Jimmy LaRoue
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Jimmy LaRoue’s Biography
Read Full Bio →Freelance reporter with more than a decade of experience specializing in sports, tourism, education and storytelling features. My writing features the best of old-school and modern multimedia reporting abilities. Adept at anything from tweets to longform, as well as social media, photos and videos (shooting and editing), AP style and more.
Have been a staff writer for:
* The Virginia Gazette in Williamsburg, VA
* The Daily Advance in Elizabeth City, NC
* The Central Virginian in Louisa, VA
* T…
Jimmy LaRoue’s Journalist Portfolio
See all 62 portfolio items →
Interview
See all 21 answers →What was your first job as a journalist?
Have you ever used a typewriter?
How is social media changing news?
Awards
See all 20 awards →North Carolina Press Association
2015 - Multimedia Project
* 2nd Place: shared with Owen Hassell and Chris Day, The Daily Advance, Elizabeth City. • Judges comments: Print layout is very striking and I like the game previews and highlights. Awarded for work on high school football previews, multimedia and social media online and NENCSports Radio Show, which began as a podcast and is now also broadcast weekly on WRVS 89.9 FM.
North Carolina Press Association
2015 - Sports News Reporting
• 1st Place w/Owen Hassell, The Daily Advance, Elizabeth City, NC. Owen Hassell, Jimmy LaRoue • Judges comments: Good reporting here showing how administration turned blind eye. • Series of stories concerned administration at Perquimans County High School who knew about football players being allowed to play even though they were convicted in court of assault. The story revolved around the coach believing he had approval and was allowed by state rules to keep the players on the team.
Virginia Press Association
2010 - General makeup
First place staff award for general makeup of The Central Virginian (Louisa, Va.)
Virginia Press Association
2010 - Education Writing
First place award for education writing for The Central Virginian (Louisa, Va.)
Virginia Press Association
2009 - In depth or investigative reporting
Third place award shared with other members of The News Virginian (Waynesboro, Va.) staff.
Virginia Press Association
2009 - General news writing
Shared third place award for work done at The News Virginian (Waynesboro, Va.).
Virginia Press Association
2009 - Breaking news writing
Shared third place award at The News Virginian (Waynesboro, Va.)
Media General MegaAward
2009 - Best News Story (Community)
Then-Media General company-wide first place award in 2009 for best news story (community) with Tony Gonzalez and Bob Stuart on a property reassessment series Wayne assessments lower than average, but draw ire of landowners (The News Virginian, Mar. 1, 2009) Landowners trying to cope (The News Virginian, Feb. 25, 2009)
Media General MegaAward
2008 - Best News Story (Community)
Honorable mention, best news story (community) for The News Virginian (Waynesboro, Va.) with Tony Gonzalez on Invista closing. All Invista workers notified of layoffs (The News Virginian, Dec. 16, 2008) Waynesboro family found livelihood at fibers plant (The News Virginian, Dec. 14, 2008) Invista expands in China (The News Virginian, Dec. 12, 2008) Fallout to ripple through city (The News Virginian, Dec. 11, 2008) Invista halts nylon work, 210 jobs cut (The News Virginian, Dec. 11, 2008) 132 laid off from Invista (The News Virginian, Dec. 6, 2008)
Virginia Press Association
2008 - Government writing
Third place award covering city government for The News Virginian (Waynesboro, Va.)
Media General MegaAward
2008 - Best News Story (Community)
Shared honorable mention MegaAward with Bob Stuart and Tony Gonzalez at The News Virginian (Waynesboro, Va.) on a series called Older Dominion in Aug. 2008.
Media General MegaAward
2008 - Best News Story (Community)
Honorable mention MegaAward for a series called Stormwater Strain for The News Virginian (Waynesboro, Va.), fleshing out the city of Waynesboro's longstanding stormwater problems and corrective actions slow in taking hold.
Media General MegaAward
2007 - Best News Story (Community)
Series: Promise delayed/A tale of two cities for The News Virginian (Waynesboro, Va.)
Virginia Press Association
2007 - Education writing
First place award covering Shenandoah County schools for The Shenandoah Valley-Herald in Woodstock, Va. Judges comments: LaRoue’s feature-style approach successfully engages readers. Education stories can be dry, but it seems never the case with LaRoue’s writing. I’ll give him an A+.
Virginia Press Association
2007 - General news photo
First place award for a photograph of a National Guard soldier saying goodbye to his family for The Shenandoah Valley-Herald (Woodstock, Va.). Judges comments: Lots of emotion. Well composed.
Virginia Press Association
2007 - General news writing
First place award for stories I wrote while at The News Virginian (Waynesboro, Va.). These were stories I wrote in the first month of work there (Dec. 2007). Judges comments: I was very impressed with your ability to make each story stand on its own without seeming repetitive, especially considering the timeline in which they were written.
Virginia Press Association
2007 - Health, science and environmental writing
Shared first place award (with Andrew Jenner and Brandon Ryman) for a package of stories about the South River for The Shenandoah Valley-Herald (Woodstock, Va.). Judges comments: It’s seldom easy to lure (sorry-couldn’t help the pun) readers into enjoying an environment or other wise. Science based story but LaRoue, Jenner and Ryman do it in this package.
Virginia Press Association
2007 - Government and public safety writing
Shared second place award with Brandon Ryman on the changing faces of emergency services for The Shenandoah Valley-Herald (Woodstock, Va.). Judges comments: Thorough analysis of a topic being explored in towns across the county.
Virginia Press Association
2007 - General news writing
Third place award for a series of stories about a local soldier who died in combat. Stories for The Shenandoah Valley-Herald (Woodstock, Va.). Judges comments: Well-written, evocative and gut-grabbing. These stories are not easy to generate. LaRoue succeeds.
Virginia Press Association
2017 - Breaking News
First place breaking news award for co-written/reported article about shooting in Williamsburg area. Headline: Man shot; assailant holds police at bay Judge Comments: Well-written and easy to read. Flows well and tells the reader the details about the incident in a way that keeps them interested.