Kansas City Star wins Missouri Press Association awards for best series, community service
The Kansas City Star has been recognized in the Missouri Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest awards in 30 categories, including a dozen first place wins, as well as with Gold Cup honors for broad excellence.
The 2024 Gold Cup award is The Star’s third consecutive year to be honored in the category, after the newspaper previously won in 2023 and 2022.
Star reporters Jonathan Shorman, Kacen Bayless and Katie Moore received first place recognition for a news or feature series for their work on The Star’s “Broken Government” project, exposing how government at all levels across Missouri and Kansas lets down residents and taxpayers. Staffers Neil Nakahodo, Tammy Ljungblad, Emily Curiel and Nick Wagner also worked on the winning stories.
Star reporters Laura Bauer and Judy Thomas got first place honors for best news story for their reporting on fentanyl’s littlest victims, part of the “Deadly Dose” series, which covered how lives were cut short, challenges of policing fentanyl, public health efforts to prevent overdoses and community outreach to save lives.
The Deadly Dose team, which included Tammy Ljungblad, also received first place for community service. Allison Dikanovic, Alison Booth and Natalie Wallington contributed to the community service aspect of the project.
Reporter Eric Adler received first place for best business story for his piece on the new terminal at Kansas City International Airport. Sarah Ritter and Alyse Pfeil won first place for best story about government for their piece on whether the Johnson County affordable housing fight is about protecting cities or keeping people out. Katie Moore got first place for best story about marginalized or underrepresented communities for her reporting on why the remains of 3,280 Native Americans found in Missouri haven’t been returned to tribes.
Reporter J.M. Banks was honored for a story on a set of Ku Klux Klan robes at the Black Archives of Mid-America, David Hudnall was awarded for a story about the late jazz and R&B singer Ida McBeth and Lisa Gutierrez was honored for a story on how blood donations saved the life of Jimmy Faseler, a well-known Kansas City Royals fan, after he was shot during a 2015 home invasion.
The Star also won first place honors for best sports news story for a piece by columnist Sam McDowell on former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Orlando Brown Jr. and his relationship with his father.
The Star’s Nick Wagner received first place for best photo package for images of Crosby Orlando, a first grader with Down syndrome whose parents say their child is impacted by staff shortages and a lack of resources at school, as well as for best news photograph for his portrait of Leonard Taylor, a prisoner on Missouri’s death row.
The association also honored The Star with 10 second place and 8 third place nods, in categories ranging from best news story to best story about history.
