Amid a barrage of "latest headlines" and news snippets, some of the Bee stories that draw the most reader praise these days are those that explain things.

Matt Weiser, a veteran reporter on water resources, policy and politics, wrote for the front page last week on why we can't just store a lot of the ample rainfall and snowpack Northern California has enjoyed this year.

Weiser has done several stories like this lately, pieces that address aspects of life that affect us specifically in this part of the world – river flows, levees and water management.

The dam piece, he said, had several sources of inspiration.

"One, I just know from experience it's a question a lot of people have when they see so much runoff (which we haven't seen like this in about five years)," he emailed.

"Two, I got a few such questions from readers over the past few weeks and figured it would be a great time to address the issue. I also picked up other tendrils of interest elsewhere, including on Twitter, and talking to people and overhearing people along the American River, where my wife and I walk our dogs …

"Three, it had been about a year since I last looked into the major storage projects under way in the state. I knew there has been progress under way, and figured this would be a good time to bring myself back up to speed and also inform readers about it. And indeed, there was a lot of new stuff to report."

The Bee is fortunate to have a reporter as experienced and well-sourced as Weiser on these issues.

Yet good reporting involves listening, not just telling, and Weiser's journalism includes paying attention to experts and laypeople – to their questions, and to information he encounters in conversations or via the Web and social media.

Good journalism has always aimed to offer explanation and context, elements often missing in the speed-read era.

Tony Bizjak, one of several Bee reporters who've dug into the many-headed story of the Sacramento Kings' probable defection to Anaheim, did this the other day with a story on the team's city-supported bond debt.

That piece explained how the deal works, why it came about and some of the debate that surrounded it. It answered basic but crucial questions people had been asking about the $67 million bond debt and the Kings' ownership – and told you much more.

Reader questions and insights fuel this work. Keep 'em coming.

Bee readers can take pride in knowing our paper and website have been judged among the best in California for 2010. We'll find out whether we won top honors on Saturday, as part of the California Newspaper Publishers Association's annual meeting.

Earlier, we learned that www.sacbee.com had won first place for general excellence in the national Inland Press Association's 2011 Digital Journalism Awards.

In that contest, Sacramento Connect, our regional blog and website network, won second place for innovation, and other work was recognized.

Our work at The Bee isn't focused on contests, though our journalists consistently are recognized in state and national judging. These are just a few of many recent examples.

The honors, however, recognize our staff's constant quest to excel, and that drive rewards us all.

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Reach The Bee's editor, Melanie Sill, at (916) 321-1002.

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