The Bradford Era staff won a first place award for general news
reporting from the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors
for its coverage of a Hazel Hurst native who was injured in Iraq
and her struggle to adopt her bomb-sniffing dog, Rex.

The award, in the under 15,000-circulation category, honors Era
City Editor Sandra Rhodes, Era Associate Editor Mike Schreiber,
reporters Merrill Gonzalez, Marcie Schellhammer and Tammarrah Miles
and correspondent Fran De Lancey. The announcement was made
Wednesday.

The award category is for continuing coverage of a developing
news event, demonstrating commitment to ongoing news coverage
stretched over many days.

In late June 2005, the news broke that U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt.
Jamie Himes Dana was critically injured when an armored vehicle she
and Rex were in drove over a roadside bomb near Baghdad.

Since that time, The Era has run stories of Dana’s recovery
which included serious injuries to her lungs and spleen as well as
a fractured pelvis and spine.

At first, the Hazel Hurst native thought her sidekick, Rex, had
died in the blast. She soon found out he was alive and well and
soon fought another battle to adopt the German shepherd.

In November 2005, a parade was held in her native Hazel Hurst in
Dana’s honor.

It finally took an act of Congress and President Bush’s
signature to make the adoption final. That came late last year.

Stories and photos that appeared in newspapers between Jan. 1
and Dec. 31, 2005, were eligible for the contest.

Rhodes had received an APME award for coverage of the 1999 flood
and Keystone Press Awards for the flood coverage as well as the
special edition of the Kinzua Viaduct falling victim to a tornado
in 2003.

Rhodes, a Coleville native and current resident of Bradford, is
a daughter of the late G. Scott and Dorothy Luke Rhodes.

Schreiber has also received awards for coverage of the 1999
flood and the fall of the Kinzua Viaduct.

He also received a Keystone Press Award for news beat reporting
for coverage of the Bradford Area School District and won a first
place for spot news coverage of the fire and explosion of the
Temple-Inland Mount Jewett Particleboard Complex in 1999.

He also earned a public service award for coverage of the North
Central Pennsylvania Regional and Development Commission.

Schreiber lives in Bradford and is a son of Harry and Connie
Schreiber, also of Bradford.

Gonzalez, originally from Michigan City, Ind., is a daughter of
Elmo and Gail Gonzalez. She currently resides in Bradford.

Schellhammer received a second place Keystone Press Award for
spot news coverage of the day the Kinzua Bridge toppled.

Schellhammer, a resident of Coleville, is married to Kirk
Schellhammer. They have a daughter, Emily. She is a daughter of the
late Donald Whiteman and of Shirley Whiteman of Rixford.

A native of Potter County, Miles is a daughter of Randy and
Monalisa Miles of Port Allegany. She currently lives in Bradford
and has two daughters, Isis and Eden.

De Lancey has covered the Smethport area for The Era since
August of 1978.

He is a retired teacher with the Smethport Area School
District.