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.
Raquel Bolivar
Administrative Assistant
Raquel lives in a city in the North of Colombia, in South America. She graduated as a Systems Engineer in 2014. Her relationship with God is very important and she takes him into account in every aspect of her life. She enjoys being at home listening to music, watching videos, playing with her dog and doing crafts of all kinds.
Jorge Tejera
Administrative Assistant
Jorge lives in the Salsa Capital of the World in Colombia, South America. He has an extensive background experience in customer relations management, writing and teaching English as a second language. God is crucial for his everyday life. He enjoys practicing the guitar, ukulele and singing with his wife.
Mike Knaak
Reporter
Mike graduated from Tech High School and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Cloud State University in 1975. He worked as a reporter, photographer and editor at the St. Cloud Times from 1975 to 2016. He joined The Newsleaders in 2018 and covers Sartell-St. Stephen schools.
Laura Ritsche
Reporter
Laura Ritsche works at Sauk Rapids Pleasantview School as a lunch lady and truly loves all the kiddos. She enjoys writing, reading, family time and volunteering at her church in Sartell. A saying she lives by within her day to day is “I do it all for the glory of God.”
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.