The editor of the Journal-World has received one of the state’s top journalism awards, and the staff of the newspaper has received multiple awards of excellence at the Kansas Press Association’s annual convention in Topeka.

Journal-World Editor Chad Lawhorn on Friday received the Clyde M. Reed Jr. Master Editor Award. The award recognizes a Kansas editor for a lifetime of achievement that involves commitment to community, the Kansas newspaper industry and the state.

Lawhorn said he was honored to receive the award, which is named after the late editor of the Parsons Sun.

“Any success I have had as an editor is thanks to the great staffs I have worked with over the years,” Lawhorn said. “I have been blessed to work with so many people who have made the pursuit of truth and the practice of good journalism such a large part of their lives.”

Lawhorn has spent the last 25 years as a journalist in Lawrence and Douglas County. Before becoming editor of the Journal-World, he served seven years as a weekly newspaper editor for the Baldwin Ledger and the Lawrence Business Ledger. He joined the Journal-World in 2001, and served in the roles of business editor, senior reporter and managing editor before becoming editor of the paper in August. Lawhorn is a graduate of the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas, and was a recipient of the school’s Burton W. Marvin News Enterprise Award in 2015.

“I’ve been very fortunate to practice journalism in a community where the people care about news, want to be informed, and look for ways to be engaged in their community,” Lawhorn said. “It has made it enjoyable, and I look forward to continuing to practice journalism and hopefully help people better understand their community in the process.”

On Saturday, the Journal-World staff will receive 27 first, second or third-place awards as part of the KPA Awards of Excellence program. The Journal-World, which competes against the largest newspapers in the state, was named the best-designed newspaper in its class. The newspaper also received the second-place award for overall News and Writing Excellence.

The J-W’s investigation into how the Lawrence Police Department voids and dismisses traffic tickets also won top honors. “Keeping Track of Tickets,” an investigative article by Conrad Swanson and Karen Dillon received the first place award in the Government/Political story category. It also received a third-place award in the Investigative Story category.

Journal-World reporter Rochelle Valverde also won first place in the education story category for her article “Keeping Their Identity,” a look at transgender students in Lawrence high schools. Sports Editor Tom Keegan won in the sports feature category for his look at retiring KU play-by-play man Bob Davis. Photographer Nick Krug won best environmental portrait for his photo of a Pearl Harbor survivor, and Allie Sebelius won in the category of best ad series or campaign for the advertisements promoting the KUsports Legends Print Series.

Other winners include: Elvyn Jones, second place agricultural story; Keegan, second place sports column writing; Krug, second place sports photo; Sebelius, second place ad series or campaign, community event ad, house ad and online ad; Lawhorn, third place editorial writing and column writing; Jones, third place senior story; Journal-World staff, third place special section for its work on the J-W Voter’s Guide; Jon Ralston, third place feature package; Journal-World staff, third place best front page; Sebelius, third place community event ad, online ad and most adaptable promotion.

As previously reported, Lawrence resident Mike Kautsch on Friday was inducted into the Kansas Newspaper Hall of Fame. Kautsch is a KU professor, media law expert and former journalist who also served as the dean of the KU School of Journalism.

Along with Kautsch, former Wichita Eagle editor W. Davis “Buzz” Merritt Jr. also was inducted into the Kansas Newspaper Hall of Fame.