Our Mission Statement
The South Berwick Reporter, a local news source, provides accurate and relevant news and information about the community of South Berwick in an effort to foster an engaged and informed citizenry.
The South Berwick Reporter was launched in the spring of 2023 by a group of citizens who were concerned that South Berwick had been without news coverage in local media for at least five years. The Reporter covers official town business, including the South Berwick Town Council, Planning Board and School Board, in addition to other issues of interest as resources allow.
Council and Planning Board meetings are being covered by Karen McCarthy Eger, former town librarian; Zelda Kenney, former Foster’s Daily Democrat reporter; Susie Burke, local musician and writer; and Mark Pechenik, the last reporter to cover South Berwick meetings for regional newspaper outlets. Amy Drauschke and Mary Elizabeth Everett are covering school district news, along with other reporters.
Cartoonist John Klossner, whose work has appeared in the New Yorker and Wall Street Journal, among other publications, will provide a bi-monthly cartoon.
Editing work is being done by Amy Miller and Nora Irvine, both former Foster’s news staff.
The South Berwick Reporter joins efforts across the country to provide news coverage in areas considered “news deserts.” As newspapers nationwide either close or are gobbled up by larger franchises, coverage in many areas, including South Berwick, has become essentially non-existent.
The South Berwick Reporter team hopes to expand its coverage as more staff and funding become available.
Who We Are
Noreen Biehl – Reporter
Noreen was a reporter for Foster’s Daily Democrat before a 30-year career at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, retiring as vice president of community relations. She is the author of A Place of Healing: A History of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, and a novel, Guilty News. A member of the Jewett Writing Group and past president of the Rotary Club of Dover, NH, she lived in South Berwick for 16 years, then Dover, and recently moved to North Berwick.
Susie Burke – Reporter
Susie has lived in South Berwick since 1998. She and her husband, David Surette, raised their two Marshwood grad daughters here. Susie is a performing and teaching musician, and is really pleased to be part of the effort to keep local journalism alive in our great town.
Karen McCarthy Eger – Reporter
Karen is new to journalism but not to the written word, having worked in public libraries for 40 years in children’s services and as library director in New Hampshire and Maine. She has designed and authored a picture book for young children and is enthusiastic about continuing to provide information to the community of South Berwick as a news reporter.
Trish English – Tech Coordinator
Trish is an IT consultant with a diverse background in data analytics, software implementation, technical writing and training. She also volunteers for the Great Works Regional Land Trust, loves hiking and plays bass.
Mary Elizabeth Everett – Reporter
Mary Elizabeth is a fiction writer, ornithologist, and artist who occasionally teaches college writing and field science. She moved to South Berwick in 2022.
Nora Irvine – Copy Editor
Nora has been a reporter, editor and copy editor at the Anchorage Daily Times, Foster’s Daily Democrat and the Portland Press Herald, as well as several weekly newspapers. She also taught job skills classes at a correctional facility for 20 years.
Zelda Kenney – Reporter
Zelda, a longtime South Berwick resident, was a former reporter and Somersworth bureau chief for Foster’s Daily Democrat. She later retired from General Electric, where she served as a communications specialist.
John Klossner – Cartoonist
John is a cartoonist whose work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal and the New Yorker, as well as in Dog Magazine, Cat Magazine and “Free Thought.” John also has cartoons in several books, including “Lobster Tales and Moose Pickup Lines”
Amy Miller – Editor
Amy has reported at daily and weekly newspapers, including Foster’s Daily Democrat and Seacoast Sunday, as well as for a wire service. She also was editor of a weekly newspaper in Cambridge, Mass., and now writes a regular opinion column, Color Us Connected.
Mark Pechenik – Reporter
Mark Pechenik brings more than 30 years’ experience in journalism, communications, and elder activity programming to the South Berwick Reporter. His background includes six years as the South Berwick Town Council and MSAD 35 correspondent for seacoastonline.com as well as Foster’s Daily Democrat and the Portsmouth Herald.
Jesse Roman – Reporter
Jesse Roman has worked at newspapers and magazines throughout New England since 2008, covering everything from murder trials to state politics. He has won numerous awards for journalism from the Vermont Press Association and the New England Newspaper & Press Association. Jesse currently works as senior editor and podcast producer at the National Fire Protection Association.
John Rudolph – Reporter
John Rudolph has been a working journalist for 47 years. He is the founder of Feet in 2 Worlds (Fi2W.org), a national leader in centering immigrant voices in journalism. John has served on the South Berwick Town Council and the South Berwick Planning Board.
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