lori sorenson
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…
By Lori Sorenson, editorOctober 25, 2023After months of training and nervous anticipation, our Carson’s Cause team on Oct. 20 completed (survived) the Grand Canyon Rim2Rim4aCause. We traveled from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon down to the canyon floor, across the river, then up to the South Rim in a day, with Luverne’s Dave Duffy as our trusty guide. It’s over 25 miles and more than 10,000 feet of elevation change, and park…
By Lori Sorenson, editorOctober 04, 2023Hiking the Grand Canyon has long been on my bucket list. As one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the canyon is a spectacular feat of nature. It’s not the steepest or the longest canyon in the world, but it’s recognized as a natural wonder because of its collective scale and size combined with breathtaking color variations in its walls. It is 217 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and a mile…
By Lori Sorenson, editorSeptember 13, 2023There are dozens of mournful songs about September, and until this year it hadn’t occurred to me that the month has such a melancholy reputation. Reduced sunlight can prompt Seasonal Affective Disorder, aptly known as SAD. Transitioning from laid-back summer days to hectic fall schedules can be stressful. For some (like me) the end of summer can signal regret for not accomplishing goals set…
By Lori SorensonAugust 23, 2023A young couple showed up on our porch in June with a gift. “We have something we’d like to give you,” they said in a phone call earlier that day. Their business is Twisted Farmers Fab, which specializes in custom metal art — commercial signs, personalized wall hangings, fire pits and, their latest, hanging wind spinners. On this warm summer evening they handed us a heavy metal circular wind…
By Lori Sorenson, editorJuly 25, 2023Office chatter at the Star Herald has been entertaining this week. “I’m definitely wearing a cowboy hat,” I said. “I think I can turn some jeans into Daisy Dukes,” Greg chimed in. “But wait — then you’ll need chaps. Where can we get those?” Mavis, a seasoned horse rider, volunteered to bring her wardrobe to work. We discussed safety. “If the air quality is poor, I’ll have my inhaler handy.” And…
By Lori Sorenson, editorJune 27, 2023We spent last week in the beautiful Black Hills exploring backwoods logging trails and climbing atop lookout points of the national forest service. We enjoyed breathtaking scenery … as we do every time we travel to the Hills. Maybe it’s because we live on the relatively flat prairie among cornfields and soybeans, but the Black Hills views of the deep canyons and majestic overlooks never get old.…
By Lori Sorenson, editorMay 30, 2023About 15 years ago I hit a deer on the road and totaled my old Chevy Blazer. No one (except the deer) was hurt, but it shook me up and stressed me out. It meant an insurance claim, finding a different low-budget vehicle, and time-consuming paperwork for a single working mother with no spare time. My own mother often encouraged us to tackle problems by considering how important they’ll be five…
By Lori Sorenson, editorMay 10, 2023Once upon a time there was a little blond boy who grew up near Luverne between the Rock River and Blue Mounds State Park. He was made of “snips and snails and puppy dogs’ tails,” with boundless energy and an effervescent love for life. Behind his blue eyes sparks of mischief and brilliance. He’d leap out of bed at sunrise and grab his bicycle and pole to go fishing in Hallett’s Pond on…
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