News

Sacred Heart marathon reaches fundraising goal

Sacred Heart School held their marathon and following celebration the evening of Wednesday, April 30. There were around 200 participants, from young to old, runners or walkers and they met their fundraising goal of $37,500. The trip around Loon Lake is about two miles. Before the marathon was...

JWP senior Eric Daschner has participated in seven JWP musicals, and four productions

at the Mankato Playhouse Theater. His final performances in "Jesus Christ Superstar" will be this coming weekend.

JWP senior expands to professional productions

Eric Daschner, a senior at Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton schools, has not only been an active participant in his district’s music programs–including band, choir, and school musicals–he has performed in four professional-level productions at the Mankato Playhouse in the Civic Center Plaza....

From left: Olivia Hoppe, Mikhail Rostislavovich, Mary Catherine Solberg, and Penny Vought.

Solberg and Hoppe Exhibit

The Waseca Art Center hosted a reception on Thurs. evening, May 1 for an exhibition of artwork by Olivia Hoppe and Mary Catherine Solberg, two artists from far afield. Considering the pouring rain on Thurs. evening, the reception was surprisingly well attended. Mikhail Rostislavovich, current...

From left: Brad Donner, Dwight Tostenson, Marlys Monahan, Karen Weckwerth, Jay Dulas, Diane Beckmann, Robin Dulas, and Mikhail Rostislavovich were present for another installment of Straight Talk with Sheriff Jay Dulas on Friday, May 2, 2025.

Sheriff describes staff, shares summer cautions

At another installment of the monthly gathering “Straight Talk with Sheriff Jay Dulas” on Friday, May 2, there was a medium-sized crowd with a few extra filtering in during the event. Straight Talk is the first Friday of each month at the Waseca Area Chamber of Commerce office on Waseca’s State...

Members of the Waseca High School Youth, Service, Leadership course are Easton Danks, Tristan Godwin, Jonathan Gransee, Lauren Grant, Aiden Harrison, Mia Kanewischer, Joseph Mixteco-Perez, Gracie Morgan, Remy Murphy, Carson Ohnstad, Deron Russell, Paolo Sandoval-Pliego, Takya Schoenrock, Kylie Snow, Hannah Teague and Molly Volovsek.

Prom event brings cheerfulness to facility residents

“If we had shown up in a dress like that,” observed Darreth Swenson regarding the form-fitting, somewhat low-cut dresses young ladies were wearing at the “prom” celebration at Lakeshore Inn on April 30, “the teachers would probably have sent us home.” It’s not that Swenson, who went to prom at...

Senior members of the JWP National Honor Society include Ethan Born, Isaiah Berndt, Luke Cahill, Sophia Coulsey, Eric Daschner, Brielle Dessner, Hope Dimmel, Madyn Holland, Lydia Huelsnitz, Presley James, Ellah Oliver, Abigail Sobolik, Autumn Thissen, Claire Walz and Paige Walz. Juniors who will be continuing their participation next year are Tiera Anderson, Alexandra Hanks, Brielle James, Kwynn Krause, Ellie Morsching, Katelyn Olson, Nevaeh Weimert, Mikayla Wheelock, and newly inducted members Emma Huelsnitz, Hudson Miller, Rachelle Oelke, Maija Tolbert, Grace Sanny and Mason Zimmerman.

JWP NHS inducts six new members, summarizes projects

Six members of the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton (JWP) junior class–Emma Huelsnitz, Hudson Miller, Rachelle Oelke, Maija Tolbert, Grace Sanny and Mason Zimmerman–joined the 23 existing members of the district’s National Honor Society (NHS) during a ceremony at the school auditorium the evening of...

Erik Vlasak and the Wild Ones have been producing performances for the ICAN talent show for the past several years. For the April 23 show, the group prepared a mix of three rock songs. Pictured with Erik here are Joy Gottschalk, Megan Johannek and Jen Williamson.

ICAN hosts 17th talent show

The Waseca Independent Counseling and Advocacy Network (ICAN) held its seventeenth annual talent show titled, “Setting the Scene in Year 17” on Tuesday, April 23, at the Central building auditorium. ICAN serves vulnerable individuals, including some with intellectual and developmental...

Amber Ewert is the owner/operator of Country Blooms greenhouse, located about 5 miles south of Janesville along Country Road 3. The business will be open for sales beginning May 3 with a variety of vegetables, flowers, and potted arrangements. Pioneer photo by Deb Bently

Country Blooms Greenhouse nurtures plants, persistence

When Janesville area resident Amber Ewert learned Mankato’s Hilltop Florist was putting a greenhouse up for auction in 2015 she was delighted. “I always thought it would be fulfilling to grow things for a living,” she remembers. Many elements were already well placed for following that dream....

TenacityAg dealer Daniel Nelson and his son Benjamin, then 2, watch as a drone approaches. In addition to selling agricultural drones across a wide region that includes Waseca County, Nelson owns a custom spraying business near Windom.

Drones diversity fieldwork options, create possibilities

Tenacity Ag dealer Daniel Nelson has a number of drones for agricultural use in the Waseca area. With his family, Nelson farms 3,000 acres of corn and soybeans near Windom, operates three turkey finishing barns, and has a custom spraying business. When it comes to drones, he admits to being...

MAGIC HANDS - Emma Olson, owner of Sanctuary of Serenity massage in New Richland, suggests that getting a massage is an investment in one's own health. Pioneer photo by Deb Bently

New Richland Masseuse kneads out the knots

Emma Olson, owner of Sanctuary of Serenity massage in New Richland, has a question for people who think of massage as a luxury: “Would you rather be dealing with wellness or illness?” Olson has been a masseuse since 2019, when she completed the massage therapy program at LaJames College in...