Publisher/Editor - Carol O'Leary
Carol has been in the newspaper business since 1964. She and her late husband J.A. O'Leary purchased The Star News and The Shopper in 1986. She is also the publisher of The Tribune-Phonograph, Record Review and Central Wisconsin Shopper, located in Abbotsford. She enjoys international travel and making costumes for the Abbotsford Christmas Parade. She serves on the boards of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation and the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors and is a past member of the board of Inland Press Association Foundation.
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General Manager - Kristine O'Leary
Kris O'Leary grew up in Abbotsford and received her BSW from the UW-Eau Claire. She worked for Taylor County for 5 years and started work as General Manager of The Star News in May of 1997. The family newspaper has always been a part of her life and she is proud to carry on the tradition into the next generation. Kris is active in the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, the Inland Press Association, and the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors. Locally, she is also involved in the Medford Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanis, the Abbotsford Chamber, and the Abbotsford Christmas Parade. Kris enjoys reading, spending time with her husband and children, and walking her dog.
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News Editor - Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson earned a journalism degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in 1995. He came to work at The Star News in May 1996. Initially he covered sports until moving over to the news side in 1999 when he became Associate Editor. He primarily covers municipal government. Outside of work, Wilson enjoys curling, reading science fiction, and spending time with his family.
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Sports Editor - Matt Frey
Matt came to The Star News in May 1998 after three and a half years at the Lakeland Times in Minocqua. Frey has won WNA first-place awards at both newspapers. He is a 1994 graduate of UW-River Falls, where he majored in journalism. He is a 1990 graduate of Medford Area Senior High. He enjoys deer hunting, intensely watching football, playing basketball and dreaming of the day the Brewers make the playoffs.
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Reporter/Photographer - Donald Watson
Donald earned a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from the UW-Eau Claire and has worked for The Star News for many years, first as sports editor and then as a reporter/photographer. He is a numismatist and enjoys listening to classical, jazz, blues, big band, ragtime and folk music.
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Reporter/Photographer - Luke Klink
Luke Klink started in 2001 at The Star News. Klink received a BA degree in English and Writing in 1990 from UW-Parkside. He completed education coursework at UW-Milwaukee in 1997, and is currently a state-licensed elementary school teacher. As a freelance reporter for the Milwaukee Sentinel and Milwaukee Journal from 1990 to 2001, Klink has covered schools and communities in southeastern Wisconsin.
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Reporter/Photographer - Mark Berglund
Mark Berglund's Star News duties include a variety of areas during the week. He is an award-winning journalist with previous experience at the Oshkosh Northwestern, Loyal Tribune-Record-Gleaner, and Silent Sports magazine. He attended the UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stevens Point, where he studied journalism, English and history. He lives in Medford and enjoys running, hiking and community activities.
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News Clerk/Customer Service - Jerri Wojner
Jerri Wojner started with The Star News in September 2005 as a customer service representative and a news clerk, which involves writing obituaries and people news such as engagements, weddings, and births. Jerri also helps with typesetting, classified ads and display ads. She previously worked at The Star News from August 1999 to December 2003, first as a reporter, then as bookkeeper.
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Sales Manager/Consultant - Kelly Schmidt
Kelly Schmidt started her employment with The Star News in 2000. She brought with her 10 years of newspaper experience. She manages the Sales Department and also handles the embroidery and screen printing. She and her husband, Todd have three active children.
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Sales Consultant - Liz Cahoon
Liz Cahoon is a 2005 graduate of Medford Area Senior High School and has lived in the community since 2004 when her family moved here. She is attended UW Stevens Point until transferring to Northcentral Technical College where she is in the process of completing a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in economics and an associates degree in marketing.
For the past two years, she has worked as a bartender at The Brass Rail and along with her long-time boyfriend Mike Lentz, operates Silence Entertainment a live entertainment and DJ service..
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Sales Consultant - Bailey Jari
After serving in the Marines for four years, Bailey Jari has returned to The Star News in the position of sales consultant. Jari, worked in the graphic design department of The Star News through the school to work program in high school and after graduation in 2003, until she joined the service in September 2003.
During her four years in the Marines, Jari worked as a Field Wireman earning the rank of sergeant. As part of her job, she set up telecommunication networks and served in California and Japan. She was discharged in September 2007 and came back to Medford to be closer to her family and to raise her two children Jordan and Ava. In addition to spending time with her family, Jari enjoys hunting and being outdoors.
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Composition Manager - Sarah Biermann
Sarah Biermann has worked for The Star News in the Advertising Design/Composition Department since 1992. She became the Advertising/Design Composition Manager in 1997. Sarah enjoys NASCAR and spending time with her family and friends, especially her two daughters, Brianna and Alyssa.
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Composition Department - Patricia Durham
Patricia Durham joined the staff of The Star News as an advertising designer in May 2007. Pat designs advertising and works with those seeking job printing projects. Pat graduated from the graphic communications program at Northcentral Technical College in December 2007. When not at work, Pat spends time with her family, who live in the Medford area. In her free time, Pat enjoys cooking and sewing.
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Composition Department - Mandi Ploeckelman
Mandi joined the graphic design staff at The Star News in June 2007 working in ad design. She graduated from NorthCentral Technical College in May 2007 with an associate degree in graphic communication technology. Mandi grew up on a farm near Athens and currently lives in Medford. Outside of work, she likes to cook and draw. Mandi also enjoys fishing and spending time outdoors.
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Receptionist - Chryllyn Dums
Chryllyn Dums works at The Star News as a receptionist. Among her duties Dums helps to fulfill the classified advertising needs of customers, answers phones and greets customers. Dums graduated from Notre Dame High School in Wichita Falls, Texas and earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration, accounting from the University of Louisville in Louisville, Ky. She met her husband, Paul, while he was stationed at Ft. Knox, Ky. She moved to Wausau in 1996, Westboro in 1998 and Rib Lake in 2005. She has two sons Cory and Chris. Her hobbies include reading, down hill skiing, and camping
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 Circulation/Proofreader - Barb Steen
Barb has many years of experience here at The Star News. Her primary responsibilities are circulation and proofreading. In Barb's spare time she enjoys the outdoors.
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Accounting - Michelle Boller
Michelle started with The Star News in November 2003 in the Composition Department. She had worked at our sister company, TP Printing, for 3-1/2 years. In January of 2004 she moved to the bookkeeping position. Michelle, her husband Ryan and their daughter and son live in Dorchester.
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Photo Technician - Karen Gebelein
Karen started with The Star News in March 2007. She is shared with our sister company, TP Printing where she has worked since March 20, 2003 scanning pictures, color correcting digital images and web design. She does bookkeeping for Gebelein Construction, her husband's company. Her hobbies include reading, photography and family time. She and her husband Tom have a daughter, Ashley
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