lori sorenson
By Lori Sorenson, editorSeptember 25, 2024On Sept. 13 we marked Carson’s two-year heaven-versary, and at the Sept. 14 suicide prevention walk in Luverne, I remembered him as I walked alongside many others walking for loved ones gone too soon. Those of us “in the same boat,” talked about “how we’re getting along.” My short answer is, “I miss him, but I’m blessed to be surrounded by really good people.” But there’s a longer explanation…
By Lori Sorenson, editorAugust 28, 2024Matt and I were married 10 years ago, on Sept. 6, 2014, and we came across my wedding column titled “Cross-county courtship results in marriage — and new byline for the editor.” The column shared that Matt and I knew each other professionally through his work in the State Patrol and mine in the media. We connected personally in December 2005 when he responded to a playful request for Christmas…
By Lori Sorenson, editorJuly 24, 2024We celebrated a 70th wedding anniversary for Matt’s parents Saturday, and I kept thinking what an amazing gift it is to reach that milestone. Arden and Mary Ellen were married on July 17, 1954, at the tender ages of 20 and 19, which sounds terribly young today, but they fit right in with their peers at the time. To be married at that age also gave them a better shot at reaching a 70-year…
By Lori Sorenson, editorJune 26, 2024Betty Mann, our beloved community historian, is a self-proclaimed crier. “I cry at the drop of a hat,” she says. “I cry when I’m sad, I cry when I’m glad and I cry when I’m mad.” She said if her husband encountered her in tears, he’d ask, “What is it this time?” She jokes about her tears, but as a self-proclaimed non-crier I’m a bit jealous, because I’ve learned the benefits of a good cry. I…
By Lori Sorenson, editorMay 29, 2024The Rock County Star Herald last week published its Class of 2024 graduation special edition. It features photographs of graduating seniors with information about their high school involvement and future plans. We enjoy putting together the annual edition because it’s a chance to be part of such an exciting and hopeful time in the lives of these students and their families. We wish them well…
By Lori Sorenson, editorMay 08, 2024I recently found myself behind the wheel of Carson’s pickup. It’s been almost 32 months since he died, and it’s been about that long since he’s driven it, but if I close my eyes, I can still see him behind the wheel. … Tinted window rolled down, long hair flowing in the breeze, stereo blasting and engine rumbling as he idled slowly down the gravel driveway to avoid dust. It’s a maroon 1997…
By Lori Sorenson, editorApril 17, 2024My sisters and I traveled to Austin, Texas, last week to view the total eclipse of the sun. The trip was a culmination of nearly a year of planning and several weeks of nervous anticipation as departure day grew nearer. In April 2023, nearly a full year before the big event, Linda announced she was traveling for the 2024 eclipse and invited us to join her. “It would be fun,” we agreed during a…
By Lori Sorenson, editorMarch 27, 2024Friday started cold and gray, but inside the elementary school gymnasium in Beaver Creek, the atmosphere was bright and festive. It was Pie Day (not the math day for pi), the day Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary kids could throw pies at the H-BC High School kids. It was a long-awaited and highly anticipated event following a weekslong Penny War between student councils — the littles vs. the teens…
By Lori Sorenson, editorMarch 06, 2024I’ve made it a habit to pay for gas at the pump to avoid convenience store snacks and beverages, but when Luverne’s long-awaited Kwik Trip opened last month, I went inside to check it out. Yes, the store lived up to the hype of bright lighting, clean restrooms, fresh food and happy helpers. However, as a lifelong coffee drinker with an affection for strong brews, I gravitated to the Kwik Trip…
By Lori Sorenson, editorFebruary 14, 2024My mother-in-law cautioned me about her son early in our dating years. “You know, these Norwegian men aren’t very affectionate,” she told me, in case I should want to escape the relationship before I was too invested. Of course, she laughed when she said it, but she wasn’t wrong. My husband is a kind and gentle man, but affectionate, he is not. Especially in public. During our own wedding…
February 07, 2024The Rock County Star Herald was recognized by its peers for excellence in journalism during the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s annual convention Feb.1-2 in Brooklyn Park. Star Herald production manager Heather Johnson was recognized for Best Design Portfolio, and Star Herald editor Lori Sorenson earned awards for Best News Photo and Best Columnist and was recognized with the Herman Roe…
By Lori Sorenson, editorJanuary 24, 2024A Star Herald co-worker last week discovered a lone screw on the floor beneath my office chair. “I thought you should know, in case it’s essential,” she handed me the short, stubby screw. I retrieved a Phillips screwdriver from the 50-year-old toolbox in the former press room, now a warehouse-sized storage room, to repair my 40-year-old office chair. I think it’s 40. It was well used when I…
By Lori Sorenson, editorJanuary 03, 2024George Bonnema has been gone for only a week, and already we feel his conspicuous absence. (See our front page tribute story) Who will lead Generations and be the voice of our newly energized senior citizens? Who will tend the boulevards and update the seasonal planters? Who will place fresh arrangements on tables for senior dining? Who will bake and donate award-winning carrot cake for…- December 06, 2023Construction has started on Luverne’s giant nutcracker, and our social media announcement stirred a long string of comments, both positive and negative. As is the case with many community developments, some will support new initiatives, some will voice sincere reservations, and others are never happy. We welcome all kinds of feedback, but we can’t abide personal attacks, expletives and…
By Lori Sorenson, editorDecember 06, 2023When we decorated the Star Herald office for Christmas, our sports reporter, Greg Hoogeveen, added some holiday cheer to his own workspace with an electric leg lamp. I laughed out loud when I saw it — the warm glow from a fringed lamp shade atop a shapely plastic high-heeled leg in fishnet stockings. It's parked in the center of the newsroom, and I hope our customers are familiar with the…- By Lori Sorenson, editorNovember 15, 2023The October calendar had barely turned to November when I noticed my first twinge of holiday angst — the realization that I haven’t recovered from July and here we are on the cusp of another holiday season. It doesn’t help that I’m getting older and time is indeed flying faster. It doesn’t help that news deadlines hurtle us perpetually toward the next big holiday. (I requested second-grade…
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