Friday the 13th was a lucky day for the Republic-Times, as it brought home four first place plaques from the Illinois Press Association state newspaper awards contest in Springfield.

For the second year in a row, the Republic-Times won first place in its division for “Best Website” in the IPA contest. The paper also won first place for “Best Web Project” for its 2013 Best of R-T awards program that engaged the community through online voting. The Republic-Times also won two advertising awards — first place for “Best Classified Section” and first place for “Best Classified Promotion.”

This is the fourth straight year the R-T has won at least one first place award from the Illinois Press Association; the paper won first place for “Best Sports Section” in 2010 and 2011, first place for “Best Spot News Photo” in 2011, and first for “Best Website” in 2012.

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