Josh Kun's Feb. 15 cover story on Jorge Hank Rhon, the controversial mayor of Tijuana, was translated and reprinted by Proceso, a prominent Mexican newsmagazine. In addition, Mexico's largest newspaper, Reforma, printed a news item on the story. Rhon has been accused of ordering the assassination of a journalist who was investigating him -- his bodyguard was convicted of the murder -- so coverage of Rhon may carry a significant risk.
As Editor in Chief of L.A. Weekly, Laurie Ochoa tries to find innovative approaches to special issues, so that "you don't feel like you're reading the same copy over and over again." Viewing the "Best of L.A." through a theme of the seven deadly sins won Ochoa and her staff a first-place AtlWeekly Award for Special Section. This is the 38th and final in a "How I Got That Story" series highlighting the AltWeekly Awards' first-place winners.
A Los Angeles Times story describes how Operations Manager Sybil Nicholson and Ad Assistant Shelly Brown have created a monthly fundraising event for their favorite charities. The bingo is made "rock 'n' roll" through a "band name" component of the game, concert tickets as prizes, and hosts such as Weezer's Scott Shriner and Audioslave's Tom Morello.
Jonathan Gold has reviewed everything from opera to architecture, but it was his mouth-watering food criticism that won him a first-place AltWeekly Award. Gold tries to include as much description of the setting as of the food, to give readers a "vicarious experience" of "how the restaurant might integrate into their lives." And while he can easily drop a reference to béchamel, he is just as likely to mention Fatboy Slim. This is the 37th in a "How I Got That Story" series highlighting the AltWeekly Awards' first-place winners.
Tom Christie led the staff of L.A. Weekly in kicking their year-end "Zeitlist" issue into gear. He says "it's surprising how the past year comes into focus" when compiling lists like "6 Reasons Why November 2 Wasn't a Total Gay Political Nightmare." This is the 32nd in a "How I Got That Story" series highlighting the AltWeekly Awards' first-place winners.
Los Angeles Times staff writer Scott Martelle describes the fears and hopes for L.A. Weekly's role in the New Times-controlled Village Voice Media. He details the turbulent recent history of alt-weeklies in Los Angeles and speaks to several notable Angelenos. Local pol Jackie Goldberg, "a frequent target of New Times LA columnists" during New Times' previous residency in the city, says: "They were not just a gadfly, they were an assault vehicle." Martelle also speaks to a few current L.A. Weekly staff members, including editor Laurie Ochoa, and addresses speculation that Phoenix New Times editor Rick Barrs will replace her. (Barrs says that he hasn't been asked, but adds that he would "have mixed emotions about it.")
