Fresnoland, Fresno Bee and Mariposa Gazette take top honors in Gruner journalism awards

By Royal Calkins

A Fresnoland reporter and teams of journalists from the Fresno Bee and Mariposa Gazette won top honors for public service Thursday in the 38th-annual George F. Gruner Journalism Awards at California State University Fresno.

The Gruner awards recognize outstanding journalism by newspapers and digital news operations around the San Joaquin Valley. They are named for the late George Gruner, longtime editor of the Fresno Bee, and are administered by the university.

In the larger newspaper/digital-only publications division, the public service prize was shared by Fresnoland and the Fresno Bee.

Fresnoland’s Gregory Weaver conducted an in-depth examination of the state Williamson Act’s broken promise to protect Fresno County farmland by providing property tax breaks for parcels threatened by development. Weaver found numerous examples of major property owners receiving greatly reduced tax bills although their land is too remote to be subdivided for commercial or residential subdivision.

One of the judges, retired New York Times national intelligence reporter James Risen, said, “The tax bonanza for rich agribusiness inadvertently wrought by the Williamson Ave was revelatory and maddening.”

The Fresno Bee shared the public service prize for its in-depth coverage of what judge Jim Newton called “the year’s most important and timely issue,” the regional implications of the national immigration crackdown. Newton, a UCLA instructor and former Los Angeles Times assistant editor, said the team of Erik Galicia, Melissa Montalvo, Maria G. Ortiz-Briones and Marina Pena dug deeply and deftly illustrated the issue in their series. Montalvo received the same prize last year.

The prize for public service by smaller dailies and weeklies went to the Mariposa Gazette for the second year in a row. This year’s top entry from Greg Little, Nicole Little and Tom Lyden started with a phone tip and ended with the resignation of the Mariposa County district attorney.

Out of the blue, the tipster claimed that he had repeatedly sold methamphetamine to the DA and later provided text evidence to back up his story. Judge Risen called it a “reporter’s dream phone call” and Newton said the journalists followed it up with “solid, aggressive (and) readable” reporting.

Also for public service, honorable mention went to Serena Bettis of the Mid Valley Times, which covers parts of Fresno and Tulare counties, and Karis Caddell of the Sun Gazette in Tulare County. Bettis wrote about controversy over missteps by the Selma City Council and other issues involving investigations and hiring procedures. Caddell exposed delays and cost overruns involving the public utility district in Earlimart.

Prizes were awarded in six other categories at Thursday’s event.

The winning entry for best writing among the larger outlets went to Donald Munro of the Munro Review for his review of the play “Mojada.” The tightly written piece, judges said, packed a lot into its well-planned paragraphs in the Fresno-based arts publication.

Honorable mention for best writing in the same category went to Julianna Morano of Fresnoland for her deeply reported piece on the artists behind the murals beneath Fresno’s 180 Freeway. A judge noted that she brought both the art and the neighborhood to life.

In the smaller papers group, the winning entry came from Karis Caddell of the Sun Gazette. A judge wrote that she “took what could have been a straightforward new business story and turned it into a charming portrait of Monica Torres, who worked her way up from dishwasher to executive chef at the Visalia brunch spot Sunny Hyde Up.”

Honorable mention went to Ben Hensley of Fresno’s Business Journal for “Startup Grind,” about two entrepreneurs building a coffee business from the “grounds” up.

In the commentary category, first place in the large paper/digital only division went to recently retired Juan Esparza Loera of the Fresno Bee for his early warning about the nationwide immigration crackdown. Honorable mention went to Heather Parish of the Munro Review for her engaging and funny review of the play “Rent.”

For smaller papers, the prize for best commentary was won by Michael Braa of the Los Banos Enterprise. He drew on his heritage as a descendant of Native Americans and Europeans for a piece on immigration. A judge commented that it wove “powerfully through the nuances of personally belonging to two distinct streams of human history.”

Honorable mention went to the Mariposa Gazette’s Greg and Nicole Little for an editorial about excessive secretary by county officials, brought to light by a case involving the newspaper.

Winning the prize for best news story in the larger paper/digital group was Doug Hoagland of the Munro Review for his deep analysis of the flawed awards process for a Fresno art tax measure. Hoagland, who was a longtime features and investigative reporter for the Bee, has consistently led reportage on the troubled measure.

Honorable mention in the same category went to Lois Henry of SJV Water and Tim Sheehan of Intersection/The Central Valley Journalism Collaborative.

Henry broke the story about President Trump’s illogical and wasteful order to release water from Central California reservoirs in a useless effort to help combat the Southern California wildfires. Sheehan was honored for a piece exploring the impacts of the reopening of a financially troubled hospital in Madera.

In the smaller papers category for best news story, top honors went to Jon Acevedo of the Mid Valley Times for another immigration-related story. He wrote about how the nationwide ICE roundups were impacting a local flea market by scaring away vendors and customers. A judge wrote that Acevedo “put a human face on a serious policy problem.”

Receiving honorable mention was frequent Gruner prize winner Parker Bowman of the Hanford Sentinel for his “heartfelt, empathetic and timely” portrait of the final days of an encampment of unhoused people.

For feature writing, the winner in the large dailies/digital only division was Rachel Livinal of the Merced Focus, for an upbeat piece about how a 20-foot-tall pile of dirt inspired T-shirts, social media posts and even a mention on Good Morning America.

“How do you turn a pile of dirt into a fun, compelling read?” asked one of the judges. “Talk to a lot of people, gather lots of details, then let the story gently unspool.” Livinal received the same award at last year’s Gruner competition.

Honorable mention in the same category went to Esther Quintanilla of the Central Valley Journalism Collaborative for a piece on high school students learning the art of mariachi. The story, judges wrote, combined a good historical perspective and interviews that “provide some zest and keep the story moving.”

For feature writing in the smaller papers group, first place was claimed by Ben Hensley of the Business Journal for his piece on the intricacies of opening a small business, in this case, a new coffee shop. One judge called it “A good example of clear, concise writing that offers valuable tips to budding entrepreneurs.”

Karissa Hernandez of the Los Banos Enterprise took honorable mention for her piece on a recovering addict who channels his pain into music. “Good quotes make this flow like a melody,” a judge wrote.

Frequent Gruner prize winner Craig Kohlruss of the Fresno Bee took the top award for best news photo in the larger publication group. His entry showcased new citizens being sworn in with Yosemite’s majestic Half Dome for a backdrop. A judge wrote, “Beautiful use of the environment to tell the story of what the ceremony was about. It’s often challenging to get a dynamic photo from a ceremony, but this image certainly did.”

Honorable mention went to Peter Segall of the Bakersfield Californian for a photo of the police clearing an encampment of unhoused people. A judge commented on its “starkness.” The winning photo in the small papers group came from Nick Smirnoff of the Tehachapi News for a “superb stop-action moment” at an apple-bobbing competition.

Honorable mention went to Hensley of the Business Journal for a photo of Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer noshing at the opening of a new bagel restaurant. One judge wrote: “Old rule for photographers: Never take photos of someone eating. Better rule: Break rules.”

In the larger paper/digital race for best sports photo, the Fresno Bee’s Eric Zamora took first for his shot capturing a ball-carrying football player hurdling over an opponent. “No caption needed,” one judge wrote.

Honorable mentions went to Rodney Thornburg of the Bakersfield Californian for his capture of a diving, sideways stretch by a soccer goalie and Andy Alfaro of the Modesto Bee for his photo of a tense moment in a soccer game.

In the smaller papers category for best sports photo, first place went to Amanda White of the Mariposa Gazette for a joyous, mid-air flag football photo. Honorable mention went to Nick Smirnoff of the Tehachapi News for capturing a motorcycle stunt rider reaching heights up to the grandstand lights.

Competition for best sports story in the large newspaper/digital-only division resulted in a tie between Ryan T. Blystone of the Bakersfield Californian and David Taub of GV Wire.

Blystone deftly put readers in the bleachers for a baseball game between the Bakersfield Train Robbers and the Vallejo Seaweed of the Pecos League.

Taub developed a takeout on the pitiful 1985 San Francisco Giants — a team that lost 100 games. A judge called it “a fun read about how a bunch of great Giants collectively gave fans the worst season ever, and what the players are up to now.”

In the smaller paper group, the sportwriting winner is Jon Hammond of the Tehachapi News for his piece on a gathering of former football players to remember the “Miracle on the Mountain,” their title-championship game from 40 years earlier. A judge said that Jon’s “well-written and researched” piece put her in the middle of the game.”

From the smaller papers, the award for best sports story went to Kason Clark of the Sun Gazette for her piece on a girls’ basketball team that came from behind to win their division title following the death of their head coach midseason.

The Gruner awards are sponsored by the Fresno State Institute for Media and Public Trust, Department of Media, Communications and Journalism, and James B. McClatchy Foundation. This year’s awards event also included a “speed networking” session before the ceremony, where about a dozen professionals were paired with journalism students.