Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards announced

Bay Area print and online journalists, photographers, radio and television personnel and public relations professionals were presented with 198 awards of excellence in nine divisions and 41 categories at the San Francisco Peninsula Press Club's 35th annual Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards dinner tonight.

The San Francisco Peninsula Press Club's annual Professional Journalism Awards Competition dinner was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Foster City.

The winners were selected from 440 entries from media professionals in the 11 Greater Bay Area counties. Awards honored work done in 2011. Entries were judged by the Press Clubs of Bakersfield, Cleveland, Florida, Milwaukee, New Orleans and San Diego.

The Print Photography division was judged by press photographers of the Appeal-Democrat in Marysville, and was coordinated by Paul Sakuma of the Associated Press.

The San Jose Mercury News received a total of 26 plaques including Overall Excellence. Other Overall Excellence winners included The East Bay Express, Foundations for Health, KCBS Radio, NATAS and Patch. A total of 198 plaques were awarded.

The guest speaker for the event was Manny Fernandez, Houston bureau chief of The New York Times.

Two $1,500 scholarships in the name of the late San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen were awarded. The high school recipient was Brian Benton, Palo Alto High School. The collegiate scholarship was presented to Stacey Kennelly, University of California, Berkeley.

Special recognition was given to the General Excellence winner of the Press Club’s High School Journalism Contest, The Oracle, Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto. The editor in chief, Ashley Ngu, accepted a plaque.

The complete list of journalism award winners follows:

NEWSPAPERS-DAILIES

Overall Excellence

     FIRST PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, San Jose Mercury News Staff

     SECOND PLACE, The Press Democrat, Press Democrat Staff

     THIRD PLACE, The Daily News, Daily News Staff

Editorial

     FIRST PLACE, Contra Costa Times, “Hercules recall needed,” Daniel Borenstein

     SECOND PLACE, The Press Democrat, “County finally comes clean on pension costs,”

Press Democrat Editorial Staff

     THIRD PLACE, The Daily Post, “Transit agency's pay is excessive,” Dave Price

Columns-News

     FIRST PLACE, Contra Costa Times, “Columns by Daniel Borenstein,” Daniel Borenstein

     SECOND PLACE, San Mateo Daily Journal, “Columns by Sue Lempert,” Sue Lempert

     THIRD PLACE, The Press Democrat, “Columns by Paul Gullixson,” Paul Gullixson

Columns-Feature

     FIRST PLACE, San Mateo Daily Journal, “Off the Beat by Michelle Durand,” Michelle Durand

     SECOND PLACE, The Daily News, “Unhealthy behavior? I won't stand for it!,”

Malcolm Fleschner

     THIRD PLACE, San Mateo Daily Journal, “Columns by Jon Mays,” Jon Mays

Columns-Sports

     FIRST PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “Columns by Mark Purdy,” Mark Purdy

     SECOND PLACE, The Daily News, “Columns by John Reid,” John Reid

     THIRD PLACE, The Press Democrat, “Columns by Bob Padecky,” Bob Padecky

Breaking News

     FIRST PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “Deadly Rampage; Bloody End to Manhunt,”

Mercury News Staff

     SECOND PLACE, San Mateo Daily Journal, “Mistrial for teen bomber's sanity,”

Michelle Durand

News Story

     FIRST PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “Consumed by payday loans,” Karen de Sá

     SECOND PLACE, The Press Democrat, “County pensions revealed,” Brett Wilkison

     THIRD PLACE, The Daily Post, “Transit chief's pay raised in less than an obvious way,”

Ryan Thomas Riddle

Continuing Coverage

     FIRST PLACE, The Press Democrat, “Revealing juvenile justice,” Julie Johnson, Paul Payne,

Randi Rossmann

     SECOND PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “Caltrain,” Mike Rosenberg

     THIRD PLACE, San Francisco Chronicle, “Investigation of deadly pipeline blast,”

Jaxon Van Derbeken and Eric Nalder

Series

     FIRST PLACE, Bloomberg, “Payroll in Peril,” Michael Marois, James Nash, Alison Vekshin,

Rodney Yap

     SECOND PLACE, San Mateo Daily Journal, “Made in America,” Bill Silverfarb

Feature Story of a Light Nature

     FIRST PLACE, West County Times, “Casting calls on cornfields,” Hannah Dreier

     SECOND PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “In Vietnam, heaven is a good ear picking,”

John Boudreau

     THIRD PLACE, San Mateo Daily Journal, “Sorting out a new future,” Michelle Durand

Feature Story of a Serious Nature

     FIRST PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “Lost Voices of Sept. 11,” Julia Prodis Sulek

     SECOND PLACE, The Daily News, “Too weary to go on,” Diana Samuels

     THIRD PLACE, San Mateo Daily Journal, “A stitch in time,” Michelle Durand

Analysis

     FIRST PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “Universities or visa mills?,” Lisa M. Krieger

     SECOND PLACE, West County Times, “’Special' students forced back to public campuses,”

Hannah Dreier

     THIRD PLACE, Santa Cruz Sentinel, “A good prognosis: Doctors lead the way to recovery,”

Jondi Gumz

Business/Technology Story

     FIRST PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “Tales from the Facebook house,” Mike Swift

     SECOND PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “Tracking data: Manna for Google, Apple,”

Mike Swift

     THIRD PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “Legend. Visionary.,” Bruce Newman

Entertainment

     FIRST PLACE, The Daily News, “The deep blues,” John Orr

     SECOND PLACE, San Mateo Daily Journal, “Window into the mystery,” Julio Lara

     THIRD PLACE, San Mateo Daily Journal, “Getting into character,” Heather Murtagh

Specialty Story

     FIRST PLACE, Contra Costa Times, “Racing to the bottom,” Hannah Dreier

     SECOND PLACE, West County Times, “Mexican cowboys pass down centuries-old tradition in the

East Bay,” Hannah Dreier

     THIRD PLACE, San Mateo Daily Journal, “There to teach,” Michelle Durand

Sports Story

     FIRST PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “At peace now,” Mark Emmons

     SECOND PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “Thanks for the memories,” Jon Wilner,

Elliott Almond

     THIRD PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “Will they huddle again?,” Daniel Brown

Sports Game Story

     FIRST PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “Instant classic,” Jon Wilner

     SECOND PLACE, The Daily News, “Vikings’ fantastic finish,” Vytas Mazeika

     THIRD PLACE, The Daily News, “Lancers shock No. 1 Eagles,” John Reid

Headline

     FIRST PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “May the best dog come out a wiener,” Paul Ayars

     SECOND PLACE, Bay Area News Group, “Silent is golden,” John Swartley

     THIRD PLACE, The Daily News, “Apple loses its core,” Jason Green

Graphic Design

     FIRST PLACE, The Daily News, “The 77th Orange Bowl,” Greg Frazier

     SECOND PLACE, The Daily News, “Out of the Shadow,” Greg Frazier

     THIRD PLACE, San Mateo Daily Journal, “They're Baaack! Women's World Cup Final,”

Julio Lara

Page Design

     FIRST PLACE, San Mateo Daily Journal, “Gonzo,” Erik Oeverndiek

     SECOND PLACE, The Daily News, “Steve Jobs 1955 - 2011; Tech Titan Passes,” Greg Frazier

     THIRD PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “Lost Voices of Sept. 11,” Tiffany Grandstaff,

Alex Fong, Jami Smith

        

NEWSPAPERS-NON-DAILIES

Overall Excellence

     FIRST PLACE, East Bay Express, East Bay Express Staff

     SECOND PLACE, San Francisco Business Times, Business Times Staff

     THIRD PLACE, Palo Alto Weekly, Palo Alto Weekly staff

Editorial

     FIRST PLACE, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, “Keep Solyndra flu from making rest of

cleantech sick,” Cromwell Schubarth

     SECOND PLACE, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, “It's time to start Stanford hospitals'

expansion project,” Cromwell Schubarth

     THIRD PLACE, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, “Caltrain moves don't get where they

need to go,” Cromwell Schubarth

Columns-News

     FIRST PLACE, East Bay Express, “Full Disclosure,” Robert Gammon

     SECOND PLACE, Bay Area Reporter, “Columns by Matthew Bajko,” Matthew S. Bajko

Columns-Feature

     FIRST PLACE, San Francisco Weekly, “Bouncer,” Katy St. Clair

     SECOND PLACE, San Francisco Business Times, “Columns by Steve Symanovich,”

Steve Symanovich

     THIRD PLACE, East Bay Express, “Culture Spy,” Rachel Swan

Breaking News

     FIRST PLACE, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, “Solyndra goes dark,”

Mary Ann Azevedo, Diana Samuels, Lisa Sibley, David Goll, Cromwell Schubarth,

Linda Taaffe, Colleen Combes

     SECOND PLACE, Palo Alto Weekly, “Steve Jobs, Apple's creative genius, dies at 56,”

Palo Alto Weekly Staff

News Story

     FIRST PLACE, San Francisco Weekly, “Crime Lab Confidential,” Peter Jamison

     SECOND PLACE, Palo Alto Weekly, “Taking it to the streets,” Sue Dremann, Veronica Weber

     THIRD PLACE, East Bay Express, “Trashed,” Ellen Cushing

Continuing Coverage

     FIRST PLACE, Palo Alto Weekly, “A less perfect union,” Gennady Sheyner

     SECOND PLACE, India West, “Feds Raid Sham University,” Pearl Driver, Sunita Sohrabji

Series

     FIRST PLACE, Palo Alto Weekly, “Getting off the treadmill,” Terri Lobdell

     SECOND PLACE, Central City Extra, “Toilets in the TL,” Tom Carter

Feature Story of a Light Nature

     FIRST PLACE, San Francisco Weekly, “The Art of the Steal,” Joe Eskenazi

     SECOND PLACE, East Bay Express, “Hate Man,” Kathleen Richards, Sandeep Abraham

     THIRD PLACE, San Francisco Business Times, “Burgers on a roll,” Sarah Duxbury

Feature Story of a Serious Nature

     FIRST PLACE, San Francisco Weekly, “Let Him Prey,” Peter Jamison

     SECOND PLACE, East Bay Express, “How Peet's Starbucked Itself,” Ellen Cushing

     THIRD PLACE, Palo Alto Weekly, “Her final hours,” Gennady Sheyner

Analysis

     FIRST PLACE, Palo Alto Weekly, “End of the line for Caltrain?,” Sue Dremann

     SECOND PLACE, San Francisco Weekly, “Progressively Worse,” Joe Eskenazi

     THIRD PLACE, Palo Alto Weekly, “Battle over the Baylands,” Gennady Sheyner

Business/Technology Story

     FIRST PLACE, Palo Alto Weekly, “Fueling innovation,” Sue Dremann

     SECOND PLACE, Central City Extra, “Internet Limbo,” Marjorie Beggs

Specialty Story

     FIRST PLACE, San Francisco Weekly, “In Transit,” Joe Eskenazi

     SECOND PLACE, San Francisco Business Times, “Patients enlist in fight against ALS,”

Ron Leuty

     THIRD PLACE, San Francisco Business Times, “Body work done here,” Ron Leuty

Sports Story

     FIRST PLACE, East Bay Express, “The Road Less Traveled,” Kibby Kleiman

     SECOND PLACE, San Francisco Weekly, “Fighting Chance,” Joe Eskenazi

     THIRD PLACE, Pacifica Tribune, “50 Years of Tiger Football,” Horace Hinshaw

Sports Game Story

     FIRST PLACE, Pacifica Tribune, “Giants mascot puts ‘seal’ on Mavericks,” Horace Hinshaw

Headline

     FIRST PLACE, San Francisco Business Times, “Dental school fills downtown cavity. Dugoni

brushes off Pac Heights, chomps into 155 Fifth St.,” J.K. Dineen

     SECOND PLACE, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, “Fowl moves: Three major decisions

that didn't fly,” Cromwell Schubarth

     THIRD PLACE, Central City Extra, “Free toilet costs over $5 a flush,” Geoff Link

Graphic Design

     FIRT PLACE, San Francisco Business Times, “On course,” Craig Blanchard, Eric Young

     SECOND PLACE, San Francisco Business Times, “The risks of eliminating drug risk,”

Craig Blanchard, Ron Leuty

Page Design

     FIRST PLACE, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, “Jobs resignation page,” Barry Baldi

     SECOND PLACE, East Bay Express, “How Peet's Starbucked Itself,” Brian Kelly

     THIRD PLACE, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, “Apple headquarters page,”

Colleen Combes, Linda Taaffe

MAGAZINES-TRADE PUBLICATIONS

Overall Excellence

     FIRST PLACE, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, “Foundation for Health,”

Palo Alto Medical Foundation Staff

     SECOND PLACE, Traditions Magazine, Antonia Ehlers, Michelle Wilkinson

     THIRD PLACE, Mills-Peninsula Health Services, “Peninsula Health Magazine,”

Mills-Peninsula Health Services Staff

Columns-News

     FIRST PLACE, The Spectrum, “As I was saying. . .,” Steve Penna

News Story

     FIRST PLACE, The Spectrum, “Redwood City Police Chief Resigns,” Steve Penna

     SECOND PLACE, The Spectrum, “City hall shake up continues,” Steve Penna

Feature Story of a Light Nature

     FIRST PLACE, Traditions Magazine, “Finding his Passion from Fires to Fashion,”

Antonia Ehlers, Michelle Wilkinson

     SECOND PLACE, Traditions Magazine, “George Peacock Strings Decades of Music,”

Antonia Ehlers, Michelle Wilkinson

Feature Story of a Serious Nature

     FIRST PLACE, Traditions Magazine, “Juan Orozco: Troubled Waters: Keeping the High Seas

Safe,” Antonia Ehlers, Michelle Wilkinson

     SECOND PLACE, Traditions Magazine, “Serra's Mission at Work,” Antonia Ehlers,

Michelle Wilkinson

     THIRD PLACE, San Francisco Daily Journal, “International Appeal,” Saul Sugarman

Analysis

     FIRST PLACE, San Francisco Daily Journal, “Employers avoid seeking skilled worker visa,”

Saul Sugarman

Business/Technology Story

     FIRST PLACE, Traditions Magazine, “Sandeep Chatterjee: Changing Lives, One Village at a

Time,” Antonia Ehlers, Michelle Wilkinson

Specialty Story

     FIRST PLACE, TBM Owners and Pilots Magazine, “Natchez and Natchitoches: Flip sides of the

antebellum South,” Michelle Carter

Page Design

     FIRST PLACE, Traditions Magazine, “Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Padres Explore the Heart of

Europe,” Michelle Wilkinson

     SECOND PLACE, Traditions Magazine, “Padre Bench,” Michelle Wilkinson

     THIRD PLACE, The Spectrum, “January and July 2011,” James Massey Jr.

EDITORIAL CARTOONS

     FIRST PLACE, Bay Area News Group, “AT&T Cell Phone Antenna,” Steve Curl,

Victor Gonzales, Mario Dianda

     SECOND PLACE, Bay Area News Group, “A Cloud of Information,” Steve Curl,

Victor Gonzales, Mario Dianda

     THIRD PLACE, Bay Area News Group, “Further Caltrain Cuts,” Steve Curl, Victor Gonzales,

Mario Dianda

PHOTOGRAPHY

Spot News

     FIRST PLACE, Bay Area News Group, “Grieving,” John Green

     SECOND PLACE, Oakland Tribune, “Occupy Oakland shooting victim dies,” Jane Tyska

     THIRD PLACE, The Press Democrat, “A Year of Tumult,” Kent Porter

General News

     FIRST PLACE, Oakland Tribune, “Occupy Oakland Raid One,” Jane Tyska

     SECOND PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “High Tech Hope,” Dai Sugano

     THIRD PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “Bay Area's Own Look Back On Service At Ground

Zero,” Dai Sugano

Feature

     FIRST PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “Snapshots From the Shore,” Jim Gensheimer

     SECOND PLACE, The Press Democrat, “Petaluma River Revial,” Crista Jeremiason

     THIRD PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “The Henchmen,” Patrick Tehan

Sports Action

     FIRST PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “Sharks Take Control,” Nhat V. Meyer

     SECOND PLACE, San Mateo Daily Journal, “Hillsdale sends San Mateo to CCS exit,”

Nathan Mollat

     THIRD PLACE, San Mateo Daily Journal, “Cougars take title,” Nathan Mollat

Sports Feature

     FIRST PLACE, Associated Press, “Gatorade Time on 49ers head coach,” Paul Sakuma

     SECOND PLACE, Associated Press, “Fan-natic Raiders Fan,” Paul Sakuma

     THIRD PLACE, Bay Area News Group, “Champions,” John Green

Picture Story

     FIRST PLACE, Oakland Tribune, “Mark Hawthorne — aka Hate Man,” Jane Tyska

     SECOND PLACE, Oakland Tribune, “inShare with newborn baby,” Jane Tyska

     THIRD PLACE, Bay Area News Group, “Juliana's battle with cancer,” John Green

RADIO

Overall Excellence

     FIRST PLACE, KCBS Radio, KCBS News Team

Breaking News

     FIRST PLACE, KCBS Radio, “Occupy Oakland Riots,” Chris Filippi and the KCBS News Team

Feature Story of a Light Nature

     FIRST PLACE, KQED Public Radio, “Pro Surfing Comes to San Francisco,” Scott Shafer,

Ingrid Becker

     SECOND PLACE, KCBS Radio, “Cobbler,” Doug Sovern

Feature Story of a Serious Nature

     FIRST PLACE, KQED Public Radio, “A Day in the Life of a Parole Agent,” Scott Shafer,

Ingrid Becker

     SECOND PLACE, KQED Public Radio, “AIDS at 30,” Scott Shafer, Ingrid Becker,

Victoria Mauleon

     THIRD PLACE, KCBS Radio, “Lost Boys,” Holly Quan

Public Affairs Program

     FIRST PLACE, KCBS Radio, “In Depth: Egyptian Spring,” Jane McMillan, Ed Cavagnaro,

Sheryl Raines

Special Program

     FIRST PLACE, KCBS Radio, “Children Left Behind,” Doug Sovern

Documentary

     FIRST PLACE, KCBS Radio, “The Sahara Ceiling: Women of the Last World,” Doug Sovern

Use of Sound

     FIRST PLACE, KCBS Radio, “Golden Gate Opus,” Margie Shafer

TELEVISION

Feature Story of a Light Nature

     FIRST PLACE, KPIX CBS 5, “Psycho Donuts,” Chris Bollini

     SECOND PLACE, KQED 9, “Rita Moreno in 'Life Without Makeup',” Spencer Michels,

Robin Epstein, Helen Silvani

Feature Story of a Serious Nature

     FIRST PLACE, KQED 9, “Ranked Choice...Easy as 1,2,3?,” Lori Halloran, Scott Shafer,

Peter Borg, Helen Silvani

Public Affairs Program

     FIRST PLACE, Mills-Peninsula Health TV, “Healthpoint TV,” Angela Anderson,

Bobbi J. Fagone, Rocky Robinson

Special Program

     FIRST PLACE, KTVU Channel 2, “The Next Great Quake,” KTVU Staff

     SECOND PLACE, KPIX CBS 5, “Alcatraz Swim,” Chris Bollini, Lena Sullivan, Sean P. Phillips,

Colleen Kessler-Schick, Pat Caballero, John Cantwell

     THIRD PLACE, KQED 9, “Broken California,” Spencer Michels, Robin Epstein

Documentary

     FIRST PLACE, MidPenMedia, “Gila River and Mama: The Ruth Mix Story,” Claire Mix,

Ben Ferrer, Charles H. Class, Hayao Shishino, Ben Tonooka, Ray Clark, J.D. Warrick,

Jeremy Johnson, Delta Pick Mello

Videography

     FIRST PLACE, KPIX CBS 5, “Bollini Composite,” Chris Bollini

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Overall Excellence

     FIRST PLACE, NATAS San Francisco/Northern California Chapter, Javier Valencia,

Sultan Mirza, Keith Sanders, Darryl Compton

Newsletter

     FIRST PLACE, NATAS San Francisco/Northern California Chapter, “Off Camera,”

Keith Sanders, Linda Giannecchini, Kevin Wing. Darryl Compton

     SECOND PLACE, Broadcast Legends, “Broadcast Legends Newsletter,” Jim Schock,

Ed Vasgersian, Peter Cleaveland, Darryl Compton

     THIRD PLACE, Peninsula Health Care District, “Health District News,” Janis MacKenzie,

Cheryl Fama, Gwyn Smith

Press Releases

     FIRST PLACE, SLAC News, “Three Releases for SLAC News,” Janet Rae-Dupree

BROADBAND

Overall Excellence-Media Organizations

     FIRST PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “www.mercurynews.com,” Mercury News Staff

     SECOND PLACE, Silicon Valley San Jose Business Journal, “www.bizjournals.com/sanjose”

Cromwell Schubarth, Lisa Sibley, Jon Xavier

Overall Excellence-Broadband Only

     FIRST PLACE, Patch, “http://redwoodcity.patch.com,” Stacie Chan

     SECOND PLACE, Albany Patch, “http://albany.patch.com,” Emilie Raguso

Breaking News

     FIRST PLACE, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, “Carol Bartz ousted as Yahoo CEO,”

Diana Samuels, Cromwell Schubarth, Jon Xavier, Colleen Combes

     SECOND PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “Occupy Oakland coverage,” Mercury News Staff

     THIRD PLACE, Silicon Valley San Jose Business Journal, “Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is dead,”

Cromwell Schubarth, Colleen Combes, Lisa Sibley, Jon Xavier, Moryt Milo, Shana Lynch,

Mary Ann Azevedo, Diana Samuels, Eli Segall, David Goll, Vicki Thompson,

Lemery Reyes

News Story

     FIRST PLACE, The Bay Citizen, “Questions Are Raised on Restraint Training,” Jennifer Gollan

     SECOND PLACE, Patch, “No Harbor Police the Day of Brutal Kind Grind Rape,” Brad Kava

     THIRD PLACE, Bay City News Service, “Cat shooter suit moves forward,” Julia Cheever

Continuing Coverage

     FIRST PLACE, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, “Steve Jobs resignation and death,”

Business Journal Staff

     SECOND PLACE, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, “Yahoo after Bartz,”

Business Journal Staff

     THIRD PLACE, Bay City News Service, “Federal MS-13 racketeering and murder trials,”

Julia Cheever

Feature Story of a Light Nature

     FIRST PLACE, Patch, “El Cerrito Nicknamed ‘Little Taipei’,” Charles Burress

     SECOND PLACE, Bay City News Service, “San Francisco Apple aficionados line up for the iPhone

4S,” Patricia Decker

     THIRD PLACE, Bay City News Service, “Anglophiles gather to watch royal wedding,”

Janna Brancolini

Feature Story of a Serious Nature

     FIRST PLACE, Bay City News Service, “Alameda County grapples with best way to rescue teen

prostitutes,” Janna Brancolini

     SECOND PLACE, Patch, “In Wake of Shooting, Children's Play Gone From Eighth Lane,”

Drew Himmelstein

     THIRD PLACE, Bay City News Service, “Mercury mission puts Livermore instrument to the test,”

Janna Brancolini

Sports Story

     FIRST PLACE, Patch, “Mr. All-Everything: Meet Menlo's Dylan Mayer,” Scott Campbell

     SECOND PLACE, Bay City News Service, “SF Giants, fans celebrate home opener,”

Sean McCourt

Headline

     FIRST PLACE, Patch, “Take-Out 2.0: Gobble Offers 'Peer-to-Peer Lasagna',” Rachel Stern

Multi Media/Interactivity

     FIRST PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “A Chance To Survive,” Dai Sugano, John Boudreau

     SECOND PLACE, Patch, “A Tribute to Steve Jobs (1955-2011),” Aaron Selverston

     THIRD PLACE, San Jose Mercury News, “Bharatanatyam In Motion,” Dai Sugano

Blog/Commentary

     FIRST PLACE, Patch, “My Neighbor, Steve Jobs,” Lisen Stromberg

     SECOND PLACE, San Francisco Business Times, “Solyndra's Demise,” Lindsay Riddell

     THIRD PLACE, San Francisco Business Times, “Buffett's BofA Investment,” Mark Calvey

Best use of Twitter

     FIRST PLACE, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, “@paloaltomedical,” Erin Macartney

     SECOND PLACE, Mills-Peninsula Health Services, “@millspeninsula,” Erin Macartney

     THIRD PLACE, San Mateo Police Dept, “@SanMateoPD,” Dave Norris, Ted Gonzales,

Mike Callagy, Susan Manheimer

Press Club's awards banquet Saturday (May 19)

There's still time to reserve a seat at the Press Club's awards banquet on Saturday (May 19).

No host-cocktails start at 6 p.m. and the program begins at 7. Tickets are $55 for Press Club members and $60 for non-members. It takes place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1221 Chess Drive, Foster City. Free parking.

The keynote speaker will be Manny Fernandez, a New York Times reporter who previously was at the Washington Post and San Francisco Chronicle.

Reservations may be emailed to penpressclub@comcast.net, and guests may pay by using PayPal (in the left column of this page)

SJ State's Dwight Bentel dead at 103

Bentel

Dwight Bentel, who helped students start the Spartan Daily in 1934 and two years later established the journalism program at San Jose State University, died today (May 16) at age 103. Here’s the Spartan Daily’s obit. Bentel died at a Saratoga skilled-nursing facility after suffering a stroke and pneumonia. He directed the journalism program at San Jose State for nearly 30 years, was a fierce defender of the First Amendment and served on the advisory committee that helped write the Brown Act, which opened up government meetings to the public. He was also the oldest surviving Mercury News reporter. (Photo credit: Spartan Daily)

Schaub jumps from KGO to KCBS

Schaub

Two years after taking a buyout and leaving CBS5, Jeffrey Schaub is working in the same building again — this time for KCBS Radio. Schaub was at Channel 5 for 20 years and had beats ranging from education to the environment. He also served as the station’s North Bay bureau chief. After leaving Channel 5, Schaub went to KGO Radio as a reporter. Novato’s Patch website has this profile of Schaub, who has lived in the North Bay since the 1980s and has been involved in the community by doing special-event emcee work there.

Ex-Examiner editor joins Newsom's staff

Hussey

Former Examiner Editor Deirdre Hussey has been hired by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom as his deputy chief of staff.

Hussey left the Examiner in February after a meeting with the paper's new owner, Todd Vogt, who wished her well but said a "fresh start and some fresh ideas" were needed at the free paper.

She joined the Examiner in 2002 and was named editor-in-chief in July 2010.

In her new job, Hussey will oversee communications, social media and assist in policy and strategy, according to a news release from Newsom.

“Deirdre brings a depth political and media knowledge that makes her a natural fit for our team,” said Newsom, the former San Francisco mayor. “There is no doubt she will bring new energy to the office.”

Hussey said in the release: "Lt. Governor Newsom is a visionary, as we were reminded last week with the announcements regarding gay marriage. He has proposed and implemented public policy in areas such as health care and the environment that has set the national agenda. It is rare opportunity to be part of political team that is innovative and creative."

Hussey started today (May 14) and will be located at the State Building in San Francisco.

Palo Alto’s Gunn High School takes top honors in Press Club student journalism contest

Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto took top honors at the San Francisco Peninsula Press Club’s 2012 High School Journalism Awards which were presented Thursday afternoon at Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo.

Gunn’s newspaper, The Oracle, was recognized as the first-place winner in the General Excellence category. The paper’s editor and advisor will be honored at the Press Club’s Evening of Excellence May 19 at the Crowne Plaza in Foster City.

In all, 11 Peninsula high schools participated in the competition, which drew 419 entries in 12 categories from 223 students. Fifty students representing eight high schools won awards.

The Outlook of Aragon High School in San Mateo took 12 awards, the highest number to a single school in the competition. The Highlander of Carlmont High School in Belmont and Gunn’s Oracle tied for second with seven awards each.

The contest was judged by professional journalists who are members of the Press Club. Here is a complete list of the winning entries:

News Story

First:  Amrita Moitra and Jean Wang, The Oracle, Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto

Second:  Sabrina Imbler, The Outlook, Aragon High School, San Mateo

Third:  Brian Benton, The Campanile, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto

Feature Story

First:  Kira Brenner, The Outlook, Aragon High School, San Mateo

Second:  Sabrina Imbler, The Outlook, Aragon High School, San Mateo

Third:  Sarah Levin, The Highlander, Carlmont High School, Belmont

Sports Story

First:  Gianna Dimick, The Highlander, Carlmont High School, Belmont

Second:  Jack Heffernan, The Friar, Junipero Serra High School, San Mateo

Third:  Jack Heffernan, The Friar, Junipero Serra High School, San Mateo

Editorial

First:  Cooper Aspegren, The Oracle, Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto

Second:  The Burlingame B Staff, Burlingame High School, Burlingame

Third:  The Outlook Staff, Aragon High School, San Mateo

Column

First:  Carly Bertolozzi, The Highlander, Carlmont High School, Belmont

Second:  Peter Dennis, The Viking Sports Magazine, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto

Third:  Ashley Ngu, The Oracle, Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto

News Photo

First:  Liz Vargas, The Panther, Eastside College Preparatory School, East Palo Alto

Second:  Chloe Scott, The Highlander, Carlmont High School, Belmont

Third:  Chloe Scott, The Highlander, Carlmont High School, Belmont

Feature Photo

First:  Kore Chan, The Outlook, Aragon High School, San Mateo

Second:  Sam Alavi, Kore Chan, The Outlook, Aragon High School, San Mateo

Third:  Wendy Qiu, The Oracle, Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto

Sports Photo

First:  Kore Chan, The Outlook, Aragon High School, San Mateo

Second:  Alex Furuya, The Outlook, Aragon High School, San Mateo

Third:  Sam Alavi, The Outlook, Aragon High School, San Mateo

Layout and Design

First:  The Outlook Staff, Aragon High School, San Mateo

Second:  The Panther Staff, Eastside College Preparatory School, East Palo Alto

Third:  The Highlander Staff, Carlmont High School, Belmont

Web Site Design

First:  Jonathan Slowey and Victoria Xiao, thebearcat.net, San Mateo High School, San Mateo

Second:  Dylan Wang, The Outlook, Aragon High School, San Mateo

Third:  The Oracle Staff, Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto

Web Site Content

First:  Jonathan Slowey and Victoria Xiao, thebearcat.net, San Mateo High School, San Mateo

Second:  The Oracle Staff, Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto

Third:  The Staff, scotscoopnews.com, Carlmont High School, Belmont

General Excellence

First:  The Oracle Staff, Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto

Second:  The Campanile Staff, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto

Third:  The Outlook Staff, Aragon High School, San Mateo

SF Weekly and parent company hit by boycott

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, or SF MOMA, has pulled its ads from the SF Weekly as part of a national advertiser boycott launched by an Ohio minister to get the paper’s parent company to stop running sex ads that are alleged to promote sex trafficking.

Pastor Justin Wassel of Columbus, Ohio, has gathered thousands of signatures online asking Village Voice Media to shut down its Backpage.com adult section. He’s been joined by 20 other ministers.

Village Voice Media, owner of the SF Weekly, disputes the claim that its advertising results in sex trafficking, saying it has been an “industry leader in utilizing Internet technology, as well of hundreds of employees, to prevent such crimes.”

Other advertisers who have pulled their ads include Starbucks, Macy’s, MillerCoors, AT&T, LiveNation, REI, American Airlines, Pfizer, IKEA, H&M, Best Buy, T-Mobile, US Bank and IHOP.

SFist has a story about the boycott with links to statements from both sides about the controversy.

New publisher named for Daily News

Paterson

The Bay Area News Group’s Daily News in Menlo Park has a new publisher. Steve Paterson, who was previously publisher of the Port Arthur (Texas) News, will replace Justin Wilcox, who resigned in March to become publisher of a newspaper in Johnson City, Tenn.

Paterson, 57, headed the Texas newspaper since March 2011. Prior to that, he was publisher of the The Edmond Sun in Edmond, Okla. He has 31 years of experience with various daily and weekly publications, according to a story in Thursday’s Daily News.

Paterson will also head The Daily News' sister publications — the Milpitas Post, Pacifica Tribune and the Silicon Valley Community Newspapers group.

Gil Gross gets afternoon slot on 910 AM

Gross

Veteran broadcaster Gil Gross, one of the hosts KGO-AM sacked last November, will become the permanent 4-7 p.m. host at Clear Channel’s KKSF NewsTalk 910, the station announced today.

Also, former KGO late-night host John Rothmann has been hired as 910’s political analyst. He will contribute to the station’s newscasts and talk shows. He will also host 910’s election night coverage.

Gross was one of a group of former KGO hosts has been substituting for Gene Burns in the 4-7 p.m. time slot since January. Burns, a month after he was fired by KGO, was hired by 910 AM, but suffered a stroke before he was able to start his new job. So Gross, Rosie Allen, Ed Baxter, Rothmann and Bill Wattenburg rotated the afternoon shift.

Baxter has been hired by KKSF to do a feature called “Making Sense,” which will air every day.

Gross will follow former KGO legal guru Len Tillem, whose advice show airs from 3-4 p.m. on 910.