Russell Hodin is another long-time purveyor of hyperlocal content. He has produced a weekly political cartoon for 26 years for the alt-weekly New Times in San Luis Obispo, known for its local investigative pieces, commentary, and the Shredder, its anonymously-penned editorial. ("The founding editor strongly believed in developing fearless local voices," says Hodin.) In recent years his efforts have been rewarded with multiple top 3 finishes in the Association of Alternative Newsmedia's category for Editorial Cartooning. 

[Throughout his life, Rex Babin championed those who focused on state and local issues in editorial cartoons, a field that he and other cartoonists felt was regularly overlooked by journalism contests. The "Rex Babin Memorial Award for Excellence in Local Cartooning" was launched in 2017 to celebrate those working in this niche. To that end, we will be showcasing each cartoonist who entered the contest this year, one or two each day in alphabetical order (more or less), leading up to the AAEC Convention in Sacramento, CA, and the announcement of the award winner on Saturday, Sept. 22.]