wisconsin capitol, civics education

New state bill aims to support local media, small businesses

Dec. 10, 2021

A recent piece of legislation co-authored by Todd Novak, a former newspaper editor who now serves in the Wisconsin State Assembly, aims to provide financial relief to local media and small businesses that have been pummeled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Introduced on Dec. 9, Assembly Bill 762 would give small businesses that purchase advertising in local media outlets a 50% tax credit. A story profiling Novak and highlighting the legislation is available to WNA members for republication.

report for america

Report for America to help fund reporting positions in 6 Wisconsin newsrooms

Dec. 9, 2021

Report for America will provide funding to six Wisconsin newsrooms to support 10 reporting positions in 2022, the nonprofit announced on Wednesday. Of the selected newsrooms, The (Appleton) Post-Crescent will participate in the program for the first time.

With the announcement of 70 new reporting positions, Report for America's 2022 corps will include 325 journalists in nearly 270 newsrooms across all 50 states and three U.S. territories. Selections were made mostly on the basis of which newsrooms defined the most compelling gaps in coverage and plans to deploy corps members, according to an announcement from the organization.

gary ridderbusch

Gary Ridderbusch retires as editor of Vilas County News-Review

Dec. 9, 2021

Gary Ridderbusch, who has led the (Eagle River) Vilas County News-Review newsroom for the past decade, has retired as editor.

Ridderbusch, an Abbotsford native and UW-Madison graduate, joined the News-Review staff in April 1985 as an assistant editor. He has remained with the newspaper ever since, moving up to top editor in January 2010 when then-editor Kurt Krueger was named publisher.

Stranded on the rooftop

Dec. 6, 2021

Just as I finished working on some Christmas lights, a gust of wind came through that was strong enough to shift the aluminum ladder I had used to reach the roof. Before you could say St. Nick, the ladder fell all the way to the ground, leaving me stranded.

Registration now open for 2022 Wisconsin Civics Games

Dec. 4, 2021

Registration is now open for the 2022 Wisconsin Civics Games. The competition, which aims to promote civics education and encourage Wisconsin high school students to develop an interest in public service, returns after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

RELATED: Civics education helps students navigate 'misinformation age'

Regional competitions will be held virtually on Friday, April 22. The top-performing teams will advance to the state finals on Friday, May 13, at the Wisconsin State Capitol, and members of the winning team will receive $2,000 scholarships toward tuition to a Wisconsin college or university of their choice.

Larry Gallup, Your Right to Know, open records

Larry Gallup named editor of The Post-Crescent

Dec. 4, 2021

Larry Gallup has been named editor of The (Appleton) Post-Crescent, where he has worked for more than 29 years. He succeeds Jim Fitzhenry, vice president of news for USA TODAY NETWORK-Central Wisconsin. Fitzhenry had filled the position since December 2018, following the departure of Ed Berthiaume.

A UW-Madison graduate, Gallup started his career at the Duluth (Minn.) News Tribune before moving on to the Wisconsin State Journal. In 1992, he accepted the position of sports editor with the Post-Crescent. He went on to serve as the newspaper's editorial page editor, as well as audience analyst, regional content strategist and consumer experience director for USA TODAY NETWORK-Central Wisconsin.

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