NOVA.SCOTIA (CBC) - Coverage of former cabinet minister Ernie Fage's fender-bender and the drug crime scene in Cape Breton have netted CBC Nova Scotia journalists three Atlantic Journalism Awards.

Television reporter Paul Withers won in the continuing coverage (TV) category for his work on the Fage story.

Fage was minister of human resources in November 2006 when he was in a minor car accident on a Halifax street. In January, hours after CBC aired images by a photographer who stumbled upon the scene, Fage resigned. He was later found guilty of leaving the scene of an accident.

The Fage story also earned CBC-TV's Halifax newsroom gold in the spot news (TV) category, an award shared with Global's coverage of Gagetown soldiers.

The CBC's Joan Weeks and Gary Mansfield won gold in the enterprising reporting (radio) category for Overdosing on Crime, their series looking at the connection between drug addiction and crime in Cape Breton.

CBC Halifax's Eric Woolliscroft also won an AJA for feature photojournalism (TV).

The awards, presented in 25 print, radio and television categories, were handed out Saturday in Halifax.

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