Times Wins 31 Awards in Press Club Contest

The Ventura County Edition of the Los Angeles Times has won 31 awards for excellence in the fourth annual Ventura County Press Club contest, including 17 first-place prizes for daily newspapers.

The Times dominated in the major news-writing categories for the fourth straight year, winning prizes for best spot news story, best investigative story, best in-depth story, best series of articles and best continuing coverage of a news event.

The Times also won the press club’s coveted Community Service Award for the second straight year, as well as first-place awards for best stories on the environment, education, sports, military and arts and entertainment.

Times photographers won three first-place awards--for best photo feature, photo illustration and sports photography.

The paper also won top awards for headline writing, graphic illustration and page layout.

The press club’s Community Service Award was given to The Times for a series of stories by Fred Alvarez on the closing of Camarillo State Hospital. The series, called “A Community Says Goodbye”, chronicled the final six months of a state mental hospital that had been a county landmark for 60 years.

Judges called the series “very compelling. [Alvarez] captured the parents’ struggle to provide good care, and sometimes, just basic care, for their children. What a shame Gov. Pete Wilson put a price tag on these people’s families.”

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Alvarez’s stories also won in the best series category.

Times photographer Spencer Weiner won two first-place awards and one second, gaining top honors for feature photo and illustration and a second-place for his body of work.

The prize for best news story went to Times reporters Chris Chi, Miguel Bustillo and Penny Arevalo for coverage of a government sweep of a hidden village of illegal immigrants in Thousand Oaks. Chi and Bustillo also won first place for best continuing coverage with follow-up stories that tracked the displaced immigrants and subsequent housing reforms by local officials. Bustillo also won a second-place award for government coverage.

Staff writer Lorenza Munoz won for best investigative story for uncovering a variety of questionable activities at Oxnard City Hall, including free greens fees for officials at a city golf course.

Daryl Kelley took top honors for environmental reporting for his story on the county’s diminishing farmland, and captured three second-place awards for The Times.

Staff writer Mary F. Pols tied for first place for best in-depth story by examining the quality of Ventura County’s drinking water, and staffer Kate Folmar’s story on private schools won for best education reporting.

Richard Warchol’s account of the posthumous return to Port Hueneme of a former Navy chief who died in Antarctica won for military reporting. Unveiling the shakedown of movie crews in Piru, Nick Green won for arts and entertainment reporting. Steve Henson and David Wharton took the sports news category for their account of Cal State Northridge’s dropping of four sports programs.

The Times’ Bryan Chan also won for best sports photo.

The Times took both awards for graphics and illustrations, with Perry Perez capturing top honors for his work on the conversion of Santa Cruz Island to a national park.

Times editors won twice--Dan Santos for page design and John Gallant for headline writing.

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In addition to the 17 first-place prizes, The Times won 13 second-place awards and one honorable mention. The Ventura County Star also won 17 first-place awards and 21 seconds.

The Santa Paula Times won the community service award for non-daily publications for stories on the Toland Landfill. The Ojai Valley Times won for non-daily general excellence.

This year’s contest attracted 726 entries.

The awards will be presented at a banquet Nov. 7 at the Wedgewood Banquet Center in Ventura. Public radio commentator Warren Olney, a former television investigative reporter, will be the keynote speaker.

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Ventura County Press Club Awards for Daily Papers

Community Service Award

Fred Alvarez, L.A. Times

Best Spot News Story

1. Chris Chi / Miguel Bustillo / Penny Arevalo, L.A. Times

2. Gregg Mansfield / Letisia Marquez / Bruce McLean / Kevin Smith, Ventura County Star

Best In-depth Story

1. Mary F. Pols, L.A. Times

1. Maja Beckstrom / Jim McLain / Laurie Koch Thrower, Ventura County Star

2. Kathleen Wilson, Ventura County Star

Best Investigative Story

1. Lorenza Munoz, L.A. Times

2. Jeff Claassen, Ventura County Star

Best Series

1. Fred Alvarez, L.A. Times

2. Maureen Magee, Ventura County Star

2. M. E. Sprengelmeyer, Ventura County Star

Best Continuing Coverage

1. Chris Chi / Miguel Bustillo, L.A. Times

2. T. J. Sullivan, Ventura County Star

Best Feature Story

1. M. E. Sprengelmeyer, Ventura County Star

2. Kathleen Wilson, Ventura County Star

Best Lifestyle Story

1. Catherine Saillant, Ventura County Star

2. Karin Grennan, Ventura County Star

Honorable Mention: Jane Hulse, L.A. Times

Best Education Story

1. Kate Folmar, L.A. Times

2. Maureen Magee / Jean Cowden Moore, Ventura County Star

Best Political / Government Story

1. Maja Beckstrom / Jim McLain / Laurie Koch Thrower, Ventura County Star

2. Miguel Bustillo / Daryl Kelley, L.A. Times

Best Business / Financial Story

1. Colleen Cason, Ventura County Star

2. Hillary MacGregor, L.A. Times

Best Environmental Story

1. Daryl Kelley, L.A. Times

2. Brett Johnson, Ventura County Star

Best Health / Medical Story

1. Alice Warchol, Ventura County Star

2. Daryl Kelley, L.A. Times

Best Military Story

1. Richard Warchol, L.A. Times

2. Lauren Dodge, Ventura County Star

Best Law and Order Story

1. Letisia Marquez, Ventura County Star

2. Scott Hadly, L.A. Times

Best Sports News Story

1. Steve Henson / David Wharton, L.A. Times

2. Tom Kisken / Lauren Dodge, Ventura County Star

Best Sports Feature Story

1. Ed Zintel, Ventura County Star

2. Woody Woodburn, Ventura County Star

Best Arts and Entertainment Story

1. Nick Green, L.A. Times

2. Daryl Kelley, L.A. Times

Best Arts and Entertainment Criticism

1. Rita Moran, Ventura County Star

2. Josef Woodard, L.A. Times

Best Editorial Cartoon

1. John Sherffius, Ventura County Star

2. John Sherffius, Ventura County Star

Best Local Staff Written Editorial

1. Marianne Ratcliff, Ventura County Star

2. Doug Adrianson, L.A. Times

Best Graphic or Illustration

1. Perry Perez, L.A. Times

2. Roger Kuo, L.A. Times

Best Local Column

1. Woody Woodburn, Ventura County Star

2. Mack Reed, L.A. Times

2. Steve Chawkins, Ventura County Star

Best Headline Writing

1. John Gallant, L.A. Times

2. Colleen Cason, Ventura County Star

Best Tabloid Page Design

1. Dan Santos, L.A. Times

2. Stephanie Shea, Ventura Independent

Best Broadsheet Page Design

1. Sheila Schmitz, Ventura County Star

2. Larry Jones, L.A. Times

Photography

Best News

1. Victoria Sayer Pearson, Ventura County Star

2. Greg Cooper, Ventura County Star

Best Feature

1. Spencer Weiner, L.A. Times

2. Carlos Chavez, L.A. Times

Best Sports

1. Bryan Chan, L.A. Times

2. Juan Carlos, Ventura County Star

Best Portrait

1. Tony Rivetti, Ventura County Star

2. Joe Pugliese, L.A. Times

Best Illustration

1. Spencer Weiner, L.A. Times

2. Ed Compean, Ventura County Star

Best Picture Story

1. Tony Rivetti, Ventura County Star

2. Victoria Sayer Pearson, Ventura County Star

Best Portfolio

1. Tony Rivetti, Ventura County Star

2. Spencer Weiner, L.A. Times