New Mexico journalists had a fine showing in the 2012 Top of the Rockies contest, sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists and covering publications in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Arizona.
Our deep congratulations to all the New Mexico winners, announced Friday night in Denver:
Radio: First Place, Feature reporting: Diane Schmidt, KUNM. Commentary: MLK Jr.’s message important in corporate age
Circulation over 75,000 (Albuquerque Journal competing against the Denver Post and 5280 magazine, among others)
*First Place in investigative/enterprise reporting: Mike Gallagher for “Casino deal that didn’t get done” and Jim Monteleone for “Doubling down, UNM, NMSU playing”; second place to John Fleck for “Driest season recorded stokes fire conditions” and to Colleen Heild for “Back trouble lawyers”; third place to Richard Metcalf for “Legal fees eating up Vaughan Assets”
*First Place in personal columns: Leslie Linthicum for “Victim feels like she’s been punished for surviving”
*First place in sports photography for Jim Thompson for “State-ment”
*First place in breaking news to Dan Boyd, John Fleck, Phil Parker and Kiera Hay for “Los Alamos Under Seige”
* First place in feature writing to Jim Monteleone for “Classroom first,”; Second place to Richard Metcalf for “Urban legacy story behind iconic photo shows”; third place for feature writing to Dan McKay for “Pulpit and Politics”
*First place in editorials to Sharon Hendrix; for “Redistricting vetoes visible a mile away; second place to D’Val Westphal for “All of APD needed to scrub this stain out”
*Second place for general reporting to Rivkela Brodsky for “Too green to pay up”
*Second place for columns to Winthrop Quigley
*Third place for a breaking news story to Jim Monteleone and Jeff Proctor for “ex UNM president busted”
*Third place for feature writing to Ed Johnson for “A master more than a trumpet”
*Second place in general reporting to Michael Hartraneft for “Battle over San Juan”
*Second place in arts and entertainment reporting to Adrian Gomez for “Star funded star power”
*Second place in news feature to Charles Brunt for “Last code talker”
*Second place in news reporting to Rene Romo for “The slaying of a foster mother”
*Second place in columns to Rick Wright for “Flanagan’s exit doesn’t add up”
*Second place in reporting series to Vic Vela for “Mother, boyfriend accused of abuse”
Circulation between 10,000 and 75,000
The Santa Fe New Mexican
*First place to Geoff Grammer and Sandra Baltazar Martinez for “Ex-boyfriend shoots, kills woman”
*First place to Geoff Grammer for coverage of the Scott Owens trial;
*First place to Julie Ann Grimm for business investigative reporting for “Navigating the metals trade”
*First place to Bruce Krasnow for general reporting for “Essence of time”
*First place in columns to Jim Gordon for “Rebuilding a life with strength and service”; also third place for “New York’s Reyes loses by the way he’s won”
*First place in sports photography to Clyde Mueller for “SF Prep Taos boys soccer”
*First, second and third place to Natalie Guillen in news photography
*First place in spot news photography to Jane Phillips for “Residents flee growing inferno” and second place for “Standoff ends in arrest”
*Second place in feature writing to Bruce Krasnow for “Families stuck in neutral”
*Second place in feature photography to Clyde Mueller for “Skate park”
*Third place in news reporting to Geoff Grammer for “Taken for a ride”
*Third place in feature writing to Paul Weideman for “Climate changed: 14th Century life at Arroyo Hondo.
*The New Mexican also earned third place for general website excellence.
*Third place in general reporting to Bruce Krasnow for “Christus aims to buy private hospital”
Circulation up to 10,000
*First place in blogs, first place in arts and entertainment reporting, first place in general reporting, and second place in general reporting to Megan Kamerick, New Mexico Business Weekly
*Third place in feature writing to Laura Paskus for “The new normal” published in The Santa Fe Reporter
*Editorials: First Place: David Fryxell, Desert Exposure
*Personal columns: First Place: David Fryxell, Desert Exposure
UPDATE:
The complete list is here: http://www.spjcolorado.com/. If we’ve excluded any New Mexico journalists from the list, please drop a note to laura.paskus@gmail.com.
