OLYMPIA — The North Kitsap Herald brought home eight awards from the Washington Newspaper Publishers’ Association awards ceremony Friday night, including the coveted General Excellence and Feature Writer of the Year.

The Herald earned third place in General Excellence, a category that compares the Herald with other newspapers in its circulation group.

“We have a dedicated editorial staff that works very hard maintain a balance between news, interesting features and sports for our readers,” Herald Publisher Donna Etchey said. “It’s gratifying to receive outside confirmation that we’re on the right track.”

Former staff writer Jennifer Morris earned three awards: Feature Writer of the Year; first place Best Business Story for “Staying Power: Auto Row hoping for good times ahead”; and third place for Best Government Reporting, “Gaining a City Hall but losing a view.”

“Jennifer Morris writes with ease, sometimes with a bit of humor or irony, often with deep sense of her story and her sources. She’s delightful to read,” stated the judge’s comments for Feature Writer of the Year.

Former staff writer Tara Lemm earned third place honors for Best General Feature Story-Long, for “Betting on a good time,” a story about the economy’s effect on local casinos.

“Reporter did a lot of work on this story. She has lots of sourcing and lots of details,” read the judge’s comments.

Etchey and Herald editor Celeste Cornish won second place for Best Special Section—Special Events/Festivals for the Poulsbo Centennial.

The judge called the section: “a quality and well-designed section in traditional tab format. The chronological layout of content is a great idea.”

Former Sound Publishing photographer Jesse Beals took third place Best General News Photo — color for “Tall Ships.”