By Esther McKenna
The series, which ran in all 12 editions of the Herald, was a joint effort, comprising articles written and researched by several staff members, including Scott Brinton, Doug Miller, Angela Marshall, Karenlyn Barone, Nick Buglione, Nicole Falco, Laura Lane, Jennifer Marino and intern Devin Varsalona.
Brinton, Miller and Marshall led the team, developing story ideas and coordinating the effort. Brinton also wrote four of the series' five editorials, as well as four columns. Executive Editor John O'Connell wrote the editorial that launched the series in April 2004. Reporters Andrew Coen, Hector Flores and Jason Scheer contributed research to the effort.
For the PCLI contest, weekly and daily newspapers, magazines, radio, televised news and on-line publications throughout Long Island submitted nearly 400 entries competing for awards in 57 categories.
The Nassau Herald took top honors in the deadline news category for its coverage of the fire that destroyed the Heralds' long-time home on June 15, 2004. Coen led the coverage, which showed the impact of the fire on the surrounding community as well as on the Herald staff. The coverage was supported by a follow-up story written by Miller, the Long Beach Herald's editor, as well as columns written by Nassau Herald Editor Jeff Lipton and columnists Randi Kreiss and Alfred Doblin.
Brinton, editor of the Bellmore Herald, and Flores took home a second-place award for their coverage of weekly non-deadline news for their series "Dangerous Road Ahead," an investigation of a Merrick taxi driver who was arrested for assaulting a passenger.
Brinton also won first place in the weekly feature category for "A Fisherman's Tale," a profile of a long-time Merrick fisherman.
Buglione, East Meadow Herald editor, was awarded second place win in sports for his article, "Take Her Out to the Ballgame," about an East Meadow senior who habitually attends local Little League games.
Herald Photo Editor Rebecca Lopatin earned two first-place awards, one in the weekly news category, for coverage of the Herald fire, and another in the feature category, for coverage of the Town of Hempstead's Sept. 11 memorial ceremony in Lido Beach.
O'Connell was unanimously chosen the PCLI's vice president of print media for 2005.
"I'm proud of the outcome of this year's awards ceremony and proud of the performance of the Herald staff in general, especially in light of the adversity we encountered during the year," said Cliff Richner, co-publisher of the Herald Community Newspapers. "These awards are a tribute to a staff who really pulled together after a fire destroyed our offices."
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