Sp. 2009 won a number of awards including general excellence with honorable mentions for cover design and layout, 1st place for opinion writing to editor Jane Pojawa for “Prop. 8,” 1st place profile feature for “Andrew McGregor,” and honorable mention for “Jorge Acevedo.” “Prop. 8,” draws parallels with Perez v. Sharp, which struck down California’s anti-miscegenation laws; Jessica Bourse and Ani Khashadoorian’s user reviews of Omegle and Twitter; the DWP’s Festival of Lights policy of excluding bicyclists is examined by Min Kang; profiles of Jorge Acevedo, who survived a brutal Xmas carjacking; and Andrew McGregor, whose Tiziano Project may change how wars are reported. ‘Out and About’ takes readers to the Retro UFO convention, where Tim Cridland’s sideshow performance is simply Beyond Belief; Anita K. Marto visits the Hungarian Meat and Sausage Co. in Littlerock; and Crystal Weaver follows the Blasts team from Harley Davidson.