News & Announcements | Page 183 of 382 | Wisconsin Newspaper Association

Benjamin Pierce joins UNG as sports, community reporter

Apr. 16, 2021

Benjamin Pierce is the newest member of the Unified Newspaper Group reporting staff. He will cover sports and community news.

Pierce previously spent two years with The (Janesville) Gazette as an education reporter, while covering sports part-time. A La Crosse native, he was a sportswriter for nearby Lee Enterprises’ weekly newspapers while attending Western Technical College. He later attended UW-Whitewater, where he served as assistant news editor and managing editor of the Royal Purple student newspaper.

the spectator, duplicate student awards, 2020 college bnc

Students: Order duplicate awards by May 2

Apr. 15, 2021

Are you a college or high school journalist who won a 2020 WNA Foundation Better Newspaper Contest award and needs a duplicate plaque or certificate? Place your order by May 2.

Certificates are $6 and plaques are $60. Shipping & handling is included. The typical turnaround is 3-4 weeks.

Hallie Chasensky joins Amery Free Press advertising staff

Apr. 15, 2021

Hallie Chasensky is joining the Amery Free Press advertising staff, the newspaper announced Tuesday.

Chasensky will serve as a multimedia sales consultant for the Free Press. She will succeed Pam Humpal, who plans to retire from the newspaper this summer. A native of St. Paul, Minn., Chasensky earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing communications from UW-River Falls.

Former journalist John Halverson re-elected to Lake Geneva city council

Apr. 15, 2021

John Halverson, a longtime journalist and former general manager of the Lake Geneva Regional News, last week won re-election to the Lake Geneva city council, the newspaper reported.

A journalist for more than 40 years, Halverson served as general manager of the Regional News from 2008 to 2014. He also was a member of the WNA Foundation Board from May 2016 to June 2017.

O’Rourke launches new websites for former RiverTown newspapers

Apr. 15, 2021

O’Rourke Media Group announced last week it has launched new websites for its former RiverTown newspapers, ditching its previous regional model for a more local focus.

Rivertowns.net, the previous online home of the (Ellsworth/Red Wing, Minn.) Republican Eagle and the (Hudson) Star-Observer, is being replaced by individual websites for each newspaper. The regional website was launched in August 2019, coinciding with the mergers of several newspapers.

Graphic designer Samantha Yocius to leave TP Printing

Apr. 15, 2021

Samantha Yocius, a graphic designer for TP Printing, is leaving the company this week.

Reporter Ross Pattermann noted her departure in a column, saying goodbye and wishing her good luck. Yocius started in July 2019 and spent nearly two years with the company, which publishes The (Abbotsford) Tribune-Phonograph, The (Edgar) Record-Review and the (Loyal) Tribune Record Gleaner.

Results available for post-mandate mask-wearing poll

Apr. 15, 2021

Out of 1113 respondents to a recent WNA-Polco poll, 77% said they would continue wearing a mask in public in the absence of a statewide mandate. The full results and a breakdown of the data are now available to WNA members for use in their reporting.

Poll questions are available through a WNA partnership with Polco aimed at helping newspapers better engage readers and access enhanced data and insights.

Diversifying our teacher workforce: Existing hurdles, local strategies and state options

Apr. 14, 2021

Wisconsin has a long way to go to improve the diversity of its teacher workforce. But local institutions are taking meaningful steps, and actionable state policy options hold promise to help meet that goal.

Former sports reporter Jeff Jurena dies at 57

Apr. 14, 2021

Jeff Jurena, who in his youth spent time as a community newspaper reporter, died Sunday, March 28, in Gilbert, Ariz. He was 57 and had been diagnosed earlier this year with stage 4 skin cancer.

An Atlanta native, Jurena grew up in Greendale, Wis. A natural athlete, Jurena loved sports, especially bowling and golf. In his younger years, he served as a sports reporter for several community newspapers and also worked for Reiman Publications, a Greendale-based publishing company now affiliated with the Reader’s Digest Corporation.

Luke Reimer to cover Shawano County for NEW Media

Apr. 14, 2021

Reporter Luke Reimer has joined the NEW Media news staff, and will cover Shawano County for the news group. Reimer also writes about pro and college sports for the Wisconsin-based sports website Flurry Sports.

Warren Bluhm, interim editor-in-chief, said in the announcement that Reimer’s “invaluable” digital experience made him an ideal fit for NEW Media. The group, which publishes the Shawano Leader, Oconto County Times Herald and Wittenberg Enterprise and Birnamwood News, is working to grow its online news coverage.