Our local news is free—no paywalls—thanks to the support of our members. But we need to grow. Join now and help us level up local news.
- Goal: Every 10 new or upgraded members will unlock a new level to expand our efforts. The drive runs through November 13.
- Rewards: Gift cards and discounts to local businesses. Plus new West St. Paul stickers and the regular member benefits.
- How much: Supporting local news starts at just $3 per month or pay annually and save 5%.
“You are amazing! Thank you for sharing the wonderful things happening here in West St. Paul.”
Maureen Nash
Let’s Level Up
You might not guess, but we’re part-time. Yep, it’s one guy (*waves*), plus a few contributors we hire for a handful of stories per year. That’s it.
We want to be full time. That’s a long-term goal, so for now we want to level up our efforts and grow our support. Here are the goals and levels we can unlock with this member drive:
Level 1: Stickers – UNLOCKED
Where’s your West St. Paul pride? Level up: New West St. Paul stickers for all new/upgraded members. Watch the video explaining the stickers.
- Stassen: Honoring West St. Paul icon and 9-time presidential candidate Harold Stassen, this sticker is reminiscent of his campaign buttons.
- Albert Park: The expanded Albert Park will be a big upgrade, but it will always be a triangle in our heart.
Level 2: Postcard – UNLOCKED
We commission local artists to create West St. Paul postcards. Level up: We’ll send out a new postcard to all members.
Level 3: History – UNLOCKED
Local history for a suburb can be hard to come by, but people love it. Level up: We’ll commit to doing monthly history stories.
Level 4: Redesign – UNLOCKED
Since launching in 2019, we’ve never redesigned our site. It’s starting to show its age. Level up: Full site redesign, including adding a photo of the week feature, highlighting video, and new events calendar.
Level 5: Students – 5 to go!
We’ll believe in giving students a chance. That’s how we got our start. Level up: We’ll commit to hiring students at least six times per year.
Level 6 – Elections: 60 new members
In 2026, the Congressional seat representing West St. Paul is an open race for the first time in a decade. Level up: We’ll interview each candidate before the party endorsement process and primary, helping residents choose their favorite candidate.
Level 7 – Community: 70 new members
Every year we organize the West St. Paul Rider community bike ride, an event that creates community and connection. Level up: We’ll upgrade the event with awards, new stickers, and donate a new bike rack to a city park.
Max Level – Fun: 75 new members
There are how many chicken restaurants in West St. Paul?! Level up: Let’s have some fun by adding a new chicken counter on our homepage.
Local news is a group effort. Help us level up.
“Small local papers like West St. Paul Reader are key to thriving communities!”
Lauren Hazenson
Rewards
New members will get gift cards and bonuses from local businesses worth more than $100.
- $100 gift card to Block Portrait Studios.
- Free 10-year major component warranty on an appliance purchase from Plaza TV & Appliance (over $90 value) to the first 25 new members.
- $5+ gift card to Clothesline Laundromat.
- Gift cards: We have a ton of additional gift cards and coupons worth more than $1,200. They’re first come, first served to new members—though we should have enough for everyone. Big thanks to the participating businesses: 5-8 Club, Cane’s, Culver’s, Dairy Queen, Eco Chico, Fraidy Cats, Inver Grove Ford, Pace’s Automotive, Tii Cup, Turbo Tim’s Anything Automotive, and WSP Chiropractic.
Party: Plus, all members get an invite to our members-only party at FoodSmith.
Regular benefits: Just being a member gets you these benefits as well:
- Hand-written thank you postcard created by a local artist.
- Weekly members-only updates.
- Members-only text alerts for breaking news.
- Invite to member meetups.
- 15% discount in our store.
- Plus, the knowledge that you’re keeping your community informed.
“I like getting local news and I believe it’s important to support that effort.”
Mary Lou Logsdon
What Neighborhood News Looks Like
- Informing the community: Much of this work is about informing the community. We’ve broken stories countless times and shared local news stories other outlets don’t cover.
- Election coverage: In-depth coverage of local elections that otherwise get little if any attention.
- Local government coverage: West St. Paul City Council and ISD 197 School Board meetings are the lifeblood of a community and we make them accessible.
- History: We love digging into local history.
- Events: We support local events, including the West St. Paul Rider community bike ride.
- Local postcards: Since 2019, we’ve commissioned local artists to create postcards 22 times, highlighting West St. Paul and supporting local creatives.
“There is a dire need for local news coverage and the West St. Paul Reader does a great job.”
Mary Brauer
Existing Members
If you’re a current member, thank you. We wouldn’t be here without you. But if you still want to do more to help our member drive, here are three ways:
- Tell your friends and neighbors. Send an email, post to social media, have a conversation over the back fence. Even sharing our social posts is a big help.
- Gift: More than telling your friends and neighbors, you can give them a gift membership—just buy it for them! You’ll get those member drive rewards and they’ll get informed.
- Upgrade: You can upgrade your support and you’ll help us toward our goal, plus you’ll get those member drive rewards. So if you’re at $3 a month, consider going to $5.
FAQs
- How does neighborhood news even work? It’s a group effort. We’re supported by neighbors like you. They pay a few bucks a month and it snowballs to make this possible.
- Why does ongoing monthly or annual support matter? That ongoing support means we can plan for and count on it. We can hire writers and photographers knowing that we have steady support. It means we can plan for the future and stick around for the long haul.
- Why should I pay for this? You need to support the things you value. Otherwise they go away. If you like being informed, help us out. If you want an informed and engaged community, join now.
- What if I want to give one-time support? We really appreciate that (and here are details for how to do it). Unfortunately, it won’t help us toward our member drive goal or get you any rewards. But we’ll take all the support we can get. Thanks!
- I’m having trouble with Patreon—help!: No problem, reach out and we can help. We’ve been known to meet folks at Amore Coffee (or some other public location) to troubleshoot any issues.
Thanks
West St. Paul Reader has shared neighborhood news since 2019 thanks to the support of our members. Thanks for making it possible.
Love your news (even when I have to navigate the internet) a great service to our community.
Not having a newspaper many events lose identity. and attendance. Have bemoaned that since I moved to WSP 15 years ago. That being said really appreciate what you do for our wonderful community.
Hesitate to give out my credit card. If you will send me a mailing address I will send you a check.
Thanks for your commitment to WSP.