Sports dominated the list of good news last week, with the newspaper’s All-Area selections being announced.

Enterprise pitcher Landon Gartman was named The Daily Leader All-Area Most Valuable Player. Gartman recorded 96 strikeouts in 46.1 innings, had a 6-0 record in eight appearances and carried a 0.76 earned run average.

Teammate Hunter Richardson was named All-Area Most Valuable Offensive Player. A senior catcher, Richardson hit a team high .525 average. He drove in 27 RBIs and scored 15 runs.

Loyd Star’s James Beard, the fastest high school baseball player in the nation, was named All-Area Most Valuable Defensive Player. The Meridian Community College signee will hear his named called at some point during the Major League Baseball Draft that begins this week.

Coach of the Year is BA’s Tyler Parvin. His Cougars won the MAIS AA state championship for a second consecutive year.

Below is a look back at a few more good news stories.

• Copiah-Lincoln Community College ranks above all other Mississippi community colleges when it comes to graduating students, according to a national report published recently. In the newly released 2018 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System report, Co-Lin ranks highest in graduation rates of all Mississippi community colleges. “The continued improvement of our graduation rate is a testament to the hard work being done by our faculty and staff at the college,” said Tiffany Perryman, director of institutional effectiveness. “Co-Lin faculty and staff know that graduating college is vital, and they are committed to supporting all students so that they can be successful in the workforce or at a university.”

• Children in Lincoln County will have the opportunity to explore the universe this summer, one book at a time.

The theme of the Lincoln County Public Library’s summer reading program is “A Universe of Stories,” and children’s library Kasie Beth Brown is offering activities to go along with it, including a visit by a mobile planetarium and “The Snake Man.”

Registration is free and the program is open to children from birth and older. Any child can attend the program events without registering, but Brown encourages registration so children can earn prizes for reading, like cookies from Janie’s Bakery or slushes from Sonic.

• The Chamber of Commerce’s annual Girls’ Night Out is coming soon. The ninth installment will be June 20 from 3 to 9 p.m. and will feature more than 30 local businesses. “This has become one of the biggest shopping days of the year to several of our retailers,” said Katie Nations, program director for the Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce.