The Casey Journalism Center on Children and Families didn’t award any medals to Bay Area journalists this year, but two received honorable mentions. Jondi Gumz of the Santa Cruz Daily Sentinel received an honorable mention in the single story category for papers under 75,000 circulation for her piece headlined “Amazing Journey: How a teacher and $1,000 changed Maria Rodriguez’s life.” The Casey judges said Gumz’s story was a “deft combination of both reporting and writing. The reporter didn’t just tell readers why the college-bound program is worthwhile, she showed them.” In the non-daily newspaper category, the Jonathan Kaminsky of the East Bay Express received an honorable mention for his story headlined “Wounded Warriors.” The judges said it was “[a]n insightful, unflinching look at a football team in a bleak neighborhood, the story shed light on the challenges the players and the coaches face and captured the difficulty of giving hope to teenagers who need it.” Newspapers receiving Casey medals this year included the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Seattle Times, Christian Science Monitor, Rocky Mountain News, Balitmore Sun and Memphis Commercial Appeal among others.