Tag: ChicoSol

ChicoSol wins ‘Community Focus’ award First-place award from CNPA recognizes coverage of gender-identity lawsuit

photo by Leslie Layton
A mom at a 2023 meeting of CUSD’s Board of Education.

posted July 15

ChicoSol has been awarded a first place in the prestigious Community Focus category in the statewide newspaper contest run by California News Publishers Association (CNPA).

The award, announced July 14, recognizes the stories last year by Natalie Hanson and Leslie Layton on the gender identity lawsuit that was filed against Chico Unified School District by a local mom.

ChicoSol competed for the first place with the Bay Area Reporter, the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Santa Barbara Independent and the San Francisco Chronicle, all of whom were named as finalists in May. A judge wrote that our coverage of the lawsuit produced a “strong series that shows how a community paper can be fair – and still expose bigotry and transphobia and offer the true facts.” read more

ChicoSol a finalist in five award categories Announcement reflects recognition for community focus and investigative reporting

photo by Leslie Layton
Several rows in the Marigold Elementary gym were occupied by protesting parents during a school board discussion on gender identity.

by staff
posted May 29

ChicoSol has been named a finalist in five categories in the prestigious annual journalism competition run by the California News Publishers Association (CNPA) for its 2023 coverage.

CNPA announced today that ChicoSol’s Natalie Hanson and Leslie Layton are finalists in the special Community Focus category across all divisions, placing this publication in competition with the San Francisco Chronicle, Bay Area Reporter, Santa Barbara Independent, and the San Diego Union-Tribune. read more

Local news coverage crisis hits home 17-year-old ChicoSol "well-positioned" to thrive

Rebuild Local News Founder Steven Waldman

by Natalie Hanson
commentary posted March 2

(ChicoSol coverage of the nationwide local news crisis has received support from an Ethnic Media Services fellowship.)

The rapid erosion of local news across the country is nothing short of a five-alarm emergency for democracy — and it will take creativity and commitment to keep democracy’s fourth pillar standing.

Butte County affairs are covered by only a few news outlets that employ a handful of journalists. Research shows reduced local news coverage is linked to less government transparency and reduced civic engagement. Most citizens do not have time to carefully monitor the use of their tax dollars and attend public meetings that reporters once watched closely. read more

ChicoSol journalists capture 5 state awards Waddell honored for police shooting, Sites stories

photo courtesy of Sites Project Authority
A conceptual rendering of the Sites reservoir west of Maxwell. Dave Waddell’s first-place story was supported by an Ethnic Media Services fellowship.

ChicoSol contributor Dave Waddell has won four honors, including two first-place awards, and ChicoSol Editor Leslie Layton was named a second-place winner in the 2019 California Journalism Awards competition.

The results were announced Tuesday by the sponsoring California News Publishers Association, which cancelled its planned spring awards gala because of coronavirus risks.

Waddell captured top honors in the in-depth reporting category for a series of stories on law enforcement killings in Butte County. He also placed first in land-use reporting for an extensive story on the proposed Sites reservoir. read more