Chilkat Valley News staff brought home eight awards from the Alaska Press Club last weekend, including first place for Alaska's Best Weekly Newspaper in 2018.

Washington Post investigative reporter Cheryl Thompson judged the 2018 Best Weekly Category. In her judge's comments, she said her decision was tougher this year than any other year she's served as a judge. She praised the CVN's coverage of the alleged sexual abuse of former Haines boys by Karl Ward.

"The bombshell story about alleged sexual abuse of students by a former superintendent deserved the A1 play that it got. I couldn't stop reading," Thompson said. "The weekly continuously churned out timely stories that impact the community, including the student protests of gun violence. Bravo."

Judges review three issues of each weekly newspaper that enter the Best Weekly category.

Reporter Jenna Kunze won first place for Best Reporting on Science in the print-small category for her story "New weather station serving high elevation in Haines Pass."

"A clear and accessible piece that helps readers see the impact of the weather station in question," judge Matt Miller said.

Kunze also won second place in Best Cultural Reporting in print small and Best Alaska Outdoors Reporting in all media for her stories "Hotch teaches Tlingit language class" and "Bear and local have close call at Chilkoot."

Kyle Clayton won first place for Best General News Reporting in print small for the story "Former Haines students allege sexual abuse by Karl Ward."

Clayton won second place for Best Reporting on Science in print small for his story "When does the king run get too small to sustain."

He won third place in Best Comprehensive Coverage in print large and print small for his coverage of the death of a tourist at Glacier Point with Alaska Excursions and the company's former employees, who warned the Haines Borough Assembly of safety concerns the winter before the death.

"Normally, reporting life-and-death events encountered on tourism excursions that promise authentic Alaska experiences might not best be done through borough assembly meeting coverage," judge Steve Reed said. "But when tour guides share safety concerns with assembly members and those members dawdle and tourists continue to die and be injured in precisely the manner about which tour guides warned, such coverage is important and revealing."

Clayton also won third place for Best Feature Photo in the television, radio and print small category for his photo "Fighting a snag."