Havre Daily News reporters Tim Leeds and Zach White have won first-place awards in the Inland Press Association’s Newsroom Contests.

Leeds took top honors in the Explanatory Reporting category for newspapers with a daily circulation of 10,000 or less for his series of stories “Peril or Promise. ”

The series took an in-depth look at the effects the Bakken oil boom in North Dakota and western Montana will have on Havre and the Hi-Line.

White finished first in the Personality Profile category for his story “Train Kids. ” White interviewed people who hop rides on BNSF Railway railroad cars much like hobos of a previous era. Havre is a key point on the hobo circuit, and many spend time in Havre on their cross-country trips.

White is a graduate of Kansas University journalism program and has been with the Havre Daily News for three years.

This is the third year running that Leeds has won first-place awards from Inland, a group that represents newspapers from throughout the United States.

Leeds is a Hi-Line native and has been with the Havre Daily News since January 2000.

“It’s great to see the Havre Daily News branch out and be recognized in a nationwide contest, ” said Havre Daily News Publisher Stacy Mantle.

Read the award winning stories:

How will the energy boom affect Havre?

To east and west, energy boom soars

Havre looks to plan for oil expansion

Train kids