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Observer collects 10 New Mexico Press awards
Observer staff writer Michaela Helean and editor Tracy Goldizen display the 10 awards the Rio Rancho Observer received during the New Mexico Press Association Awards ceremony Saturday night at the Clyde Hotel in Albuquerque.
ALBUQUERQUE — Rio Rancho Observer was named the tops in sports coverage at the New Mexico Press Association’s 2024 awards for the Weekly Class I division Saturday night at the Clyde Hotel.
Retired sports editor Gary Herron claimed the award with the judges commenting, “This stood above the others for me. Staff did a good job, and a lot of local content.”
That was not the only first-place sports award for the Observer Saturday. Dean Gutierrez, a photo correspondent working under the name Varsity Sportraits, claimed the top spot for Best Sports Photo, with the judges saying, “Captures a unique moment that transcends the typical wrestling ‘pin’ shot of the big ‘face off.’ The photograph is a great illustration of some of the transient things that happen in a flash in sports! The photographer is to be congratulated they were ready when it happened.”
Herron also swept the award category of Best Headline Writing for “The umpire strikes back” and “Castillo is no Angel.” Comments were, “This one paints the corner with an excellent play on words,” for the first-place winner, and, “Really effective headline in a tough count,” for the Castillo story.
Staff writer Michaela Helean also had a big night, primarily in breaking news categories.
In the digital breaking news category, Helean took first place for “Corrales murder and hunt for suspect.” Judges commented, “This story effectively provided information important to the community.”
The Observer also took second place in the digital breaking news, with Helean and editor Tracy Goldizen sharing the award for “Two pedestrians killed same day in separate incidents.” Judges said, “Helean did a good job including comments about the larger issue of crosswalks.”
Helean also took second place Breaking News — Print for “Teen arrested in stabbing death of woman; details emerge.” Judges wrote, “An excellent follow-up that makes sense of many complex details.”
Her night was not over there, though. She also won second place for Best News Photo, “Mountain lion captured,” with judges commenting that they liked they could see the animal’s face.
Additionally, former assistant editor Kevin Hendricks won second place in Investigative Reporting for “Property assessments draw challenges from business owners.” “A quality piece exploring a dry topic that can, to some people, appear to affect only a few,” the judges said. “Strong explanation of the inconsistencies in the process, tangential issues and what readers can do about it.”
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Rounding out the awards for the Observer was a second-place award for Goldizen in Editorials for “Transparency good for all.”
“Details how it benefits the community when government is transparent. Offers specific suggestions on what officials should do to improve,” the judges wrote.
“It was a good night for us all around,” Goldizen said. “I’m proud of our team for earning recognition in a variety of categories, showing how well-rounded our coverage is. We hope to build on this in the future.”
