Last week, the Kentucky Press Association announced the winners of the 2016 KPA Awards, and the Jessamine Journal had several writers on the list.

David Brock, my predecessor, won third place for the Best Editorial. Joshua Huff, the Journal’s previous sports editor, won third place for Best Sports Story, third place for Best Sports Picture, second place for Best Sports Picture Essay and second place for the Best Sports Page/Section. Our former reporter, Rosalind Essig, won first place for the Best Editorial Page. A former intern, Kayla Lasure, received first place for the Best Picture Essay. Ben Kleppinger, a previous editor of the Journal, received second place for the Best On-Going/Extended Coverage, second place for Best Picture Essay, third place for the Best Feature Picture and third place for Best Front Page.

For the fifth year in a row, The Jessamine Journal has been recognized as one of the top three large weekly newspapers in the state by the Kentucky Press Association. This year, we brought home second place in General Excellence in our Weekly Class 2 division. It is so exciting to be working for an award-winning newspaper. The staff before Jamilyn and I have left us both with some pretty big shoes to fill, and we look forward to striving every day to deliver the most accurate, timely and fair news possible. None of these awards would be possible without the community. Our readers and advertisers are what keep the pages coming fresh off the press each week. The incredible stories that blossom within Jessamine County are what enable the staff at the Jessamine Journal to write those award winning articles. A community bursting with news has allowed us to continue to be an award-winning newspaper.