The 2017 Houston Press Club winners
are announced!
NEWSPAPERS & PRINT
Print Journalist of the Year
First Place: David Taffet, Dallas Voice, “Rehabilitated?”
Second Place: Tammye Nash, Dallas Voice, “Last Call at the Brick”
Third Place: Maria Recio, Fort Worth Star-Telegram/McClatchy, “The Complex World of Ted Cruz”
Print News or Feature Story
First Place: David Taffet, Dallas Voice, “Rehabilitated?”
Second Place: Jeff Prince, Fort Worth Weekly, “Torn Apart”
Third Place: Maria Recio, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “More Cruz Family Drama: Mother’s First Husband is an Expat Texan in London”
Print Investigative Reporting
First Place: Andrew McElmore, Fort Worth Weekly, “Final Encore”
Second Place: Jonathan Agronsky, Fort Worth Weekly, “Cutting History”
Third Place: Edward Brown, Fort Worth Weekly, “High Waters”
Print General Commentary/Criticism
First Place: Olivia P. Tallet, Houston Chronicle, “My Black-and-White Photo with Fidel Castro”
Second Place: Anthony Mariani, Fort Worth Weekly, “Leon Bridges’ Encore”
Third Place: Cassie Nova, Dallas Voice, “Cassie Gets Serious About Orlando”
Print Photography
First Place: Arnold Wayne Jones, Dallas Voice, “Phoenix Rising”
Second Place: Cody Duty, Texas Medical Center, “Painting by Mouth”
Third Place: Cody Duty, Texas Medical Center, “A Little Extra Love”
TELEVISION
TV Journalist of the Year
First Place: Greg Groogan, KRIV-TV
Second Place: Marvin Hurst, KENS-TV
Third Place: Oscar Margain, KENS-TV
TV Photojournalist of the Year
First Place: Matthew Brawley, Houston Public Media
Second Place: Joe Brueggeman, Houston Public Media
Third Place: Fujio Watanabe, Houston Public Media
TV Hard News Feature
First Place: Michael Humphries, Sue Calberg, KENS-TV, “The Death of Little Joe”
Second Place: Angela Chen,KRIV-TV, “A Reunion: After the Fall of Saigon”
Third Place: Marvin Hurst, Michael Humphries, KENS-TV, “One City, Two Tragedies”
TV Soft News Feature
First Place: Jeffrey Buras, Texas Parks & Wildlife Television, “The Night’s Watch”
Second Place: John Barone,
Robert Arnold, Scott Sherman, KPRC TV, “Unlimited Miracle”
Third Place: Daniel Gotera, Kyle Porter, KHOU, “Like A King”
TV Investigative/Series
First Place: Channel 2 Investigates Staff, KPRC-TV, “Rape Victim Jailed: Jenny’s
Story”
Second Place: Scott Noll, Jennifer Cobb, Ty Scholes, KHOU, “Looking for Lead”
Third Place: Keli Rabon, KHOU, “Disabling Dollars”
TV Politics/Government
First Place: KPRC-TV Channel 2 Investigates, KPRC-TV, “Uncovering Cronyism at City Hall”
Second Place: Arnaldo Rojas, KXLN Univision Ch. 45, “CPS: Radiography of a Crisis”
TV Documentary or Public Affairs
First Place: Dawn Campbell, Rick McFarland, Brian Perry, KPRC2, “Road 2 Rio: Hometown Hopefuls”
Second Place: Dawn Campbell, Deborah Strauss, Scott Sherman, KPRC2, “Hurricane and Flood Survival Guide 2016”
Third Place: Staff, Texas Parks & Wildlife Television, “Texas Parks & Wildlife-Water Safari, Shrikes & Woodpeckers”
TV Sports Feature
First Place: Abe Moore, Don Cash, Kyle Banowsky, Texas Parks & Wildlife Television, “A Race to Remember, The Texas Water Safari”
Second Place: Daniel Gotera, Mike Orta, KHOU, “The Recycled Teenagers”
Third Place: Daniel Gotera, Mike Orta, KHOU, “Gavin’s Ride”
TV Feature Photography
First Place: Michael Humphries, KENS-TV, “They Treated My Brother Like a Dog”
Second Place: Michael Humphries, KENS-TV, “Salsa! Salsa! Salsa!”
Third Place: Matthew Brawley, Houston Public Media, “Everyday Strangers”
TV Editing
First Place: Michael Humphries, KENS-TV, “Cyber Security City”
Second Place: Michael Humphries, KENS-TV, “They Treated My Brother Like a Dog”
Third Place: Matthew Brawley, Houston Public Media, “Body Art: The Moving Canvas”
TV Evening News Broadcast
First Place: KENS Staff, KENS-TV, “Eyewitness News at Noon: Murder on Base”
Second Place: Laura Taglialavore, KHOU, “KHOU 11 News at 6PM”
Third Place: Amanda Gamez, Erin Jones, Ricardo Vargas, KPRC2, “KPRC Channel 2 News Today 6AM”
RADIO
Radio Journalist of the Year
First Place: Lauren Silverman, KERA
Second Place: Laura Isensee, Houston Public Media
Third Place: David Martin Davies, Texas Public Radio - KSTX, “David Martin Davies”
Radio Hard News Feature
First Place: David Martin Davies, Texas Public Radio - KSTX, “Lessons Learned from a Night in the Bexar County Jail; Anti-Suicide Effort Is a 24/7 Job”
Second Place: Alain Stephens, Hannah McBride, Texas Standard, “Texas Standard: Adult Crime, Adult Time”
Third Place: Dave Fehling, Houston Public Media, “Texas Has Thousands of Bad Dams, Two in Houston Deemed ‘Extremely High Risk’”
Radio Soft News Feature
First Place: Michael Marks, Texas Standard, “Texas Standard: Pay to Pray”
Second Place: Aaron Schrank, Texas Public Radio - KSTX, “Santa Muerte, Skeletal Folk Saint of Death, Gains Followers in San Antonio”
Third Place: Jerome Weeks, KERA, “The Vanishing Acts of Theater And Memory: Adrian Hall”
Radio Politics/Government
First Place: Andrew Schneider, Houston Public Media, “Will 2016 Be the Year Texas Latinos Vote in Strength?”
Second Place: Christopher Connelly, KERA, “Texas Education Board Candidate Who Called Obama a Gay Prostitute Won’t Back Down"
Third Place: Michael Marks, Texas Standard, “Texas Standard: Angry, Sad & Undecided”
Radio Public Affairs
First Place: Staff, KERA, “THINK: The Refugee Question”
Second Place: Houston Matters Staff, Houston Public Media, “Was the City of Beaumont Intentionally Trying to Restrict People with Disabilities from Living There?”
Third Place: Joey Palacios, Alexis Yancey, Shelley Kofler, Texas Public Radio - KSTX, “Fronteras: Border Citizens Protest Trump Ís Election While His Supporters Cheer”
Radio Series
First Place: Joy Diaz, Texas Standard, “Texas Standard: Pregnant and Homeless”
Second Place: Andrew Schneider, Houston Public Media, “Hate Crimes in Houston Go Underreported, Rarely Prosecuted”
Third Place: Courtney Collins, KERA, “One Crisis Away: Rebuilding a Life “
Radio Use of Sound
First Place: Staff, KERA, “From Peace to Horror to Grief: 24 Hours in Dallas Through Sound and Pictures”
Second Place: Amy Bishop, Houston Public Media, “Quidditch Lands on Earth in a Houston Suburb”
Third Place: Jack Morgan, Texas Public Radio - KSTX, “Refugees Find Refuge in Music”
Radio Talk Show
First Place: Staff, KERA, “THINK: Our Shared Tragedy”
Second Place: David Martin Davies, Kim Johnson, Jan Ross Piedad, Texas Public Radio -KSTX, “The Source: Why Are Preterm Births More Common in Bexar County?”
Third Place: David Brown, Laura Rice, Emily Donahue, Texas Standard, “Texas Standard: Out of the Blue”
MAGAZINES
Magazine Article
First Place: Scott Vogel, Houstonia Magazine, “Gross Anatomy”
Second Place: Jennifer Oakley, The Bellaire Buzz, “Dear Cancer, Love Stacy”
Third Place: Shea Connelly, TMC Pulse (Texas Medical Center monthly magazine), “Conceiving After Cancer”
Magazine Column
First Place: Britni Riley, TMC Pulse (Texas Medical Center monthly magazine), “Curated: The Intersection of Art and Medicine”
Arnold Wayne Jones - Dallas Voice - “Phoenix Rising”
Print Photography
HOUSTON PRESS CLUB
Second Place: Jeff Share, Pipeline & Gas Journal, “Building A New Company, Piece by Piece”
Third Place: Jeff Share, Pipeline & Gas Journal, “Philip Burguieres Was a Man with a Soul”
Magazine Layout
First Place: Alyssum Klopp, Maggie Galehouse, TMC Pulse (Texas Medical Center monthly magazine), “TMC Pulse, August”
Second Place: Leslie Dention-Roach, Benefits Pulse, “Benefits Pulse Issue 2 - 2016”
Third Place: Heidi Bane, City Savvy, “City Savvy Issue 2 - 2016”
PUBLIC RELATIONS
PR Communicator of the Year
First Place: Hannah Rhodes, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth)
Second Place: Robert Cahill, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth)
PR News Release
First Place: Rob Cahill, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), “Smartphones Could
Improve Skin Cancer Detection in Developing Countries”
Second Place: Lisa Merkl, University of Houston, “Sixth Sense Protects Drivers Except When Texting”
Third Place: Lisa Merkl, University of Houston, “Long-term Emotional Effects of Poor Sleep”
PR Feature Article
First Place: Lisa Merkl, University of Houston Magazine, “A Lab in Your Smartphone”
Second Place: Elise Rambaud Marrion, “Old becomes new at the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern”
Third Place: Hannah Rhodes, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), “Stroke of Luck”
PR Annual Report
First Place: Andy Olin, Ronda Wendler, Michael Clark, MD Anderson Cancer Center, “MD Anderson Annual Report”
PR Corporate Video
First Place: Gordon Williams, Shenid Bhayroo, Clinton Rawls, LUTV Productions, “Learn, Love, Live, Lamar University”
Second Place: John Lane, Teresa Schnyder, The University of Texas at Arlington, “Proyecto U”
Third Place: Cody Duty, Texas Medical Center, “Little Inventors”
PR Publication
First Place: Andy Olin, Ronda Wendler, Michael Clark, MD Anderson Cancer Center, “Conquest magazine”
Second Place: Phyllis Gillentine, Amber Mostyn, Houston Press, “Mostyn Law Partner with Us”
Third Place: David Medina, Staff, Rice University, “Rice at Large - Fall 2016”
INTERNET-BASED NEWS-ORIGINAL
Internet News Feature Story
First Place: Nathan Cone, Texas Public Radio - KSTX, “At the Center of Terri Hendrix’s Ambitious ‘Project 5’: Songs of Resilience, Hope, and Strength”
Second Place: Javi Perez, KENS5.com, “Even in San Antonio, Cleveland Fans Ready for Title Drought to End”
Third Place: Stacey Welsh, KENS5.com, “Interactive: Haunted Houses of San Antonio”
Internet Hard News Article
First Place: Emily Porter, Nicholas Zamora, KENS5.com, “Woman Finds Hope in Struggle with ‘Suicide Disease’”
Second Place: Elizabeth Fordham, Brandon Ellett, Energy Marketing Conferences Website, “A Bird in the Hand”
Third Place: Elizabeth Fordham, Brandon Ellett, Energy Research Consulting Group, “Interview with Brandon Ellett”
Internet Collaborative News Reporting
First Place: KENS Staff, KENS5.com, “The CORE: East Side Violence”
Second Place: Tricia Schwennesen, Texas Public Radio - KSTX, “Preparing for Zika in Texas”
Third Place: KENS5.com Staff, KENS5.com, “End of Watch: Remembering SAPD Det. Benjamin Marconi”
Internet Opinion
First Place: Arnold Wayne Jones, Dallas Voice, “David Bowie Allowed You to Be Gay”
Second Place: Elizabeth Fordham, www.buffythebitchyblogger.com, “Aspen, Fairytales and Rhinestones”
Third Place: Arnold Wayne Jones, Dallas Voice, “Winter Is Coming”
STUDENT ENTRY CATEGORIES
Student Print News or Feature Story
First Place: Jessica Babb, The Baylor Lariat, “Kids of Disabled Veterans Share Experiences”
Second Place: Jessica Babb, The Baylor Lariat, “Arlington National Cemetery Workers Strike”
Third Place: Tim Collins, Lamar University Press, “Trump Towers Over Polls”
Student Print Sports Story
First Place: Elizabeth Grimm, Lamar University Press, “Soccer Gets New Leader”
Second Place: Grant Crawford, Lamar University Press, “A Baseball Lifer: Jim Gilligan to Close Out Illustrious Cardinal Career”
Best Student Newspaper
First Place: Lariat Staff, The Baylor Lariat, “The Baylor Lariat 2016: April 29, Oct. 6, Nov. 11”
Student Print Photography
First Place: Kyle Swearingen, Lamar University Press, “State Fair Returns to Southeast Texas”
Second Place: Richard Hirst, The Baylor Lariat, “Rico Blocks Texas Player”
Third Place: Richard Hirst, The Baylor Lariat, “Capsized”
Student TV & Radio News or Feature Story
First Place: Jessica Babb, The Baylor Lariat, “No Limitations”
Second Place: Jacquelyn Kellar, Katie Mahaffey, The Baylor Lariat, “Campus Lockdown”
Third Place: Trevier Gonzalez, Jonathan Tippett, Edward Long, LUTV Productions, “LUTV on Fox - Show A”
Student TV & Radio Sports Story
First Place: Brooke Kirchhofer, Cecilia Flores, German Cortez, Big Red Sports Network, “All IN”
Second Place: Jessica Babb, The Baylor Lariat, “Acrobatics and Tumbling Prepares for Nationals”
Third Place: Hayley Mitchell,
LUTV News, “Jozi Cats”
Alyssum Klopp, Maggie Galehouse - TMC Pulse(Texas Medical Center monthly magazine) - “TMC Pulse, August” - Magazine Layout
Houston Press Club Lone Star Awards
The Lone Star Awards are given each year in recognition of outstanding achievements in journalism and mass communication in the state of Texas. The competition encompasses efforts in the fields of print, radio, television and internet journalism; student publications and broadcasts; and public relations. Awards are given to first, second, and third place entries in each category.
The Houston Press Club is dedicated to fostering growth and interaction in these various fields with the aim of improving the whole business of mass communications. The Houston Press Club also supports the efforts of tomorrow's professionals through achievement awards and scholarship funding for students in these fields.
From 2004 to around 2007, KPRC 2 generated a lot of buzz with an on air talent who had a real nose for the weather. It was a canine named Radar The Weather Dog. In fact the KPRC 
