News

MADE WITH LOVE - From left: Lincoln Stenzel, Nathan and Lydia Ewert were on hand for the Stuffed Animal Workshop at the Janesville Public Library on Monday, July 7, 2025.

Stuffed with love

Children were invited to a stuffed animal workshop at the Janesville Public Library the afternoon of Monday, July 7. With high temperatures outside, the air conditioning was working just fine inside as a group of ten children seated around a big table were instructed on how to fill their animals...

Shelby Kaiser (left) and Alyssa Barbknecht serve coffee to visitors at the Waseca farmers’ market the morning of Saturday, June 21.

Waseca coffee brews success

Waseca county residents Alyssa Barbknecht and Shelby Kaiser joked with each other about owning a coffee shop for about a year before they realized both were serious. “She sent me a trailer on Facebook for sale and she’s like, ‘What do you think?’” Kaiser said. “I’m like, ‘Let’s go look at...

Obsolete structure forces new plans

Several months of planning and anticipation were suddenly undone when members of the Waseca County Board of Commissioners learned there is no cost-effective way to remodel the current county law enforcement center, which houses the county jail and numerous county offices, including the sheriff’s...

Lifelong Elysian resident Pat Nusbaum has been helping plan and carry out the city's annual five-day Fourth of July celebration for 41 years.

Elysian celebration brings simple enjoyment

Perhaps the best way to sum up Pat Nusbaum’s connection with the Elysian Fourth of July event is to say “One thing led to another.” After 41 years at the helm, however, perhaps the words “and another, and another, and another” should be added. Nusbaum, 81, has been connected to...

‘West water tower’ and Marketplace advancing

The “west water tower” and advancements toward the MarketPlace construction easements were discussed during the 25-minute regular Waseca city council meeting June 17. After discussion, the council approved a resolution authorizing and supporting an application for state bonding dollars to...

Area students receive academic accolades

Many local students have earned academic recognitions during the 2025 spring semester at their respective colleges and universities. These recognitions typically include earning a high grade point average, usually around 3.5 GPA and above. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Madi Berndt,...

Located in New Richland, this pole-mounted siren is part of the county-wide system for notifying area residents of possible tornadoes. There are 12 sirens spread across the county's four communities.

County adopts new siren activation policy

During the June 17 county board meeting, Waseca County Emergency Services Director Denise Wright shared a new policy regarding when severe weather sirens will be activated in Waseca County. Wright shared that she recently met with Sheriff Jay Dulas regarding siren activation, and also researched...

Thanks to numerous projects around the city, drivers will be seeing a number of "road closed" signs as summer progresses.

Waseca sees construction

With summer now in full swing, construction season has returned to Waseca. City Engineer Nate Willey said there is a lot of work underway in Waseca this summer, with projects ranging from rehabilitating significant lengths of roadways to replacing small portions of various sidewalks. He...

Missy Donner, artist Chad Holliday, Waseca Art Council President Mikhail Rostislavovich and artist Carla Hanson-Melander greeted visitors at the Waseca Art Gallery's latest opening on Thursday, June 19, 2025.

Waseca Art Center featuring pair of new artists

The most recent displays at the Waseca Art Gallery were celebrated on Thursday, June 19. Carla Hanson-Melander, painter/designer/sculptor and Chad Holliday, Master of Fine Arts in glass sculpting/metal fabricating and jewelry design were presented in the latest installment of artistic...

Randy Raub, left, gave horse roping lessons to attendees at last year’s annual picnic and meeting of the Waseca County Horse Thief Detectives, an organization which has been in existence for 161 years. This year's meeting will be July 4 at Waseca's Northeast Park beginning at 11:30.

Horse Thief Detectives to meet

The Waseca County Horse Thief Detective Society will begin its annual meeting at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, July 4 and continue well into the afternoon at Waseca’s Northeast Park. All interested families and individuals are encouraged to attend. On the agenda is a report of the...