Member News

Seid Husic, a recent graduate of Ripon College, has joined The Green Laker on a full time basis, the Ripon Commonwealth Press has announced. The Green Laker is the newspaper's biweekly summertime publication.

Born in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Husic is the first member of his family to graduate from college, he wrote in an introductory column. His passion for journalism developed after taking a journalism course taught by Ian Stepleton, former editor of the Commonwealth Press.

Melissa Thorud, who joined the (Red Wing, Minn.) Republican Eagle in April 2022, has been named the newspaper's community news editor.

A native of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, she joined O’Rourke Media, owner of the Eagle, after earning a degree in journalism from UW-River Falls. She succeeds managing editor Jim Johnson, who is leaving the newspaper to pursue new opportunities in Maryland.

Peter Fox, former executive director of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association and longtime Wisconsin journalist, was inducted on May 17 into the Wisconsin Dells Education Foundation’s Distinguished Achievement Hall of Fame. The honor was bestowed on Fox for his contributions to the Dells area and school district.

A 1966 graduate of Wisconsin Dells High School, Fox wrote for the Wisconsin Dells Events and Wisconsin State Journal early in his career. His induction into the WDEF Distinguished Achievement Hall of Fame is his second such honor in less than a year. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Hall of Fame on Nov. 10.

Hunter Turpin, a recent journalism graduate from UW-Milwaukee, has joined the BizTimes in Milwaukee as a reporter. He will cover commercial and residential real estate.

During college, Turping also studied served as news editor for school newspaper, the UWM Post. He has worked as a reporter for The Waukesha Freeman and as an intern for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Jill Williams, who joined the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in 2000 as features editor and has continued to take on ever-expaning roles, has been named the newspaper's deputy editor of features, sports and new initiatives.

Williams, a member of the newspaper’s editorial board, will continue working with the features and sports reporting teams. In the new role, she will also focus on recruiting, mentoring, coaching and making sure the newspaper connects with the whole community.

Lainey Seyler, who has helped manage digital operations at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel since 2016, has been named the newspaper's deputy editor for audience.

Over the last six years, Seyler has worked in a variety of roles, quickly rising through the ranks to her current position. Most recently, she served as manager of digital operations. Her work provides readers with information via text, video, audio, online, social media, newsletter, print and more.

Rachel Piper, who has served as senior director of digital news at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel since 2018, has been named deputy editor of news, projects and investigations. Editor Greg Borowski, who previously held the position, announced the promotion last week.

In the new role, she will work to strengthen the Journal Sentinel's news reporting in Milwaukee and statewide — from daily beat coverage to short-term enterprise to deep-dive projects and investigations.

Brandon Reid, who has served as editor of the (Manitowoc) Herald Times Reporter since 2015, has been named editor of The (Fond du Lac) Reporter and Oshkosh Northwestern. Reid, who was named editor of The Sheboygan Press in September 2021, will now oversee newsrooms in Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Manitowoc and Sheboygan.

Before being named editor of Gannett's Manitowoc newsroom in 2015, Reid served as a content coach for watchdog reporters across the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin and as editor of The Rock River Times in Rockford, Illinois, for 12 years.

Katy Macek, former editor of The (Fond du Lac) Reporter and Oshkosh Northwestern, has been named to a regional editing position with The (Appleton) Post-Crescent. Macek served as the editor for the Reporter and Northwestern since August 2022.

Macek, a Port Washington native, joined the Northwestern in June 2021 after previously working as an entertainment reporter and editor for the (Eau Claire) Leader-Telegram and as a city reporter for the Chippewa Herald. She graduated in 2015 from UW-Eau Claire, where she earned her bachelor's degree in journalism and worked on the school newspaper The Spectator. 

In a staffing reorganization that aims to put more reporters in the community to cover issues of local importance, APG publications across southern Wisconsin are moving veteran staff members who had been in managerial roles into senior reporting roles, the company has announced.

As part of the restructuring, Karyn Saemann, editor of The Gazette, will also serve as regional editor for APG-Southern Wisconsin, directing editorial operations for the groups five additional daily publications and its nine weekly print and digital publications. Other editors who assumed new leadership roles with APG-Southern Wisconsin include Madeline Westberg, Brian O’Connor and Tim Seeman.