By Steve Kabelowsky Contributing Columnist Published Jan 07, 2014 at 3:53 PM

WDJT-TV CBS 58 announced last week that Sachelle Saunders has been hired as a new weekend co-anchor. Saunders will co-anchor Saturdays and Sundays with Bill Walsh for both the CBS 58 News and the CBS 58 News at 9 on WMLW-TV newscasts.

"Sachelle is a very talented individual, with experience in all aspects of the newsroom, including reporting, producing and anchoring," said Genie Garner, the news director at WDJT. "She joins us from WTVO-TV Fox 38 in Rockford, Ill., where she was the morning anchor."  

Saunders, a graduate with honors from Columbia College, will also be reporting during the week for CBS 58 News.

WORDS AND MEDICINE: On Thursday, PBS "NewsHour" will present the third installment of its "Where Poetry Lives" series, where U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey and Chief Arts Correspondent Jeffrey Brown explore how poetry intersects with the world of medicine. In the report, Trethewey and Brown visit a former student of Trethewey’s, now at Harvard medical school, and her new mentor, Dr. Rafael Campo – a doctor, professor and highly regarded poet.

Campo just published "Alternative Medicine," his sixth volume of poetry, which examines the relationship between language, empathy and healing. 

"Poetry is in every encounter with my patients," Campo said. "When we are with our patients, we are really immersing ourselves in their stories, really hearing their voices in a profound way.  And certainly that’s what a poem does." 

Campo worries modern medical training focuses too much on distancing the doctor from his or her patients. To help restore the human connection, Campo leads a weekly reading and writing workshop for medical students and residents.

‘NewsHour’s’ coverage of poetry is funded by the Poetry Foundation. The "Where Poetry Lives" series is a partnership with the Library of Congress’ Poetry and Literature Center.

MOTION COMICS: A bestselling young adult novel, "The Iron King," has been transformed into a comic book series and, now, an interactive digital comic book. Bluewater Productions has released the first two issues of the four-issue mini-series.

Bluewater partnered with Piglion Studios in developing an animated comic book version, which was released last week on iTunes for $1.99. The full-length interactive animated manga motion comic book app will also be released on the Android platform later this month.

"My fans know that I am a huge comic, manga and anime enthusiast, and I write in a very cinematic and visual manner in part due to my love of this medium," said author Julie Kagawa, whose "The Iron Traitor" just hit bookstores.

The series features the art of Lidia Chan and was written by Julie Kagawa and Sara Gundell.

"We believe giving subtle movements to make it dynamic and interactive at the same time will help augment the readers’ imagination. Piglion Studio is excited to see the success of this partnership and the fans should be too!" said Piglion Studio’s Melch Valimento. 

The app can be found on iTunes.

"The goal is to get people reading … simple. I was a reluctant reader growing up and comic books helped my reading skills. Comic books are not only for pop culture fun, but also can be used as a tool.  We are always trying to think outside the box to get people reading, this motion comic book will be another incentive," Bluewater publisher Darren G. Davis said. 

Steve Kabelowsky Contributing Columnist

Media is bombarding us everywhere.

Instead of sheltering his brain from the onslaught, Steve embraces the news stories, entertainment, billboards, blogs, talk shows and everything in between.

The former writer, editor and producer in TV, radio, Web and newspapers, will be talking about what media does in our community and how it shapes who we are and what we do.