ROCKINGHAM — Award-winning journalist Melonie McLaurin is rejoining the staff of the Daily Journal.

The Richmond County native worked at the newspaper from March 2014 until last November covering education and health, as well as the city of Hamlet. She will be reassigned those beats.

“It’s great having Melonie back as part of the team,” said William R. Toler, editor of the Daily Journal. “It’s kinda like in ‘The Blues Brothers’ — we’re getting the band back together.”

During her first stint, McLaurin was recognized with multiple awards from her coverage of the homeless in Richmond County, including first place for continuous coverage in the National Federation of Press Women’s North Carolina Press Club contest and third place for non-deadline reporting in the 65th annual Green Eye Shade Awards for excellence in journalism from the Society for professional journalists.

McLaurin’s “Hidden Homeless” series also sparked the creation of the Place of Grace Rescue Mission, which — in addition to editorials by former editor Corey Friedman — led to the Daily Journal winning second place in the community service award from the North Carolina Press Association.

She also won the prestigious O’Henry Award for Outstanding Writing in The Associated Press’ 2015 North Carolina News Excellence Contest for a retrospective marking the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Hamlet train crash that claimed the life of 31-year-old Gene William “Billy” Hicks.

In 2015, McLaurin placed third in education reporting and helped lead the paper to a second-place finish in the best community coverage category from the NCPA.

Before becoming a journalist, McLaurin spent eight years with Richmond County Schools — starting as a technology assistant teaching computer skills at Washington Street Elementary School while working toward her degree, then as a sixth- and fourth-grade teacher at West Rockingham Elementary School.

McLaurin’s background in teaching and in the technology field make her a natural for the areas she’ll be covering, Toler said.

“During my time away from the Daily Journal I continued to follow the stories that make the paper great and I am extremely happy to be back in the newsroom,” McLaurin said. “Matt Harrelson and William Toler are some of the finest journalists I know, and Toler’s enthusiasm about the direction he’ll be steering the ship as editor is infectious. I’m also eager to get to know our new sports editor Leon Hargrove Jr., whose desk is just across the aisle from mine. It’s just a good crew to be working with all around. Feels like coming home.”

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Staff reports