The Telegraph Herald recently promoted four award-winning journalists to the position of senior reporters.
The four journalists are:
- Thomas J. Barton, a news reporter who covers the City of Dubuque, as well as state and federal lawmakers. He has garnered multiple statewide reporting awards, including for his coverage of local government and politics. A Davenport, Iowa, native, he has been a part of the TH news team since March 2014. He is a graduate of Iowa State University, and he worked at the Des Moines Register and The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette in Bluffton, S.C., prior to joining the TH.
- Jeff Montgomery, a news reporter who covers the local business beat, including writing recurring features such as “Biz Buzz” and “Made in the Tri-States.” He also has received multiple statewide reporting awards, including two in February from the Associated Press Media Editors. A Hawthorn Woods, Ill., native, he joined the TH in December 2013. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and he worked at newspapers in Freeport, Ill., and Eldridge, Iowa, prior to being hired by the TH. He lives in Dubuque with his wife, Jenifer, who is a teacher at Seton Catholic School in Farley, Iowa.
- Steve Ortman, a sports reporter whose primary beats include prep football, girls basketball, tennis, golf and small-college sports. He joined the TH sports department as a part-time clerk in 2007 and also worked for the East Dubuque Register when Woodward Communications Inc., the parent company of the TH, owned that entity, before he moved into a full-time sports position. For the past two years, Ortman has been the host of “More than the Score,” the sports department’s weekly online show. His work prompted him to be named as one of the “18 to Watch in ‘18,” a national list compiled by the Inland Press Association.
- Alicia Yager, a news reporter who covers local law enforcement and courts, as well as the Dubuque County government. She has garnered multiple statewide reporting honors as well, including the Jay P. Wagner Prize for Young Journalists. A Mineral Point, Wis., native, she has been a part of the TH since August 2013. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and she worked at The Chippewa (Wis.) Herald, Wisconsin State Journal in Madison and Isthmus in Madison prior to joining the TH. She lives in Dubuque with her husband, Trent.