Village News earns 13 more awards of excellence

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FALLBROOK — Writers, photographers and page designers with the Fallbrook/Bonsall Village News accepted 13 individual awards of excellence the evening of July 16 at the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) San Diego Pro Chapter annual awards dinner at the Bali Hai restaurant on Shelter Island.

“This is the largest number of awards we’ve won to date in a given year,” said Village News publisher Julie Reeder. “It gives me a great deal of satisfaction knowing we are providing a quality newspaper to our community.”

In the Breaking News category, managing editor Debbie Ramsey took first place for “Fatal stabbing adds to troubled history of complex,” published December 6, 2007, on the front page of the Village News.

Ramsey’s story was a gritty account of the fatal stabbing of a 23-year-old father of two at an apartment complex on Old Stage Road known for violence and a high frequency of law enforcement calls.

The story detailed gang tension in the neighborhood and the fact that the owner of the apartment complex is uncooperative with local law enforcement about reducing crime on the property.

Village News writers swept all three awards given in the Review/Criticism category.

Nathalie Taylor was presented with the first place award for “‘Above the Night Sky’ a stunning accomplishment,” a review of local musician Zem Yewusiak’s latest CD, published August 23, 2007. Judges called it “interesting” and “entertaining,” citing the appealing use of descriptive words.

Taylor’s story details the passion Yewusiak has for music, describing the sounds in such detail that the reader can’t help but be enveloped in a tranquil mood. Taylor threads a distinctive element of peace throughout the story, echoing Yewusiak’s style.

Elizabeth Zablatnik claimed second place in Review/Criticism for her movie review “‘Simpsons Movie’ needs a facelift” (August 9, 2007).

Zablatnik’s opinion was that the movie was “less than mediocre,” suggesting that creators consider plastic surgery for the characters that became popular in the long-running television series.

In relatively stark and sometimes brutal terms, Zablatnik expressed her disappointment in the flick saying, “My $7 would have been better spent on a pair of shorts.”

Christy Blair claimed third place/honorable mention in Review/Criticism for her restaurant review “Pinnacle Restaurant – A mountaintop of culinary delights” (May 17, 2007).

Blair’s article adeptly described the Mediterranean ambiance and select exquisite culinary offerings at the Pinnacle Restaurant found in the Temecula wine country at Falkner Winery.

Mouthwatering descriptions of entrees and desserts were joined by palate-pleasing discussion of wine pairing appropriate for menu selections.

Blair’s article was sufficiently tantalizing to motivate the reader to pick up the phone and make a call for a dinner reservation.

In Investigative reporting, Debbie Ramsey took second place for “Bus drivers claim kids’ health was endangered” (December 6, 2007).

Ramsey examined a claim by three Fallbrook Union Elementary School District bus drivers that the district failed to notify parents of a situation they felt endangered the health of students.

After interviewing the drivers, Ramsey examined maintenance records pertaining to the bus in question and discovered that the district had indeed repaired an exhaust leak that matched the drivers’ claim.

The district had taken the bus out of daily service after that but never appeared to address the possibility of illness on the part of students or drivers.

Second place in Science/Technology/Health was won by Christina Macone-Greene for “IBC: a different kind of breast cancer” (August 2, 2007).

Macone-Greene’s report told the story of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), a treacherous and aggressive disease that cannot be detected in the same manner as more common breast cancers.

The article explained the symptoms associated with IBC, which are unique and different. Macone-Greene provided an enlightening article about a type of cancer that is not in the forefront. The story provided valuable information pertaining to women’s health.

In the Education category, Debbie Ramsey was awarded second place for “Cost of Anthony’s ‘resignation’ likely over $400K” (December 13, 2007).

This story exposed the reported “resignation” of Fallbrook Union High School District Superintendent Tom Anthony as a negotiated buyout that cost the district and local taxpayers close to $400,000 in a time of distressed school budgets.

Ramsey detailed the labor union’s involvement in encouraging the school board majority to successfully remove a nationally respected administrator known for holding district employees accountable.

Two awards for photography were won by Village News staffer Paul Gallaher. In a very competitive category in which daily and non-daily newspapers compete together, Gallaher was awarded two third place/honorable mentions.

One of Gallaher’s awards was in Feature Photos for “Fence is melted from heat under the fire risk warning sign on East Mission Road” (October 25, 2007) and the other in News Photos for “Mr. Jacobs puts out fire on his property in Rice Canyon” (October 25, 2007).

Both images were taken during the Rice Canyon fire, which destroyed 206 homes in the Fallbrook area and caused the evacuation of the entire town.

The photograph of the melted fence in front of the California Department of Forestry (Cal Fire) station on East Mission was worth a thousand words, the sadly destroyed structure depicting the severity of the firestorm endured by the community.

The photo of Mr. Jacobs putting out fire on his property showed an image of the man spraying water out of a hose through a heavily wooded area as the sun shone down, catching the fan of water in a wide, illuminated arc.

Nathalie Taylor earned a second place award in Feature Headlines for “You can’t eat this BlackBerry and Blu-ray is not a fish! A few high-tech devices explained” (November 22, 2007).

Taylor’s clever headline was the perfect topper for a story designed to help those who are high-tech-challenged embark on the Christmas shopping season.

With thorough explanations of Blu-ray, various iPod models, Bluetooth, personal digital assistants (PDA), the BlackBerry and more, Taylor simplified things with easy explanations, empowering the non-techies for a power shopping expedition.

In the Legal story or series category, Debbie Ramsey received third place/honorable mention for “Vote stalled on teachers’ raises” (January 25, 2007).

Ramsey’s story was an account of frustration and anger on the part of the Fallbrook Union High School District’s teacher’s union relating to the fact that $1.6 million in raises and increases in benefits hadn’t been approved after the union financially supported the election of three new school board candidates.

The delay in approving the collective bargaining agreement was caused by the possibility of a conflict of interest with the three board members.

In Newspaper layout, pagination specialist/graphic artist Forest Rhodes accepted two awards for single-page Feature Designs in non-daily newspapers.

Village News took second place for “Schooldays are just beginning,” designed by Tim Wiley (September 6, 2007), and third place/honorable mention for “Up, up and away,” designed by Rhodes (May 17, 2007).

Both designs used photographs and graphics in an attractive design to catch the reader’s eye. The use of color and balance made the newspaper product desirable to read, earning the praise of the judges.

The 13 awards garnered for work published in 2007 brings the Fallbrook/Bonsall Village News total journalism award count to 59 since the paper’s inception in 1997.

The Valley News, the Village News Inc. newspaper that covers Southern Riverside County, was awarded eight Riverside County SPJ awards on May 10.

Those awards included Best Breaking News Story, second place, Tim O’Leary and Shannon Starr; Best News Photo, first place and second place, Paul Gallaher; Best Photo Gallery, first place, Paul Gallaher; Best Special Project/Package, first place, Shannon Starr and Julie Reeder; Best News Column, third place, David Reynolds; and Best Environmental Story, second place, Shannon Starr.

“Both papers have great teams of writers and photographers. The proof is in the awards they are being given,” Reeder said.