In the cozy television studios on the Fresno State campus, we just handed out the 36th annual George F. Gruner Awards for Public Service Journalism. Some of the top journalists working in newsrooms from Bakersfield to Modesto gathered to honor the year’s best news reporting.

Their were several things that delighted me about this year’s event. The first was the appearance of George F. Gruner, the former Fresno Bee editor for whom the awards are named. He has been to every ceremony since the inception of the program, and at age 99, he was not going to be deterred. George closed the evening with a short talk on the role of reporters and editors in today’s ever-changing society.

Another thing that delighted me Tuesday night was that we delayed the beginning of the program because so many journalists were networking with each other over food and wine. In the post-COVID era, many journalists operate within their own spheres, making it a refreshing change to witness face-to-face interactions with the bylines they admire but rarely engage with directly.

The third highlight for me is how the Gruner Awards have evolved to meet the changes in the news industry. The awards started more than three decades ago as a tribute to the best “newspaper” journalism. Now the competition includes digital-only news sites. And they showed they can compete. Digital-only news sites captured the main awards in the “open” category, which also included large newspapers.

Fresnoland’s Omar Shaikh Rashad and SJV Water’s Lois Henry won the Public Service Award in that category. The public service award in the small and weekly newspaper competition went to Darren Fraser of the Mid-Valley Times. Their work was stellar, and they continue to produce public service journalism that shines a light on issues that politicians would rather not have covered.

But as a longtime journalist, my primary worry regarding today’s journalism is the scarcity of it. Many newsrooms operate with minimal reporting staffs, leading to stretched bandwidths and limited coverage. But the Gruner Awards show that the quality is as good as ever.

The Gruners are independently administered by Fresno State’s Media, Communications and Journalism Department. MCJ alums Brenda Moore and Royal Calkins handled the entries, including lining up judges from out of the area and getting the entries sent out and returned in time for the ceremonies.

Here’s a list of the other award winners.
Best news story
1st place, large dailies/digital only
Gregory Weaver, Fresnoland, for uncovering severe flaws in the state’s environmental review of a
major industrial park project proposed in Fresno. Judges praised Weaver for deep reporting “rich
with voices — from environmentalists, neighbors, even a whistleblower — and demonstrates how
the project could negatively impact a community already facing the worst pollution in the country.”
Honorable mention
Tim Sheehan, Fresno Bee for his strong work on the stunning collapse of Bitwise Industries, the
Fresno-based organization now mired in bankruptcy and federal prosecution.
1st place, small dailies/weeklies
Parker Bowman, Hanford Sentinel, for his sweeping piece on the devastating flooding in the
South Valley last year.
Honorable mention
Danielle Gutierrez, Mid Valley Times/Sun Gazette in Tulare County, for a piece about the
overwhelming number of stray and abandoned pets after the pandemic and the impacts, including on
the mental health of shelter workers.
Best column
Large dailies/digital: Garth Stapley, Modesto Bee, for his useful views on the horrific death of
a homeless woman who was run over and dragged by mowing equipment in a public park.
Honorable mention: David Taub, GVWire in Fresno. A judge praised Taub’s ”deep reporting”
and “compact and flawless” writing about the near-abandonment of a sculpture by a nationally
known Fresno artist, and the resulting efforts to save it.
Small papers/weeklies: Parker Bowman, Hanford Sentinel, who tested the authenticity of
artificial intelligence by interviewing Chat GPT about the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” TV show.
Honorable mention, Jon Hammond, Tehachapi News for a colorful retelling
of the first-ever flight over the Tehachapis, accomplished by a 24-year-old pilot in 1914.
Editorial writing
Large papers/digital: Tad Weber, Fresno Bee.
Honorable mention: Bakersfield Californian.

Both pieces were about the failings of Bakersfield’s Kevin McCarthy, former speaker of the House
and the impact on government and politics. Weber’s piece should have made McCarthy squirm, one
judge said, and another called it “a strong editorial that’s a pleasure to read.”
Small papers/weeklies: Greg Little and Nicole Little of the Mariposa Gazette, for “The Hospital
Madness Must Stop.”
Feature story
Large dailies/digital: John Donegan, Bakersfield Californian, for a sensitive piece about the
barriers to asylum faced by African immigrants.
Honorable mention: Juliana Morano, Fresnoland, for humanizing a story about public funding for
the arts, focusing on the experiences and work of three artists.
Small papers/weeklies: Greg Little, Mariposa Gazette, for his tale of a woman who gave birth on a
mountain road in the back of a Subaru. Her first child arrived on a hospital floor and her second in a
hospital elevator.
Honorable mention: Juan Esparza Loera, Vida en el Valle, for his look into the changing world of
Mexican folkloric dancing, highlighting a San Jose-based group shaking things up with its
LGBTQ+-friendly performances.
Best news photo
Large dailies/digital: Craig Kohlruss, Fresno Bee, for his drone photo of a lonely structure
marooned in Tulare Lake amid 2023’s historic flooding. One judge said it “capitalizes on its
starkness to the fullest extent.”
Honorable mention: Andy Alfaro, Modesto Bee, for his memorial to the homeless woman
tragically killed by a landscaping crew.
Small dailies/weeklies: Ron Holman, Visalia Times-Delta, for a striking shot of Lemoore Naval
Air Station sailors returning from a nearly seven-month deployment. “Great images need no
captions,” wrote one of the judges.
Honorable mention: María G. Ortiz-Briones, Vida en el Valle, for a vibrant image illustrating her
story on a Fresno family that raises marigolds for Day of the Dead celebrations.
Sports photo
Large dailies/digital only Craig Kohlruss, Fresno Bee, for a high school football action shot. “You
can almost hear the crunching as bodies hit,” said a judge.
Honorable mention: John Donegan, Bakersfield California, for his image of
a motorcyclist in midair during an action sports show.

Small dailies/weeklies

Ron Holman, Visalia Times-Delta, who captured the delighted surprise of a pole vaulter clearing a
bar. The spacious crop and afternoon light treated readers to a cinematic image, said one judge.
Honorable mention: Juan Esparza Loera, Vida en el Valle, for his image from a cross country
meet. “You can feel the runners moving,” said a judge.
Sports story
Large papers/digital only: Ron Stapp, Bakersfield Californian, for his look at the critical shortage
of sports officials for high school football. Judges said he explained why fewer people want to
referee — including lack of respect.
Honorable mention: Quinton Hamilton, Modesto Bee, for a piece about the introduction of flag
football for girls in Stanislaus County high schools.
Small papers/weeklies: A tie between Shawn Jansen of the Merced Sun-Star and Vongni Yang of
the Visalia Times-Delta.
Jansen wrote about a high school football player who changed his jersey number to honor his father,
who died in a traffic accident just before the season.
Yang also wrote about an athlete dealing with loss, a young woman who found support in softball
after her stepfather, a police officer, killed himself.
Best writing
Large dailies/digital only: Gregory Weaver, Fresnoland, for chronicling a bitter power struggle
among some of the region’s wealthiest, most influential farmers. “The story has so many elements —
pistachio farming techniques and contrasting family histories, for instance — it could easily have
become a muddle. Instead, Weaver keeps the tale moving and clearly outlines why each side thinks
they’re the righteous ones who have been wronged,” one judge wrote.
Honorable mention: John Donegan, Bakersfield Californian, for “Medicine in the field,” detailing
efforts to bring medical care to Kern County’s rural homeless.
Small papers/weeklies: Lauren Jennings, Visalia Times-Delta, for her piece on the historic
flooding. A judge said her story provided an intimate sense of the flood’s power and the disruption
and loss.
Honorable mention: Frank Lopez, Business Journal, for an account of eight workers at a supply warehouse who had been together for 27 years, since the company opened, “an uplifting, well-
reported feature.”