PV Times earns six awards in annual NPA contest
The Pahrump Valley Times earned six awards in the Nevada Press Association annual contest.
The PVT was listed in the intermediate category, which is smaller than the urban dailies but larger than the community newspapers. The Times competed with newspapers like the Elko Daily Free Press, the Lahontan Valley News based in Fallon, the Nevada Appeal in Carson City, the Humboldt Sun in Winnemucca and The Record-Courier in Gardnerville. Entries are judged by newspaper professionals from out of state.
Former Pahrump Valley Times Editor Matt Ward won best spot news story among the intermediate newspapers for his story about the FBI seizure of County Assessor Shirley Matson’s computers.
The Press Association said, “the story is well rounded. It provides ample context for the reader and is well researched.”
Ward also won second place for best spot news story in the same newspaper class for a story about a man missing since July who was found slain. “Comment from the deceased’s spouse make this story.”
PVT Senior Staff Writer Mark Waite won four awards in the contest.
Waite won first place for best business feature story about how Pahrump agriculture is now dominated by specialty farming, with accompanying sidebar articles.
“This story effectively demonstrated how Vegas restaurants and water rights shape the agroeconomy of a rural area,” the NPA said.
Waite was awarded another first place for best business news story, about the 138-acre Binion Ranch being for sale for $2.2 million. Nye County Commissioners have recently asked staff to research a suggestion the county buy the ranch.
The Press Association said, “An interesting history about what could have been a boring old land sale story. Nice retelling of a complicated background and tying it back to the news at the end.”
Waite won a third place for best business news story with an account of dueling cab companies competing for a license from the Nevada Transportation Authority. The NPA said the story, “contains important ingredients for good business journalism: conflict. Stakes are apparent throughout this story.”
Finally, Waite won a third place for best explanatory journalism with a story explaining how the federal government shutdown Oct. 1, 2013 will affect the local community. It carried the headline: “Sorry! Please come again!”
“Every question you could have about the government shutdown was answered in this extensive, well researched story. The sidebar on cutting the size of government was interesting. Dividing the story into two or three parts would have been nice. The type looked a bit intimidating,” the NPA judges said.
Awards were handed out Saturday night at the annual NPA dinner held at the Aliante Casino in North Las Vegas.
David Sanford, whose family built the Mason Valley News, who died Jan. 29, was inducted into the NPA Hall of Fame as well as Las Vegas Sun publisher Brian Greenspun.
