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Four New Bedford Light reporters were honored with first and second place awards by the New England Newspaper and Press Association in a ceremony held over the weekend in Maine. 

Reporters Grace Ferguson, Colin Hogan, Anastasia Lennon and Will Sennott won awards in seven categories for stories published from October 2023 through July 2024. 

“I couldn’t be prouder of our four reporters,” said New Bedford Light Executive Editor Karen Bordeleau. “These awards are a testament to their dedication to high-impact, public service journalism. We are truly grateful for the role their reporting plays in keeping our community informed.”

Hogan won first place for two stories in two categories. His account of how the New Bedford school system is shifting its approach to teaching reading for English-language learners won for education reporting. A story published in December 2023 on New Bedford’s role in the Boston Tea Party won for history reporting. 

Sennott won first place for human interest feature story and took second place for local personality profile for his story posted in July on the real estate enterprise of Carlos Rafael. Known as “The Codfather” in his previous life as a powerful force on the New Bedford waterfront, Rafael served more than three years in federal prison for his role in an illegal overfishing scheme.

Ferguson took second place in government reporting for a story posted in April 2024 on housing construction in New Bedford. 

Lennon took second place for a story published in October 2023 on the offshore wind power industry facing new engineering challenges from undersea deposits of a mineral called glauconite, which behaves differently and less predictably than sand. 

The winners were recognized at an awards dinner at the Mariner’s Church Banquet Center in Portland, Maine. NENPA represents and serves more than 450 daily, weekly and specialty newspapers throughout the six-state region. 

Email reporter Arthur Hirsch at ahirsch@newbedfordlight.org.

3 replies on “New Bedford Light reporters take multiple NENPA awards”

  1. Many congratulations, thank you , thank you for bringing more journalistic light to the city , its an awesome breath of fresh air .

  2. Hey guys;
    Congratulations on your awards! Keep doing what you’ve been doing & more will come your way along with NB Light.org. The Light has become the go-to-source for NB & area news & information. The whole team should be proud of what you all have accomplished over the few years!

  3. Congratulations and thank you for giving the Southcoast incisive, timely, intelligent journalism.

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