The staff of the IV Leader, Illinois Valley Community College’s student newspaper, won 21 awards, including first places in overall excellence and front page design, at the annual Illinois Community College Journalism Association conference in Springfield.Judges noted the IV Leader had a “good variety of content and of different ways of presenting news.”

Individual award winners, by hometown, included:
Grand Ridge: Bryer Lehr, second, sports column.
La Moille: Jessie Winchel, third and honorable mention, freehand cartoon.
La Salle: Matt Gerding, third, editorial; second, news.
Lostant: Ericka Smith, first, sports news.
Magnolia: Laura Roberts, third, photo spread.
Marseilles: Joe Frye, first, sports column.
Ottawa: Joe Frye, first, sports column; Jacob Montgomery, second, photo spread; and Saralyn Simpson, honorable mention, news.
Oglesby: Mickey Young, column.
Princeton: Katie Millard, arts.
Mendota: Josh Dillon, first, sports feature; first, single photo; third, sports photo; second, sports news.
Tonica: Ben Hallock, second, single photo.
Utica Township: Kyle Russell, first, column; first, sports photo.