Department of Self-Promotion

The Houston Press was honored this month as the "best non-daily newspaper" in the 1997 Katie Awards, a statewide and regional journalism competition conducted by the Press Club of Dallas. Two Press staff writers were honored individually for their work: Shaila Dewan won the "best arts feature" category in the major market daily newspaper division for "Art of Darkness," her June 12 profile of artist Michael Ray Charles; and Randall Patterson was cited for "best feature" in the non-daily/special interest newspaper division for "Sherwood's Rules," his May 15 story on Gilley's Club co-founder Sherwood Cryer.

Last month, Press editor Jim Simmon received the 1997 Mental Health Association in Texas Media Award for his June 12 column on Ronnie Tucker, a mentally ill homeless man who was shot and killed by a judge in downtown Houston.