting" divisions.

The editorial staff of the newspaper has been honored with 13 awards for work it has done during the past year, including 10 awards from the Illinois Press Association and 3 awards from the Illinois Associated Press.

Morris Daily Herald editorial staff garners 13 awards
Morris IL Daily Herald 15Aug00 P2
By Herald Writers

[Vickie Speek is also one of Mormon News' volunteers. Congratulations, Vickie!]