The Messenger staff won several awards in Class V of the 2024 Iowa Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest.

For the newsroom, former Messenger reporter Kelby Wingert won second place for Best Personality Feature Story for coverage of a drug court graduation in a story headlined, “A new chapter.” The judge commented, “Great take on a difficult subject.”

Wingert also won third place for Coverage of Court and Crime, which included timely stories raising public awareness of counterfeit bills and Facebook scams affecting the local area. The judge described her entries as “useful stories … with photos that show how believable the scams can appear.”

This entry also included a story titled, “I’m still here,” in which a stabbing victim confronts her attacker by reading her statement during a sentencing hearing, and one regarding juror misconduct.

The Messenger advertising department also won several awards:

• Messenger sales representative Jody Kayser won first-place for Best Ad Featuring Financial, Insurance or Other Professional Service.

• Kayser also won third-place for Best Ad Featuring Miscellaneous and third-place for Best Ad Featuring Agriculture.

• Messenger advertising manager Leanne Darr and Messenger sales representative Brittney Benson won third-place for Best Ad Featuring Furniture — Furnishings, Appliances or Hardware.