Staff reports

NEW ORLEANS — The Natchez Democrat staff won 28 total awards, including nine first places, at Friday’s Associated Press Managing Editor’s Award banquet.

The newspaper competes against other daily papers similar in size in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Awards included:

– Sports column, first place — Jeff Edwards, “Adults should act like it”

– Spot news story, first place — Adam Koob

– Editorials, first place — Kevin Cooper, “Thinking first is imperative before cuts”

– Sports feature photo, first place — Ben Hillyer, “Bayou bash; second place — Steve VanGunda, “Time to hit the trail”

– Feature photo, first place — VanGunda, “Ho, Ho, Nooo;” third place — Hillyer, “Dog days already”

– Multi-picture, first place — Hillyer, “Let Freedom Ring”

– Layout and design, first place — Hillyer and staff

– Graphics, first place — Hillyer, “Counting sheets;” second place — Hillyer “Twister confirmed;” third place — Luke Horton, “Ready to Run”

– Illustration, first place — Hillyer, “All dressed up”

– Personal columns, second place — Julie Cooper, “Community needs to find cure for disease;” third place — Hillyer, “Santa looked different that year”

– Spot news photo, second place — Hillyer, “Thank goodness we’re alive”

– General news photo, second place — Hillyer, “Wide-eyed wonder;” third place — VanGunda, “Passing the test”

– Interpretive story or series, second place — Vershal Hogan, “Limping along”

– Continuing coverage, second place — Koob and Cooper, “Home invasion burglaries”

– Business, second place — Hogan, Koob and Mary Hood, “Housing crunch”

– Portrait/personality photo, second place — VanGunda, “A writer’s dream;” third place, Hillyer — “Coming together”

– General feature story, third place — Horton, “Another pair of eyes”

-Spot sports story, third place — Krysten Oliphant, “Jones files $3 million lawsuit against Alcorn”

– Sports enterprise story, third place — Patrick Ochs, “Mr. Competitor”

-Headlines, third place — Hillyer, “All-TOUR-ations”

– Business, third place — Horton, “Recovery Operations”