Jason Berghorst
By Jason Berghorst, reporterSeptember 15, 2020Last week I stepped back in time. I only went six months back in time, but it felt like so much farther. As we started the new school year, I turned on my classroom flat-panel display. It’s a large TV/computer screen that I use to teach every day. When I turned on the screen for the first time this school year, I was surprised what I saw. The same Internet tabs that I used on March 16, the last…
By Jason Berghorst, reporterJuly 21, 2020Hi! I’m Jason, a teacher trying to fill in for the summer.” That’s how I responded to Kevin Kyle, the sports editor of the Pipestone County Star, at Redbird Field Sunday. He saw me standing safely behind the net with a notebook under my arm and camera raised, attempting to get quality photos during the Pipestone at Luverne amateur baseball game. Kevin was on the other side of the net where hard…
By Jason Berghorst, reporterJune 23, 2020We all want to be right. We all want and need to be part of a group. We believe that those who share our opinions are also always right. These three concepts form the basis of partisan politics. Republicans agree with and defend other Republicans and Democrats do the same for other Democrats. My team vs. their team. Conservatives vs. liberals. We’re right. They’re wrong. It’s how it works.…
By Jason Berghorst, reporterMay 26, 2020Staying positive was one of my main goals as the pandemic began to impact us in mid-March. As the weeks – and now months – have gone on, it’s gotten somewhat harder to stay positive for me, and maybe for you, too. In order to focus on the positive, I’ve been making a mental list of the changes COVID-19 has brought that I hope remain long term. Or, to use popular pandemic phrases, these are the…
By Jason Berghorst, reporterApril 28, 2020Many of us are spending more time at home now than ever before. Global pandemics of highly infectious diseases with no known treatment or vaccine tend to have that effect, I guess. In mid-March, most of our lives were changed in ways that are pretty hard to believe. When the students left school on March 16, it was not a good feeling. Bringing everything to my house that I needed to teach…
By Jason Berghorst, reporterMarch 24, 2020‘So many things I never thought I’d see happening right in front of me.’ Seldom do the lyrics of a country song ring more true than those words do now. The refrain of Brad Paisley’s 2009 song, “Welcome to the Future” includes that phrase. The lyrics of the song highlight how things change over time and how surprising those changes are when looked at over a lifetime. …
By Jason Berghorst, reporterFebruary 11, 2020I’m in the process. And let me tell you, it’s been a real process. If you haven’t heard, our “normal” Minnesota driver’s licenses will no longer qualify as adequate identification for boarding a domestic flight after Oct. 1. At least that’s how I understand it. When my driver’s license renewal notice arrived in December, I realized this was my chance to upgrade to my “real” ID. I had two months…
By Jason Berghorst, reporterJanuary 14, 2020“There’s a lot of psychology in that.” That’s one of my favorite and most used sayings, at least according to my students and the coworkers that I eat lunch with. Paul Harvey had “the rest of the story.” Al Roker has “here’s what’s happening in your neck of the woods.” My signature saying, it seems, is “there’s a lot of psychology in that.” I’ve been teaching psychology for quite a few years now…
By Jason Berghorst, reporterDecember 10, 2019“The hopes and fears of all the years are met in Thee tonight.” If you just sang those words in your head as you read them, this may be a column for you. If not, no worries, you can keep reading too. That line is the final stanza of the first verse of “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” Some people really enjoy Christmas music and others don’t. I am firmly among the fans of Christmas music. But…
By Jason BerghorstNovember 12, 2019It has become a tradition for my niece and nephew to come to Luverne and stay at their grandparents’ house over MEA break each October. It works really well for this teacher uncle, who also has those days off. This year, MEA break was blessed with some of the most beautiful weather of the year. Grandpa and grandma had out-of-town plans on Saturday, so it was just the three of us to enjoy the nice…
By Jason Berghorst, reporterOctober 15, 2019They say that working with kids keeps you young. Now in my 17th year of teaching, I’d say that’s true. As a teacher, I hear many of the new slang terms and even know what quite a few of them mean. I’m aware of many famous people on YouTube and I have a front row seat to unfortunate trends in clothing and hairstyles. I won’t comment on the return of male perms, but my profession did allow me to…
By Jason Berghorst, reporterSeptember 10, 2019What makes a person a true Minnesotan? Some may say it’s rooting for the Vikings or the Twins. Others might say it’s having a special taste for tator-tot hotdish, lefse or a Jucy Lucy. It could be owning or using a boat, a hockey stick or a snowmobile. Or is it a propensity to utter phrases like uff-da and you-betcha in regular conversation? Many would say it’s as simple as having a Minnesota…
By Jason BerghorstAugust 13, 2019It may only be August, but I’ve decided to make a wish list. Instead of a Christmas list, however, I’m writing a wish list for Luverne. My guess is many local readers have found themselves saying, “I wish Luverne … ,” so I thought I’d turn my thoughts about that into a column. Luverne already has many things that other small towns might wish for. From the historic Palace and nice restaurants to…
By Jason BerghorstJune 11, 2019Well, it must be June. June means I'm back working part time at the Star Herald during summer break from my real job. Each June I start by filling in for vacationing sports editor John Rittenhouse for a couple of weeks. And that means each June I step out of my comfort zone. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy writing and I'd say I follow high school sports pretty closely. Until it…
By Jason Berghorst, reporterJuly 31, 2018One of the things I enjoy most about this part-time summer reporter job is talking to people about what’s interesting in their lives. Usually the “real” news is taken care of by the professionals here and I get to focus on stories that are sometimes classified as “human interest.” By definition, that means I’m writing articles about people that you as human readers should find interesting. Most…
By Jason Berghorst, reporterAugust 22, 2017There’s a first time for everything. I had one last week when I purchased my first brand new major household appliance. I’ve purchased brand new TVs, computers and furniture before, but never an appliance. When I bought my house eight years ago, the refrigerator, range, dishwasher, washing machine and dryer all came with the house. I really hesitate to type this, but so far only the washing…
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