Granby Drummer (https://granbydrummer.com/category/drumrolls/connecticut-press-club-winners-spotlight/)
Karen Doherty received an Honorable Mention from the Connecticut Press Club for her article, “Ride with the Granby Pony Club,” which appeared in the September 2025 issue of the Drummer.
Shirley Murtha has been writing for the Drummer since she retired from her career as a biology teacher in 1992. Since then, Murtha has published hundreds of articles, reporting on everything from the Board of Selectmen to the plight of fireflies, town governance to local farms and environmental issues.
For six years the Sadoce Wilcox House, built in 1800, has been under an extensive restoration and, in his award-winning article, local historian Mark Williams highlighted the “gradual unfolding of all that this historical resource has to offer.”
It has been a busy few months for Bill De Nio who won an Honorable Mention from the Connecticut Press Club for his Op-Ed piece, “Defending liberty: From battlefield to ballot box,” which appeared in the November 2025 issue of the Drummer.
Veterinarian Monique Fitzpatrick’s debut as the Animal Talk contributor was in the June 2024 issue. She promptly won a first-place award from the Connecticut Press Club for her first article focusing on feline enrichment.
In March 2024, Nicole Muller reported on the success of the Drummer’s very first fundraiser in her article, Puzzle Slam Dunk! That article went on to win an Honorable Mention in the Feature Story category from the Connecticut Press Club.
In her November 2024 article, Kim Pereira highlighted the career of Jayne Hyatt, a recent graduate of Granby Memorial High School who set a new volleyball record. Pereira’s article, GMHS volleyball player Jayne Hyatt achieves 1,000 “kills” was awarded second place in the Sports Specialty Articles category.
For more than three months in 2024, Faith Tyldsley shared with Drummer readers a primer on all things goat. For those who don’t already know, Granby and North Granby are home to a substantial number of goats.
Congratulations are in order for Mark Fiorentino, who not only won first place from the Connecticut Press Club, but also won first place in the National Federation of Press Women competition for his column, Waypoints. While Waypoints is usually a fishing-related column, it sometimes is a place to simply share a good story.
In June 2024, Veterinarian Monique Fitzpatrick was introduced as the new columnist for the Drummer’s Animal Talk. Her first column was selected for first place in the informational category by the Connecticut Press Club.