Valencia County News-Bulletin staff win multiple NMPA awards; Garcia inducted into Hall of Fame

The Valencia County News-Bulletin staff received numerous awards over the weekend in the New Mexico Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest.

The awards were presented at the NMPA’s 116th annual convention held at the Clyde Hotel in Albuquerque over the weekend. More than 1,200 entries were submitted for consideration in this year’s contest.

Clara Garcia, the News-Bulletin’s editor and publisher, was inducted into the New Mexico Press Association’s Hall of Fame. The Belen native is the first Latina to be selected into the prestigious company of newspaper industry leaders, and second Hispanic, behind Jarales native, the late Sammy Lopez.

She also joins former VCNB publishers Carter Waid, Chris Baker and Sammy Lopez, and former editor Sandy Battin in the Hall of Fame.

Garcia was born and raised in Belen, graduated from Belen High School in 1989, and received degrees in communication and journalism and political science from the University of New Mexico.

She has spent her entire journalism career at the News-Bulletin, beginning 27 years ago in November 1998. Garcia was hired as the crime and courts reporter, but she’s covered local government, business, features and more. She was promoted to editor after Battin’s retirement in 2009, and to publisher in 2016.

Garcia served on the NMPA board of directors for 13 years, having served as president twice.

She has won numerous awards for her writing and reporting, photography and design from the NMPA as well as the National Newspaper Association.

“To be inducted into the New Mexico Press Association Hall of Fame is more than an honor; it’s a moment that brings into focus — a journey rooted in community, in truth and in the belief that stories can make a difference,” Garcia said, in part, in her speech at the award’s banquet.

The News-Bulletin staff brought home 13 NMPA awards, including second place in the Best Special Section category for the annual Best of Valencia County section.

“The Best of Valencia County special section does a good job showcasing the community’s favorite, providing a little editorial injection of past wins along with some local knowledge,” the judge wrote of the section. “This is a compelling way to inform visitors what locals love, and to celebrate the people who earned the most votes. Nice ad support, especially from the winners.”

The News-Bulletin also won second in the Best News Coverage category.

“Solid reporting. This newspaper has made itself one of the community’s greatest assets,” the judge wrote.

Assistant editor Julia M. Dendinger brought home six first-place awards, including the prestigious Sunshine Award, which is given to journalists who diligently work to shine light on open government.

Dendinger’s first-place award was for stories she wrote regarding the termination of former Los Lunas Schools superintendent Ryan Kettler.

“The Valencia County News-Bulletin should be commended of it’s use of the state’s public records laws to seek out the facts underlying an investigation of a former Los Lunas Schools superintendent,” the judge wrote. “The paper showed dogged determination in pursing public records that ultimately shed more light on an important community issue.”

Dendinger also won first place in the Best Ongoing/Continuing Coverage category for articles she wrote about a tragic incident involving the homicides of four family members in December 2024.

“The rule I’ve always heard is that every journalist gets only one opportunity in their career to start a story with a quote, and that opportunity wasn’t wasted here,” the judge wrote. “The combination of these two stories told both the hard news of an unspeakable tragedy, and the soft news — how the loss of a beloved community member impacted the people who knew her and worked with her. This was a strong, but unfortunate, story to have to write.”

The VCNB assistant editor won first place in the Best Series category. Dendinger researched and wrote four stories regarding the various issues of homelessness in Valencia County.

“What a privilege to tell the stories of the less fortunate,” the judge wrote, “the maligned, the desperate. Nice blend of government and NGO response and humanity ... Great work!”

She also captured a first-place award in the Best Columns category, for a People & Places column she wrote last year about her dear friend dying.

“Julia Dendinger composed a powerful tribute to her late friend,” the judge wrote. “She is a gifted columnist, as evidenced by another excellent submission in this category regarding the ‘Mainstream Media’.”

She also one first place in the Feature Writing category for a story she wrote about the re-interred remains of ancestral remains found during excavations at the Old Lady of Belen Catholic Church grounds. The remains were buried at the new cemetery.

“This is a very complex topic that you structured well, allowing room for the different aspects of the project to breathe,” the judge wrote. “I particularly like how you start with the bones in a way that is not sensational but respectful in the same way the story’s subjects were aiming to respect the history and culture of the area."

Another first-place award was in the Educational Writing category for an article she wrote about the Community School at La Promesa Elementary.

“This story was incredibly interesting. I particularly enjoyed your lede and enjoyed learning about the alternative school option in a small community,” the judge wrote. “... It was a great piece, thanks for sharing it!”

While Dendinger won first place, the VCNB’s sports reporter Mike Powers took home second place in the same category for a story he wrote about local high school band camps.

“This is a great story that makes a sideline activity and the training behind it interesting, you shed light on a ‘pre-season’ most people would not think about and mentioning details like knee pads helped create a vivid scene of what preparing for the season looks like.”

Powers also brought home second place in the Sports Writing category for the same story.

“Very cool and relatable opening paragraph,” the judge wrote. “Great story that shows the band works every bit as hard as all the athletic teams.”

Powers swept the Sports Columns category, winning both first and second place awards.

The first-place award was given for a column he wrote about the movie, “RezBall,” which was partially filmed in Valencia County.

“I enjoyed this column more than the other because the writer’s connection with the local sports history gives him great credibility and connection to the community,” the judge wrote.

The second-place award was for a column he wrote, titled “Freaky Friday,” which was about a day in the life of a sports reporter.

“I really liked this piece on a night in the life of a local sports reporter,” the judge wrote. “Nice job inviting the community into your world.”

Powers also won second place in the overall Best Sports Coverage category.

“Loved the variety on the front — five different reads,” the judge wrote.