S-R garners press awards

The Spokesman-Review took home nine awards, including a first place and two second places, from the Utah-Idaho-Spokane Associated Press Association.

Photographer Brian Plonka earned a first-place award in the feature photo category for an image of a dog running in a fog-shrouded park that was published Jan. 14.

The Spokesman-Review staff took second place in the spot news category, for coverage of the Moscow shooting spree in May 2007. Photographer Rajah Bose took second in the sports feature photo category, while Christopher Anderson was awarded third in the photo illustration category. Anderson’s work involved a story about “Millie,” a still-unidentified woman whose body was found in the Spokane River in 1984.

Anderson also took third place in the feature photo category, while fellow photographer Dan Pelle earned a third for best portfolio.

Online editor Ryan Pitts brought in three awards, including two in the online special package category: a third place for January’s “Storm Stories Interactive Map” and an honorable mention for “2008 Spokane Campaign Visits,” covering the local speeches of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Michelle Obama. His final award, a third place, was awarded to spokesmanreview.com for overall online breaking news.

The association includes Associated Press member newspapers in Eastern Washington, Idaho and Utah. The awards were given Thursday night during the group’s annual meeting in Spokane.