Metro Times won the alternative press equivalent of a double-header last week when Jack Lessenberry's "Politics and Prejudices" and Larry Gabriel's "Stir It Up" took first places in the political and general column categories, respectively, in the annual awards of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia. Those were two of five wins for the paper when awards were announced Friday at the association's annual convention, which was held in Detroit for the first time. 

MT, which competes among papers printing 50,000 copies or more, also took two second-place awards. Managing editor Brian Smith's cover story about Aretha Franklin, "Portrait of the artist as a young woman," published a year ago this month, took second place in music criticism and reporting. The paper also took a second-place award for public service for a package of print pieces and a video — by Lessenberry, news editor Curt Guyette and video intern Jacob Hurwitz-Goodman — about the controversy over the Ambassador Bridge and the proposed New International Trade Crossing. 

And, finally, the paper took a third-place award in a special category this year for reporting on economic inequality. That one went to John Carlisle (aka Detroitblogger John) for "Ain't too proud to beg," about Detroit panhandlers. 

See aan.org for full contest results, links and pictures of winners holding trophies, bourbon shots and undies purchased from a vending machine. (They said what happened at the ceremony would stay at the ceremony. They lied.)

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