Ben Hensley of the Fresno Business Journal holds his certificates from the 38th annual George F. Gruner Journalism Awards at California State University Fresno. Photo by Gabriel Dillard

A story about the dream of opening a coffee shop written by Business Journal reporter Ben Hensley won top marks during the 38th annual Gruner journalism awards Thursday.

The Gruner awards recognize outstanding journalism by newspapers and digital news operations around the San Joaquin Valley. They are named for the late George Gruner, longtime editor of the Fresno Bee, and are administered by Fresno State’s Department of Media, Communications and Journalism.

Coffee and bagels

For feature writing in the smaller papers group, Hensley earned first place for his piece on the intricacies of opening a new coffee shop. “Startup Grind” takes readers behind the counter of two Central Valley independent cafés — Monkey Dog Coffee and Kuppa Joy — to find out what a $100,000 budget actually buys in today’s market.

One contest judge called it “A good example of clear, concise writing that offers valuable tips to budding entrepreneurs.”

Hensley’s “Startup Grind” also received an honorable mention in the category for best writing.

In a first for The Business Journal, Hensley was also recognized in the category for best pho to, for his shot of Mayor Jerry Dyer taking a bite during the opening of Einstein Bagels in Downtown Fresno in October 2025.

 

Public service coverage

In the larger newspaper/digital-only publications division, the public service prize, which includes $1,000, was shared by Fresnoland and the Fresno Bee. Fresnoland’s Gregory Weaver conducted an in-depth examination of the state’s management of Williamson Act, made to protect farmland by providing property tax breaks for parcels threatened by development.

The Fresno Bee shared the prize for its in-depth coverage of the regional implications of the national immigration crackdown, with a team of Erik Galicia, Melissa Montalvo, Maria G. Ortiz-Briones and Marina Pena.

The prize for public service by smaller dailies and weeklies went to the Mariposa Gazette for the second year in a row, with Greg Little, Nicole Little and Tom Lyden’s investigation that started with a phone tip and ended with the resignation of the Mariposa County district attorney.

Winning writing

Prizes were awarded in six other categories at Thursday’s event. The winning entry for best writing among the larger outlets went to Donald Munro of the Munro Review for his review of the play “Mojada.” In the smaller papers group, the writing prize went to Karis Caddell of the Sun Gazette for her portrait of Monica Torres, a chef who worked her way up from dishwasher to executive chef at a Visalia brunch spot.

 

Commentary awards

In the commentary category, first place in the large paper/digital-only division went to recently retired Juan Esparza Loera of the Fresno Bee for his early warning about the nationwide immigration crackdown. For smaller papers, the commentary prize was won by Michael Braa of the Los Banos Enterprise, who drew on his heritage as a descendant of Native Americans and Europeans to weave through the nuances of belonging to two distinct streams of human history in a piece on immigration.

Best news

Winning the prize for best news story in the larger paper/digital group was Doug Hoagland of the Munro Review for his deep analysis of the awards process for a Fresno art tax measure. In the smaller papers category, top honors went to Jon Acevedo of the Mid Valley Times for a story on how ICE roundups were impacting a local flea market by scaring away vendors and customers. For feature writing, the winner in the large dailies/digital-only division was Rachel Livinal of the Merced Focus, for a piece about how a 20-foot-tall pile of dirt inspired T-shirts, social media posts and a mention on Good Morning America.

 

Crack photography

Craig Kohlruss of the Fresno Bee took the top award for best news photo in the larger publication group, with an image of new citizens being sworn in against the backdrop of Yosemite’s Half Dome. The winning photo in the small papers group came from Nick Smirnoff of the Tehachapi News for a stop-action moment at an apple-bobbing competition. In the larger paper/digital race for best sports photo, the Fresno Bee’s Eric Zamora took first for his shot of a ball-carrying football player hurdling over an opponent, while Amanda White of the Mariposa Gazette claimed the smaller papers category with a joyous mid-air flag football photo.

Play ball

Competition for best sports story in the large newspaper/digital-only division resulted in a tie between Ryan T. Blystone of the Bakersfield Californian, who put readers in the bleachers for a Pecos League baseball game between the Bakersfield Train Robbers and the Vallejo Seaweed, and David Taub of GV Wire, who wrote a retrospective on the pitiful 1985 San Francisco Giants, a team that lost 100 games. In the smaller paper group, the sportswriting prize went to Kason Clark of the Sun Gazette for her piece on a girls’ basketball team that rallied to win their division title following the death of their head coach midseason.