09/19/2025
Last weekend our team attended the Missouri Press Association's annual convention, where we were awarded several recognitions in the annual Missouri Better Newspaper Contest. We are proud of our staff's accomplishments, and proud to continue to produce some of Missouri's best journalism here in Lafayette County.
This year's awards include:
•First place, Best Reporting Using the Sunshine Law, Hannah Spaar and Melody Cook
•First place, Best Investigative Reporting, Hannah Spaar and Melody Cook
•First place, Best News Story, Hannah Spaar and Melody Cook
•Second place, Best Story About Government, Hannah Spaar and Melody Cook
•Second place, Best Sports Photograph, Kory Hales
•Second place, Best Election Story, Hannah Spaar
•Second place, Best Story about Marginalized or Underrepresented Communities, Melody Cook
•Second place, Best Military Story, Melody Cook
•Third place, Best Editorial, Hannah Spaar
•Third place, Best Editorial and Opinion Pages, Odessan Staff.
Our sister staff at Focus on Oak Grove also took home the following awards:
•First place, Best Feature Photograph, Kory Hales
•First place, Best Sports News Story or Package, Kory Hales
•First place, Best Story About Education, Ruth Ann Hafner
