Current Publishing’s www.keepMEcurrent.com was honored Saturday as the best weekly newspaper Web site in the state.

The award was presented in Rockport this weekend by the Maine Press Association as a part of the 2007 Better Newspapers Contest.

The American Journal, a weekly newspaper covering Westbrook, Gorham and Buxton, also fared well in the competition, including a third place in the category of General Excellence. The American Journal is the only one of Current Publishing’s six newspapers that is eligible for the competition.

Judge Tom Kearney wrote in the competition evaluation that the American Journal was selected due to its ambitious reporting in a broad range of topics.

“The Journal gets the nod because it is tackling big topics – homelessness, drug use and the like,” wrote Kearney. “That enterprise deserves to be honored.”

The American Journal received the following awards in individual categories:

First place, Best Supplement Cover, Jonathan Morse

First place, Sports Section, American Journal Staff

First place, Sports Feature, Keith Wehmeyer

First place, Spot News Story, Charlie Smith

First place, Front Page Design, Jason Rathbun and Michael Leary

First place, Graphics, Kristin Kaiser

First place, Sports Photo, Rich Obrey

First place, News Photo, Rich Obrey

Second place, In-Paper Circulation Promotion, Michael Leary

Second place, News Story, Robert Lowell

Second place, Investigative Report, Charlie Smith

Third place, Editorial, Brendan Moran

The Maine Press Association held its annual fall conference this weekend in Rockport. Current Publishing was awarded 13 awards in the 2007 Better Newspaper Contest, sponsored by MPA.