Madeline Heim brings passion for people to coverage of Mississippi River, the environment

Madeline Heim gets enthused talking about wetlands or watersheds. Her voice picks up a tone of wonder at the mention of "dark skies." And it carries a bit of an edge on the subject of climate change.

That`s the best kind of reporter — someone who doesn`t just "do" a beat, but "speaks" it, and it`s why Heim is so good at reporting on the environment, and specifically the Mississippi River basin.

Born in Menomonee Falls, educated at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Heim has a deep appreciation for the state, its resources, and the people who live here.

Before joining the Journal Sentinel, she covered education at the Winona Daily News, and health and science at the Appleton Post-Crescent. The latter job involved covering the mushrooming COVID pandemic, where she became something of a legend among Gannett Wisconsin editors for the quality and quantity of her work...