Sonoma West Publishers won several awards from the California News Publishers Association for 2019. Sonoma West Publishers swept the Special Sections category, winning first, second, third and fourth place. These special sections appeared in all four Sonoma West Publishers papers including Sonoma West Times & News, The Healdsburg Tribune, The Windsor Times and the Cloverdale Reveille.
Sonoma West Publishers’ special section “Teens and the Vape Debate” won first place. The judges said, “This section was extremely interesting and informative, focusing on health and social ramifications of vaping, as well as explaining the science and its intricacies.”
Second place went to the special issue on Sonoma Clean Power, called “Is Sonoma Clean Power Working?” written by Mary Fricker and edited by Bleys Rose. Judges said, “This section was extremely enlightening, focusing on environmental ramifications, while providing historical background as well as explaining the complicated science and political processes involved.”
“Deep Trouble,” an exploration of the environmental crisis off the Sonoma Coast, took third place. Judges commented, “This section was informative and fascinating, clearly bringing to the forefront, in great detail, environmental concerns that don’t receive due coverage.”
Sonoma West Publishers’ annual Harvest issue for 2019, an in-depth look at the state of agriculture in the region, took fourth place. Judges said, “This was a fun, fascinating look at the region/community’s agriculture successes.”
“Teens and the Vape Debate,” “Is Sonoma Clean Power Working?,” and “Deep Trouble” also collectively won third place in the Special Section Cover category. The covers were designed by former Sonoma West Publishers designer Robby McClellan.
Contributors to the special sections included Sonoma West Times & News Editor Laura Hagar Rush, Windsor Times Editor Heather Bailey, Cloverdale Reveille Editor Zoë Strickland, former Healdsburg Tribune editor and managing editor Andrew Pardiac, and reporters Katherine Minkiewicz and E.I. Hillin. Pardiac, as managing editor, was responsible for organizing and editing the special sections.
Bailey received a second place award in the Writing category for a first-person article, “There’s no place like home,” about her experience during the Kincade Fire. Bailey also received third place for a photo essay published in The Windsor Times about Windsor residents coming home following the fire. In addition, Hagar Rush and reporter Hillin won fourth place in the state in the category of Coverage of Youth and Education for their coverage of the teachers’ strikes in west county. Strickland received a fifth place award for Coverage of Youth and Education for an article about Cloverdale High School’s climate strike.
