Source NM staffers win at Top of the Rockies annual competition
Source NM took home nine awards from the annual Top of the Rockies Excellence in Journalism competition from the Colorado Professional Chapter of the Society for Professional Journalists.
The winners were announced Saturday night at at a reception following the conclusion of the four-state 2025 SPJ Region 9 Conference: Fundamentals and the Future at The Slate Hotel in Denver, and included journalists from New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah, competing in different size divisions. Contest organizers said the competition drew more than 1,850 entries from 80 news media outlets and 20 freelancers. The Los Angeles Press Club judged this year's contest.
'The competition continues to grow each year, and we are honored to highlight outstanding journalism throughout the four-state region,' contest coordinator Deb Hurley Brobst said in a statement. 'These are hard-working journalists who deserve recognition of their efforts.'
Source, which competes in the medium-size news division, won two first-place awards. Reporter Danielle Prokop took first in the science and technology news category for her story on legacy plutonium contamination in Los Alamos.
'The plutonium story, well written and also a tad scary, took a topic that's mostly absent from mainstream media and turned it into something we should pay attention to,' the judges wrote. 'Well written, nice graphics/photos augmenting the words.'
Source reporter Patrick Lohmann took first place in the legal feature category for his story on the federal government's efforts to squash a lawsuit over the deaths of three people who died in post-fire flooding that followed the The Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire.
'This fascinating story takes a look at people left in legal limbo by the federal government and how the system is failing them,' the judges wrote. 'Exactly the kind of story that makes superb watchdog journalism.'
Source also won four second-place awards and three third-place awards:
Second place:
Ag and environmental news, Austin Fisher: 'NM animal health experts update fair guidance to include high-quality masks'
Climate reporting, Patrick Lohmann, Byard Duncan, Adria Malcolm: 'They lost everything in New Mexico's biggest wildfire. Now they're sounding the alarm for others'
Legal news, Patrick Lohmann: 'After federal judge's order, NM fire victims should seek to describe their anguish, lawyer says'
Headline writing, Patrick Lohmann: 'Oh, the germaneity!'
Third place:
Investigative reporting, Austin Fisher: 'Texas activists pushed abortion restrictions in NM cities and counties'
Breaking news, Danielle Prokop: 'Views from the South Fork and Salt Fires at the Hondo Valley Allsup's'
Mental health news, Austin Fisher: 'Study: 95% of deaths in ICE detention between 2017-2021 could have been prevented'
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18-04-2025
- Yahoo
Las Vegas, N.M., residents, businesses grapple with PNM's public safety power shutoff
LAS VEGAS, N.M. — The beam of a heavy-duty DeWalt flashlight swept across the shelves of the Big R store as Michael Velarde searched for a Sharpie marker to buy. Otherwise, the store was dark Thursday, even at 2:30 p.m. Public Service Company of New Mexico had cut the power to the store as part of a public safety outage that affected some 2,300 of its customers in the western area of Las Vegas, N.M., as high winds began blowing through Northern New Mexico. Still, the store remained open and customers trickled in, met by employees wearing headlamps. Initiated at 11:30 a.m., the PNM shutoff was necessary, the electric utility said, to reduce the risk of fire danger amid high winds. Gusts caused other power outages around the state and drove a brushfire that had ignited Thursday afternoon on Bureau of Indian Affairs land west of Bosque Farms. George Ducker of the New Mexico Forestry Division sent a news release Thursday evening about the fast-moving Rio Grande Fire, which had burned several structures and led to evacuations. The fire was estimated at about 150 acres but was growing in red-flag conditions. 'This is becoming the norm' The Las Vegas outage marked PNM's first planned power shutoff in wildfire weather following previous warnings of outages in Santa Fe, the East Mountains near Albuquerque and other areas of the state during a dry spring with days of heavy gusts. 041725_MS_Las Vegas Power_003.JPG Traffic waits a temporary stop sign at the intersection of Mills Avenue and Eighth Street in Las Vegas during a public safety power shutoff Thursday. "It's in response to fire danger throughout the West … and the need to do our part to prevent these catastrophes," said Jeff Buell, a spokesperson for PNM, the largest electric utility in the state. "It is a last-resort step that we take after pretty agonizing deliberations." He estimated power would be restored as early as 3 a.m. Friday. But PNM said in a morning news release customers in the outage area should expect it "to last overnight and up to 48 hours depending on fire conditions and potential damage caused to the system by high winds." The shutoff comes as some electric utilities in Western states, such as California, have at times resorted to enacting blackouts in times when fire risk is high. New Mexico is another state that has seen devastating and costly wildfires in recent years. The decision to shut off the power is one that promises to draw the ire of residents concerned about food in refrigerators souring, among other things, while waiting for service to be restored. But Las Vegas residents perhaps have a unique understanding of fire risk. The Hermit's Peak/Calf Canyon Fire, the worst blaze in New Mexico's recorded history, started in 2022 due to a pair of botched federal prescribed burns, leaving thousands of people displaced while destroying hundreds of homes. "I've never heard of that before in my entire life, but I understand their concern," Velarde said of PNM's power shutdown. "They don't want the city to catch fire again." The National Weather Service in Albuquerque had warned of extreme fire conditions Thursday due to a combination of prolonged and increasing drought across the state, high temperatures and heavy wind gusts — part of a pattern of extreme conditions as global climate change intensifies. Drought map According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, more than 98% of New Mexico is now in some level of drought, with the severity of conditions inching upward. 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PNM's outage map showed about 1,000 customers in the Belen area, south of Albuquerque, had no service due to power line issues. Other equipment issues left about 1,300 people without power in a southeastern portion of Albuquerque. The Las Vegas shutoff would remain in place "until the extreme weather conditions have passed, and the risk of a wildfire has been reduced," the utility said in a news release Thursday morning. "Current forecasts predict that the weather event will subside by 8 p.m." 041725_MS_Las Vegas Power_002.JPG Jason Lassell, manager of the Big R store in Las Vegas, fills a generator with gasoline during a planned power outage Thursday. Buell said around 5:30 p.m. PNM crews were "standing by," meaning groups of workers were waiting for wildfire conditions to subside before patrolling the power lines and inspecting every inch of the deenergized system to ensure there were no tree limbs that had fallen or "any material caught in the lines or any damage to the lines." 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Yahoo
17-04-2025
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Chicago weather: Spring rollercoaster continues with storms and a cooler Easter
The Brief Cooler-than-normal temps stuck around Tuesday, especially near the lakefront. Storms possible Thursday and Friday, with a shot at 80 degrees before a cold front moves in. Cooler weather returns for Easter weekend with rain chances, especially Sunday. CHICAGO - Chicagoland stayed stuck in the 40s Tuesday, but a big warmup—and potential storms—are coming by the end of the week. What we know Tuesday marked another day of below-average temperatures across the region, especially along the lakefront where afternoon highs struggled to break out of the 40s. Typical highs this time of year are in the upper 50s to near 60 degrees. The pattern shifts starting Thursday. An unsettled stretch of weather is on the way, lasting through the holiday weekend. Overnight lows will dip to around 40 degrees under partly cloudy skies, but tomorrow brings a noticeable warmup. Highs Thursday are expected to climb into the low to mid 60s, and if clouds break up more than expected, spots could reach the upper 60s. Scattered showers and a few thunderstorms are possible throughout the day. What's next Friday is shaping up to be the warmest day of the week—and potentially the most active. Highs are forecast to surge to near 80 degrees, but a strong cold front will move in late in the day. That front could spark strong to severe thunderstorms, especially in the late afternoon and evening. If storms do reach severe limits, hail and damaging winds will be the main concerns. After the front moves through, cooler air returns just in time for the weekend. Highs on both Saturday and Easter Sunday will dip back into the mid 50s. A few showers are possible Saturday, especially south of I-80, and rain looks more likely on Sunday. The good news? Temperatures begin to rebound early next week. Highs will be in the upper 50s Monday and climb into the 60s Tuesday and Wednesday. The Source FOX 32's Emily Wahls reported on this story.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Yahoo
Source NM staffers win at Top of the Rockies annual competition
Source NM took home nine awards from the annual Top of the Rockies Excellence in Journalism competition from the Colorado Professional Chapter of the Society for Professional Journalists. The winners were announced Saturday night at at a reception following the conclusion of the four-state 2025 SPJ Region 9 Conference: Fundamentals and the Future at The Slate Hotel in Denver, and included journalists from New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah, competing in different size divisions. Contest organizers said the competition drew more than 1,850 entries from 80 news media outlets and 20 freelancers. The Los Angeles Press Club judged this year's contest. 'The competition continues to grow each year, and we are honored to highlight outstanding journalism throughout the four-state region,' contest coordinator Deb Hurley Brobst said in a statement. 'These are hard-working journalists who deserve recognition of their efforts.' Source, which competes in the medium-size news division, won two first-place awards. Reporter Danielle Prokop took first in the science and technology news category for her story on legacy plutonium contamination in Los Alamos. 'The plutonium story, well written and also a tad scary, took a topic that's mostly absent from mainstream media and turned it into something we should pay attention to,' the judges wrote. 'Well written, nice graphics/photos augmenting the words.' Source reporter Patrick Lohmann took first place in the legal feature category for his story on the federal government's efforts to squash a lawsuit over the deaths of three people who died in post-fire flooding that followed the The Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon Fire. 'This fascinating story takes a look at people left in legal limbo by the federal government and how the system is failing them,' the judges wrote. 'Exactly the kind of story that makes superb watchdog journalism.' Source also won four second-place awards and three third-place awards: Second place: Ag and environmental news, Austin Fisher: 'NM animal health experts update fair guidance to include high-quality masks' Climate reporting, Patrick Lohmann, Byard Duncan, Adria Malcolm: 'They lost everything in New Mexico's biggest wildfire. Now they're sounding the alarm for others' Legal news, Patrick Lohmann: 'After federal judge's order, NM fire victims should seek to describe their anguish, lawyer says' Headline writing, Patrick Lohmann: 'Oh, the germaneity!' Third place: Investigative reporting, Austin Fisher: 'Texas activists pushed abortion restrictions in NM cities and counties' Breaking news, Danielle Prokop: 'Views from the South Fork and Salt Fires at the Hondo Valley Allsup's' Mental health news, Austin Fisher: 'Study: 95% of deaths in ICE detention between 2017-2021 could have been prevented'
