lori sorenson
By Lori Sorenson, editorMay 10, 2022As a kid, I often pondered who and what I might grow up to be — an artist, musician, athlete, teacher. (Don’t we all dream of being teachers?) Why didn’t I just enjoy being a kid? I had a great childhood. Yet I distinctly recall a preoccupation about what comes next. I still do. Maybe we all do. It’s a universal curse that hinders life enjoyment. Or perhaps it’s a survival mechanism — like…
By Lori Sorenson, editorApril 19, 2022I wash and reuse solo cups and zippy bags, but it seems like a tiny way to save the planet amid criminal Amazon deforestation and unfettered factory emissions in urban China. Friday, April 22, is Earth Day — a time for global reflection on the millions of small ways we can collectively make a big difference. In honor of Earth Day Friday, April 22, an organization called Green Citizen suggests a…
By Lori Sorenson, editorMarch 29, 2022It’s college basketball playoff season and also calving season in our neighborhood. And thanks to modern technology, we took in riveting versions of both last week over beers and brats at the neighbors. One of the supper guests was casually monitoring his cell phone for live-feed video of a heifer in labor. A nearby television screen carried riveting Arkansas upset of No. 1 Gonzaga in NCAA…
By Lori Sorenson, editorMarch 08, 2022Our Esther Frakes arrived back in Luverne last week after galivanting through the southern United States with her friend Betty. It sounds like she had a grand time, and as such, probably didn’t miss us at the paper. We, however, missed her dearly. Esther is our proofreader, which is a humble term for the person who makes the news department look better than we are. She catches misspelled names,…
By Lori Sorenson, editorFebruary 15, 2022“Judgment is mine, sayeth the Lord.” “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” These and other non-Biblical adages (God helps those who help themselves) have been ringing in my ears over the past several weeks as our Cancun vacation dates drew nearer. A year ago at this time,…
By Lori Sorenson, editorJanuary 25, 2022Last week, in the middle of our news meeting, I stood up and paced to the other side of the desk. “My Apple Watch told me it was time to stand,” I told my puzzled co-workers. “So, I stood.” I knew what they were thinking. “If your watch told you to jump off a cliff, would you?” I wouldn’t go that far, but I have become a slave of sorts to the demands of my wristwatch. It reminds me to take more…
By Lori Sorenson, editorJanuary 04, 2022A young family stopped in the Star Herald office just after Christmas to inquire about a subscription to the newspaper. The newsroom was busy sending pages to press, so I didn’t greet them at the counter, as much as I would have liked to. From across the room, I could hear our front office staff take down their address and subscription information while small talk unfolded. “So, you’re new to…
By Lori Sorenson, editorDecember 07, 2021Those who know me know I wear my Dutch heritage like a badge of honor. I’m frugal to the core in such a way that I’ve made a sport out of finding the best deals and recycling household items. Like plastic service ware. Most plastic forks, knives and spoons in my pantry have been used, washed in the dishwater and reused more times than I can count. I get laughed at, but no one knows the difference…
By Lori SorensonNovember 16, 2021I clearly can’t be trusted alone in the office with leftover Halloween candy. This was evidenced last week during general office cleaning when contents of our wastebaskets were emptied. And apparently examined. And judged. As it turns out, my trash speaks volumes about my willpower — or lack thereof. Following the Nov. 1 Trunk ‘N Treat event, the Star Herald ended up with leftover Halloween candy…
By Lori Sorenson, editorOctober 26, 2021Carson and Gracie carved a Jack-o-lantern one crisp autumn day in early October. They selected a well-shaped, nicely textured pumpkin with a well-positioned flat spot for optimal display. On a Saturday between college homework, they scooped out the innards, baked the seeds and carved a toothy smile that they illuminated with a battery-powered votive candle. And life was good. It grinned proudly…
October 05, 2021It’s time to organize my Star Herald plans for 2022. I know this because our month-at-a-glance, 14-month spiral-bound 2022 calendar planners were distributed this week at the office. Did I prefer a teal- or raspberry-colored plastic cover? I didn’t care. My planner is propped open on my desk so the cover is never visible. “Pick one.” I chose raspberry, but it looked more like cranberry. Not that…
By Lori Sorenson, editorSeptember 14, 2021Don’t tell anyone, but I miss our old sports guy. By old, I mean he was the only one left there who’d been there longer than I had. I’ve been at the paper for 28 years if that tells you how old he is. I used to tell people we were like an old married couple. Our desks were next to each other with a short divider wall between us. He could hear me munching on snacks, and I could smell cigarettes…
By Lori Sorenson, editorAugust 17, 2021As a first-year gardener I’ve made plenty of rookie mistakes this growing season. … Planting too late in the spring, spacing plants too closely together, and not reading the directions on the seed labels. Actually, the garden wasn’t intended to be a garden in the first place. It started as a swath of dirt our neighbor turned over for us with his tiller. “How big do you want it your garden?” he…
By Lori SorensonJuly 20, 2021Our sports reporter is leaving the Star Herald to move with his wife to Portland, Oregon. It’s a beautiful part of the country where they met each other and where their close friends live. And, he said, “We’d like to do some things while we’re still young and before we have children.” He assured me he’s not leaving because his editor got after him about missing box scores and photos with feet…
By Lori Sorenson, editorJune 22, 2021I stood at the bottom of the inflatable water slide with my cell phone camera pointed at the kids tumbling through the spray and landing in a laughing heap in a puddle at the bottom. I was there on official business as the Star Herald photographer covering Hills Friendship Days, but the kids didn’t know this. A few of them looked sideways at me as they pivoted their bare feet in the muddy grass…
By Lori Sorenson, editorMay 25, 2021Hunting season is upon us, and I don’t mean pheasants or deer. I’m talking about asparagus — spotting it in its natural environment, camouflaged in roadside ditches and grassy field driveways. Asparagus hunting involves special wild game hunting instincts not utilized with big game or birds. It requires an eagle eye and heightened peripheral vision in order to spot a single green stalk among tall…
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