'Summer on the Rio Grande' wins two first place ribbons

MONTE VISTA—Valley Publishing staff received 10 awards at the Colorado Press Association’s annual awards banquet held April 22 in Denver— five first place awards and five second place awards.
“Ten awards in pretty incredible,” Publisher Jennifer Alonzo said. “I am extremely proud of our staff for their hard work over the past year. The Summer on the Rio Grande magazine continues to improve every year; the awards this publication has won is evidence of that. The magazine won first place in both Best Editorial Special Section and Best Advertising Special Section for the second year in a row. It doesn’t get any better than that,” commented Alonzo.
“We’re fortunate to have such a great, diverse staff; a few of them have been in this business for many, many years, which makes it much easier for the rest of us. We’re very blessed to have Benns and Sylvia Lobato as ‘old timers’ in the business, as well as production expert Ellie Bone,” said Alonzo.
The following awards were presented to Valley Publishing’s newspapers, including editorial, photos and advertising:
Center Post Dispatch
First place – Teresa L. Benns, Best Series- “Crestone moms seek justice”
First place- Teresa L. Benns, Best Sustained Coverage- “Mountain Valley School District dispute”
Del Norte Prospector
Second place — Anthony Guerrero, Best Environmental Story- “Pronghorn Trail is not a dump”
Monte Vista Journal
First place – Jennifer Alonzo, Ellie Bone, Chelsea McNerney-Martinez, Best Advertising Special Section- “Summer on the Rio Grande 2016”
Second place – Jennifer Alonzo, Ellie Bone, Chelsea McNerney-Martinez, Best Advertising Special Section- “Autumn on the Rio Grande 2016”
Second place – Anthony Guerrero, Best Business News/Feature Story- “Rio Grande economy growing slow and steady”
First place – Jennifer Alonzo, Teresa L. Benns, Lyndsie Ferrell, Anthony Guerrero, Sylvia Lobato, Best Editorial Special Section-Glossy or Magazine “Summer on the Rio Grande 2016”
Second Place— Lyndsie Ferrell, Best Agriculture Story— “Green Acres Hemp Farm will expand in 2017”
Second place— Jennifer Alonzo, Best Feature Page Design — “Outdoor Haven”
First place – Jennifer Alonzo, Ellie Bone, Chelsea McNerney-Martinez, Beth Tooker Best Cover Design- “Summer on the Rio Grande 2016”