Reporters Jackie Rehwald and Joe Hadsall are moving into new roles with the Hauxeda.
Rehwald, who was one of the original staff members when the Daily Citizen was first formed in October 2021, will fill a newly created position as courts and public safety reporter. In this job, Rehwald will focus on criminal and civil cases in Greene County courts, as well as the federal courts based in Springfield.
Hadsall, who joined the staff this May, will take over duties covering education, including K-12 schools, with an emphasis on Springfield Public Schools, as well as higher education, with an emphasis on Missouri State University.
With the changes, the Daily Citizen newsroom will expand its coverage in Springfield and Greene County, and once open positions are filled, the full-time staff of journalists will grow to nine people.
Rehwald has been a public affairs reporter for the Daily Citizen since the website launched in February 2022. In that role, she covered housing, homelessness, domestic violence and early childhood, among other social issues. Most recently, she worked with Steve Pokin on the Daily Citizen's “Living in Fear” series on domestic violence in Springfield and Greene County.
“I’ve always been interested in the courts and legal proceedings, so I'm really grateful for this opportunity,” Rehwald said. “I look forward to delving into new-to-me topics as well as digging into the legal side of issues, such as domestic violence and child abuse, that I’ve been reporting on for years.”
Rehwald graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia and has more than 15 years of experience as a journalist. She is from Doniphan, Missouri, and worked as a reporter for the Daily American Republic in Poplar Bluff. In Springfield, she reported for the News-Leader for nearly 10 years and covered social causes issues including homelessness, domestic violence and the child welfare system. She and her husband have a son in Springfield Public Schools.
Hadsall joined the staff as a business reporter in May 2023. He has more than two decades of experience reporting in the Ozarks with the Joplin Globe, Christian County Headliner News and 417 Magazine.
While with the Globe, Hadsall was assigned to the education beat, covering Joplin schools and Missouri Southern State University.
“I love the diversity of covering schools, from reporting on elected leaders to learning what students and teachers are accomplishing,” Hadsall said. “The field has never been more in the limelight than it is now, and I'm honored to be working a beat that was part of my own education.”
Hadsall is a 1991 graduate of Springfield's Kickapoo High School, and also attended Missouri State University before joining the staff that started 417 Magazine.
The courts reporter position is an addition to the Daily Citizen newsroom. It is the second added reporter job created in the past nine months for the nonprofit news organization. The full-time education reporter position replaces a reporter position left vacant by the resignation of Cory Matteson.
The Daily Citizen is now recruiting for two full-time reporters to fill out the staff:
- A public affairs reporter, who will produce a mix of in-depth and daily news stories on public affairs issues, such as those identified through the biennial Community Focus Report for Springfield and Greene County. The reporter plays a key role in helping the Daily Citizen fulfill its mission to inform the community and be a catalyst for good.
- A business and economic development reporter, who covers Springfield area economic news from the perspective of the general public and consumer. The reporter primarily writes news and feature stories on the local economy, workforce, businesses of high interest and those with high impact on how Springfield grows.
Questions about either reporting position may be directed to Managing Editor Rance Burger at rburger@hauxeda.com, or Chief Executive Officer David Stoeffler at dstoeffler@hauxeda.com. Or call Stoeffler at 417-837-3664.