Texas
The Dallas Morning News named newsroom of the year in Texas journalism awards
The Dallas Morning News received nine first-place awards in the 2023 Texas Managing Editors journalism awards, including being named newsroom of the year.
In total, 18 awards and two honorable mentions went to The News.
The results, recognizing the work of news outlets across the state, were announced over the weekend at the Texas Managing Editors’ annual conference in Temple.
The News competes in the 3A class, which includes the state’s largest newsrooms.
“Every single reporter, photojournalist, designer, digital, multi-platform and front-line editor, researcher and columnist in our newsroom works incredibly hard and believes wholeheartedly that the journalism we pour ourselves into is vital to our community and its future,” The News’ executive editor Katrice Hardy said. “From our coverage of education and health care, from our coverage of the arts and transportation, from our coverage of our public safety institutions to our state and local governments, we aspire daily to publish journalism that informs our readers about people, programs and policies that impact their lives.
“This honor is truly amazing because it underscores that our work has an impact on our community and across North Texas.”
First-place awards
The News’ staff won Newspaper of the Year in the 3A class, the contest’s highest honor. The last time The News won this award was in 2020.
Rangers beat writer Evan Grant won first place in the Celeste Williams Star sports reporter of the year category. His body of work included covering the Texas Rangers’ becoming World Series champions for the first time; the Rangers acquiring Max Scherzer from the New York Mets; a profile on MLB player brothers Nathaniel and Josh Lowe and their mother’s brain cancer diagnosis; how ex-Rangers general manager Jon Daniels was faring a year after firing; and Bally Sports’ financial woes.
Smiley Pool won first place for Star photojournalist of the year with photography covering an array of subjects including the Cowboys, Rangers, an in-demand Nick and Sam’s server, the aftermath of the mass shooting at the Allen outlets, bluebonnets and more. Pool finished in a tie for first place with Austin American-Statesman photographer Ricardo B. Brazziell.
Watchdog columnist Dave Lieber won first place for general column writing, recognizing his work covering a senior caught in the middle as TxDOT faced criticism for lack of empathy; a mayor’s actions that led to a council member’s arrest in Godley; and a Watchdog report on syndicates spending millions of dollars on Texas’ lottery to beat out everyone else.
Architecture critic Mark Lamster won first place for comment and criticism, which included stories about Fountain Place, the rocket-shaped tower that stands out in Dallas’ skyline and a Carrollton church that he deemed “the best new building in Texas.”
Cowboys beat writer Michael Gehlken won first place sports feature for his profile on “the untold legend” of Dallas Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith’s hands.
Photographer Tom Fox won the first place in photojournalism for his work on The News’ Deadly Fake project uncovering fentanyl’s many effects on North Texas.
Photographer Shafkat Anowar won first place in feature photography for the photo of a Texas Rangers fan’s response to the team’s World Series win at a watch party of Globe Life Field.
Multiplatform editor Sandra Guerra-Cline won first place in headline writing. Her best headlines included: The stars at night are not so bright — Results of study on artificial lighting’s effect stun scientists; History’s resting place — Oakland Cemetery, home to Rusty the dog, lives on despite the odds; Home, home on the stage — Academy of Country Music settles in, might stay awhile; With only words as weapons — At hearing, victims’ loved ones confront Walmart gunman who killed 23 and A cheap car is a nonstarter — There’s only one left under $30,000 for shoppers in the U.S.
Second-place awards
The News staff won a second-place award for Star breaking news report of the year, recognizing its quick and extensive coverage of the mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets. The team produced more than 17 stories in the first 24 hours after the tragedy, accounting for stories from its bureaus in Austin and Washington, D.C. and articles translated into Spanish.
The News’ editorial board won second place for editorial writing for a series of political pieces, including one after Attorney General Ken Paxton was acquitted in his impeachment trial and another named the eight Paxton whistleblowers as The Dallas Morning News’ Texans of the Year.
Breaking news reporter Jamie Landers won second place for Star reporter of the year. Her body of work included a narrative on how the Dallas Zoo mystery unraveled, a eulogy for a vulture at the zoo, the reopening of a restaurant at the Allen outlets following a mass shooting and contributions to the newsroom’s Deadly Fake project about how Narcan vending machines could help combat the drug crisis and police investigating fentanyl-related deaths as homicides.
Sports columnist Kevin Sherrington won second place for sports column writing, which recognized his work covering Texas Rangers’ Adolis García seizing the moment for the team in the World Series, a story of bitter beginnings and the birth of the Rangers-Astros rivalry, Colorado’s Deion Sanders’ reaction to his team’s win over TCU.
Assistant news editor Alma Lozoya also won second place for designer of the year for a series of front-page designs.
Third-place awards
The News’ staff won third place for Star online package of the year with its Deadly Fake project that published at least one story on each day in September.
Lauren Caruba, Smiley Pool and Ari Sen, won a third-place award in Star investigative report of the year for the series Bleeding Out. The project, which The News completed in partnership with the San Antonio Express-News, was an investigation into why tens of thousands of injured Americans die from preventable bleeding each year.
Pool was also awarded third place for sports photography. Multiplatform editor Erik Schutz won third place for headline writing.
Honorable mention
The News received a staff-wide honorable mention for team effort for its coverage of the mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets.
Education Lab reporter Talia Richman was recognized for honorable mention in specialty reporting. Her stories included the story of a Texas student scared of school shootings being punished, a look at Texas’ explosion of uncertified new teachers filling shortages and how Texas plans to make access to advanced math more equitable.
Saturday started out a bit warm and sticky outside in North Texas, but there will be plenty of sunshine in the afternoon. Temperatures are expected to climb into the upper 80s. Most of the area will stay dry today, but there is a chance for an isolated storm that could reach severe criteria late tonight for counties to the northwest of the metroplex.
Make sure you have an indoor plan for Mother’s Day celebrations tomorrow! Sunday morning will start warm, muggy, and dry for most with the exception of an isolated storm possible along the Red River.
A First Alert Weather Day is in place on Sunday due to a front that will swing across North Texas in the late afternoon through the evening. All modes of severe weather will be likely, but the main threat includes a significant risk of hail up to 2 inches in diameter and winds up to category 1 hurricane strength.
Once the front moves through, cooler temperatures will settle into the forecast on Monday. However, the cool down won’t last long. A warming trend returns and temperatures climb into the 90’s once again at the end of the next week. Stay tuned!
Just days before Mother’s Day, a North Texas father is grieving the sudden loss of his wife and unborn son after she died unexpectedly, only days before her due date. Avi Carey said he is still in shock over the death of his wife, Tiffany, whom he described as his “rock” and “soulmate.”
“Tiffany’s smile, her radiance, her presence … she didn’t meet a stranger,” Carey said.
Nearly two decades together
The couple had been together for nearly two decades, raising two children, Kingston and Kasyn, and preparing to welcome their third child, a baby boy they planned to name Kylo.
Carey said Tiffany began complaining of a severe headache just days before she was due to give birth. He recalled her sitting on the couch, dozing off multiple times – something he said was unusual.
A short time later, Carey found her unresponsive.
“I saw her face … her lips were blue. And I already knew,” he said with tears in his eyes.
A celebration turned to heartbreak
Tiffany Carey and her unborn son died May 2, leaving behind a grieving husband and two children. The loss came less than a week after the family had celebrated a baby shower.
“We went from celebrating the baby shower to planning a funeral in less than five days,” Carey said.
A crisis affecting Black mothers
Health officials say cases like this highlight a broader crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women in the United States are more than three times as likely as white women to die from pregnancy‑related causes, and most of those deaths – around 80% – are considered preventable.
Carey said he is still searching for answers and now lives with questions about whether warning signs were missed.
“I would say educate yourself. Take everything seriously,” he said. “That should have been a red flag … the headache.”
Honoring Tiffany’s legacy
Now, surrounded by baby supplies meant for a child who never arrived, Carey said he is focused on honoring Tiffany’s memory and raising their children with the values she lived by.
“She always said, ‘You’ve got to lead with love,’” he said. “She did that in everything.”
Trump administration to release UFO files soon, president says
President Trump said his administration plans to release information and materials relating to UFOs.
Ever look up at the vast Texas sky and see something move across it? It could be a shooting star, a satellite — or a UFO.
The Pentagon released several documents Friday, May 8, detailing sightings of unidentified flying objects, or “bogeys,” in U.S. airspace, including reports from Texas.
The documents were released by the U.S. Department of Defense at the directive of President Donald Trump, marking the release of government files related to “alien and extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP)” and UFOs.
“These files, hidden behind classifications, have long fueled justified speculation — and it’s time the American people see it for themselves. This release of declassified documents demonstrates the Trump Administration’s earnest commitment to unprecedented transparency,” said U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in a statement.
Here’s a look at the files related to Texas.
UFO spotted in 1948 above Abilene, Texas
A DoD incident summary shows that on Jan. 1, 1948, a man identified as “Mr. A. Schroeder” reported a UFO in the 1100 block of Highland Ave in Abilene, Texas.
Schroeder reported seeing a stationary bright blue-green bell-shaped object in the western sky above Abilene at 1:25 a.m. and 1:30 a.m.
Fort Worth man sees UFO above Alaska
Also in 1948, Lt. Aytch Johnson noticed a silver flat disk in the sky in Fairbanks, Alaska.
According to the incident report, the Fort Worth man observed the object flying over Alaska at around 1:06 p.m. on April 18, 1948, at an estimated speed of 250 to 300 miles per hour.
The report also noted that the sighting “may have been the reflection of sun from wings” of aircrafts flying in the area at the time.
Possible UFO sighting during the NASA Gemini 7 space launch
The DoD released the transcript and audio file of NASA’s Gemini 7 mission in 1965 when astronaut Frank Borman reported to NASA mission control in Houston his sighting of an unidentified object, which he referred to as a “bogey.”
While the launch didn’t take place in Texas, the report came back to space control in Houston.
The conversation occurred on Dec. 5, 1965 — 4 hours and 24 minutes into the flight — when Borman notified space control that there was a “bogey” on their left-hand side.
When asked to clarify what they are seeing, Borman said he was seeing “hundreds of little particles” on their left, about three to four miles away.
As NASA Public Affairs clarified, the bogey was an unidentified object, along with the particles.
Pentagon documents report of other possible sightings in Texas
Some documents have connections or reports of possible UFO sightings in Texas, but are missing details to understand the situation.
For example, the DoD received a clipping from the Yoakum Times-Record reporting UFO sightings by Mrs. Anna Banys in 1947, but it is unclear why she was writing to the DoD.
This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
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