Member News

Travis Devlin, who has served as a sports reporter for the Lake Geneva Regional News since October 2021, has been named the newspaper’s local news editor. His appointment follows the resignation of Regional News editor Stephanie Jones.

A 2018 graduate of Bowling Green State University, Devlin previously worked as a sports reporter for the Athens (Alabama) News Courier, the Sidney (Montana) Herald and The BG News in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Jim Fitzhenry, former Vice President of News for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, has been named editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Ideas Lab, the newspaper has announced. He'll also lead the organization's statewide editorial board and serve as the director of community engagement for the Journal Sentinel and the 10 other Gannett newspapers in Wisconsin.

Fitzhenry succeeds David Haynes, who retired on Dec. 15 after more than four decades in journalism.

Hannah Alden, a Waukesha native who previously worked as a reporter and editor for the former Hometown News Group in the greater Madison area, has been named editor of The (Edgar) Record-Review, the newspaper announced on Dec. 14.

Alden earned her bachelor's degree in journalism from Columbia College Chicago in 2015 before joining the Lodi Enterprise and Poynette Press as a reporter the following year. She was later named managing editor of the DeForest Times-Tribune — a role she held for nearly two years before leaving to start a career in organic agriculture. Alden succeeds Peter Weinschenk, who retired as editor in October after more than 40 years with the newspaper.

After a journalism career spanning more than four decades — nearly a third of which was spent at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel — David Haynes has retired, the longtime editor announced in a column published Dec. 15, his last day.

During his tenure, he has served as education editor, enterprise editor, business editor, opinion editor, founder and editor of Ideas Lab, and community engagement coordinator. In his farewell column, Haynes looked back on his career, reflected on the threats facing local journalism, encouraged readers to support newspapers and lauded his colleagues.

Neal Patten, a reporter and southwest Wisconsin native, has joined the Waunakee Tribune as a general assignment reporter. In addition to his work in Waunakee, he will cover a variety of topics for APG's newspapers in DeForest, Lodi and Poynette.

Prior to joining the Tribune, Patten spent three years with Unified Newspaper Group (now Wisconsin Media Group), where he worked as a reporter for the group's four newspapers and two magazines. He also has freelanced at publications including The (Janesville) Gazette, the (Dubuque, Iowa) Telegraph Herald and Tone Madison.

Neillsville native Stephanie Dayton has joined her hometown newspaper, the Clark County Press, as a reporter. In her new role, she will cover local events and county and city news.

A graduate of Neillsville High School, Dayton lives with her 5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son. In addition to writing, she enjoys photography and reading, she wrote in her introductory column.

Longtime Watertown Daily Times employee Dave Thorman was recently honored for his 25 years of service with the company, the newspaper announced last month.

Thorman began his career with the Daily Times on Nov. 25, 1997, where he started in the mailroom. He worked the bundling machine before moving on to become a delivery driver. He marked his 25th anniversary with the newspaper on Friday, Nov. 25, announcing he plans to soon retire. 

Sports editor Tom Gunnell is leaving the (Darlington) Republican Journal after 27 years to become the Deputy Clerk of Courts in Green County, he announced in a column last month.

Gunnell began as a sports reporter at the Journal in August 1995, after earning his bachelor's degree in advertising with a focus on public relations from UW-Madison. Before joining the Journal, Gunnell worked as a freelance sportswriter for The Iola Herald, a reporter and news editor for the Tomorrow River Times in Amherst, and as a sportswriter for The Manawa Times.

Casey Lindecrantz has joined the (Darlington) Republican Journal as sports editor, the newspaper announced last month. Lindecrantz replaces Tom Gunnell, who is leaving the newspaper after 27 years to become the Deputy Clerk of Courts in Green County.

Lindecrantz earned his bachelor's degree in journalism and sports studies from the University of Iowa in 2018. In college, he served as a writer and social media coordinator for the Iowa Journalist and as an anchor and reporter for Daily Iowan TV. He most recently served as the office assistant for Kunes Auto and RV Group in Platteville.