NEW ORLEANS – The DAILY LEADER staff captured eight awards,including photographer Jonathon Alford’s receipt of the state Photoof the Year award, Saturday during the Associated Press ManagingEditors Association of Louisiana and Mississippi AwardsBanquet.

Alford received the Mississippi Associated Press Photo of theYear honor for his picture of a firefighter looking for water as hebattled a Brignall house fire. The picture also received a secondplace award in the two-state Spot News photo competition.

In other categories, Alford won first place awards for FeaturePhoto and Sports Action Photo. He received a third place honor inthe Sports Feature Photo category.

Also Saturday, photographer Chad Moore won a second place awardin the Feature Photo category.

Third place honors went to Sports Editor Tom Goetz in the SportsColumns category and Staff Writer Kim Sasser in the Spot Newscategory.