The Seattle Times wins 3 Blethen Awards

The Seattle Times won first-place honors three times in the 2009 C.B. Blethen Memorial Awards for distinguished newspaper reporting.

The annual awards were established in 1977 in honor of Blethen, publisher of The Seattle Times from 1915 to 1941. The awards were presented Thursday at the annual meeting of the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Association in Seattle.

The first- and second-place winners in each category receive plaques and cash awards donated by The Seattle Times.

PNNA daily newspapers in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Alaska, Alberta and British Columbia are eligible to enter the contest, which is administered independently from The Times by PNNA. Judges are news executives from daily newspapers outside the PNNA area and are not affiliated with PNNA member groups.

Reporters are chosen in two circulation divisions. All entrants, regardless of circulation, compete for the special Debby Lowman Award for distinguished reporting of consumer affairs, which honors The Times consumer reporter who died of cancer in 1978.

The winners:

Diversity Reporting

Circulation under 50,000: 1) Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, "Being different, staying safe," by Sheila Hagar. 2) Yakima Herald-Republic, for a series of stories By Melissa Sanchez, Ross Courtney, and Phil Ferolito.

Circulation over 50,000: 1) The Seattle Times, Seattle, for a series of stories on diversity by The Seattle Times Staff. 2) The Oregonian, "Clashing cultures, fractured families," by Gosia Wosniacka.

Deadline Reporting

Circulation under 50,000: 1) The Olympian, "Olympia man wins lawsuit over "communist" label," by Jeremy Pawloski. 2. The Herald (Everett), "Swamped and weary," by The Herald Staff.

Circulation over 50,000: 1) The Oregonian, "9 presumed dead in firefighter air crash," by The Oregonian Staff. 2.) The Seattle Times, for January flood series, by The Seattle Times Staff

Enterprise Reporting

Circulation under 50,000: 1) Herald and News (Klamath Falls), " To merge, or not to merge" and "Changing schools," by Ty Beaver, Jill Aho, and Ryan Pfeil. 2) Herald and News (Klamath Falls), for "Letters from war," by Ryan Pfeil.

Circulation over 50,000: 1) The Oregonian for China-Oregon trade partners series, by Amy Hsuan. 2) The Seattle Times, "How we're still failing our sound," by Warren Cornwall, Craig Welch, Lynda V. Mapes, and Justin Mayo

Feature Writing

Circulation under 50,000: 1) The Herald (Everett), "A truth beyond," By Scott North. 2.) Idaho Falls Post Register, "Cancer slows Leadore coach's body, but not spirit," by Zach Kyle.

Circulation over 50,000: 1) The Seattle Times, "A lifetime of care," by Maureen O'Hagan. 2.) The Oregonian, "Love and rage shape a life," by Tom Hallman Jr.

Investigative Reporting

Circulation under 50,000: 1) Yakima Herald-Republic, "Hidden wells, dirty water," by Leah Beth Ward 2.) The Herald (Everett) "Behavior issues," by Eric Stevick and Scott North.

Circulation over 50,000: 1) The Seattle Times, "MRSA: Culture of resistance," by Michael J. Berens and Ken Armstrong. 2) The Seattle Times, "The favor factory," by David Heath and Christine Willmsen.

Debby Lowman Award for Distinguished Reporting of Consumer Affairs: 1) The Herald (Everett), "Baby bottle brouhaha," by Sarah Jackson. 2) The Seattle Times, "Comcast's digital switch," by Brier Dudley.