Some good news to kick off the Fall semester: The News Service’s election coverage is a finalist in the Online News Association awards, marking more well-deserved recognition of our school-wide effort on that historic day. The winner will be announced Oct. 3.

Meanwhile, here are some more fruits of your summer labors – appropriate reading/viewing for Labor Day Weekend:

• Sandra Roa contributed a two-part multi-media series to The New York Times’ Lens blog about photographers who chronicled upheaval in South Africa during the 1990s. You’ll find Part One here and Part Two here.
• Speaking of The Times, Lois DeSocio wrote a three-part series for The Local’s New Jersey edition about the fate of a prime piece of property in South Orange. Mike Reicher, meanwhile, contributed a video and print package to The Local’s Brooklyn edition about who hang out at a Fort Greene bar.
• Jackie Linge interviewed filmmaker Barbara Kopple, whose latest project, a Woodstock documentary, recently aired. Check out Jackie’s multi-media report for Salon.
• Rima Abdelkader helped put together this CNN podcast about Iraqi refugees in the U.S.
• Michael Preston weighed in on the healthcare debate for True/Slant.
• Joel Schectman’s article about low-tech hackers made BusinessWeek, and he was interviewed about the story for the magazine’s website.
• Jessica Simeone contributed to the New York Post’s coverage of DJ AM’s death.
• Jenni Avins wrote about a (Mom-and-)Pop Art installation atop an Elizabeth Street roof for Dossier.
• Kate Zhao’s piece about an influx of tourists to Taiwan from mainland China made The Wall Street Journal.
• Karina Ioffee wrote a story for the AP about officers being pushed out of the Russian Army.
• Check out the latest issue of Insight, the arts magazine edited by Maya Pope-Chappell.
• Emily Feldman wrote a piece for NBC Local Integrated Media about the tell-all book by Bernie Madoff’s alleged former mistress.
• Mark Morales shared the byline on this Daily News story about an arrest in the slaying of a livery driver.
• A picture of a subway musician snapped by Ben Fractenberg made the Queens Chronicle.
• The latest issue of The Hunts Point Express is out, and includes Maria Clark’s story about the slow start of much-needed repairs to a local housing complex. Jeanmarie Evelly wrote about a green-thumbed local teen who got an invite to Michelle Obama’s White House garden. Alum Joe Hirsch (’07) covered an event honoring folk legend Pete Seeger.

Also in our alumni corner, Linnea Covington (’08) wrote a story for New York Press about a Brooklyn business that offers a strange combination of goods: tombstones and bread.

To the Class of ’09, welcome back and well done on a great summer. To the Class of ’10, welcome – and well done on your first week of classes.

Please feel to send me links to your work as you start amassing clips.

So congrats to all on the stories – and keep ‘em coming!

Tags: Ben Fractenberg, Emily Feldman, Jackie Linge, Jeanmarie Evelly, Jenni Avins, Jessica Simeone, Joe Hirsch, Joel Schectman, Karina Ioffee, Kate Zhao, Linnea Covington, Lois Desocio, Maria Clark, Mark Morales, Maya Pope-Chappell, Michael Preston, Mike Reicher, Rima Abdelkader, Sandra Roa