Tony Bender
Since 1990, when Tony Bender first published his weekly syndicated column, “That’s Life,” he has become one of the most recognized and honored journalists in North Dakota.

Born in 1958 in Ashley, N.D., Bender grew up in Frederick, S.D, a tiny community on the N.D.-S.D. border, 26 miles north of Aberdeen, S.D. After one year of journalism at SDSU in Brookings, S.D., Bender embarked on a 15-year radio career.

In 1991, Bender returned to his first love, writing, when he accepted a position as a reporter at the Williston (N.D.) Daily Herald. Six months later he was offered the publishership of the floundering Adams County Record in Hettinger, N.D. Bender, branded a maverick by some, sparked a resurgence in the newspaper, winning two General Excellence Awards, the North Dakota Newspaper Association’s highest honor. He served as executive news director for the Record’s parent company, Dickson Media, until 1997.

Bender’s column has won seven newspaper association first place awards since 1991. He was presented the first-ever NDNA First Amendment Award in 2000 and he has been awarded top honors for reporting, sports journalism, photography and design. He is also a past winner of the N.D. Heritage Writing Contest. Bender’s work has been published in many newspapers, as well as North Dakota Outdoors, and Publishers Auxiliary, a national industry newspaper.

Bender, and his wife, Julie, have two children. The couple owns Redhead Publishing, which includes The Wishek Star and The Ashley Tribune. They live in a rural home near Venturia, N.D.

Francis Materi
A fourth-generation McIntosh County resident, Francis Materi began writing for The Wishek Star while still in high school. He has more than 25 years of journalistic experience.

Materi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications and a minor in Sociology from Minnesota State University Moorhead. His work has appeared in local, state, regional and national publications.

Materi's writing has won numerous awards from the North Dakota Newspaper Association, including first-place honors for general reporting, as well as for sports reporting and editing, government reporting, agricultural coverage and website coordination. He is the online editor for The Star and The Ashley Tribune and oversees the award-winning Internet websites for both newspapers.