Here's my news from the spring meeting of the Midwest Travel Writers Association, of which I've been a member since 1983. Those who follow my regular blogs got other aspects of these two stories last year.
I am so honored by these awards.

The News-Herald's Janet Podolak has won two travel writing awards from the Midwest Travel Writers Association. The honors were announced Saturday at the organization's spring meeting in Chicago.

In awarding an honorable mention to Podolak's "Say Bonjour to Something Different" Judge Cindy Richards, said "This two-part series gives a nice overview of the least populated corner of France with its donkey ride along the Robert Louis Stevenson Trail, boat ride along the Tarn River and a huge underground cave."

See that story at http://bit.ly/saybonjour.

Podolak's "Meet those sharing Adriatic Voyage" won an honorable mention in the competition's photojournalism category with Richards writing: "This piece about a trip aboard a wooden sailing ship off the coast of Croatia advertised it all — photos, text and video."

Find that story at http://bit.ly/adriaticvoyage.

Podolak, who has been with The News-Herald since 1973, lives in Mentor. In addition to Travel, she writes for the Food, Health, Religion and Community sections of The News-Herald.