Fulton Sun wins Missouri Press Association awards

The Fulton Sun staff brought home several awards from the Missouri Press Association's annual convention last weekend, held in Kansas City this year.

Entries were submitted this past spring for the Better Newspaper Contest through the state's press association.

News reporter Katherine Cummins received first and third places for best business stories and third place for best news story.

Sports reporter Josh Mosley received second place for best sports story, Sports Editor Ryan Boland received third place for best sports story and news reporter Don Norfleet received an honorable mention for best breaking news story.

Cummins' first place story was about then-new Brooklyn Pizza in downtown Fulton.

"I'm ready to go there and enjoy a piece of pizza," the judge wrote in the comments.

Her third-place business story was about the owner of Jinx Books selling the business.

"I was hooked from the first paragraph, and that's what it takes to make a reader into a believer," the judge wrote.

Mosley wrote a game story featuring Fulton soccer player Adrienne Ebersole scoring a hat trick and tying in details of her recovery from a second severe knee injury.

"Good story about how player's effort affected the outcome. Good game story," the judge wrote.

Norfleet's breaking news entry was about an unannounced hazardous materials drill at Fulton State Hospital. The judge stated the event was "...covered in a concise and understandable manner."

The Fulton Sun competes in Class 1 Dailies, for newspapers with a circulation up to 5,000, which includes such newspapers as The Daily Star-Journal in Warrensburg, Kirksville Daily Express, The Daily Statesman in Dexter and The Marshall Democrat-News.

The Sun's editor, Kevin Smith, also received awards for work at his previous newspaper, The Kearney Courier, including first and second places in best photo package, second in best feature photo, first in best video, second in best business story and second in best feature story. Awards to The Courier under Smith's guidance included first in headline writing and second in best coverage of government.