Since 1867, StarNews reporters, photographers, editors and support staff have been unwavering in their commitment to the community through unpredictable and sometimes nearly unbearable circumstances.
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Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews, but she has covered a variety of topics during various stints that span a decade or so at the paper. She has also worked for a college newspaper, a science journal, a travel magazine and a non-profit environmental publication. One of her favorite things to do is travel. It’s made this past year difficult, but she considers herself lucky to be able to have her current beat and play a role in shining a spotlight on the Wilmington area’s diverse food scene as it recovers from the pandemic. Read her stories here.
Photographer Ken Blevins grew up in Brentwood, Tennessee. He started his professional career while still in college and worked as a photojournalist for The Tuscaloosa News. After graduating from the University of Alabama, he worked as a photojournalist for the Houma Courier. He moved to the East Coast from Louisiana 26 years ago and started working at the StarNews. He lives in Brunswick County with his wife, Pam; daughter, Kadie; andson, Hudson. See his photos here.
Dan Boylan is a local news editor responsible for promoting government watchdog reporting. He has covered the Massachusetts State Legislature, North Carolina General Assembly and national security issues in Washington, where his investigative work won multiple awards. After 9/11, he detoured from daily reporting and served as a Fulbright Fellow in Indonesia and also managed US and UK government-funded counterterrorism media projects across the Middle East and Asia. He has also worked as an international news editor at Associated Press headquarters. He is a graduate of Bates College.
Jamey Cross, an Asheboro native, joined the Wilmington StarNews team in November 2021 as the public safety reporter. Cross graduated from the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in December 2019 with a degree in journalism. She then moved north to begin her professional journalism career in Virginia where she covered K-12 and higher education at a daily paper for nearly two years. Cross claims she is sleeping better at night since her return to the Tar Heel State, and enjoys reading classic literature, watching “Roy Williams’ best moments” videos on YouTube and taking way too many photos of her 6-year-old cat, Astro .
Emma Dill covers local government in New Hanover County and the city of Wilmington. She came to the StarNews in 2020 after graduating from the University of Minnesota in December 2019 with degrees in journalism and political science. Emma has had bylines in various publications, including the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Naples Daily News, and the Star Tribune in Minneapolis. In her spare time, Emma likes to travel, try out new restaurants and play Pickleball. Read her stories here.
Owen Hassell serves as a local news editor, a role he took on in 2020. He came to the StarNews in 2017 as sports editor. He previously worked for the Outer Banks Sentinel in Nags Head and The Daily Advance in Elizabeth City. He holds a degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media.
Sydney Hoover covers education and health for the StarNews. She has bylines with the Kansas City Star, the Topeka Capital-Journal and other newspapers throughout Kansas. In college, Sydney worked as an education reporter in Eudora, Kansas, and also spent time covering the Kansas Legislature. She grew up in Kansas City and graduated from the University of Kansas in December 2020 with degrees in journalism and Spanish. Read her stories here.
Sherry Jones is the NC East Group executive editor. In that role, she serves as the executive editor for the StarNews, where she is responsible for implementing strategies and content initiatives to promote audience growth and digital subscriptions. She also oversees newsrooms in Fayetteville, Jacksonville, New Bern and Kinston. During her 23 years at the StarNews, Sherry has worked as a reporter, digital editor, local news editor and managing editor. She previously worked at newspapers on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and in Martinsville, Virginia. She is originally from Richmond, Virginia, and has degrees in mass communications and political science from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Chase Jordan, a native of Kansas City, Missouri, covers growth and development in Pender County for the StarNews. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Before coming to the StarNews in 2021, Chase worked at publications in Missouri, Kansas and Sampson County, North Carolina. His contributions to the teams in awards from the Kansas and North Carolina press associations. He is an avid fan of his hometown Kansas City Chiefs and the B-CU Wildcats. Chase enjoys listening to music, nature walks, and taking pictures during sightseeing trips. Read his stories here.
Gareth McGrath is the climate change/environmental reporter for the StarNews. Gareth has been with the StarNews since 1999 in a variety of editorial and reporting roles, includes covering the environment, state and local politics, and transportation issues. A native of England, Gareth is married to a South African, Nadine, and has two teenagers, Devon and Rachel. When not wondering why Liverpool FC doesn’t win the Premiership every year, Gareth enjoys traveling and doing anything and everything with his black Lab, Dakota.
John Orona covers government watchdog issues and growth and development in Brunswick County. John graduated from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in 2018. He led the Pasadena City College newspaper, the PCC Courier, as editor-in-chief where he won first place in news writing and first place in copy editing from the SoCal Conference Awards, followed by government reporting positions at the Pasadena Independent and the Union Newspaper in California. In addition to his college recognition, he received first place for enterprise news for his reporting on homelessness from the California News Publishers Association in 2019. Read his stories here.
Matthew Prensky joined the StarNews in June 2021 as a regional investigative reporter. He is a graduate of East Carolina University with a degree in journalism and served as editor-in-chief of the university’s student newspaper, The East Carolinian. He previously served as a reporter for Delmarva Now in Salisbury, Maryland, reporting on Ocean City, Maryland. Matt enjoys traveling in his spare time. Read his stories here.
Dan Spears is the Southeast Sports Network editor and NC East group sports editor based in Wilmington. He’s been at the StarNews since 2006 in several different roles, with previous stops in Anderson, SC; Hagerstown, Maryland; and Augusta, Georgia. A native of Central Illinois, And graduated with a degree in communications from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. When he’s not working or #OnTwitter talking about college basketball, Dan’s probably out running, getting ready for his next destination marathon.
Renee Spencer covers growth and development in Brunswick County. She graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington with degrees in English and creative writing, and she recently earned a master’s degree in Composition from Liberty University. Over the years, Renee has written for several publications, including The Iredell Citizen in Statesville, NC, The Brunswick Beacon in Shallotte, NC, and The State Port Pilot in Southport, NC Her work has been recognized by the National Newspaper Association and the North Carolina Press Association. A native of Durham, North Carolina, Renee moved to Oak Island in 2001 and fell in love with the slower pace and sense of community the area offered. She now lives in Southport with her husband, Marc, a Southport native, and their son Levi. When she’s not working, Renee enjoys reading and spending time with her labs, Luke and Beau. Read her stories here.
John Staton has been with the StarNews since 2004, with most of that time spent covering arts and entertainment in the Wilmington area. John is a Wilmington native, a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the host of the Cape Fear Unearthed local history podcast. Read his stories here.
Digital and print planner Rosemary Tiller has worked at the StarNews for more than 23 years. During that time, she’s been a features copy editor, special sections editor, news copy editor, assistant news editor, deputy news editor, and a few other things she may have forgotten. She graduated from North Georgia College with a BBA in marketing and management and has a master’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University. She enjoys reading, games, puzzles, and cake — not necessarily in that order.
Community news coordinator Cheryl Whitaker has been with the StarNews since 1980. She started part time taking the obituaries over the phone. She started full time in April 1981 in the lifestyle department. During her time, she also worked in the company’s library, archiving the paper and helping reporters with research. Although she’s a native of Wilmington, she has lived in Brooklyn and Queens, New York, and Sacramento, California. She now resides in Leland, North Carolina. She is the mother of two children, Eboni and James, and has three granddaughters, Saniyah, 9; Nadia, 4; and Za’Cari, 2. She loves to cook, bake, shop and attend church. Read her stories here.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington StarNews staff list