The Independent sports department received three awards from the 2011 Minnesota Associated Press Sports Association writing, editing and design contest.
The awards, which were announced Wednesday by the AP, include: first place in General Excellence, first place in Design and Editing, and second place in Feature Story, awarded to Matt Dahlseid for his story "Finding a New Home."
The Independent competed against other dailies in Minnesota that have a circulation of less than 20,000.