At the Newsleaders, we believe that if a person reads our paper they will know just about everything happening in our area.
Want to know what’s going on locally? We’ll dig into it – from construction to Christmas, from municipal meetings to farmers’ markets, from honor roll to rollovers. Like to know what to put on your wish list? We have it — from local boutiques to dinner and liquor specials, from the newest real estate finds to reasonable apartments, from a dining room suite to a sweet deal, and everything in between. Need to know what is happening with your neighbors? We cover their news from births to deaths. Want to share your ideas? Join us on our lively opinion page. We believe that a knowledgeable community is a great community, that educated people make good decisions and we are here to help.
The Newsleaders – covering Sartell-St. Stephen and St. Joseph – is a 12,500 circulation, weekly free community newspaper delivered across three zip codes in the greater St. Cloud, Minnesota area. It is privately and locally owned, dedicated to the vibrancy of area communities in the greater St. Cloud area.
MEET OUR STAFF
Janelle Von Pinnon
Owner & Publisher
Janelle Von Pinnon is the owner and operator of The Newsleaders Newspaper. She established the St. Joseph Newsleader in 1989, followed by the Sartell-St. Stephen Newsleader in 1995. Janelle is a graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead where she studied journalism.
Dennis Dalman
Acting Editor
Dalman was born and raised in South St. Cloud where he graduated from St. Cloud State University with a degree in English and mass communications. He studied in London, England for a year where he concentrated on British literature. Dalman has been a reporter and weekly columnist for more than 30 years.
Carolyn Bertsch
Assignment Editor
Carolyn joined The Newsleaders Newspaper in 2015 and serves as the Assignment Editor. She and her husband live in Sartell where they own a business and are raising a family. Bertsch’s interests include health and fitness, reading, and learning to play the ukulele.
Janagan Ramanathan
Columnist
Janagan Ramanathan, the son of Sri Lankan immigrants, was raised in Sartell and graduated in 2020 from Sartell High School. He spent two years as a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy, then transferred to the University of Minnesota, where he studies aerospace engineering. His hobbies are strategy board games, video games, frisbee, Tom Clancy novels, Bollywood movies and annoying his family and friends.
Connor Kockler
Columnist
Kockler enjoys extensive reading, especially biographies and historical novels, and he has always had an almost inborn knack for writing well. He also enjoys following the political scene, nationally and internationally. In college, his favorite subjects are political science and economics.