JACKSON – DAILY LEADER staff members captured a first-place andtwo third-place awards Friday in the Mississippi-LouisianaAssociated Press Managing Editors newspaper contest for 2009.

Staff Writer Adam Northam won first place in the ContinuingCoverage category for his reports on state lawmakers’ efforts lastyear to relocate the Mississippi School of the Arts from Brookhavento Columbus and combine it with the Mississippi School for Math andScience. The series of stories looked at motivation for the move,problems with it and lawmakers’ vote to reject the measure.

Also, Sports Editor Tom Goetz won third place in the Sports Columnscategory and Graphic Artist Jason Reeves placed third in theGraphics category for his work to promote the annual Great AmericanCleanup.

Awards were announced Friday during the APME annual meeting inJackson. The DAILY LEADER competed in the Division 1 category, forMississippi and Louisiana newspapers with circulations under10,000.