Meet the Sheboygan Press newsroom staff as we welcome our newest reporter

Brandon Reid, Sheboygan Press
Updated ·6 min read

SHEBOYGAN — You may have noticed a new byline on our pages.

In September, Sam Bailey joined the Sheboygan Press as a reporter. She will cover local government and write other stories of local interest.

Sam is already having an impact. Her first story was about Sheboygan native Gina Davidson returning to town to share her memoir, “Bessers & the Rolling Stone: A Memoir.”

Davidson will be at WordHaven BookHouse at 6 p.m. Oct. 14. She had been estranged from her father and didn’t know much about his life before he suddenly fell into a coma and died in 2003. The article mentioned Davidson was asking people to share any stories they have about her father, and the community stepped up. So far, two people reached out to Sam, who was able to connect them with Davidson.

Davidson asks anyone with information about her father, Roy Wilsing, to reach out to her at ginabdavidson@gmail.com.

While we introduce Sam, we thought we'd also share a little about the rest of the journalists in our newsroom. Here's what to know about the Sheboygan Press staff — including some fun photos from their childhood or from life outside work.

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Sam Bailey covers local government and comes to Sheboygan from Kansas.

Sam Bailey
Sam Bailey

Sam Bailey recently graduated from Emporia State University in Kansas where she studied investigative and watchdog reporting.

Through her work, she’s won multiple awards at both the university and state levels, including Kansas Collegiate Media Journalist of the Year.

Sam Bailey wearing her signature look of a backwards hat while on the phone, presumably conducting an interview. The hat is a Saint Louis Cardinals cap, the baseball team she grew up watching.
Sam Bailey wearing her signature look of a backwards hat while on the phone, presumably conducting an interview. The hat is a Saint Louis Cardinals cap, the baseball team she grew up watching.

She also recently completed an internship with the Kansas Reflector, an affiliate of States Newsroom.

Sam has a passion for giving a voice to the voiceless and holding those in power accountable.

Outside of her work, Sam enjoys listening to music albums, analyzing movie production and reading.

To connect with Sam, email sgbailey@gannett.com and follow her on X (Twitter) @SamarahBailey.

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Alex Garner covers business and is a Marquette grad.

Alex Garner is the business reporter with the Sheboygan Press.

She grew up in the land of Six Flags Great America in Illinois and graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee in 2022.

For Alex, amplifying Sheboygan’s people and stories is one of the most meaningful parts of her work. She has been with the Press for about a year.

In her free time, Alex enjoys reading and hiking. Reach her at 224-374-2332 and @alexx_garner.

Alex Garner reading a book at age 11. Her mom often called her a bookworm, as she rarely traveled without one. The archival photo is a bit blurry, so it's difficult to identify the book, but the shades and table are clearly from a Cracker Barrel.
Alex Garner reading a book at age 11. Her mom often called her a bookworm, as she rarely traveled without one. The archival photo is a bit blurry, so it's difficult to identify the book, but the shades and table are clearly from a Cracker Barrel.

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Longtime photographer Gary C. Klein has been covering the area since the 1990s.

Gary Klein of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.
Gary Klein of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.

Longtime photographer Gary Klein has seen Sheboygan through the lens of his camera since the 1990s.

Gary, a journalism graduate of UW-Oshkosh, grew up near Fredonia but often visited Sheboygan as a kid through trips to the city with his family.

Gary Klein holds a small mouth bass he caught on the Milwaukee River near Waubeka during the 1970s. The image was scanned from a Kodachrome transparency.
Gary Klein holds a small mouth bass he caught on the Milwaukee River near Waubeka during the 1970s. The image was scanned from a Kodachrome transparency.

He enjoys exploring Sheboygan history with its many twists and turns.

Reach him at 920-453-5149 or gklein@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at at @leicaman99.

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Tom Dombeck covers high school sports across Manitowoc and Sheboygan counties.

Tom Dombeck
Tom Dombeck

Tom Dombeck has been covering high school sports professionally since 2011 when he began as a part-time reporter for the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter and began at the Sheboygan Press in 2017 in addition to his duties in Manitowoc.

A young Tom Dombeck is shown with his great aunt Dorothy Dallman (left) and grandma Evelyn Dallman (center). Today, Tom is the sports reporter for the Sheboygan Press and Herald Times Reporter.
A young Tom Dombeck is shown with his great aunt Dorothy Dallman (left) and grandma Evelyn Dallman (center). Today, Tom is the sports reporter for the Sheboygan Press and Herald Times Reporter.

Tom is a lifelong fan of all sports while also having a healthy love for everything nerdy including video games, Star Trek and comics.

Reach him at 920-686-2965 or tdombeck@htrnews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Tom_Dombeck.

Sheboygan Press sports reporter Tom Dombeck poses with his sons Theo and Bryan, L-R, on Fathers Day wearing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed shirts which say Turtley Awesome Son and Turtley Awesome Dad.
Sheboygan Press sports reporter Tom Dombeck poses with his sons Theo and Bryan, L-R, on Fathers Day wearing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed shirts which say Turtley Awesome Son and Turtley Awesome Dad.

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Brandon Reid oversees the Sheboygan newsroom and three others in Wisconsin.

Brandon Reid has more than 20 years of experience as an editor, including close to nine years as an editor and watchdog content coach with Gannett and USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.

He's been editor of the Sheboygan Press since September 2021, editor of the Herald Times Reporter in Manitowoc since April 2015, and editor of the Fond du Lac Reporter and Oshkosh Northwestern since May.

In 2015, the Rockford, Illinois, native moved to Manitowoc, where he still resides with his family — wife Stephanie, son Riley, daughter Olivia and cat Lewis.

Brandon Reid
Brandon Reid

Brandon has a master's degree in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor's degree in journalism and political science from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.

Outside of work, his time is spent with family — attending soccer games, dance recitals and other activities his kids are involved in.

Brandon can be reached at 920-686-2984 or breid@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @breidHTRNews.

Sheboygan Press editor Brandon Reid shares his favorite childhood Halloween costume, 'Batman and Robin,' circa 1989.
Sheboygan Press editor Brandon Reid shares his favorite childhood Halloween costume, 'Batman and Robin,' circa 1989.

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Other ways to connect with us

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  • Have a letter to the editor? Letters to the editor can be emailed to news@sheboyganpress.com and Editor Brandon Reid at breid@gannett.com. Letters must meet specific guidelines, including being no more than 250 words and be from local authors or on topics of local interest. All submissions must include the name of the person who wrote the letter, their city of residence and a contact phone number.

Our history

Dating to its first issue published Dec. 17, 1907, the Sheboygan Press has a rich history in the community. Today, it is part of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin, which also includes daily newsrooms in Appleton, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Manitowoc, Marshfield, Oshkosh, Stevens Point, Wausau and Wisconsin Rapids. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is also part of the news group.

Sheboygan newspaper history: In 1998 The Sheboygan Press was last printed in Sheboygan

Award-winning content

The Sheboygan Press won 15 awards in the 2022 Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation Better Newspaper Contest — two first-place, three second-place, eight third-place and two honorable mentions.

Read more about the awards and follow links to the award-winning content by clicking here.

Our impact

The Sheboygan Press — part of USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin — strives to make a difference in our community. Read our 2022 Community Impact Report and our 2021 Community Impact Report.

Contact Brandon Reid at 920-686-2984 or breid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @breidHTRNews.

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan Press welcomes new reporter, what to know about the staff