Member News

The Wisconsin State Journal has added six journalists to its staff, reflecting the newspaper's commitment to covering local news, editor Kelly Lecker said in the announcement.

They include Melissa Perry, a Northwestern University graduate who most recently interned at WBEZ Chicago; Daniela Jaime, an Illinois State University graduate who previously worked as a reporter at Chicago Documenters and City Bureau; Kirsten Adshead, a seasoned journalist with more than 20 years of experience; Olivia Herken, who previously worked as a local government reporter at the La Crosse Tribune; Addison Lathers, former editor of The (UW-Madison) Daily Cardinal who recently interned with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's investigations team; and Kimberly Wethal, who previously worked as an education and government reporter at The (Janesville) Gazette.

Jonathan Stefonek, managing editor of the Lodi Enterprise & Poynette Press, has been writing stories most of his life. Now, he has written a book, reports Bridget Cooke of the Portage Daily Register.

“The Adventures of Carol and Boscobel,” features two cats who escaped from an animal shelter. Disillusioned by humanity, the pair flee to the wild to live a more authentic, feral life. But being domesticated cats, they run into some problems along the way.

Reporter Joe Schulz is leaving the Ripon Commonwealth Press to take a job with a statewide news organization, he announced last week in a farewell column.

Peter Weinschenk will retire as editor of The (Abbotsford) Record Review, effective Oct. 12, he announced in a column this week.

A southern California native, Weinschenk joined the Record Review in 1981. He has served as editor of the newspaper ever since. In 2018, Weinschenk became the first three-time Golden Quill winner in the 56-year history of the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors’ competition.

Melissa R. Collum, a Prairie du Chien resident with a background in academia, has been named editor of the (Prairie du Chien) Courier Press.

Collum is a professor at Viterbo University, where she teaches courses in education, ethics, global studies and history. She will continue in this role while at the newspaper, according to the announcement. She also previously served as editor of the Postville (Iowa) Herald, where she worked to feature people and organizations who were strengthening their community and building bridges within the diverse Postville population. 

Jonah Chester has joined the Wisconsin Watch newsroom as Wisconsin Public Radio's 2022-23 Mike Simonson Memorial Investigative Reporting Fellow, the outlet has announced.

Chester most recently worked at Public News Service, a national radio news service, where he covered Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. He previously produced the 6 O'Clock News at WORT 89.9 FM in Madison, where he won numerous awards from the Milwaukee Press Club and Wisconsin Broadcasters Association for his reporting on issues in Dane County and south-central Wisconsin.

Scott Peterson, group editor of Adams Publishing Group-Southern Wisconsin, has announced that he plans to retire at the end of the month, following more than four decades in journalism.

Peterson was named managing editor of the Watertown Daily Times in April 2019. About a year later, he was tasked with overseeing 28 editorial staff across APG's southern Wisconsin division. Prior to joining APG, he spent 29 years with Journal Communications — most of which was spent overseeing suburban news coverage at the company’s Waukesha-based newsroom that, at its peak, produced 19 weekly news publications and several magazines.

Peterson also has served on the WNA Foundation Board of Directors since February 2015, and has been president since November 2018 — a role he plans to continue in following his retirement.

In a column published last week, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel formally welcomed two new reporters who have been covering environmental issues since June through the national Report for America program.

Madeline Heim, who previously covered health and science for the (Appleton) Post-Crescent, has a special focus on the Mississippi River basin. Caitlin Looby, a former freelance journalist who holds a doctorate in biology from the University of California, Irvine, is focused on the Great Lakes.

• RELATED: Report for America accepting newsroom applications through Oct. 3

The (Neillsville) Clark County Press has welcomed Edward DuBois as its newest reporter.

DuBois is the author of an e-book, several short stories, opinion blogs and scripts for indie YouTube investigative pieces, he told the Press during a Q&A introducing him to readers. He decided to pursue journalism, which he became interested in as a teenager, in order to “bring attention to the small things that can sometimes get neglected in the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life.”

The (Appleton) Post-Crescent and the Green Bay Press-Gazette recently welcomed journalists funded in part by Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues or communities.

Madison Lammert is the Post-Crescent's new early education reporter. Prior to joining the Appleton daily, she worked as a reporter for the (Monroe, Ill.) Republic-Times. Danielle DuClos, a recent graduate of the University of Missouri, will cover K-12 education for the Press-Gazette.