This past weekend the Covington News and its staff were the recipients of the Georgia Press Association's highest honor, the coveted General Excellence award. This means that your newspaper was deemed the best in the state in its size category.

Sports Editor Jason Murdock won a first place award for the Sports section. Mandi Singer, our photographer, won numerous first place awards not only from the Georgia Press but from the Associated Press.

Tyler Smith won first and second place awards for his feature and hard news writings. In addition, Michelle Kim won a second place award for her religion coverage.

Our government reporter, Rachel Oswald, and news editor, Jenny Thompson, won third place in the prestigious community service category, and Rachel won a second place award for investigative reporting. Sunday Living columnist Kari Apted won a second place award for her humor column.

This is a proud moment for our staff. In addition to our news team, the staffs from the advertising department to our graphics team and of course our delivery personnel are also responsible for these great honors.

Charles Hill Morris Jr., our publisher, and I congratulate each member of our staff for their outstanding efforts in bringing recognition not only to themselves and to The Covington News but also to our community.

Yes, indeed, it is a great honor to be recognized by your peers as the best, but it is just as important to us here at the Covington News to be recognized as the best by you, our readers and advertisers.

We promise you not to rest on our laurels. We are in constant change in an effort to produce a newspaper that fits your needs and one that you and your family will enjoy and want to read.

If there is something you would like to see in your paper that is not being done, please call me personally or e-mail me at pcavanaugh@covnews.com.

We welcome your input. For 143 years, our predecessors have changed the paper from time to time in order to meet the needs and wants of our growing community. We are committed to do no less.

Again, thanks to our staff and thanks to you for helping make The Covington News the finest newspaper in the state of Georgia.