In-depth coverage of local stories that grabbed national headlines helped earn two community newspapers top honors in this year's Best of CNHI contest.

The Eagle-Tribune of North Andover, Mass., was named Newspaper of the Year among CNHI dailies with circulations of 12,000 and higher. The Gloucester, Mass., Daily Times won Newspaper of the Year for papers with daily circulations of less than 12,000. Those awards and other winners in the annual editorial contest were announced today.

Judges cited The Eagle-Tribune for its extensive coverage of a January 2008 inferno that swallowed an entire block of the city of Lawrence. The fire destroyed 14 buildings and left 180 people homeless. The next day the newspaper gave readers a compelling narrative account of the fire with extensive information about the homes destroyed and the people who lived in them.

"Even with such a major story, that day's edition included a significant helping of local news coverage from surrounding communities," the judges noted.

The Gloucester Daily Times impressed judges with coverage of a rash of teenage pregnancies in the city, a story that also captured national attention. In addition, judges cited the newspaper's series probing the impact of government rules on the local fishing community. This was the second consecutive year the Gloucester Daily Time was recognized as Newspaper of the Year.

The Stanly News and Press of Albemarle, N.C., was named Newspaper of the Year for non-dailies. Judges lauded its extensive local news report, especially enterprising stories that look past routine coverage to focus on issues that touch readers' lives.

Judges named two Web Sites of the Year - www.salemnews.com and www.gloucestertimes.com. Both received high marks for online presentations that organize stories, photos, video, audio and interactive elements.

The Daily News of Newburyport, Mass., and The Herald-Banner of Greenville, Texas, won Public Service Awards. They were cited for in-depth reporting on stories about the erosion of a barrier beach community and a woman wrongly accused of crashing a police cruiser while driving under the influence.

The Andovers, a glossy magazine focusing on life in the North of Boston suburbs, was named Magazine of the Year.

A dozen CNHI editors judged more than 600 entries in the contest. The panel met last week to select finalists and winners. In addition to newsroom awards, the contest recognized the individual achievements of more than 30 CNHI journalists.

A complete list of winners and finalists follows. In the coming days, judges’ comments and links to winners' work will be posted on the CNHI News Service Web site (www.cnhinews.com).

Based in Birmingham, Ala., Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. owns newspapers, Web sites, magazines and specialty publications serving more than 150 communities in the United States.

Division I