ZERO TOLERANCE SERIES GETS TOP AWARD

The Southeast Missourian's Zero Tolerance series captured top honors for community service in the Missouri Press Association's Better Newspaper Contest.

The newspaper also won third place in the community service category for its series, "Choices: Values and the Family."

Winners in the contest were announced Saturday at a meeting of the Missouri Press Association in Columbia.

Judges wrote of the Zero Tolerance series: "Fantastic job of reporting. And you got results. Your community owes you a debt of gratitude."

The Southeast Missourian also won third place for best ad idea or promotion for a subscription ad, "The best news we have...," by Teresa Hampton.

The newspaper's YELL publication, its family living and business coverage each received honorable mention awards.

Competition was stiff. In all categories the Southeast Missourian was up against the largest newspapers in the state, including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Kansas City Star.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Bolivar Herald-Free Press won Gold Cups on Saturday for accumulating the most points in the contest.

The Post-Dispatch won 26 awards in the daily competition and finished first in family living coverage, editorial pages, sports columns, government coverage, ad ideas or promotions, humorous columnists, news content and investigative reporting.

The Kansas City Star finished second and the Springfield News-Leader third in the daily competition. Dailies winning general excellence awards were The Kansas City Star, Sedalia Democrat and Branson Tri-Lakes Daily News.