by Heidi L. Everett news@thenewsleaders.com Holly Zabinski’s initial anger has subsided since the announcement that St. Cloud Area School District will move to distance learning Nov. 30 for preschool and elementary students. “I anticipated it but was still disappointed,” she said. “It seemed like Kennedy wasn’t having as many COVID cases or we weren’t hearing about them. It wasn’t welcome
Write-in candidate wins mayor of St. Stephen
by Heidi L. Everett news@thenewsleaders.com Used to be that several people vied to be mayor of St. Stephen. In 2020, not so. Long-time resident Lisa Marvin won an election in which nobody even put their name on the ballot. Marvin received 48 of the 185 write-in votes that were cast on election day. The second largest number of write-in votes
Education equity plan moves ahead as committee takes shape
by Mike Knaak news@thenewsleaders.com With a meeting on Nov. 4, Sartell-St. Stephen school district’s long-debated equity audit is now taking shape. About 30 people attended the meeting where Equity Alliance Minnesota Executive Director Sebastian Witherspoon outlined plans and a timeline for the effort, aimed at identifying concerns and suggesting solutions to race and other education equity issues. The group will
School board winners react to victories
by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com Candidates elected to the St. Cloud School Board are all happy they won and upbeat about serving on the board starting in 2021. The winners include two St. Joseph residents – Scott Andreasen and re-elected incumbent Al Dahlgren. Two other incumbents, Shannon Haws and Monica Segura-Schwartz, were selected by voters from a slate of seven candidates.
Distance learning teaches self-reliance
by Heidi L. Everett news@thenewsleaders.com In the Braegelmann household, four boys camp out around the house as each tackles distance learning in Sartell. Tyler, 17, is a senior, and Riley, 15, is a sophomore at Sartell High School. Calvin, 13, is an eighth grader at Sartell Middle School. Kolby, the fifth grader, attends St. Francis Xavier. “We are blessed,” said
Sartell-St. Stephen schools move all students to distance learning
by Mike Knaak news@thenewsleaders.com All Sartell-St. Stephen schools will switch to distance learning starting Monday, Nov. 16, the district announced. Distance learning will continue until at least Dec. 4, said Krista Durrwachter, director of human resources. Students in grades three through 12 will be off on Friday, Nov. 13, so teachers can plan for the transition. Pre-kindergarten through second-graders are
‘New’ council to include incumbent, newcomer
by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com The “new” St. Joseph City Council will have two recently elected members starting next year – a long-term incumbent and a newcomer. Incumbent Bob Loso and newcomer Kelly Beniek won the election over four other candidates for the two seats on the council. Those contenders were incumbent Troy Goracke, Carmie Mick, Paul Orvis and Mike Osterman.
Bringing joy to the world, one scoop at a time
by Heidi L. Everett news@thenewsleaders.com What’s your favorite ice cream? That’s often one of the first questions David Boyer asks people he meets. Boyer is owner of Jupiter Moon Ice Cream, a new small business in downtown St. Joseph that specializes in hand-crafted, small-batch ice cream. Boyer asks because he appreciates how people light up when they think of their