News

The 53 members of the Waseca Chorale will be presenting their spring concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 10, at the Waseca High School performing arts center. Elements of the concert will feature small groups and numbers which span generations, as intimated by the title of one featured number "100 Years." Pioneer photo by Deb Bently

Chorale concert spans decades

The Waseca Chorale has titled its upcoming May 10 concert “The Greatest Show.” According to director Deb Wantoch-Yess, the name has numerous meanings. “Yes, the first and last songs are from the musical ‘The Greatest Showman,’” she observes. “The songs in between are also ‘greats’ that people...

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar embraces Tim Penny after delivering a speech during Penny’s retirement party.

Photo by Ann Staloch

A Legacy of Leadership: Penny Retires from SMIF

Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF) President and CEO Tim Penny was celebrated by more than 500 community members, colleagues, and admirers on Thursday evening at Mineral Springs Brewery in Owatonna. After 18 years at the helm of SMIF and a lifetime of public service, Penny announced...

Janesville city administrator Clinton Rogers was recently honored by the League of Minnesota Cities for his dedicated service on the state-wide organization's board of directors.

Clinton Rogers acknowledged by League of Minnesota Cities

Janesville city administrator Clinton Rogers was greeted by a pleasant surprise when two leaders of the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) arrived during the April 14 meeting of the Janesville city council. Those two were Luke Fischer, president of the LMC board of directors, and Justin Miller,...

Ellie James, a lawyer in the Waseca office of Patton, Hoversten and Berg, has deep roots in the area. She graduated from Waseca High School and has always lived in or near Waseca County. Photo by Deb Bently

PHB’s lawyer Ellie James

Ellie James has been a lawyer with Patton, Hoversten and Berg (PHB) law office in Waseca since this past December, but her connection to legal work has been ongoing ever since she earned her master’s degree in business administration and began to work with the human resources office at Rice...

Hans-Martin Buff, a German exchange student and Waseca JSHS student for one semester in 1985, won a Grammy for sound engineering while working with singer and creator Peter Gabriel.

Former WHS student wins Grammy

Hans-Martin Buff, who was an exchange student from the country of Germany at Waseca High School from September to December of 1985, recently won a Grammy Award for his sound engineering “Best Immersive Audio Album” while working on Peter Gabriel’s newest record, titled “I/O.” He currently...

Mikhail Rostislavovich next to a banner earned by the Waseca Exchange Club for its initiatives to help prevent child abuse.

Appalling childhood abuse motivates success, advocacy

While Waseca’s Mikhail Rostislavovich is active in a wide array of organizations and initiatives, he feels connected to one of them in a deeply personal way. A central pillar of the National Exchange Club of America is taking steps to prevent child abuse–so much so that the organization sponsors...

Ada Weber and Annabelle Jerry got their face and hands painted at the 13th Annual Bluejay Blast on Saturday, April 12, 2025. Annabelle said she couldn’t smile because it would ruin the picture being painted.

Bluejay Blast provides fun, supports education initiatives

The gym and cafeteria of the Waseca Intermediate School were humming with activity the morning of Saturday, April 12, for the Waseca Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) fundraiser known as the “Bluejay Blast.” More than 350 people attended and around $25,000 was raised. Among the first sights...

Lawyer Emily Loomis has rediscovered her appreciation for the small-town lifestyle since joining local law firm Patton, Hoversten and Berg. Pioneer photo by Deb Bently

PHB’s Lawyer Emily Loomis

Emily Loomis, a lawyer with Patton, Hoversten and Berg (PHB) in Waseca, changed the course of her college training from criminology to law after learning a shortage of quality lawyers in the U.S. reduces people’s access to justice. When she finished an undergraduate degree at the University of...

Waseca High School seniors Lexi Kanewischer (left) and Sophie Chawra will be taking part in national-level competition at the Business Professionals of America convention in Orlando, Florida, from May 7 to 11. Pioneer photo by Deb Bently

Two Waseca seniors headed to national business competition

Waseca High School seniors Sophie Chawra and Lexi Kanewischer both earned a trip to compete at the Business Professionals of America (BPA) national leadership convention set for May 7 to 11 in Orlando, Florida after placing well enough in state competition in early March. The two advanced to...

The back wall of the building at 115 South State Street in Waseca fell in two sections at about 1:15 the afternoon of Wednesday, April 2. No one was injured; tenants have been helped in finding temporary housing. Pioneer photo by Eli Lutgens

Back wall of 115 S. State Street falls, displaces tenants

The back wall of an apartment building located at 115 South State Street in Waseca collapsed between 1 p.m. and 1:17 p.m. Wednesday, April 2. There were no injuries reported; power and gas were turned off that same day. First responders answered the call at 1:15 p.m. Waseca Police Chief Kris...