Shameless Self-Promotion

[May 24th, 2006] Yes, writing self-congratulatory articles about awards can make you go blind, but it just...feels so right.

So, in that spirit, here's what WW won at last Saturday's annual award ceremony held by the Society for Professional Journalists' greater Oregon chapter. WW competed with alternative newsweeklies covering Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska.

Reporter Nigel Jaquiss won first place in investigative journalism for "The PGE Papers" and third place for "Doctors Inc." Jaquiss also received honorable mention among all Oregon reporters for the Bruce Baer Award, the state's top journalism honor, for his coverage of PGE. The Oregonian's Maxine Bernstein and Brent Walth also got honorable mention for their work on police and fire disability. The Baer winner was Katie Willson of the McMinnville News-Register for "This Mole's Still for Hire."

WW reporter Angela Valdez got top honors among Northwest alt-weeklies in government reporting with "Boss Hog," about Multnomah County Sheriff Bernie Giusto; a second in science and health reporting for "Curing Jamie Handley"; and a third in social issues for "After Hours."

Former WW reporter and now contributor Zach Dundas got firsts in business reporting for "Portland's New New Economy" and in the personalities category for "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind." WW freelancer and contributor Richard Speer won top honors in lifestyle reporting for "The Fuzz That Was."

Former WW reporter Nick Budnick took second in the business category for "Leif's Auto Body Experience." And freelancer Elizabeth Armstrong Moore won third in personalities for "Untapped Waters," her WW profile of a teenage pianist.

Art director Maggie Gardner and former WW designer Samantha Gardner got second in page design for the gay-marriage package "For Better or Worse." And Finder, WW's annual guide to Portland, won first prize among all special sections.