NEWS CHRONICLE PHOTO Tama-Toledo News Chronicle correspondents Michael D. Davis and Jonathan Meyer pose with three of the four first place plaques the newspaper earned during the annual INA banquet at the downtown Marriott in Des Moines on Thursday, Feb. 5.

DES MOINES — The annual Iowa Newspaper Association (INA) convention and awards banquet were held last Thursday at the downtown Marriott in Des Moines, and as in years past, the Times-Republican and Tama-Grundy weekly publications — the Tama-Toledo News Chronicle, North Tama Telegraph and Sun Courier — walked away with a host of Better Newspaper Contest awards recognizing excellence in local journalism.

The News Chronicle took home a total of four first place plaques in Weekly Class I, including Best News Story for “The Holy Wars,” a piece that correspondent Michael D. Davis wrote about the Satanic Temple of Iowa’s controversial reading of “Paradise Lost” on the Tama County Courthouse lawn in September of 2024.

“It has it all: people wringing their hands, blasting gospel music, elected officials constrained by the First Amendment and an overview of what the Satanists actually believe. Highly informative, very well written and well worth the read,” the judges from the Minnesota Press Association wrote in their comments.

Additionally, Ryder won Best Sports Story for an article on South Tama County (STC) wrestler Autumn Elsbury capping an undefeated season with a state championship, and the News Chronicle won Best Editorial Page and Best Use of Social Media in its class. Beyond that, News Chronicle correspondents Sara Jordan-Heintz and Jonathan Meyer won second and third place, respectively, in the Best Personality Feature category for “Going to the Mat for Love” — Jordan-Heintz’s Valentine’s Day feature about Elsbury’s parents, Brintley and Danny — and “Trial by Fire” — about then-STC senior Belle Johannsen getting job shadow experience with the Marshalltown Fire Department.

The News Chronicle also won second place in the best front page competition, third place in the Harrison “Skip” Weber Coverage of Court and Crime category, and third place for Continuing Coverage regarding the ongoing controversy over wind energy in Tama County.

The Iowa Falls Times-Citizen was recognized as the INA’s 2026 Newspaper of the Year.