DAILY NEWS WINS AP AWARDS MCCARTHY COLUMN, HOLZMAN PHOTO HONORED.

Byline: Daily News

Daily News columnist Dennis McCarthy and photographer Andy Holzman won Associated Press News Executive Council awards, the Associated Press said Sunday.

McCarthy's column entitled "Night of their lives" -- about two special- needs high school seniors attending their prom -- won in the local-column category.

Holzman's photo of a Boeing 747 replica being installed at the Airtel Hotel in Van Nuys won in the feature photography category.

Editors from AP-member newspapers in Illinois chose the winners from more than 1,000 entries from California and Nevada.

Awards in 59 categories will be presented at an evening dinner and ceremony to be held at 7 p.m. April 27 in the Pacific Ballroom of the Paradise Pier Hotel at the Disney Resort in Anaheim.

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Photo:

Federico Rios watches a scale-model Boeing 747, one-tenth full size, being brought into the Airtel Plaza Hotel in Van Nuys in a June 2006 Daily News photo that has won an AP award.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer