Willow Glen Resident sports editor Dick Sparrer and former San Jose City Hall reporter Sandy Brundage won awards in the non-daily newspaper division at the press club's Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards banquet on June 2.

Brundage's "Cost of the State of the City speech leaves some mute," which ran in the Resident on March 10, 2004, won first place in the news story category.

Sparrer won honorable mention in the sports story category for "Best in the West," a Feb. 4, 2004 cover story about football player Jared Allen that appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, a sister newspaper of the Resident. Sparrer also won first place and honorable mention for headlines and first place for a series he wrote for the Weekly-Times.

According to a press release from the club, 557 entries from 11 counties were sent in. Along with non-daily newspapers, daily newspapers, radio, television, public relations and photography were judged. Judges were members of press clubs from across the nation.

Other winners from the Silicon Valley Community Newspapers group were:

First place, news/political columns--"Columns by Sandy Sims," editor of the Cupertino Courier and Sunnyvale Sun;

First place, feature columns--"Columns by Gregory Watkins," editor of the Almaden Resident;

Second place, continuing coverage--Saratoga High School cheating incidents by Lisa Toth and My Ngo, Saratoga News;

Honorable mention, continuing coverage--Almaden Youth Association soccer fields coverage by Sandy Brundage, Almaden Resident;

Second place, feature story of light nature--"Masked Crusaders" by Jason Goldman-Hall, Sunnyvale Sun;

Second place, feature story of serious nature--"Counted In" by Jason Goldman-Hall, Sunnyvale Sun;

Second place, specialty story--"Sea's Candy" by Martin Nobida, Campbell Reporter;

First place, sports story--"Soccer Guru" by Gregory Watkins, Almaden Resident;

Second place, sports story--"Coach is left wrestling with more than his athletes after being first" by Martin Nobida, Campbell Reporter;

Honorable mention, page design--"Gold Mettle," the Sunnyvale Sun.