by Mike Knaak news@thenewsleaders.com A longtime board member and two newcomers were elected to the Sartell-St. Stephen school board at a time when the district confronts twin challenges of how to deal with a pandemic and how to ensure educational equity for all its students. Voters re-elected Jason Nies to his third term with 6,688 votes and chose Matt Moehrle,
Local fire teams battle grass fire
by Heidi L. Everett news@thenewsleaders.com Shortly after noon Nov. 6, the St. Joseph Fire Department was called to a grass fire in St. Wendel Township between County Road 2 and Jenny Lane. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, Avon Fire Department, Sartell Fire Department, St. Stephen Fire Department and the Minnesota DNR also responded. According to reports, Brent Simon, St. Joseph,
Steinkopf finds new passion – mural painting
by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com One July day, Jen Steinkopf, of Sartell, was up on a scaffold painting a giant butterfly on a brick building in downtown St. Cloud when she felt as if someone was staring at her. From her height on the scaffold, she looked east and west up and down the narrow alley. Nobody there. Then she looked
Cultural connection: College scholarship applications open soon
by Tara Durheim Amid the pandemic and the unique challenges it has presented to our area high school seniors, their teachers and their loved ones this year, planning for life after graduation is likely a daunting task. With the fluctuations between in-person, hybrid and remote learning models, it can be hard to think about what possibilities lie ahead. However, if
CPR/AED session set for Dec. 12
by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com Knowing how to administer CPR is important because it can keep people experiencing cardiac arrest alive until they receive help to start their hearts again. A free CPR course is being offered from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12 at the Sartell Community Center (Liberty Room). The course also will include an introduction to using
Cozy blankets for cancer center
photo by Carolyn BertschLinda Ritzenthaler of St. Cloud adds a newly finished tie-blanket to a stack Nov. 9. The St. Joseph Women of Today made more than a dozen blankets that evening. photo by Carolyn BertschCharity Hunter, St. Joseph, and her daughter Lexi, 9, create a tie-blanket out of pink fleece Nov. 9. The mother-daughter team joined 11 other Women
Mask up. Shop local.
In the midst of a recession in 2010, American Express created Small Business Saturday® on the Saturday after Thanksgiving to encourage people to bring more holiday shopping to small businesses. A year later, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution in support of the day. Here we are again, just days away from the holiday triumvirate that has so often been
Church Free Store plans holiday kits for people in need
by Dennis Dalman news@thenewsleaders.com For the upcoming holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Celebration Lutheran Church in Sartell plans to give meal kits and other forms of helpful kits to people in need. Organizers of the relief program are requesting people donate items for the kits, which include meal kits, household cleaning kits, hygiene kits and baby-care kits. “We are always