GV News staff win awards

A photo from the funeral of Tucson Officer Erik Hite, who was gunned down on duty in June 2008, was named “Best News Photograph” in its circulation category in the 2009 Arizona Newspaper Association/Associated Press Managing Editors competition. The photo was taken by freelance photographer Scott A. Taras.

The Green Valley News staff received several honors in the 2009 Arizona Newspaper Association/Associated Press Managing Editors competition over the weekend.

The paper finished second in “Departmental News & Copywriting Excellence” category.

Individual awards:

• Scott A. Taras, a freelance photographer, won first place for “Best News Photograph” in the paper’s circulation category for a photo shot at the funeral of Tucson police officer Erik Hite.

• Dan Shearer, editor of the Green Valley News & Sun, won first place for “Best Column: Feature or Criticism” for a piece on metric signage.

• Nick Prevenas, sports editor, won second place for “Best Sports Story” for a story headlined, “Cats find redemption in wild comeback,” and third place for “Best Team, Sport or Sports Beat Coverage” for stories on the University of Arizona Wildcats.

Last month the newspaper received an honorable mention in the 2009 Suburban Newspapers of America “General Newspaper Excellence” category, which covers everything from reporting to advertising.

The Maryland Independent won first place, followed by the Longboat (Fla.) Observer and the Calvert Recorder in Prince Frederick, Md., in the circulation category.

SNA is a trade association comprised of more than 2,000 suburban and community newspapers in the United States and Canada.