October 2025 Notebook

Nodaway County News Leader publisher recognized for community contributions

Kay Wilson was recently named the Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce’s Spearhead honoree in recognition of her many civic contributions and dedication to the area.

The Spearhead Award is presented to individuals like Wilson who demonstrate ongoing support of the chamber’s goals, participate in its activities and serve as an example of excellence in contributions for the betterment of the community.

Wilson’s career in community journalism began after earning her bachelor’s in English-journalism from Northwest Missouri State University, after which she joined The Hopkins Journal near the Iowa border, followed by stints at a shopper and then the Maryville Daily Forum.

She has been publisher and owner of the Nodaway News Leader in Maryville for more than 30 years. Wilson is also the third owner of Rush Printing Co., which has been operating for over 75 years.

The recipient of numerous local awards and other recognition, Wilson has been involved in Rotary as the first woman to join the Maryville club and served as president of the Northwest Missouri Press Association.

Boone County Journal has new owner

In August, Missourian Publishing Association, which oversees the Columbia Missourian through the Missouri School of Journalism, took ownership of Boone County Journal.

Elizabeth Stephens, executive editor of the Missourian, told readers that while things might look a little different, they should still find all the content they expect in their community newspaper.

“We are excited to partner with the community in publishing this newspaper,” Stephens wrote in announcing the BCJ’s first edition under the new ownership structure. “Amid many changes in the industry, I find that community newspapers with local ownership are thriving. The Boone County Journal is one of them.

“The Ashland and Hartsburg communities have sustained this

newspaper and its predecessors for decades, and we hope you will come alongside us and continue your support for the Journal,” Stephens added.

Changes at the BCJ include additional coverage from the J-school’s student reporters and a transition for the newspaper’s website to the Missourian’s platform. A local office in Ashland will remain.

On the Move

Pineville — Glory Reitz was named managing editor of the McDonald County Press in August. Reitz is an alum of Crowder College in Neosho and earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Iowa’s Dordt University.

Prior to joining the McDonald County Press, Reitz was an education and general assignment reporter with Mainstreet Daily News in Gainesville, Fla. She returned to southwest Missouri to be closer to family.

“I am delighted to be chosen to take the lead on local news coverage in McDonald County. Quality local news is so important to a community, and Southwest Missouri is a special place, so it is a real honor to be trusted with this responsibility,” Reitz said in announcing her new role.

Warrenton — William Carroll joined the Warren County Record as the new editor in early September. He will direct the newspaper’s news coverage and editorial focus in the new role, which he was interested in because of family ties to the area.

“I really love the location,” Carroll told readers. “Close enough to the city to be able to enjoy activities that come with big-city life, but far enough away to enjoy the close connections of a smaller community. It helps that I have family in the St. Louis metro area.”

Most recently, Carroll had been a reporter at the Daily American Republic in Poplar Bluff, and prior to that, he was the executive editor for Paxton Media Group in Marion, Ind., where he oversaw four daily newspapers and two weekly publications. Carroll has also held publisher, managing editor and editor positions at newspapers in New Hampshire, Oklahoma and Mississippi.

“We’re excited to add someone with William’s experience to lead our staff and publication. He understands the importance of community journalism and is eager to be involved in the community,” Publisher Tim Schmidt said.

Warrensburg — Hasina Shah joined the Star-Journal’s staff in September and will cover local government, education, health, business and entertainment stories in Warrensburg and Johnson County. Shah graduated in May with a bachelor’s of journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.

“I am so excited to join this small-but-mighty team and can’t wait to get to know the Warrensburg community,” Shah told readers. “Local journalism is my passion, and I can’t wait to hit the ground running at the Star-Journal.”

In college, Shah gained a variety of experiences between online, print and audio platforms, including serving three years as editor-in-chief of the BurntXOrange magazine, which she revived from a dormant publication into one with 13,000 new users. Shah also interned with The Austin Chronicle and spent a semester as an investigative reporter for The Daily Texan, among other assignments.

Star-Journal Editor Joe Andrews said Shah’s “contagious energy” and passion to serve the community are reasons he thinks readers will be excited for the newspaper’s newest staff member. Shah replaces Zach Bott, who left the Star-Journal earlier this year to pursue other career opportunities.

Kansas City — Andale Gross was promoted last month from managing editor to be The Star’s new executive editor, the first Black editor to lead the newspaper in its 145-year history. Gross had spent the last two years in the managing editor role at the newspaper.

A graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism, his first job out of college was as The Star’s suburban reporter. His most recent position before returning to Missouri was as the race and ethnicity editor for the Associated Press in Chicago.

“I’m excited for this opportunity to continue to lead such a talented and smart group of journalists,” Gross said. “The Star and local news are as important to me as they are to Kansas City, and I’m grateful I’ll get to champion all three every day as we chart a course to a bright future for all.”

Gross replaces Greg Farmer, who recently was named executive vice president at McClatchy Media, leading local news operations across the company’s 30 markets, including Kansas City, Miami and Sacramento.

Stockton — Melissa Johnson is the new editor of the Cedar County Republican and Stockton Journal. She had previously worked part-time for the newspaper for three years handling obituaries, public notices and other items before being named associate editor, which she held for the last two years.

“The satisfaction of seeing the hard work in print every week brings a sense of pride and joy. Some weeks are better than others, of course, but getting to see all of our hard work printed out every Wednesday morning is a wonderful feeling,” Johnson told readers in the announcement of her promotion.