News & Announcements | Page 54 of 382 | Wisconsin Newspaper Association

County Line founder Karen Parker dies at 77

Apr. 5, 2024

Karen K. Parker, 77, founder of the (Ontario) County Line, died on Monday, April 1, at Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse.

She started the County Line in November 1983. The newspaper initially covered Ontario and Norwalk, later expanding to Kendall and Wilton. Parker, who was known for her weekly Backtalk columns, served as publisher and later publisher emeritus for 40 years. She was active in the Wisconsin Newspaper Association and served on the WNA Foundation Board of Directors from 2005 to 2012. She worked part time up until her death.

Ashlie Fanetti joins Bloomer Advance

Apr. 5, 2024

Ashlie Fanetti, who has spent the last two years reporting on arts and entertainment for the (Eau Claire) Leader-Telegram, has joined the Bloomer Advance as a reporter, copy editor and page designer. A native of Bloomer, she previously worked as a student intern at the paper.

In 2021, Fanetti earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from UW-Eau Claire, where she served as managing editor of the student publication, The Spectator, and spent a year as a professor’s assistant in the journalism and communications department.

Assessing the Quality of Wisconsin’s Local Roads

Apr. 5, 2024

The overall quality of Wisconsin’s paved local roads has deteriorated modestly since 2010, with Milwaukee having especially poor local road conditions relative to most of the state’s large cities.

Wisconsin ballot questions on election administration are too vague, officials say

Apr. 2, 2024

Who would be allowed to set up polling places or print ballots? Clerks struggle for answers.

Group launching a second recall effort against Vos

Apr. 2, 2024

The strange election-year recall effort targeting the longest serving speaker in Wisconsin history has gotten stranger.

Ad-libs: Put a stop to workplace silos

Apr. 2, 2024

Jim, who used to work with a local volunteer fire department, told me about the technique they used to keep everyone on the right roads to arrive at fire sites. “It was in the days before GPS,” he said.

Your Right to Know: Shine more light on open investigations

Apr. 2, 2024

A horrific scene played out in February in an apartment complex in Middleton, a Madison suburb.

Spring captured in a flower

Apr. 2, 2024

One certainty that I have learned over my long years is that nature moves at her own pace.

Drew bids farewell to News-Review after 7 years of service

Mar. 28, 2024

After seven years with the Vilas County News-Review, editor Michelle Drew is embarking on a new journey. March 20 was her final day at the newspaper. Drew joined the News-Review as lifestyle editor in March 2017. She was promoted to assistant editor in 2019 and editor in December 2021.

A number of new faces will take the reins upon Drew’s departure, including new associate editors Jacob Heid and Josephine Hinderman.

Valders Journal publisher Brian Thomsen dies at 64

Mar. 27, 2024

Brian Thomsen, 64, of Valders, died unexpectedly on Sunday, March 24, at Aurora BayCare Medical Center in Green Bay, surrounded by his family.

He grew up helping his grandparents, Fred and Marion Brockman, publishers of the Valders Journal, contributing as a reporter and photographer during high school and college. He assumed the role of editor soon after graduation and eventually became co-owner and publisher, succeeding his grandparents, who founded the newspaper in 1940. Thomsen served on the WNA Board of Directors from 2009 to 2017, serving as president in 2016.