The Canadian Community Newspaper Association recognized Fast Forward Weekly with a Blue Ribbon for general excellence, as well as first place nods for best historical story and best multimedia feature in its annual competition.

Bob Blakey wrote a story about his time at the city’s major daily at a time when booze flowed and journalism mattered. His story, timed with the demolition of the old Herald building, took top honours for historical story.

Fast Forward Weekly editor Drew Anderson and photo and design editor Josh Naud cobbled together a feature on the Audities Foundation, a world-class recording studio and obscure instrument collection on the city’s outskirts. Words, photos and recordings of some of the collection earned the paper’s other first-place finish.

“Recognition for our work among such a significant pool of entries is a rewarding outcome,” says Fast Forward Weekly publisher Fred Bye. “With the rapid changes in our media landscape, it is encouraging to know that local news maintains a level of quality that readers rely upon.”