Reporters from Ketchikan to Kotzebue gathered in Anchorage this weekend for the annual Alaska press club meeting. Attendees enjoyed three days of workshops and trainings. There was the occasion to make new friends and bold fashion statements.
Writers from the upper Lynn Canal were recognized for their work at Saturday’s award Ceremony.
Former Haines reporter Claire Stremple won the prestigious Public Service award for her coverage of the statewide food stamp backlog. Stremple did the reporting while working in Juneau at KTOO, she has recently moved on to work at the Alaska Beacon.
Skagway mayor Andrew Cremata earned first place in the “Best sports and outdoor column” category, Cremata’s column, “Fish This”, appears in the Skagway News and has earned him multiple awards in the past. One of his winning entries is titled “the Best fishing buddy”, and features Cremata’s dog, Rufus.
In the category “Best blog”, Haines author Heather Lende’s entries made second and third places, for posts titled “Nearest to my heart” and “It was a really big day”. Both posts describe moments of the Lende family’ holiday gathering.
The Skagway news received multiple awards.
Co owners Melinda Munson and Gretchen Wehmhoff each received an award in the “Best Columnist” category.
Munson won first place for “Best short feature” for “Dog bus captures heart, attention of the internet.” The piece is about a local dog walking business. She also won second places for “Best profile” and “Best public safety reporting”.
Wehmhoff received awards in the “Best editorial” and “Humor” categories. She won the latter award with a piece describing her first encounter with a cockroach.
The Chilkat Valley News made second place for “Best weekly newspaper”.
Editor Kyle Clayton received an award for investigative reporting for his article “Future of Fort in spotlight after Port Chilkoot Co. change”.
Clayton also entered a piece he had written about Greg Podsiki to mark his retirement from the post office after 32 years. The article won first place in the “Best profile” category.
The Alaska press club is a yearly event that serves to connect media workers from around the state. The last time the event was held in person was four years ago. The awards cover over 60 categories in video, photo and print journalism.
