Courier reporters recognized at state press gathering

Several Columbine Courier reporters were recognized with awards March 1 by the Colorado Press Association during its 130th annual convention at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver.

A quick rundown:

• Reporter Matt Gunn, who has moved on to the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses Journal, was recognized with two first-place awards, for best story-picture combination and best deadline reporting.

• Reporter Heath Urie, who now works for the Boulder Daily Camera, took second place in the category of best sustained coverage for chronicling Jefferson County’s use of public money to spy on private citizens and former employees.

• Sports editor Dan Johnson received a third-place award for best sports event story.

• AJ Vicens received two second-place awards for articles he wrote for his former newspaper, the Sterling Journal-Advocate. The awards were for best education story and best series.

Meanwhile, Evergreen Newspapers’ staff won first place for best deadline news reporting for coverage of the hostage tragedy at Platte Canyon High School in September 2006. News editors Chris Ferguson and Noelle Leavitt were instrumental in packaging print and online coverage, while reporters Pamela Lawson, Gunn and Stephen Knapp, and former Evergreen photographer Nick King, spearheaded the reporting.

All the awards were for stories published between September 2006 and September 2007. The entries were judged by the Minnesota Press Association.