Members of the Connecticut Patch team recently took home 13 awards in the online category at the Society of Professional Journalists' Connecticut Chapter Awards Banquet for recognition in reporting statewide. Congratulations to all the award winners, who are listed below. Be sure to visit Avon Patch to read more about the awards event.

Reporting: General Reporting Series; Online
First place: Madison Patch Superstorm Sandy coverage; Pem McNerney (Editor, Madison and Guilford Patches) (pictured with Patch's Paul Singley, who received Honorable Mention for Newtown shooting reporting -- see below)

Second place: Mystic Streetscape Project;Ellyn Santiago (Editor, Stonington-Mystic and Groton Patches), Bree Shirvell, Deb Straszheim

Honorable mention: Coverage of Oxford teen's death; Patch.com; Paul Singley (Editor, Naugatuck and Oxford Patches)

Reporting: Investigative Series; Online
First place: Uncasville Massage Business Owner Has Prostitution Conviction in New York; Ellyn Santiago (Editor, Stonington-Mystic & Groton Patches)

Second place: Waterbury Fire captain was suspended in Avon before police investigation began; Jessie Sawyer (Editor, Avon and Farmington Patches)

Editorial: General Column; Online
First place: Breast Cancer: Stuff They Never Tell You; Ronni Newton (Editor, West Hartford Patch)

Second place: Martin Dagradi: Italian Family Man and Veteran; Jessie Sawyer (Editor, Avon and Farmington Patches)

Editorial: Opinion Column; Online
First place: 50 Shades of Grey: Just How Smutty Is It?; Susan Schoenberger (Associate Regional Editor)

Layout: Headline; Online
First place: Suspected Burglar Catches The Flue; Dirk Langeveld (Editor, New London and Montville Patch)

Newtown Shooting: General Reporting; Online
Honorable mention: Sandy Hook principal: Mother, educator, leader, hero; Paul Singley (Editor, Naugatuck and Oxford Patches)

Reporting: Arts & Entertainment; Online
First place: Kristian Bush: From Avon Old Farms to Sugarland; Jessie Sawyer (Editor, Avon and Farmington Patches)

Charles Burress, Local Editor for Albany Patch and Berkeley Patch in California, swept the 36th Annual Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards winning seven awards. The San Francisco Peninsula Press Club honored winners in 41 categories that were selected from a pool of almost 500 entries across 11 Bay Area counties.

His reporting won first place for News Story, Feature of a Light Nature, and Headline, a category in which he won second and third place as well. Charles's work includes reporting on milestone scientific discoveries at the University of California, Berkeley, as well as fun pieces like this one that explains the significance of President's Day. Before coming to Patch, Charles worked for many years as a writer and editor at the San Francisco Chronicle and has freelanced for the Los Angeles Times and the United Nations.

When asked about the awards, Charles said, "I think the recognition belongs to the entire Patch team. My role can be played only because of the larger Patch enterprise created and sustained by the hard work and talent of many others. I mean not only the platform and tools but also the support and inspiration I receive from colleagues."

Read more from Charles Burress

In a recent survey by The Washington Post's blog The Fix, South Carolina Patch Political Editor Shawn Drury was named one of the top political reporters in the state. The survey took into account nominations from the blog, Facebook and Twitter and focused on the "go-to" political reporter in each state across several types of media. Others recognized throughout the country included reporters from The New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe and the Associated Press.

Both Shawn and the S.C. Patch team have been quite active in the political arena: Shawn recently served as a moderator for the Patch-hosted Sanford-Colbert Busch debate in South Carolina and the S.C. Patch team was recently recognized as the top new media source for politics, as reported by Goose Creek Patch.

Shawn's reporting portfolio includes in-depth political profiles and analyses such as a piece on Congressman Mark Sanford's (R) name recognition and theviability of a Democratic Party takeover of South Carolina's fifth district seat.

When asked how he felt about the recognition, Shawn said, "There's nothing more satisfying professionally than being recognized by your audience and your peers for your work. So I'm thankful for that, but I'm even more thankful to be part of an incredible Patch team in South Carolina."

Read more highlights from Shawn Drury below:

• Governor Nikki Haley: 'My Heart is With Rural Areas'
• Lindsey Graham Not As Vulnerable As Some Think
• DeMint's Influence on Display in Labor Day Event

[Photo credit: Teresa Rogers]

The top candidates for South Carolina's first congressional district, former Governor Mark Sanford and Elizabeth Colbert Busch, met April 29 for their first and only debate. The sold-out, 75-minute Patch-sponsored debate was live streamed on Charleston Patch. Moderated by South Carolina Patch Political Editor Shawn Drury, South Carolina Radio Network News Director Ashley Byrd and WCBD-TV Charleston anchor Brendan Clark, the candidates were questioned on federal spending, immigration, gun rights and other key topics in the race.

Patch conceived of and organized the debate - even down to the coin toss. Patch green was everywhere - from TIME magazine to the Today Show. And more than 25 national and 17 local media outlets were on hand to cover the event.

In recent news, Teaneck Patch Local Editor Noah Cohen and Ridgewood-Glen Rock Patch Local Editor James Kleimann joined Hack Jersey, a weekend-long competition at Montclair State University where coders and journalists came together to create news projects using public data with the aim of creating the most compelling news pieces they could.

Noah and James, along with Brian Donohue of Echolocation, were presented with Hack Jersey's "Overall Winner" award by NJ News Commons Director Debbie Galant. Their project, CrashDataNJ, is an application that helps readers understand information from the NJ Dept. of Transportation on the Garden State Parkway. This team's prize is a visit to the NY Times' R&D laboratory and lunch with VP Michael Zimbalist. Go Patch!

Courtesy of D. Gallant

In what has become a very Patchy annual tradition, this year's Manuary overgrew the Patch HQ office in New York City. In the words of the highly esteemed Manuary Committee, "Beards are alive and buzzing in the hallowed halls of Patch." This year, Manuary combined the opportunity to donate to an important cause and, at the same time, helped celebrate one of Patch's most ancient cultural traditions: beard growing.

A record 35 participants across a number of HQ teams joined and, along with their sponsors, have raised $2,400 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, with multiple beards having hundreds of dollars in sponsorship!

Last year, 30 competing beards graced the competition and more than 15 trophies were awarded, including the contest's most coveted prizes, the "Best in Show" award and the "Patchiest" award.

Manuary's Golden Rule: "Love thy neighbor's beard." Some beards are easy to grow and some are not. Some beards are pretty to look at, some are not. Regardless of the beard, we celebrate each and every beard. Every beard is a personal journey of discovery and many times these journeys are arduous.

On October 29th, Sandy struck the East Coast, destroying homes and lives in thousands of communities - including 329 Patch towns.

Three months later, Forest Hills Patch Local Editor Matthew Hampton rode along with the American Red Cross Disaster Relief team to see how, three months after Superstorm Sandy, efforts to help those affected in the Rockaways continue.

In the video, Matt talks with volunteers, locals and the Red Cross, getting a firsthand account of how residents have been making do in what have most certainly been challenging times. Lines of people who need food continue to come out to the emergency response vehicles which go out into communities, like the Rockaways, and deliver food directly to those who need it most.

Patch is proud to support the efforts of the Red Cross and the many other organizations and individuals providing relief to those in need, and our editors and staff continue to provide coverage and essential information for these areas, 24/7.

At Patch we love our interns and all the ideas, enthusiasm and variety of backgrounds that they bring to our company. And in turn we work hard to give them an incredible experience that they'll never forget, regardless of where their career ultimately takes them.

Over the last few years we've sent a small number of our interns to Digital Workshops sponsored by the Dow Jones News Fund (DJNF). This year we're thrilled to announce that through an expanded partnership with DJNF, all 40 of our interns will be automatically accepted into this Patch-specific program. The program is held at Western Kentucky University and is led by Dr. Pam Johnson and other staff members.



In addition to working alongside Patch Local Editors and learning how to run a community website, Patch interns will attend workshops where they will work in teams of three to produce enterprise stories for the Web. Team websites will focus on digital storytelling via text, photos, video, audio, mash-ups and data visualization.

The intern teams will practice "knowledge-based reporting"; teams will use research studies from Journalist's Resource for story background. The Harvard University Kennedy School produces Journalist's Resource.

The news teams will produce storyboards prior to conducting week-long fieldwork and website production. Also, interns will attend Web software and production
workshops.

The workshop staff will include: Dr. Pam McAllister Johnson, Western Kentucky University, Director and Writing Coach; Ron DeMarse, Western Kentucky University, Video and Audio Coach; Nancie Dodge, Arizona State University, Photo, Web Production and Design Coach and Linda Johnson, Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper, Computer Assisted Reporting and Mash-up Coach.

Upon completion of the DJNF workshop and Patch internship, interns returning to school will receive a $1,000 scholarship. They will also join a network of over 50,000 DJNF alumni providing them with resources and support as they embark on their journeys post-college.

In short, we want our internship program to be a fantastic way to launch a career in Journalism, and thanks to the efforts of our amazing staff and the DJNF, we're getting better every year. Patch believes in investing in journalists, and we're proud to offer this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

(To apply, visit www.patch.com/jobs or email PatchU@patch.com with your resume, cover letter and 2 or 3 relevant writing samples.)

As an organization, Patch is built on the idea of strengthening local communities and bringing democracy to life. Our network of websites delivers not only relevant, hyper-local information, but also amplifies the voices of our readers. And with difficult choices facing our elected officials in the coming days and weeks, the need for citizens to speak up and be heard has never been greater.

It is why I am proud to announce that starting this week, Patch is partnering with Starbucks – another staple of the community – on its "Come Together" initiative. Just as Patch serves great content and Starbucks serves delicious coffee, we need Democrats and Republicans to join forces and serve meaningful solutions to the pending financial obstacles our country faces.

Through December 28, Starbucks is asking its store partners (employees) in the Washington D.C. area to write "Come Together" on their customers' cups as a small gesture to celebrate the spirit that has always bridged the differences dividing us.

Patch will be supporting "Come Together" via a unique content experience on patch.com/fixthedebt, and will also be powering this effort through blog posts, social media, online ads and other editorial content across many of our local sites. You can learn more at fixthedebt.org. The goal: to bring the message of collaboration from local communities to Washington and onto the national stage.

This initiative with Starbucks is just the first step in a marathon for both of our brands in serving the people of this country beyond local news and great coffee. Stay tuned for more in the future.

All of us at Patch are devastated by the incomprehensible act that took the lives of innocent children and adults at Sandy Hook School in the Patch community of Newtown, CT, including our editors and staff who have been covering the tragedy since it occurred.

Many people from around the world have asked how to help. If you would like to be updated on how you can help the families of the victims and the community as a whole, please go to Newtown Patch and tell us "I want to help" in the comments. Newtown Patch will continue to keep you informed about efforts that are underway. Thank you.

It's the holiday season again, and at Patch that means one thing: "Deck the House!"

For the second year in a row, Patch is holding it's Deck the House contest to highlight the best-decorated homes across the nation -- and donate $100,000 to a local school on behalf of the winner.

So channel your inner Clark Griswold, dust off those lawn reindeer, untangle the lights, and enter Deck the House here. You'll win the admiration of your neighbors and Patch readers nationwide, and have a chance to give $100,000 to your local school. Plus, 24 lucky winners will have their electric bill paid by Patch.

Check out last year's grand prize winner in Davis, CA, here.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

Today and tomorrow we at Patch join the rest of the nation in thanking our 21.5 million living veterans, and all those who went before them, for their service and sacrifice to preserve our safety, security and way of life. We are proud to have many veterans working at Patch across the country, and to them we extend a special thank you.

I urge you to visit your local Patch site and see the tributes to your neighbors who have served, find special Veterans Day activities, deals at local restaurants and other businesses, and what's open or closed on Monday, November 12th.

In Troy, MI, residents are uploading photos of the vets in their lives on Troy Patch.

In Coronado, CA, a big military town, Coronado Patch highlights a Walmart Veterans Day commercial that includes an inspiring Patch video clip.

And in Caledonia, WI, Caledonia Patch features the class of 1971 at JJ Case High School dedicating a new walkway to school veterans.

We are proud of our vets and wish them a very happy Veterans Day.

-Warren Webster, Co-Founder, Patch Media

Every day here at Patch HQ we hear stories from our 800+ communities about ways Patch has made a difference in people's lives. We've helped families in need get critical support, we've exposed major issues and corruption, and we've found countless lost pets. On a day-to-day basis we are happy to simply provide the basic information that residents need to live more informed, perhaps more efficient, lives in their hometowns. Behind all of this is a team of incredibly committed and talented professional journalists who are imbedded in their neighborhoods, tirelessly covering and curating the issues that matter. And while they're not asking for pats on the back, it is very rewarding when the efforts of these journalists are recognized by peers in the industry, especially for such a brand new company in a world of 100-year-old+ news outlets.

Last week, our San Diego-area team won 24 awards at the 39th Annual San Diego Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards. Patch picked up 9 first place plaques and 15 other honors at a sold-out dinner attended by 400 members of the California media community. You can read the whole story here. We're very proud of our team, led by senior regional editor, Chris Jennewein! Congratulations, and Go Patch!

To say that it's a busy time in the political world is an understatement, which is why I'm thrilled to announce the launch of our national Patch Politics website. Here's what you'll find:

• Our only-on-Patch coverage which we're calling "Every Race in Every Town." The in-depth information on all the races that have an impact on Patch towns: Every race, every candidate, every ballot initiative, and all the information on where, when and how to vote.
• Our Patch Polls, which go to the politically influential folks in your town, can be an early indicator of the local leanings. And curious neighbors can dive into our political donation databases to find the big donor next door.
• Our up-to-the-minute local reporting as the presidential candidates crisscross the country, caught by locals who really know the territory and can capture the best newsmaking moments.
• The articles that show off how we've become the preeminent platform for local discussion -- on Thursday alone, Patch hosted debates with the governors of Massachusetts and South Carolina, and posted the video from a mayoral candidates forum in California.

You can find Patch Politics on Facebook and Twitter. Follow us and send us your feedback!

Three and a half years ago, Patch set out to give you a new way to connect to your neighbors, get informed, and find what you're looking for. We've changed lives with our stories and improved communities through comprehensive coverage of what matters most to you and the people that live nearby. But being a part of over 900 unique communities made us realize that Patch was capable of doing even more, so we set out to improve the Patch experience and align it better with how neighborhood life really works.

This week, we're unveiling the new Patch on five of our nearly 900 sites. Along with our vibrant, friendly new design, you'll see that the site works a little differently; the local news that you've come to know and trust can now be custom-fit to the way you live. It's a new Patch experience for staying in the know from phone, tablet, or desktop. Wherever you go, Patch works the way you do.

The new Patch will fit the everyday life of your community, and all the people, places, and groups that make it thrive. It's a more neighborly hub of common interests and activities - where learning, sharing, and doing things together is easy. Plus, it's just plain fun to use.

We hope you'll try out the new Patch and let us know what you think. We'd love to hear from you!

See them here:
Bellmore, NY
Garden City, NY
Levittown, NY
Long Beach, NY
Merrick, NY