The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript and its staff were honored by the New Hampshire Press Association at a banquet and awards ceremony on Thursday at St. Anselm College in Manchester, both for individual achievements and as an organization.

The awards honor companies and individuals that gather and report news in New Hampshire, including newspapers, online sources and broadcasters. Awards are given in two categories, based on the size of the full-time staff of the organization. 

The Mondanock Ledger-Transcript took second place in Class II for general excellence. Reporters Ashley Saari and Jesseca Timmons were also recognized for individual awards.

“I am happy for Ashley and Jesseca and proud of our team. Receiving a General Excellence award again is an indication of the quality and consistency of the Ledger-Transcript. It’s an honor to be recognized as one of the top small news organizations in the state,” publisher Heather McKernan stated.

Saari received third place in the Sports Writing category for her story, “Raelin Deschenes follows in her father’s racing tire tracks,” for her reporting on the then-7-year-old Deschenes’ successful first season in the Claremont Motorsports Karting Series.

Saari also received third place for Spot News Photo for her photo “Happy Homecoming” for a photograph of Maj. Mark Griffin reuniting with his children, Evan and Aria, at the Rindge Memorial School after returning from a deployment with the National Guard.

Timmons received second place for Column Writing for a collection of her regular installments of “The Greenfield Beat,” a column on the happenings of Greenfield. Timmons had started writing the column for the Ledger-Transcript before being hired as a beat reporter and feature writer.

Ledger-Transcript editor Bill Fonda congratulated the reporters on their individual recognitions and the work they’ve contributed to the Ledger-Transcript.

“Ashley's two awards continue to show her value to the Ledger-Transcript. In particular, her award for sportswriting is one of many examples of her willingness to tackle any assignment,” Fonda stated. “And Jesseca has been a great addition to the Ledger-Transcript, first through ‘The Greenfield Beat’ and also now as a reporter. I’m extremely happy for both of them.”