The Los Angeles Business Journal was the recipient of several journalism awards at two separate events June 9.

At the annual conference of the Association of Area Business Publications in Vancouver, Canada, the Business Journal was named second-best regional business publication in the United States and Canada in the large tabloid category (papers with a circulation of more than 10,000). First place went to Crain’s Chicago Business.

“This paper confidently tackles in-depth analyses in a variety of industries and professions in a balanced fashion,” the judges wrote of the Business Journal.

It marked the fourth consecutive year in which the Business Journal was honored in the Best Newspaper category. It won first-place awards in 1999 and 2000, and a second-place award in 1998.

Winning the first-place award for best scoop at this year’s AABP conference was Howard Fine for his June 2000 story, “L.A. Power Broker,” about the lucrative energy surplus held by the L.A. Department of Water & Power amid the emerging statewide power crisis. Entries in the AABP contest were judged by faculty members of the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

On the same night, the Business Journal won several awards at the Greater Los Angeles Press Club annual ceremony, held at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City.

The paper won first place among weekly newspapers in the design/layout category. Judges called the Business Journal’s layout “crisp and clean with a nice mix of photos and text. Lots of visual information without a lot of clutter.”

Three staff reporters Howard Fine, Laura Dunphy and John Brinsley were recipients of second-place L.A. Press Club awards for their business stories. Also at the event, CBS News anchor Dan Rather was honored with the Joseph M. Quinn Award for lifetime achievement.