Pulitzer Prize Winners

1990: Editorial Cartooning
Tom Toles, for his work during the year as exemplified by the cartoon "First Amendment." Toles is currently editorial cartoonist at The Washington Post.

1961: Local Reporting
Edgar May for his series of articles on New York State's public welfare services entitled, "Our Costly Dilemma," based in part on his three-month employment as a state case worker. The series brought about reforms that attracted nationwide attention.

1958: Editorial Cartooning Bruce M. Shanks for "The Thinker," published on August 10, 1957, depicting the dilemma of union membership when confronted by racketeering leaders in some labor unions. ^top

Pulitzer Prize Nominated Finalists

1996: Editorial Cartooning
Tom Toles

1993: Investigative Reporting
James Heaney, for stories that identified the major causes of the decline of Buffalo's older neighborhoods and proposed possible solutions.

1993: General Non-Fiction Where the Buffalo Roam by Anne Matthews (Grove Weidenfeld)

1985: Editorial Cartooning
Tom Toles ^top

2003-04 New York State Associated Press Association Awards

Charles Anzalone, Bob DiCesare, Jim Heaney, Pat Lakamp and Dan Zakroczemski won statewide first-place awards for 2003-2004 in competition against the state's four largest papers.

The awards recognize excellence in newspaper work across the state.

In something of an awards sweep, News artist Dan Zakroczemski won first, second, third and honorable mention awards in two graphics categories.

Other News staffers also won two seconds, three thirds and five honorable mentions in the circulation category comprising the New York Times, the New York Daily News, the Post, Newsday and The News.

In news writing, reporters Heaney and Lakamp won the Business/Finance category for their extensive look at the ineffectiveness of the state's Empire Zone program, which is supposed to drive economic development in depressed areas.

In part as a result of the series, the state comptroller examined the program, and his findings confirmed The News' series. The state audit found that more than two-thirds of the companies seeking tax breaks under New York's main job-creation program failed to deliver the promised jobs.

Anzalone, editor of First Sunday magazine won the first-place award in Features for his magazine cover story "The Children Left Behind." The story focused on how the state's drive to improve educational standards demands strict compliance without providing sufficient help for those unable to keep up, especially those students in poor, urban schools. In that category, New York Times writers placed second and third.

DiCesare, a sSports columnist who recently covered the Athens Olympics, won in the 125,000-plus circulation division for a collection of his columns, including one on ice fishing.

Zakroczemski won first and second places for Graphic Illustrations in the 50,000-plus circulation category. His winning drawing was of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for the Sunday Viewpoints section. Zakroczemski's second-place award ran in the Life & Arts section accompanying a story about people who guard their money. His third-place and honorable mention awards were in the Non-Spot News Presentation category for a Life & Arts drawing about Mother's Day and one in the same section about how to plan summer parties. ^top

2004 New York State Publishers Association Awards

The Buffalo News won three first-place writing awards in the 2004 New York State Publishers Association competition among the state's largest newspapers.

The News won for Distinguished Editorial Writing for Kevin Walter's five editorials and a Sunday Viewpoints cover story on the state's lawsuit culture. Walter won the same award in 2003 for his work examining the relationship between Buffalo and its municipal unions. He has won the award on his own one other time and shared two others.

In the Distinguished Column Writing category, Rod Watson won for a series of columns on Buffalo, racial issues and other observations.

Reporters Pat Lakamp and James Heaney won the Distinguished State Government Coverage honors for their work on state Empire Zones. ^top