Latest news with #AnnaliseBraught
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Photos of the month: Signaling spring
Apr. 26—BEMIDJI — Signs of spring are more than just melting snow and budding trees, as plenty of annual events marked the end of a long winter in the Bemidji area. Parks and Rec hosted its Bunny Bash ahead of the Easter holiday, more than 4,000 attendees flocked to the Sanford Center for the GigaZone Gaming Championship and TechXpo, and children took part in fun activities during the Bemidji Early Childhood Collaborative's Tiny Tots Health and Wellness Fair. Bemidjians also took advantage of the warmer weather by participating in outdoor events. Spring sports teams kicked off their outdoor seasons as the fields thawed, and more than 1,000 activists gathered near downtown Bemidji for a Hands Off! demonstration. Speaking of downtown, the area saw plenty of changes this month as the iconic Morell's Chippewa Trading Post statue was removed and a sinkhole led to the discovery of an old building's foundation underneath the parking lot at the intersection of Minnesota Avenue and Fourth Street NW. Pioneer photographers Annalise Braught, Madelyn Haasken and TJ Rhodes captured these memorable moments along the way.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Beltrami County Historical Society to host 'Media Makers' program
Apr. 11—BEMIDJI — The Beltrami County Historical Society will host a free public panel titled, "Media Makers: The Women Informing Our Community," at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 19, at the Beltrami County History Center, 130 Minnesota Ave. SW. The event will highlight the achievements of local women in media and feature a panel discussion covering media representation, mentorship, community impact and how local journalism is evolving to meet the needs of northern Minnesota, a release said. Panelists include Larissa Donovan, Bemidji-area reporter for KAXE/KBXE Northern Community Radio and former news director at Paul Bunyan Broadcasting; Annalise Braught, editor and photojournalist for the Bemidji Pioneer and a graduate of Bemidji State University's Mass Communication program; and Meghan Jewett, Program and Production Manager at Lakeland PBS, who oversees local productions, including Common Ground and Backroads. Panelists will share their personal stories and career paths, reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing women in media, and offer guidance for young women interested in pursuing careers in journalism, radio or television. Audience members will also have the opportunity to ask questions during the discussion. "This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from the women shaping how our community stays informed," Emily Thabes, executive director of the Beltrami County Historical Society, said in the release. "We're proud to spotlight their voices as part of our ongoing series honoring the contributions of Beltrami County women to our community's past and present." The event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information about this event, visit or contact the Historical Society at (218) 444-3376 or via email at depot@
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pioneer secures 30 awards at Minnesota Newspaper Association convention
Feb. 4—BROOKLYN PARK — The Bemidji Pioneer walked away with a record-setting 30 awards for the paper during the Minnesota Newspaper Association's 158th annual convention. Expert judges from Illinois reviewed almost 4,000 entries of the MNA members' most outstanding work during the contest period of September 2023 through August 2024 to determine the best of the best. Winners were honored on Jan. 30 at the Better Newspaper Contest Awards Gala held in Brooklyn Park. Judges chose the Pioneer as the first-place winner in general excellence, general reporting and headline writing, among multi-day papers up to 5,000 circulation. "I thought the Pioneer was the strongest in their class because of the breadth of their coverage," the judge said of the general reporting category. "Strong page one stories with a good mix of hard news and features. Thought there were some excellent ledes that brought readers right to the point of the story. "I liked how the sports pages seemed to have more of a feature approach and then used roundups for results. In general, most stories contained good background for readers. A good newspaper serving its readers well." The Pioneer also won second place for its use of photography, sports reporting, advertising excellence and typography and design, along with third place in the editorial page category. The Pioneer's Summer 2024 edition of inBemidji Magazine secured first place in best magazine design, with the judge commenting "Love this magazine. Bright and colorful." The Spring 2024 edition also placed second in both the best magazine cover and best magazine reporting categories. Editor and photographer Annalise Braught won first place for her portrait of a young dancer participating in the 19th Annual Niimi'idiwin (powwow) in Bemidji. "The first-place photo of the little dancer floated to the top of the entries," the judge commented. "Great color and composition and I loved the expression of the subject. The pleasing look on the child's face draws you into the photo." She also got second place for her news photo from the annual Memorial Day program at Bemidji's Greenwood Cemetery, with the judge commenting, "The expressions really stand out in this image, and the tension and seriousness of the moment is clear from the posture and body language of the subjects." Braught placed both second and third in the feature photo category. In second, was another photo of a young dancer from the 19th Annual Niimi'idiwin, and in third was a photo of children reading at the recently opened Little Saints Daycare. She also came in both first and second place for two different photo stories. Her first-place win was for images from the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's Conference held in May 2024. "Nice image of Kingbird family inside. I could feel their pain," the judge commented. "Overall nice collection of images that told an impactful story." Her second-place photo story was a collection of images from the aforementioned 19th Annual Niimi'idiwin, "Nice colors and images, especially of the children," the judge said. "I really get the feeling of being there." Multimedia editor Madelyn Haasken came in third for her news photo from the eighth annual Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's walk. "The framing helps give a sense of emotion in this picture, with the intensity of the figure in the middle and the dominance of the red colors capture the viewer's attention," the judge commented. She also placed first in the feature category for a photo from Bemidji High School's Unified basketball game. "Great angle puts the reader right into the action before the game starts," the judge said. "The photographer captured the perfect moment with all technical requirements spot on." Former multimedia reporter Charley Gilbert also placed second in the portrait category for her photo of a young attendee at Bemidji ECFE's annual Wheels event. Braught and Haasken secured first place for their investigative reporting on the situation surrounding the sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl and the arrest of 11 undocumented immigrants in September 2023. Reporter Daltyn Lofstrom came in second place for his hard news story on steps to restore Red Lake's tribal boundaries leading to opposition and concerns with the judge noting, "Very thorough reporting, tight writing, interesting topic." Former Pioneer reporter Nicole Ronchetti came in first for her local breaking news story on Bemidji postal workers protesting unsustainable working conditions. She also came in first for her government and public affairs reporting series on the ordeal that spanned from fall 2023 through the following spring. "Really interesting look at this situation and how it affects postal workers and those waiting to receive a check in the mail," the judge said. "The story about the carrier who hit his breaking point was particularly good. The mix of background and new information as the stories unfolded was excellent. Great work!" Pioneer sports editor Jared Rubado came in first and second place in the sports story category. In first was his hockey story on the Beavers dethroning Minnesota State in blowout fashion to win the MacNaughton Cup. "An interesting contrast between the winning and losing sides," the judge said. "This is a compelling read with an interesting reference to 'Ric Flair's cadence.' Some interesting factoids and strong quotes here too. Well done." The judge was also impressed with his second-place story on the BHS football team winning the Section 8-5A Tournament quarterfinal game commenting, "A strong lede with strong quotes that earned their way into the story. The narrative keeps pushing the reader forward with a creative touch that makes this story stand out." Rubado also placed first in the sports feature category for a story about then-two-time para sled hockey gold medalist Chloe Kirkpatrick. "This was quite the story to share of Chloe's path to win gold with courage and determination," the judge said. "The in-depth story takes the reader from China to the medal stand and makes this the winner in a field of good entries." Sports reporter Alex Faber secured second place for his football feature on Bemidji State defensive lineman Marcus Hansen. "The subject broke all odds to make the team as a walk-on and the author did a great job sharing the story," the judge commented. Rubado came in first in the columnist category with the judge commenting, "Very strong writing with a personal touch. Pieces feature vivid description, strong, consistent focus and generally tight construction." Braught received a Herman Roe Editorial Writing Award for her editorial drawing attention to the lack of awareness surrounding the missing and murdered Indigenous relatives topic and a need for change in how tribal communities are supported. "The column about the Indigenous community was well-written and heartfelt and highlights the power of journalism to bring a spotlight to overlooked communities," the judge said. According to the MNA, the highly-coveted Herman Roe Editorial Writing Award recognizes impactful, meaningful and excellent editorial writing by honoring the single best editorial published during the contest period with judges strongly considering the editorial's significance to the community. The late widow of Herman Roe established this award in 1965. Herman Roe was a publisher of the Northfield News, past president of MNA and one of the state's outstanding editorial writers. Pioneer General Manager Christine Olson applauded the entire team for all the hard work that led to the paper bringing home a record number of awards again this year. "We believe in the power and importance of local journalism. Our team works tirelessly every day to provide trusted, meaningful coverage that serves our readers and community," Olson added. "While awards aren't the goal, earning 30 honors — including 13 first-place finishes, the general excellence award and sweeping the feature photo category — reinforces that our commitment to quality storytelling in both print and digital is making a real impact."
