??Reporter staff members honored in regional journalism contest

Published 11:39 am Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Three current or former staff members of the Issaquah & Sammamish Reporter were honored last weekend at the Society of Professional Journalists 2011 Excellence in Journalism Contest.

Celeste Gracey, Josh Suman and Gabrielle Nomura all placed first or second in a variety of categories.

Gracey was awarded two first place prizes, one for Social Issues Reporting and one for Government and Political Reporting, which she also won a second place prize for.

One first place story was “When help means life or death,” which explored the need for more homeless shelters on the Eastside. Another was a two-part series,  “A park out of place,” which told the struggle Lake Sammamish State Park is having with its aging facilities and declined attendance.

Her second-place story, “A tale of two cities,” looked at Issaquah’s central plan through the eyes of two members of the city’s planning commission.

Suman was awarded first place in Sports Reporting for his two-part report, “Head Games | Concussions in youth sports, the Lystedt Law and a local response” on concussions affecting high school football players.

Nomura received a first place award in Lifestyles Reporting for her story, “Visitors come face-to-face with their worst nightmares at Beaver Lake Park.” The story discussed the annual Halloween event on the Plateau.

The yearly contest honors reporters and photographers in the areas of newspaper, magazine, radio and television in Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.