Thanks to West St. Paul Chiropractic and Blue Sky Bookkeeping for their support.
The local nonprofit Town Square TV recently won two Upper Midwest Regional Emmy Awards for stories on the 50th anniversary of the Bellows Court explosion and the Dakota County Emergency Preparedness exercise.
“We extend our deepest gratitude to our supporters and volunteers, for all they do to stand behind our exceptional staff and crew and make it possible for them to excel in their craft of telling the stories of our community,” said Town Square TV Executive Director Jodie Miller. “We are a tiny station striving to cover all the important moments for our residents, from election and local meeting coverage to high school sports to nonprofit profiles to the INSIGHT 7 news magazine, reflecting the heartbeats of our community!”
Bellows Court Explosion
Producer Ashley Bowes and Reporter Alexis Pearson won in the Historical/Cultural/Nostalgia- News category with “January 11, 1974,” their story about the 50th anniversary of a deadly fire that killed three firefighters and one resident in West St. Paul.
“Of course, we couldn’t tell these stories without people being willing to tell their story, so thank you to those in our community who are willing to share these hard stories with us; it means a lot to us; thank you all,” said Pearson during her acceptance speech.
Bowes and Pearson interviewed survivor Jim Petersen, who was a rookie West St. Paul firefighter called to the scene that night, and family members of one of the fallen firefighters Richard Neikirk, his widow Janet and his daughter Katie.
Emergency Preparedness Exercise
Editor Dennis Rafftery and Photographers Carmen Hauck, Ashley Bowes, Nick Anderson, and Trevor Blom won in the Special Event Coverage category with “Dakota County Emergency Preparedness Exercise,” a complex production offering an inside view of the county-wide public safety drill staged at Inver Hills Community College in 2023.
Emmys at City Council
West St. Paul City Council recognized Town Square TV for their Emmy wins during a recent meeting, taking a moment to pass around the Emmys and pose for pictures.
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