SOUTHEAST MISSOURIAN WRITERS RECEIVE AWARDS

HERMANN, Mo. -- The Southeast Missourian accepted three awards at the 2000 Missouri APME News Writing Contest.

The winners were announced Saturday in Hermann as part of a two-day Missouri Society of Newspaper Editors and Associated Press Managing Editors convention.

Sports writer Bob Miller took first place in the spot sports category for newspapers in cities of 15,000 to 50,000. His winning story, "Tigers goose egg District 1," detailed Cape Girardeau Central High School's 17-0 win in football over sixth-ranked Farmington to claim the Class 4A, District 1 title.

Staff writer Tony Hall won third place for community affairs reporting. His stories about VIP Industries in Perryville, Mo., chronicled the turmoil of the sheltered workshop's governing board and the eventual satisfaction of workers and supervisors alike in the outcome.

The Southeast Missourian staff won third place in feature writing for "And Still, We Wait," a story about the late Iben Browning's prediction that the New Madrid Fault could experience a major shift in the five days beginning Dec. 1, 1990.

The Kansas City Star won the Missouri Associated Press Managing Editors sweepstakes award for reporting excellence for a three-part profile of a high-school cheerleader who overcame personal and social odds and won the hearts of readers. The sweepstakes award is selected from among all first-place winners in the annual Missouri APME News Writing Contest.