The Journal-World was named the best designed newspaper in its class, and the J-W’s investigation into how the Lawrence Police Department voids and dismisses traffic tickets also received top honors from the Kansas Press Association.

In all, the Journal-World received 25 first, second or third-place awards as part of the recently announced 2017 KPA Awards of Excellence. The Journal-World, which competes against the state’s largest newspapers, won the first-place award for overall Design and Layout Excellence. The newspaper also received the second-place award for overall News and Writing Excellence.

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

The article came after two police officers lost their jobs related to allegations that traffic tickets had been dismissed in exchange for KU Athletic tickets. The J-W investigation discovered that several years worth of city records showing how often tickets were dismissed during the height of the KU ticket scandal had disappeared. The city records that were available showed nearly 200 tickets in less than a four-year period were voided or dismissed without going through the city’s prescribed process.

As a result of the article, the police department made several changes to its ticket voiding process, including creating a requirement for an annual audit.

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; and Sebelius, second place ad series or campaign, community event ad, house ad and online ad; editor Chad 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.