by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com At the regional Spelling Bee, champion speller Alyssa Franzmeier of Sartell was nervous, but after she spelled “endemic” correctly, she felt a burst of confidence. “I wasn’t really familiar with that word, so when I happened to spell it correctly, I was happy and felt very confident,” she said. Alyssa’s confidence – not to mention her

by Chelsea Olson news@thenewsleaders.com Connie Froehle is one of the lucky people who has spent a lifetime in a career she loved. She began providing licensed in-home daycare services in 1971 after the birth of her first child. Since then she has spent 34 years opening her heart and home to many families of the Sartell community. Recently, some of

by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com Three of five top skiers from the Cathedral/Sartell Nordic Ski Team placed in the top 100 finishers in the State Nordic Ski Racing Meet held Feb. 17 at Giants Ridge Resort near Bibwabik in northern Minnesota. There were three events at the meet: a pursuit race, a freestyle race and a classic race. Greta Danielson of

by TaLeiza Calloway news@thenewsleaders.com The St. Joseph City Council voted 4-1 to move forward with hiring a lobbyist to assist area cities, despite a lack of support from all neighboring communities. At a Feb. 2 meeting, city officials agreed the cost to hire a lobbyist should not exceed $10,000 and that St. Joseph’s participation is contingent upon all six cities

by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com Walter Hudson, the chairman of the North Star Tea Party Patriots, will speak at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28 at Michael’s Restaurant in East St. Cloud. Hudson, who lives in the Twin Cities, has been a radio commentator and is the editor of Sons of Liberty Media, as well as a contributor to PJ Media, True

by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com In her six years as the owner of Lucky’s Place, Janet Hansmeier has made a lot of cats happy – not to mention the happy families who adopted them from her cat shelter. That’s 500 happy cats and several hundred families, including some in the St. Joseph and Sartell areas. Hansmeier’s non-profit Lucky’s Place has a

by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com The Meyers of St. Joseph – Joe, Pete, Todd – have caused a worldwide interest in their new product – the “Mud Hen.” At a recent trade show in Las Vegas, the Meyers were pleased with the keen interest in the “Mud Hen,” a portable machine that can recycle slurry water on-site for concrete projects. The

by TaLeiza Calloway news@thenewsleaders.com A vision for expanded city offices and a community center in the city’s downtown is a little closer to taking shape after a recent city council vote. Elected officials unanimously voted to start negotiating a contract for architectural services with Hagemesiter Mack, a St. Cloud architectural firm, for the design of a potential government campus. St.