Ripple in Stillwater picks up two 2012 Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists awards

By Karl Bremer

Convicted money launderer Frank Vennes Jr.

I’ve been notified by the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists that I have won two of the organization’s 2012 Page One Awards: one for “Best Use of Public Records” and one for “Best News Portrait.”

The “Best Use of Public Records” award--the second year in a row Ripple in Stillwater has won in this category--was for my series “Lawyers, Guns & Money: An Inside Look at the Political Pardon of Frank Vennes Jr.” The “Best News Portrait” award was for my photo of convicted money launderer and GOP donor Frank Vennes Jr. on the run through the streets of St. Paul trying to flee from my lens after a federal court appearance in September 2011.

In less than two years online, Ripple in Stillwater has racked up three professional journalism awards and another alt-media “best of” citation. In addition to the two 2012 SPJ Page One Awards, I won a second place Page One Award last year for “Best Use of Public Records” for my series on recently-captured fraudster and GOP donor "Bobby Thompson." And this spring, City Pages voted Ripple in Stillwater “Best Local Blog” in its Best of the Twin Cities 2012 competition.

Not bad for a cancer-ridden, unpaid blogger, if I do say so myself.

The specific 2012 Page One Awards will be announced and given out at the annual Minnesota SPJ Awards Banquet June 19 in St. Paul.

Photo © Copyright 2011 by Karl Bremer