Idaho Press Club honors S-R work

BOISE – The Spokesman-Review’s Idaho staff won 20 awards in the Idaho Press Club’s “Best of 2006” annual journalism competition, including first-place honors for series, crime and courts reporting, and health and medical reporting.

Reporter James Hagengruber was honored for his series about the Shipp twins, “Brothers in Arms.”

The four-part series followed Hauser Lake twins Robert and Matt Shipp as they finished high school and prepared to join the Marine Corps, then went off to boot camp and looked ahead to possible service in combat.

In crime and courts reporting, reporter Taryn Brodwater took top honors for “Trials rare in Shoshone, prosecutor prefers plea deals,” a piece that documented how Shoshone County hadn’t had a single criminal trial in the 15 months since a new prosecutor took office.

Reporter JoNel Aleccia won first place in the health and medical reporting category for “A big boy,” her report on childhood obesity and a family’s struggle to cope with a 6-year-old who’s been big since birth and already weighs more than 100 pounds.

The Spokesman-Review also took numerous second- and third-place awards and honorable mentions in categories ranging from investigative and political reporting to light features, business reporting and general excellence.

Other staff members honored were Erica Curless, Betsy Russell, Kathy Plonka, Becky Kramer and Meghann Cuniff, as well as former reporting intern Sam Taylor.

The Idaho Statesman newspaper in Boise won first place in general excellence.

The Coeur d’Alene Press won three awards, including first place for sports feature, which went to reporter Rod Harwood.

The awards were presented Saturday night at the Press Club’s annual awards banquet in Boise.