R-J writers win awards from Society for Features Journalism

The Las Vegas Review-Journal garnered four national awards from the Society for Features Journalism in its 24th annual Excellence-in-Features Writing Competition.

Critic Carol Cling received a second-place honor for Arts and Entertainment Commentary; medical reporter Paul Harasim earned second place for Features Specialty Reporting; columnist Xazmin Garza received a third-place award for General Commentary; and former arts writer Steve Bornfeld earned an honorable mention for Arts and Entertainment Feature.

The awards will be presented Aug. 24 at the group's annual conference, which this year is at the University of Maryland.

Cling's entry included three movie reviews commenting on "Tree of Life," "Warriors" and "Ides of March."

Harasim was honored for medical reporting for a package of three stories that included a man with a 100-pound scrotum, a liver transplant performed on a baby and a feature on a breast cancer survivor.

Garza's award honored her columns about being unable to speak Spanish, an old man who complained about her dog doing its business in a dog park, and a friend who died unexpectedly.

Bornfeld's article was on the Magnificent Montague, a former DJ with a collection of African-American artifacts.

The Review-Journal competed against newspapers with circulations that range from 90,000 to 199,000.