Fond du Lac Reporter’s new local government reporter wants to hear from readers: What questions do you have?
In 2021, I made a New Year's resolution to see more of Wisconsin. Little did I know just how much I was going to see.
After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in spring 2020 — not a great time to graduate — and working for a TV station for a few months in Madison, I accepted a job in October as the Oshkosh Northwestern's local government watchdog reporter.
Since then, I've been working hard to get to know the community and reporting on the issues affecting the area. I've learned how volunteer fire departments are facing staffing issues, why Oshkosh citizens are organizing to protect an old school from being torn down and how UW-Oshkosh staff and faculty organized to help protect almost 100 workers.
I've also gotten to feature incredible stories on organic farmers in Green Lake, a disabled veteran helping others through a TV program and how peer coaches are helping Wisconsinites who struggled with addiction to stay sober.
And after almost a year of working in and reporting on Oshkosh, I'll get even more miles covered in Wisconsin as I start working as the government watchdog reporter in Fond du Lac as well.
While I'm not from the Badger State, after deciding to attend UW-Madison in 2016, I quickly fell in love with the state — yes, I even found joy in the grueling, snowy winters I missed out on after growing up in Atlanta and the Bay Area of California.
While at UW, I wrote for the campus' student newspaper, The Daily Cardinal, for four years. I covered multiple sports beats, including the men's basketball team, and helped cover the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, including a hectic special election that spring.
After graduating, I got a job working worked as a morning show producer at Madison's WMTV NBC 15. That's when I got the urge to report again, which is why I applied at the Oshkosh Northwestern.
In the last year, I've driven all over the Fox Valley, getting to know more about some of its unique culture like sturgeon spearing, and I'm excited to have more reasons to see all that Wisconsin has to offer as I take over watchdog reporter duties in Fond du Lac. I can't wait to learn more about Fond du Lac and hear from its community about its most important issues and stories worth highlighting.
But no one knows the community better than our valued readers, so I want to hear from you: What questions about your community do you want answered? If you have tips or ideas, send me an email at bkeasey@gannett.com or call me at 920-570-5614. You can also follow me on Twitter at @Keasinho.
As an adopted Badger, I hope that I can continue to keep an eye on this part of the state.
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Fond du Lac Reporter’s new watchdog reporter wants to hear from readers
