In the spring, The Chicago Reporter created a part-time position for Web editor. It had been more than two years since we started a blog with our first blogger, and we’ve since grown to include four bloggers. Having an editor to manage all those people was a must. We brought on Mike McHugh to serve in that capacity. But he has now taken a job in the communications department at the University of Chicago Medical Center. We will miss Mike and wish him well in his new role.
Filling in Mike’s shoes is Melanie Coffee, an award-winning journalist who comes to us after 12 years with the Associated Press—serving most recently as enterprise editor. In that role, Melanie managed 14 states’ in-depth news stories, developed and edited long-term news projects, conducted weekly planning meetings and edited daily and breaking news stories. She helped manage high-impact stories such as the fatal shootings in Fort Hood, Texas, the trial of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and devastating floods in the Upper Midwest in 2009.
Melanie is a journalism graduate from the University of Missouri and a full-time freelancer. In her spare time, she also started an award-winning blog SheWrites, and she also blogs on The Huffington Post.
We also say goodbye to blogger Nick Moroni, who has been covering politics for us on our blog. He will be moving to Vermont to work on a political campaign for a state representative as well as to follow one of his passions—farming. We will miss Nick and wish him well on the East Coast.
Former Publisher Alden Loury left the Reporter one year ago to go back to his reporting roots and was hired as a reporter at the Better Government Association. Well, he’s back, in some sorts. While working full-time at the association, Alden will freelance stories part-time on the Reporter’s blog. We welcome Alden back to the Reporter fold.