Member News

After 43 years in the industry, Kathy Potter is retiring from her role as general manager for several News Publishing Company weekly newspapers and shoppers, the company announced Wednesday.

A Black River Falls native, Potter got her start in the late 1970s selling ads for the Jackson County Shopper. In 1985, she left to start her own publication, The Shopper’s Choice.

She sold the shopper in 1989 to News Publishing Company, where she went on to oversee day-to-day operations of three weekly newspapers and a group of shoppers as general manager. Potter remained in the role until her retirement this week. Succeeding her as general manager will be Julie Iverson.

The Post-Crescent has named Brad Star as its consumer business reporter, the Appleton newspaper announced this week.

Star, who has been with the newspaper’s parent company since July 2019, introduced himself to readers in a column Wednesday. He succeeds Maureen Wallenfang, who left in late November.

A native of the Milwaukee area, Star earned his bachelor’s degree from Beloit College in 2019, where he majored in business economics and served as news editor and editor-in-chief of The Round Table student newspaper. After graduating, he joined USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin as a producer.

Jonathan Stefonek has been named managing editor of the DeForest Times-Tribune, the newspaper announced Tuesday.

Stefonek most recently worked as communications coordinator for Wisconsin United Methodist Church. Before his brief stint with the church, he served as writer and content specialist for Sauk Prairie Healthcare and as a reporter for the Portage Daily Register. Stefonek earned bachelor’s degrees in marketing communications and broadcast journalism from UW-River Falls and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Iowa.

Todd Colling has been named general manager of the Antigo Daily Journal and (Marinette) EagleHerald,
Adams Publishing Group announced Tuesday.

In 2019, Colling
succeeded longtime publisher Kent Eymann as general manager of the Beloit Daily News, where he had worked in various managerial roles since 1999.

Colling, who grew up in Marinette, delivered newspapers for the EagleHerald, where he also
worked in the newsroom before serving as circulation district manager under his father, Dennis Colling.

The Denmark News has added contributing writer Patti Mulcahy to its reporting staff, the newspaper announced Friday.

Mulcahy is a southwestern Wisconsin native and has been a resident of the Denmark area for more than 20 years. She has worked in a variety of fields over the years, including milking her own cows as a dairy farmer.

Eric Johnson has been named assistant editor of the Vilas County News-Review, the Eagle River newspaper announced Wednesday.

Johnson is the former editor and publisher of the Boulder Junction-based FYI Northwoods News, a bi-weekly newspaper he owned from 2010 to 2018. Johnson also worked for The(Minocqua)Lakeland Times and, most recently, as the business reporter for The(Racine)Journal Times.

Molly Gullickson has been named Unified Newspaper Group’s customer relationship coordinator, the group announced Tuesday.

Gullickson will work as a liaison between UNG newspapers and their advertising customers. She takes over the role formerly held by Bryann Bozeman, who is moving to an advertising account executive position.

Hilary Jewell, who previously contributed freelance work for the Ashland Daily Press, has joined the staff as a sports reporter, the newspaper announced Tuesday.

Jewell grew up in White Bear Lake, Minn., before attending UW-Stevens Point, where she played collegiate hockey and was a member of the Pointers’ 2004 national runner-up team. After completing her playing career, Jewell transferred to Northland College in Ashland, where she finished up her bachelor’s degree in outdoor education and also served as an assistant hockey coach.