West St. Paul Reader


West St. Paul ReaderFounded with community support in 2019, West St. Paul Reader is a hyper-local news site that informs, engages, and connects the people of West St. Paul, Minnesota.

West St. Paul is a first-ring suburb of 20,000 people in a metro area of more than 3 million. The local news media doesn’t pay a lot of attention to us—understandably—so it’s hard to know what’s going on.

That can make people feel disconnected and aloof. But when you know what’s going on, you feel a sense of belonging in your community.

So West St. Paul Reader helps busy people know what’s going on.

What We Do

We founded and run the site, so we do everything—blog posts, email newsletters, social media, etc. The biggest job is staying plugged into the community and sharing stories about what’s going on in West St. Paul. We recap council meetings, interview community members, answer questions, and get the inside scoop.

The Impact

The site launched in May 2019, and in just five months we average over 1,700 views per month. In that time the site has also seen more than 4,500 visitors—so nearly a quarter of West St. Paul’s population.

“Thank you, Kevin, for your informative and solid factual, writing.” -Pam Dyer, resident

“Kevin, you rock at what you do. I read every post. And it’s always info I would have no other way to get. I love to watch your site grow! Keep crushing dude!” -Andy Berndt, resident

“Thank you for sharing news about our community!” -Missy Keveles

“Very good job!” -Dick Vitelli, West St. Paul city council member