Mary Hynes leads RJ’s domination at Nevada Press Foundation awards

Mary Hynes led the Review‑Journal’s dominance at the Nevada Press Foundation Awards of Excellence, adding to her legacy at a moment that highlighted the value of her journalism career. Hours after being inducted into the Nevada Newspaper Hall of Fame, the seasoned Las Vegas Review‑Journal investigative reporter was named the state’s Outstanding Journalist for the 2nd consecutive year. Her haul did not stop there. At Saturday’s Nevada Press Foundation Awards of Excellence dinner held at the Springs Preserve, Hynes captured Story of the Year, Community Service and first place in Government Watchdog/Accountability Reporting for her investigation into conflicts of interest surrounding the awarding of millions of dollars in Clark County public works contracts. Executive Editor Glenn Cook praised her work, stating: “Mary Hynes was decently rewarded for an exceptional portfolio of enactment implicit the past year. No 1 mined amended stories, and nary 1 had much interaction than her.” Hynes’ achievements were among the 86 awards presented, including 36 first‑place honors, to the Review‑Journal and rjmagazine. LVRJ.com earned General Online Excellence as Nevada’s top quality website for the seventh time in eight years, while rjmagazine was named the state’s leading magazine for the 2nd straight year. The Review‑Journal swept 12 of the 14 prestigious “sweepstakes” awards in the municipal journalism division, including three of Hynes’ honors and the top website award. Additional recognitions went to Wes Rand as Outstanding Graphic Designer and Michael Ramirez for Editorial Cartoon of the Year. Photographer Madeline Carter received Outstanding Visual Journalist honors, and Alan Halaly, covering water and environmental issues, was named Journalist of Merit—an award for the state’s leading writer with fewer than five years of professional experience. L.E. Baskow claimed Photo of the Year for his image of former Raiders running back Fernando Mendoza’s iconic touchdown in the College Football Playoff championship game. Hynes and the Review‑Journal staff won the Community Service sweepstakes category, stemming from her probe that revealed a firm owned by the wife of public works official Jimmy Floyd stood to receive at least $1.5 million from a contract he helped oversee. Floyd was later terminated, and when the county withheld related records, the Review‑Journal sued and prevailed. A justice