lori sorenson
By Lori Sorenson, editorAugust 25, 2020My grade school report cards surfaced during a recent cleaning at my childhood home. The yellowed paper told the story of a good student, with mostly As and some Bs, but she had trouble following instructions. In the section for teacher observations, the line, “Listens well to instructions,” sometimes was noted with a minus sign rather than a satisfactory plus sign. It used to annoy me, but it…
By Lori Sorenson, editorJuly 28, 2020I returned to the Star Herald office Monday after a refreshing vacation in the crisp dry air of the South Dakota Black Hills. The 80-degree, 70-percent humidity weather that welcomed us home was hard enough, but Monday was Day 1 of Minnesota’s indoor mask mandate. I hate to complain, but it was a bit of a struggle, especially considering the outdoor breathing I’d grown fond of on the ATV trails.…
By Lori Sorenson, editorJune 30, 2020A “novel” virus is, by definition, a new virus, not previously identified. When it emerged six months ago scientists knew nothing about it, except that it was highly contagious and could kill people. Today we know a little about it, like how it’s transmitted and what it’s capable of. But mostly, it seems, the more we learn, the less we know. Things at first believed to be true about it (like, it…
By Lori Sorenson, editorJune 02, 2020More than once in the past several days, I’ve opened my mouth to say something profound, but stopped short, realizing that words aren’t enough. There simply are no words to describe the occurrences of the past week in Minneapolis and their ripple effect statewide and now in cities across the nation. There are no words to explain why a police officer would lean on the neck of an already handcuffed…
By Lori SorensonMay 05, 2020Something truly remarkable happened one gray day in April. I’m still shaking my head over it. The high school senior wandered into the kitchen on a Saturday afternoon. “Mom, let’s take my graduation photo.” I just about dropped the frying pan. This is the kid who hates to have his photo taken and was dragging his feet for the graduation portrait. “Now?” “Yeah. What should I wear?” “Something with…
By Lori Sorenson, editorApril 07, 2020My oldest son earned a law enforcement degree a couple of years ago at a time when mothers might worry about their sonsworking in law enforcement. So, when he took a job in security and surveillance at Avera McKennan, I felt comforted to know he’d be less often in harm’sway. How many armed bad guys hang out in the ER waiting room? Lately, with the coronavirus closing in from all sides,…
By Lori Sorenson, editorMarch 10, 2020Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Paul McCartney further said, “You can judge a man's true character by the way he treats his fellow animals.” If this is true, it’s safe to say we have a great community blessed by people of solid character, given the outpouring of support for the upcoming “Paws for a Cause” event. Anyone…
By Lori Sorenson, editorFebruary 18, 2020I enjoyed taste-testing chili last week at Schomackers Home Galleries where family members (who happen to be business partners) competed for bragging rights to the best recipe. Brothers Joe and Tony Schomacker and their dad, Randy, were chili cooks, and Sharon baked sweets to sell on the side. The whole thing raised money for local charity. To make it more interesting, the three crockpots of…
January 21, 2020My high school senior caught me off guard last fall with the announcement, “Mom, I’m playing hockey this year.” This from the kid who’s never played hockey … Not that he hasn’t wanted to; we just aren’t hockey people. By that I mean his mother had neither the will nor the means to keep up with our hockey friends on the road and in hotel rooms. I drove my child to open skate as often as he asked,…
By Lori Sorenson, editorDecember 17, 2019Mom wasn’t a fan of Christmas. She didn’t raise her children to believe in Santa and our tree didn’t go up until well into December. Mostly Mom despised the commercialism of the holidays, openly cringing at the first Christmas ad on TV or first decorations to show up on store shelves. Of course, it didn’t help that the ag economy crashed when she and Dad had five children looking forward to gifts…
By Lori Sorenson, editorNovember 19, 2019I was an honored guest for Luverne’s ninth-grade Career Day on Nov. 13 when invited local professionals shared insights into their jobs. In the days leading up to Career Day, I pondered the message I’d share with these young minds. What could I tell 14-year-olds about what I do that would matter to them? Their teacher, Jason Berghorst, encouraged me to talk about careers in journalism. I did. And…
By Lori Sorenson, editorOctober 22, 2019My husband’s parents lost their home in the Sept. 11 flood that sent Split Rock Creek outside its banks, over roads and bridges and straight through their farmyard in northwestern Rock County. My Sept. 19 column spoke of a DNR water rescue and told the story of generosity and gratitude in the face of tragedy. Today there’s an update to the saga of the flood-displaced couple whose 65-year marriage…
By Lori SorensonSeptember 17, 2019My husband’s parents, Arden and Mary Ellen, said good-bye this week to their little house on the banks of Split Rock Creek. The rolling green pastures, lush farm ground and thick grove of trees are deceptively tranquil considering the destructive force of the river in high-water years. For decades, a closely monitored sump pump kept flood damage at bay — until last week when an 8-inch deluge 30…
By Lori Sorenson, editorAugust 20, 2019I got a new keyboard for my Mac at the Star Herald last week, and in addition to being shiny and new (and clean), it has a new sound. A satisfying sound. … Almost like a typewriter, minus the ding of the return cartridge. Clickety clackety clickety clackety … “It sounds very productive,” a fellow news writer observed. My previous keyboard arrived quietly. With little ado. Its plastic casing with…
By Lori SorensonJuly 23, 2019Pain is part of being human, and the hard lessons we learn from pain often help shape us into better people. There are entire Pinterest pages of inspiring quotes about living and growing through pain, and most of them — most of the time — make sense. “At the end of every dark storm there is a bright rainbow,” for example. But what does this mean for those who live with chronic physical pain?…
By Lori Sorenson, editorJune 25, 2019From my seat in the machine shop, I observed the turkey fryer a safe distance away with one recurring thought: There’s got to be a column in here somewhere. It started five days earlier when I found a Butterball turkey in the bottom of the chest freezer. It was a holiday gift from a farm supplier just last year, so the bird was still fresh and, better yet, free. Several days later, the husband…
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