Courier wins LocalMedia Association award

MILFORD — The Pike County Courier has won third place in the LocalMedia Association Excellence in Local News Coverage Contest for Community Service for its series of articles describing the state of roads in Pike County.

Frances Ruth Harris wrote the award-winning stories last summer. In the first one, entitled "Dangerous Roads Wait for a Fix," Harris spoke with several residents of Sawkill Road who thought their road was on the list to be resurfaced but realized the resources had been diverted to other roads. They described the winding Sawkill Road as falling apart, noting that the center of the road is 20 inches higher than the edges in some areas.

A week after the article appeared in June, the state agreed to fix the potholes on Sawkill Road. However, it is a process and still they weren't completed by the end of August.

"Fran did a great job listening to residents tell of their frustration trying to draw attention to what really is a serious hazard in their community," said Pamela Chergotis, managing editor of The Courier. "A recent study found that Pennsylvania's rural roads are in such bad shape, they're responsible for about one-third of all fatal and serious traffic crashes. I'm proud the Courier was able to help get some fixes for local roads - but as Pike residents will tell you, there's still a long way to go."

Dirt Magazine, a bi-monthly green living magazine also published by Straus News Inc., won first place for the best environmental story entitled "Our Food is Full of Secrets."

The Pike County Courier is one of 13 newspapers published by Straus News Inc. in Orange County, New York, Sussex and Passaic Counties in New Jersey and Pike County, Pennsylvania, as well as New York City. Jeanne Straus is president and publisher of Straus News.