News

Janesville council approves payloader

At the February 10 meeting at 7 p.m., the Janesville City Council also approved the purchase of a payloader from Cat, Model 930 for $254,095 over the John Deere model 544P offered at $255,400.12. Additionally, Public Works Director Joe Ziemke recommended going with the Cat would break down th; e...

JWP tables student survey

By RACHAEL JAEGER Staff Writerr During their Feb. 10 meeting, members of the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton (JWP) school board postponed a decision regarding whether district students should take part in an annual statewide survey meant to collect anonymous information about student lifestyles...

Attorney talks cannabis ordinance

During their regular meeting on Feb. 10, members of the Janesville city council tabled the cannabis ordinance until the next meeting, unable to come to a decision about the distances cannabis businesses should be separated from sensitive locations such as parks, schools, and daycare facilities....

Carson Petry is crowned champion of Class A, 127 lbs at this year's state tournament after a 12-3 decision over Reed Sommer (Kenyon-Wanamingo). Pioneer photo by Eli Lutgens

Kuball does it again; Petry captures state title

Waseca County schools sent 13 wrestlers representing Class A and AA to compete in the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) state tournament this past weekend, Feb. 27 to March 1, 2025. Senior Keegan Kuball of WEM-JWP won his third straight state championship at 285 lbs in class A. ...

Waseca native and 2018 Waseca High School graduate Alison Dufault has been writing and releasing music since 2023. An excerpt of her single "Rest of Me" is used in the recently released film "Love Me," starring Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun. She has been living in Los Angeles since starting college there in 2018.

Alison Dufault building her career in Los Angeles

A section of a song written and performed by Alison Dufault, a 2018 graduate of Waseca High School, is featured in the 2025 film “Love Me” starring Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun. The movie is set in a future time when humanity no longer exists: two artificially intelligent machines–a buoy and a...

Vanessa Jensen, area district manager for the Junior Achievement program, was a guest speaker at the Waseca Exchange Club meeting on Feb. 25. Pictured here are Mikhail Rostislavovich, Exchange Club president; Jensen; and Exchange Club leaders Jeanne Sexton and Perry Berg.

Pioneer photo by Deb Bently

Junior Achievement seeking volunteers

Vanessa Jensen, district manager of “Junior Achievement North,” which covers the communities of Waseca, Medford and Owatonna, spoke to about 20 members of the Waseca Exchange Club during its regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 25. Jensen described the organization’s programs, which focus on...

County addresses legislation, jail, and court services

Along with numerous items of business, Waseca County Commissioners and county administrator Michael Johnson spent some time during their Feb. 18 meeting addressing the question of “legislative priorities.” Commissioners had visits scheduled with state-level representatives during the week of Feb...

Loon Lake island damage due to bird droppings

A central topic of discussion at the Feb. 18 Waseca City Council’s second meeting of the month was the damage done to trees on the island in Loon Lake by the acidic doppings of double-crested cormorants, a species of bird known to cause significant environmental damage. Present to discuss how...

Miss Waseca County Sleigh and Cutter May Naudidy, Miss Owatonna Teen Kaylee Smith, Miss Waseca County Sleigh and Cutter Teen Paige Johnson, Miss Owatonna Jasmin Kotek, Miss South Central's Teen Amaya Raths and Miss Great Lakes Maura Erickson were in the Waseca Sleigh and Cutter Parade on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.

Pioneer photo by Ben Revermann

Sleigh and Cutter could ‘hardly have gone better’

After more than 30 years as the head of the 15-member Sleigh and Cutter committee, Ken Borgmann is well acquainted with all the things that can go wrong on the day of the Sleigh and Cutter parade. This year, he says cheerfully, “It could hardly have gone better.” The seventy-fifth Sleigh and...

The Waldorf Veterans Memorial Park has completed the first stage of completion. The park should be finished in August of 2026.

Waldorf Veterans Memorial Park expected in 2026

By Ben Revermann Staff writer The Veterans Memorial Garden, the first portion of the Waldorf Veterans Memorial Park (WVMP) has been completed. Development for this project began in early June 2024, intended completion is set for August of 2026. Actual cost to complete the garden reached...