EDITORIAL
By Ruth Luse
Once in a while, it is a pleasure for us to toot our own horns.
On Thursday night, at the Lafayette Yard Marriott Hotel, Trenton, Hopewell Valley News staff members were awarded two first places in the 2004 Better Newspaper Contest, sponsored by the New Jersey Press Association.
The first of the two awards in the Responsible Journalism, Public Service, Lloyd P. Burns Memorial Award category went to staff writer John Tredrea and managing editor Ruth Luse for their contest entry, "Merrill Lynch rezoning."
This entry included a number of news accounts and editorials related to the controversial topic of Merrill Lynch’s out-of-court settlement with Hopewell Township last year. The settlement was a compromise that ended Merrill’s lawsuit against Hopewell Township over the rezoning, from commercial to 6-acre residential, of land Merrill owns on the west side of Scotch Road, south of Route 546.
The compromise also saved township taxpayers an estimated $1 million or more in legal fees, because Merrill had promised to continue to fight the downzoning measure in court, if the township did not come to terms with the settlement proposal.
The second award in the Reporting, Writing and Illustration, Sports Writing Portfolio category went to sports editor Jim Green for three 2004 feature stories (published April 15, July 15 and Dec. 16) on the following topics:
Former Hopewell Valley Central High athlete Kenneth Holcombe, now a soldier in the U.S. Army, who has served in Iraq and is expected to return there;
Lorna Gifis, a Hopewell Township native now playing collegiate women’s ice hockey;
And, Hopewell Valley Central High School three-sport athlete and senior Angelo Pagano. Angelo, we were informed recently, has enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Delayed Entry Program as a future supply accounting rep.
While we are proud, of course, of these awards, we know that at least half the battle is having interesting and challenging issues about which to write and special people to feature. There are many of both in Hopewell Valley and we hope to cover as many of them as possible in the year to come.