DOWNEY – Downey’s own community newspaper, The Downey Patriot, took home three awards in a statewide journalism competition. 

Winners were announced Saturday at a gala luncheon in Sonoma, Calif.

The journalism contest is sponsored annually by the California Newspaper Publishers Association and includes newspapers of all sizes from throughout the state. 

The Patriot competed in categories against other weekly newspapers. 

Staff writer Alex Dominguez took home third place in the Breaking News category for his story titled “Downey resident escapes Vegas attack with minor injuries.”

The article chronicled a Downey woman’s narrow escape from last October’s deadly mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Featival in Las Vegas. Fifty-eight people were killed. 

“This is a harrowing story succinctly told, which is notable because accomplishing such a feat with such a widely reported subject covered from countless angles isn’t easy,” judges wrote in their comments. “That the victim’s mental anguish in the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting was addressed is commendable & humanizing.”

Downey resident and Patriot contributor Lawrence Christon won second place in the Best Writing category for his piece titled “Searching for Jerry Baxter.” 

The essay chronicled the mysterious life of Jerry Baxter, a homeless tennis player at Furman Park. When Baxter stopped showing up for tennis matches, Christon called the L.A. County Coroner and discovered that Baxter had died of metastic head cancer. 

No one had claimed Baxter’s body, which was cremated. 

In the same Best Writing category, editor Eric Pierce was named a finalist for his feature story on Dr. Mary Stauffer on the occassion of her 100th birthday. 

The article revealed details about Dr. Stauffer’s early life and her transition from medical doctor to philanthropist. 

“I’m extremely proud of the Patriot staff for their hard work and commitment to high journalistic standards, week in and week out,” said Patriot editor Eric Pierce. “We work hard to produce a newspaper the Downey community can trust, enjoy and be proud of.” 

The Downey Patriot began publication in 2002. It prints 25,000 copies weekly, delivered to Downey homes and businesses. 

Jennifer DeKay is owner and publisher of the Patriot.