The North Coast Current won seven awards for online/daily excellence — including second place for best news website — from the San Diego Press Club on Oct. 25.

The winners were announced during the 47th Annual Excellence in Journalism Awards event, which was livestreamed from the San Diego Automotive Museum in Balboa Park in lieu of an in-person banquet. Award entries covered the second half of 2020 and the first half of 2021.

Contributor Ethan Edward Coston’s election coverage won an honorable mention with the story “From pledges to the polls, Encinitas grapples with dearth of election civility,” about the hostile political environment in the race for Encinitas mayor.

Columnists Laura Woolfrey Macklem and Marsha Sutton won awards for their contributions to the Current as well.

Sutton won third place for her story “What they’re paid,” about teacher and superintendent salaries in coastal North County school districts.

Woolfrey Macklem’s Preserved Home food column won an honorable mention, which included an entry called “Julian memories cook up apple inspirations,” recalling the fall colors, scents and food of the mountain town with a recipe to rekindle them.

Contributor Bella Ross won an honorable mention for education reporting for “District frustration mounts after latest ruling in Cardiff school park case,” about an ongoing dispute among Cardiff neighbors and elementary school district over the impacts of construction on an adjacent park.

Julia Shapero won and honorable mention for “Encinitas gift shop unwraps historical surprise behind wall,” her local history story about the discovery of an old advertising mural in a downtown Encinitas shop.

North Coast Current editor and publisher Roman S. Koenig won second place for headline writing.

The Current’s second place news site award was behind the Times of San Diego, which won its fifth first place in the category from the San Diego Press Club.

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