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Also, Star reporters Carol Ann Alaimo and Perla Trevizo were finalists for the press club’s Virg Hill Journalist of the Year contest, photojournalist Mike Christy was a finalist for Photographer of the Year and photojournalist Kelly Presnell was a finalist for Sports Photographer of the Year.

Trevizo won second place with a portfolio that “demonstrated tremendous initiative, a real knack for enterprise reporting and a deft hand at telling those stories in a clear, compelling way,� wrote judge Glenn Smith, watchdog/public service editor for The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C.

Alaimo won third place. “Alaimo’s reporting took readers behind the scenes at Faith Christian Church and stands out for its powerful combination of deep reporting, deft use of available public records and obvious trust she had to carefully build with dozens of sources,� wrote judge Carol Leonig, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter for The Washington Post.

Reporter Caitlin Schmidt won the Sledgehammer Award for her pursuit of public records in the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ police prostitution probe. Here are the Star’s other awards:

First place

Carol Ann Alaimo, education reporting.

A.E. Araiza, spot news photography.

Cathalena E. Burch, arts reporting.

Luis Carrasco, Spanish-language news reporting.

Kristen Cook, short-form writing.

Sarah Garrecht Gassen, editorial writing.

Jon Gold, sports reporting.

Dave Ord, headline writing.

Ernesto Portillo Jr., Spanish-language commentary.

Kelly Presnell, general news photography.

Tim Steller, column writing.

Perla Trevizo, business reporting.

Second Place

Kathleen Allen, arts reporting.

Cathalena E. Burch, arts criticism.

Joe Ferguson and Caitlin Schmidt, Don Bolles Award for Investigative Reporting.

Greg Hansen, sports column writing.

Stephanie Innes, health reporting.

Mamta Popat, general news photography and portrait photography.

Ernesto Portillo Jr., Spanish-language commentary.

Kelly Presnell, sports feature photography and sports pictorial photography.

Perla Trevizo, public safety reporting.

Third place

Carol Ann Alaimo and Emily Bregel, Don Bolles Award for Investigative Reporting.

Chiara Bautista, illustration/drawing.

Kristen Cook, short-form writing.

Jon Gold, personality profile.

Patty Machelor, social issues reporting.

Kelly Presnell, sports action photography, sports feature photography and sports pictorial photography.

Perla Trevizo and Fernanda Echavarri of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Public Media, immigration reporting.

Award of excellence

A.E. Araiza, general news photography.

Mike Christy, nature photography.

Kelly Presnell, sports action photography and sports feature photography.