The Cochrane Eagle has been awarded two 2024 Alberta Weekly Newspaper Association (AWNA) Better Newspaper Competition (BNC) Awards for its coverage; one for story about a family’s grief as they came to terms with their daughter’s death following their inability to admit her to the Cochrane Urgent Care Centre, and a second for The Eagle’s intensive coverage of the attempts to save Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park from flooding under the Alberta government’s so-called “Glenbow East” option.
Daniel Gonzalez’s story “Cochrane Family Mourns the loss of Everest Reign Valasco-Raralio” placed second in the BNC Award for “Best Feature Story By Local Writer.”
The description The Eagle sent in to the AWNA judges to make the case Gonzalez deserved the award highlighted the broad impact the story had after it came out in the Nov. 21, 2024 edition, and reads as follows:
"This is the classic case where the quiet pain and mourning of one family might lead to seismic changes. This little girl died because she couldn't get into the Cochrane Urgent Care Centre because it was closed when she arrived. Had it been open, she would have survived. The story is one of personal mourning from the family's perspective but it led to massive national media coverage of the issue of access to health care and the under-servicing by AHS of quick-growing communities like Cochrane. And it was Daniel Gonzalez who set it all in motion with this one poignant piece showing why local journalism matters."
Howard May’s story from the June 27, 2024 edition of The Eagle “Haskaynes and Harvies speak out against Glenbow East option” served as a representative piece for a series of stories May wrote to try to bring awareness to the potential for flooding of Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, and to help galvanize public opposition to the move. The story ended up placing just out of the top three, winning an Honourable Mention for the BNC “Habitat Conservation Story” Award.
The description The Eagle sent in to the AWNA judges to make the case May deserved the award reads as follows:
"This was the story of the Year at the Cochrane Eagle with many follow ups being written by Howard May as the province was considering flooding out a popular local provincial park at Glenbow Ranch. This story gives voice to the families who donated the land and was a powerful argument against the flooding. Ultimately, Howard May's dogged coverage was instrumental in having the province drop Glenbow Ranch for consideration in its water storage plans."
