Jeff Wierus and Maddy Wierus

Along with the Ponce, Holt, Volkman and Jiggetts dynasties it's time to add a new name to the list of Chicago's multigenerational media families.

Maddy Wierus, 26, who grew up in Orland Park and graduated from Illinois State University, has joined the Chicago bureau of CBS News as a digital journalist and associate producer. She'll work with correspondent Adriana Diaz covering the Midwest and beyond.

Her father, Jeff Wierus, has been an award-winning TV photojournalist in Chicago for 33 years — including the last 29 as a sports and news cameraman for Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32.

Maddy Wierus

“Growing up, my dad would take me to work with him and I was always in awe seeing him in his element,” she told me. “It’s funny, too, because so many of my dad’s colleagues in the Chicago market have become family friends, so it feels like the ultimate homecoming."

Maddy most recently worked as morning news anchor and reporter for KTAL, the NBC affiliate in Shreveport, Louisiana. Before that she was a news anchor at KXLT, the Fox affiliate in Rochester, Minnesota, and a producer at WNDU, the NBC affiliate in South Bend, Indiana.

Her credits also include a stint as a promotion and sales assistant at Hubbard Radio classic rock WDRV 97.1-FM and as a sports assistant at Fox 32.

“I’ve worked my entire career to get to this moment and I’m still trying to find the words to express how thankful I am,” she added.

Wednesday’s comment of the day: Janet Joliat Dahl: Rarely do we see such grace and love in our radio "families.” Giving up the thing you love to care for the person you love is an amazing and inspiring choice. My thoughts are with Richard and Charlene. Charlene chose a good man.