The 2014 C.B. Blethen Memorial Awards for Distinguished Newspaper Reporting were presented today to writers from ten daily newspapers in the region. The awards were established in 1977 in honor of C.B. Blethen, publisher of The Seattle Times for 26 years, from 1915 to 1941. Rob Blethen, general manager of the Yakima Herald-Republic and fifth generation member of the Blethen family, presented this year’s awards at the annual meeting of the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Association (PNNA) in Portland, OR. The first- and second-place winners in each category received plaques provided by The Seattle Times.

PNNA daily newspaper members in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Alaska, Alberta and British Columbia are eligible to enter the contest, which is administered completely independent from The Seattle Times by PNNA. Judges are top news executives from respected daily newspapers outside the PNNA region and are not affiliated with PNNA member groups.

The awards honor reporters from newspapers in two circulation divisions (over 50,000 circulation and under 50,000 circulation). There are five regular award categories: deadline reporting, feature writing, enterprise reporting, investigative reporting, and distinguished coverage of diversity issues.

In the competition for the special Debby Lowman Award for Distinguished Reporting of Consumer Affairs, all entrants compete together, regardless of circulation. This award honors Debby Lowman, a Seattle Times consumer reporter who died of cancer in 1978.

Winners of the 2014 C.B. Blethen Memorial Awards are:

Distinguished Coverage of Diversity

Under 50,000 circulation:

1. The Columbian, Vancouver, WA. Tyler Graf, Scott Hewitt, Editorial Board: “Housing for the homeless”
2. Yakima Herald-Republic, Yakima, WA. Yakima Herald-Republic Staff: “Damage Control – First of eight stories on diversity in the Yakima Valley”

Over 50,000 circulation:

1. The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA. Jonathan Brunt, Dan Pelle: “Never Surrender, Never Retreat”
2. The Oregonian, Portland, OR. Anna Griffin: “A matter of her mind”

Deadline Reporting

Under 50,000 circulation:

1. The Daily Herald, Everett, WA.  Daily Herald Staff: “’Everything was gone in 3 seconds’”
2. The Columbian, Vancouver, WA. Patty Hastings: “Tweets on crash lead to heartbreak; Vancouver Scanner enthusiast chronicling fatal I-205 accident”

Over 50,000 circulation:

1. The Seattle Times, Seattle, WA. Seattle Times Staff: “Washed Away: Oso mudslide”
2. The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA. Tribune Staff: “Fox Island Fire”

Enterprise Reporting

Under 50,000 circulation:

1. The Daily Herald, Everett, WA. Diana Hefley: “Two strangers, two saviors”
2. Post Register, Idaho Falls, ID. Zach Kyle: “Mayhem on the Middle Fork”

Over 50,000 circulation:

1. The News Tribune, Tacoma, WA. Kari Plog: “Boat Launch”
2. The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, WA. Betsy Z. Russell: “Idaho Wi-Fi contract”

Feature Writing

Under 50,000 circulation:

1. Yakima Herald-Republic, Yakima, WA. Savannah Tranchell: “Pickles, from the heart”
2. The Columbian, Vancouver, WA. Susan Parrish: “Former juvenile detention center teacher remembered”

Over 50,000 circulation:

1. The Oregonian, Portland, OR. Andrew Greif: “A father stands sentinel for his son”
2. The Oregonian, Portland, OR. Katy Muldoon: “Mending Matia”

Investigative Reporting

Under 50,000 circulation:

1. The Daily Herald, Everett, WA. Noah Haglund, Diana Hefley: “Stuck with the bill”
2. The Times-News, Twin Falls, ID. Times-News Staff: “Never Again”

Over 50,000 circulation:

1. The Seattle Times, Seattle, WA. Craig Welch, Steve Ringman: "Sea Change: The Pacific’s Perilous Turn"
2. The Seattle Times, Seattle, WA. Seattle Times Staff: “A Deadly Slope: Examining the Oso, Washington, Disaster”

Debby Lowman Award for Distinguished Reporting of Consumer Affairs

1. The Columbian, Vancouver, WA. Marissa Harshman: “Live Well series”
2. The Seattle Times, Seattle, WA. Seattle Times Staff: “Affordable Care Act”