by Editorial Staff
The Newsleader brand of newspapers, owned by Von Meyer Publishing Inc. of St. Joseph, is bringing its unique style of news to Sauk Rapids every Friday in your mailbox.
The St. Joseph Newsleader has been in operation since 1989, while the Sartell Newsleader has since 1994. The Newsleaders, including the Sauk Rapids Newsleader, are published every Friday and distributed free of charge through the U.S. Postal Service to residents of each zip code. The Sauk Rapids Newsleader will reach everyone in the 56379 zip code area.
Janelle Von Pinnon, St. Cloud, is the owner and publisher of all three papers. She is assisted by: Dennis Dalman, Rice, as editor; Tara Wiese, Sauk Rapids, as production manager/designer; Julie Kemper, Melrose, as sales director; Logan Gruber, Sartell, as operations manager/assignment editor; Glen Lauer, St. Joseph, as delivery driver; Greg Hartung, as substitute delivery driver; as well as multiple freelance writers.
Primary support for the Newsleader will come from local advertising, not from a subscription base.
Newsleader readers are reminded they will receive a copy of each issue free of charge.
“The Newsleader is a new and promising voice for the people of Sauk Rapids,” Von Pinnon said. “It’s the primary medium for local news, advertising and feature information, and a dedicated partner in community development.
“We are newcomers on the way to becoming a tradition, but can do so only with your help. Your support will determine our future.”
Von Pinnon said news for publication in the Newsleader should be submitted via email to [email protected], while advertising may be directed to [email protected]. Letters to the editor may be sent to [email protected]. The staff may also be reached at 320-363-7741, online at thenewsleaders.com, or by mail at: P.O. Box 324/32 1st Ave. NW, St. Joseph.
Staff
The Newsleader staff, composed of five full-time team members, two delivery drivers and numerous freelance writers/photographers has more than 100 combined years of experience in the newspaper publishing/printing industry.
Von Pinnon has been publishing the St. Joseph Newsleader for 26 years, and the Sartell Newsleader for 20 years. She graduated from Minnesota State University-Moorhead with degrees in mass communications (with an emphasis on print journalism) and biology. She lives in southeast St. Cloud with her husband and two children.
Dalman was born and raised in south St. Cloud, graduated from St. Cloud Tech High School, then graduated from St. Cloud State University with a degree in English (emphasis on American and British literature) and mass communications (emphasis on print journalism). He studied in London, England for a year (1980-81) where he concentrated on British literature, political science, the history of Great Britain and wrote a book-length study of the British writer V.S. Naipaul. Dalman has been a reporter and weekly columnist for more than 30 years and worked for 16 of those years for the Alexandria Echo Press.
Wiese joined the Newsleaders staff in the fall of 2010. She graduated from St. Cloud Technical College with a degree in advertising and Rasmussen College with a degree in business management and office administration. She has two daughters and resides in Sauk Rapids.
Kemper previously worked for the Sauk Rapids Herald for the past five years in ad design and sales. Kemper graduated from St. Cloud Technical College with a degree in printing. She has 25-plus years in graphics and publishing. She is excited to continue working with the people she knows and loves in Sauk Rapids. Kemper lives in Melrose with her husband.
Gruber is the operations manager and a reporter for the Newsleaders. He grew up in Melrose, attended St. John’s University, spent more than a year teaching English in China, and most recently worked as the morning producer at WDIO-TV in Duluth, where he won a 2014 Upper Midwest Emmy for daytime newscasts. He enjoys reading, writing and spending time with his wife, Jeni, at their home in Sartell. He joined the Newsleaders team in 2014. To learn more about Gruber, head to his homepage, about.me/logangruber.
Lauer is a lifetime resident of the St. Joseph area. He operates a small farm and also drives bus for the Sartell-St. Stephen School District. Lauer has worked with the Newsleaders for 20 years.
Hartung is originally from Holdingford, and now resides in St. Joseph with his wife and five children. He is the manager of the Casey’s General Store in St. Joseph. Hartung has worked with the Newsleaders for about two years.