News

FIREWORKS - An uncountable number of spectators circled Waseca’s Clear Lake for the city’s annual July 4 fireworks display. Photos from all of Lakefest 2022 can be found on Page 16

Pioneer photo by Deb Bently

Lakefest 2022

Waseca’s annual 4th of July “Lakefest” celebration featured musical acts ranging from local to national. Although rain and thunderstorms early in the day threatened the afternoon of festivities, the weather turned just in time for things to stay on schedule. The lineup of acts began at 3 p.m....

Gavin Vesper, Kaden Oliver and Rick Scholbrock of Kid Power Pedal Pulls. The group will be putting on an event at the Waseca County Free Fair Thursday, July 14 at 6 p.m.

Power pedaling for two decades

Every summer for 20 years, Rick Scholbrock has fulfilled his greatest passion through his company, Kid Power Pedal Pulls. Working out of a small Northern Iowa town, Scholbrock is famously known, and likely to be recognized by anyone attending a local fair, as the “kids’ tractor pull guy.” He and...

A birthday party at the meeting

At the Waldorf City Council Meeting on the night of Monday, June 13, small town friendliness and a need to get work done intersected. The meeting started with a little excitement when Waldorf Mayor Rob Wilkening nearly dropped, but safely delivered a birthday cake for city clerk DeeAnn Britton...

Preliminary budget approved

The Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton School Board adopted its preliminary 2023 fiscal year budget at its meeting on Monday, June 20. The 2022-23 projection for the general fund revenue budget was $9.194,278, down 9.81 percent from the $10,194,703 revenue for 21-22. The only budget items that...

Unity Gifts closes doors

In November 2021, Beth Hanson realized a lifelong dream in the form of her consignment store, Unity Gifts. Early last month, Hanson closed the doors for the last time. Unity Gifts was a consignment store which offered items made or upcycled by area vendors. The store was filled with unique...

Progress at Oelke Park

Janesville council member Jim Mulcahey was pleased to share news about the progress of Oelke Park in the Northwood neighborhood at the Monday, June 27 meeting. The Oelke family, who donated the land for the park, were pleased with its progress. “The Oelkes offered to pay for the signage at the...

Waseca clinic plans to add physicians

The Mayo Clinic facility in Waseca is a critical access hospital, which means that it must meet specific requirements to continue receiving certain funding. One such requirement is that the facility have no more than 25 beds: it has 12 and is considering increasing the number in the future. A...

Enrollment down, budget trimmed

A subject of lengthy discussion at the June 16 Waseca School Board meeting was the 2022-23 “preliminary” budget. Planning was complicated by a drastic 100-person drop in student enrollment compared to past years, which will dramatically reduce state funding. The 2021-22 school year ended with...

A computer generated image and detailed sketch of the proposed dispatch center.

Dispatch center remodel approved

During its June 21 meeting, the Waseca board of county commissioners approved $198,025 to update and redesign the dispatch center in the county sheriff’s office. Sheriff Brad Milbraith told commissioners that the equipment currently in use dates from 2003 and receives round-the-clock use, so...

Pastor Kathy King greets the congregation as they begin their service June 26, at Blooming Grove United Methodist Church. King also serves as a pastor for the Janesville and Waterville Methodist Churches. Pioneer photo by Michael Roy

Blooming Grove addition blessed

Members of Methodist congregations in Janesville and Waterville took part in a joint celebration Sunday, June 26, 2022, to commemorate the completion of a new addition at the Blooming Grove United Methodist Church in rural Morristown. While Minnesota bishop David Bard visited to help bless the...