Member News

Donna Nickel, the Sawyer County Record's lake columnist for the Spider Lake News, has penned her last column for the newspaper.

Nickel, a Cleveland native, has been writing the column — "leaving her unique stamp of whimsy, humor and insight on a column devoted to community news, stories, events, weather, anniversaries and birthdays" — since Jan. 8, 2014. During the last eight years, it has developed a devoted following.

Mike Johnson, sports editor for the Kenosha News since 2018, announced in his farewell column Sunday that he will be leaving the newspaper.

Johnson joined the Kenosha News as a sports reporter in 2004, shortly after graduting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he worked at the Badger Herald student newspaper. At the News, he covered countless high school regional and sectional games, and many state championships — as well as the NFC Championship Game that turned out to be Brett Favre’s last as a Green Bay Packer.

Alexandra Steussy-Williams, former assistant editor for Lee Enterprises' Madison based Agri-View, is the new Natural Resources Communications Specialist with University of Wisconsin-Extension, the newspaper reports.

In October 2013 — just eight months after joining Agri-View as an intern — Steussy-Williams was named the newspaper's assistant editor. After the work inspired her to dive into the confluence of conservation and agriculture,  she left the newspaper to pursue a master’s degree in agroecology at UW-Madison. In her new role she works specifically on Grassland 2.0, a collaboration of farmers, academics, Extension professionals and others who work to develop pathways for farmers to increase profits, yields, and efficiency.

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel statehouse reporter Patrick Marley will join The Washington Post in the newly created position of democracy reporter for the Upper Midwest, The Post reported Thursday.

Marley will focus on how state and local officials navigate pressures on the administration of elections, while tracking legislative and legal battles over voting rules and access to the polls. He also will be responsible for telling the stories of those who have lost faith in the electoral process, according to the announcement, which noted his reporting will focus on Wisconsin, Michigan and other parts of the Upper Midwest.

Mark Lewis, publisher and president for the Wisconn Valley Media Group, has been promoted to president of the Tulsa World Media Group. Lewis has served as publisher of The Times since 2009 and, following Lee Enterprises' acquisition of United Communications Corporation in 2019, his role of publisher was extended to the Kenosha News and Lake Geneva Regional News.

Stephanie Jones, editor of the Regional News and former editor of The Times, will oversee news as the southeastern Wisconsin regional editor. She will work directly with Adam Rogan, news editor of The Times, and John Sloca, news editor of the Kenosha News.

Alisyn Amant, a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison has joined the Wisconsin Media Group team and will cover community news for The Oregon Observer.

A Baraboo native, Amant and earned undergraduate degrees in journalism and English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During her time at UW-Madison, she covered film and TV for The Daily Cardinal student newspaper and volunteered as a reporter for the Goodman Community Center, writing for the Eastside News. She also has spent time reporting for the Tomahawk Leader.

The Board of Directors of the Washington Island Observer has reorganized its Editorial Staff to better meet the needs of its audiences and to continue publishing a community newspaper that is “All About the Island.

Liz Welter, former reporter for the Door County Advocate, has been named Executive Editor of the Washington Island Observer. Emily Small, assistant editor for the Washington Island Observer, has been named associate editor. Tina Gohr has been named assistant editor for culture.

The Peninsula Pulse is growing, and local owners David Eliot and Myles Dannhausen Jr. have hired two new reporters.

Veteran journalist Kevin Boneske joins the newspaper as a reporter. The Sturgeon Bay native will cover local schools. Sam Watson will join the staff of the Pulse following her graduation this month from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. 

Madeline Westberg, has been named lead editor of the Adams Publishing Group’s Hometown News division, where she currently serves as associate editor. Westberg succeeds Karyn Seeman who has been named managing editor of the Janesville Gazette.

As a lead editor, Westberg will direct news coverage for Cambridge, Deerfield, Marshall and Waterloo.