Bob Bonnar is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the News Letter. He became the newspaper’s minority owner after serving two decades as a community journalist covering all beats in Newcastle and Weston County. Bob is one of the most decorated journalists in Wyoming history and is a former president of the Wyoming Press Association. He also served 12 years on the Board of Trustees for Weston County School District #1, including two years as chairman, and was named to the Newcastle High School Hall of Fame. In the 40 years that he lived in Newcastle, Bob was active on several boards and coached a number of youth sports. He also used his position with the newspaper to promote the businesses and individuals of Weston County, which included conceiving and hosting several special events that drew large crowds to downtown Newcastle. Bob now lives in Durango, Colorado with his wife, Stephanie (another NLJ co-owner), but remains deeply connected and committed to his hometown, and continues to serve as the active, full-time publisher of this newspaper. In the short time since his relocation, Bob has extensively explored the new technologies available to the news industry and helped launch a weekly email newsletter, podcast and Youtube channel while leading a website and social media effort that is easily one of Wyoming’s most active and engaging.

Stephanie Bonnar became a co-owner of the News Letter Journal after working alongside her husband at the newspaper for more than a decade. During that time, Stephanie won dozens of awards for advertising and graphic design and was elected to the Wyoming Press Association Board of Directors. During the four decades she resided in Weston County, Stephanie was active in a number of civic and youth organizations, and spent many weekends operating scoreboards or keeping scorebooks at local sporting events. Stephanie also played piano at Christ the King Lutheran Church for ten years, and served as the director of a weeklong summer Vacation Bible School that drew over 100 children. Since moving to Durango, Colorado a few years ago with her family, Stephanie has become the primary in-home caregiver for a dementia patient, but she still contributes to the News Letter Journal by lending her talent and expertise to graphic design, advertising and marketing projects.

Kim Dean is a committed Wyoming newspaperwoman who has spent nearly three decades serving Weston County through her work at the News Letter Journal. Kim's journalism career began with a part-time role stuffing advertising inserts in our weekly mailer and labeling the News Letter Journal for delivery, but her duties expanded rapidly and significantly over the years to include responsibilities in our business and retail departments and management of our circulation department. For the past five years she has served as our managing editor and been the local driving force behind the News Letter Journal's efforts to not only provide an active government watchdog for the community but also serve as one of Newcastle's leading and longest-serving businesses. She keeps her finger on the pulse of the community and runs the NLJ's day-to-day operations from her office in our building in historic downtown Newcastle, and is always happy to greet readers and discuss the important roles the newspaper has played in the history of Weston County and the valuable service we still provide to our communities.

Alexis Barker parlayed the skills and knowledge she gained as a debater at Newcastle High School into a newspaper career when she became the News Letter Journal's government reporter in 2015. She quickly developed an ability to spot the "real" stories at the meetings she covered, and showed a willingness to pursue uncomfortable issues and cover controversial actions by local boards. That courage earned Alexis an award from the Wyoming Press Association as Wyoming's Journalist of the Year in 2023 after she was recognized for reporting and writing in almost every major news category over the course of her career. Alexis has transitioned to an editor's role in the past five years, but still serves as the primary beat reporter for city and county government — in addition to managing the NLJ's stable of reporters and managing the newspaper's award-winning website. Alexis recently moved to Durango, Colorado and works in the NLJ's office there while raising her three children and enjoying their active lifestyles.

Mary Stroka is an award-winning reporter who regularly writes for News Letter Journal. She grew up in Illinois and moved to northeast Wyoming in 2022 because her husband (Michael Payne) loved the area. Michael had spent part of 14 summers in Weston County working in paleontology, and wanted to move to Newcastle when he became a co-owner of the fossil tourism company PaleoProspectors. The pair ended up moving to Gillette to secure housing after "escaping" from Chicagoland, and Mary took a full-time reporting job there prior to accepting her position with the NLJ. She has written for local and national publications for more than a decade, and her award-winning work includes coverage of the release from prison of a man who was in a serial killer gang in Chicago in the 1980s. Mary primarily covers local governments in Weston County — with some focus on education and healthcare. She and her husband visit Weston County frequently and Mary has grown fond of Newcastle and its people. She is proud to support local journalism and to contribute to the Weston County community by working for the News Letter Journal.