CHICAGO — Block Club Chicago, a nonprofit, reader-funded newsroom focused on Chicago’s neighborhoods, is a finalist for 10 Chicago Journalists Association Sarah Brown Boyden awards, which honor the best of journalism in Chicago and Northwest Indiana.

Former Block Club Senior Editor of Investigations Curtis Lawrence will also be honored with the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award, along with longtime Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell. Lawrence, a South Side native and Studs Terkel Award winner, helped found The Watch, Block Club’s investigative team focused on the South and West sides. He retired in September after 44 years in journalism.

Block Club Chicago is a finalist for CJA’s Best Investigation and Best Transportation Reporting awards for its investigations shining a light on how the Chicago Transit Authority has failed riders – and its workforce. The nominated stories were written by Manny Ramos and Mack Liederman.

Investigative reporter Manny Ramos and Senior Editor Kelly Bauer are also nominated for CJA’s Innovative Storytelling Award for their work on “Death Behind The Wheel,” mapping the critical last hour of CTA bus driver’s Antia Lyons’ life.

Block Club Chicago is also a finalist for CJA’s Breaking News Award for their tireless coverage of the migrant crisis. The nominated stories were written by Madison Savedra, Alex V. Hernandez, Ariel Parrella-Aureli, Colin Boyle and Quinn Myers with photos by Boyle.

Boyle is also nominated for CJA’s Best Photography Award for his compelling imagery documenting Chicago’s struggles to address the migrant crisis.

Englewood reporter Atavia Reed is nominated for CJA’s Best Arts Reporting award for her storytelling on artist Tonika Lewis Johnson’s unBlocked Englewood, a project to pay for home repairs along one block in an attempt to reverse decades of discriminatory housing policies.

Block Club investigative reporter Mina Bloom and Illinois Answers Project investigative reporter Casey Toner are nominated for CJA’s Best Health/Science Reporting Award for their collaborative investigation showing why “the rattiest city in America” — Chicago — is losing its war on rats.

The Block Club staff is also nominated for CJA’s Best Politics Reporting Award for “Better? Stronger? Safer?”, a project examining Mayor Brandon Johnson’s first year.

Reporter Mack Liederman is nominated for CJA’s Best Sports Reporting Award for his profile of Wrigley Field icon Ronnie Woo Woo as the Cubs chased the pennant.

WGN-TV general assignment reporter Mike Lowe also will be recognized by the association as Chicago Journalist of the Year.

The Chicago Journalists Association award winners will be announced in a ceremony Friday evening at the Newberry Library in Chicago.

In 2021, Block Club Senior Editor Kelly Bauer was named the Chicago Journalists Association’s Journalist of the Year for her tireless coverage of the COVID-19 crisis and investigations into Loretto Hospital .

Block Club Chicago launched in 2018 with eight reporters and editors and has grown sustainably to a staff of 37, publishing more than 25,000 stories that matter to Chicago’s neighborhoods. The newsroom has been named Editor & Publisher’s Best News Site, the Institute for Nonprofit News’ Community Champion of the Year and Local Independent Online News’ Publisher of the Year and Business of the Year.