Stargazing - by Eli Lutgens

An in-depth look at newspaper construction

The last few newspaper editions have been what I describe as 70-email and 100-missed-phone-call days. Every day I wake up to anywhere from at least 50 and up to 70 or more emails. Of those, only a dozen or two usually require responses. I have a system. I drag emails to various boxes for their...

Don't drink and do stupid things

I was awoken at 2 a.m. Saturday morning to the sounds of screeching tires and brakes. A minivan had stopped behind my apartment and lights were shining into my apartment. A few minutes later, the vehicle parked in my neighbor's driveway. After calming down I was almost back to sleep when I...

New, exciting, expensive hobbies

Tuesday afternoon I had the pleasure of attending the Waseca Exchange Club meeting. The day prior, Mikhail, the Exchange president, had shared the presentation he was going to be giving with me in advance: it was about his experiences on Sept. 11, 2001. It remained powerful as I heard it for the...

Remembering September 11

Monday afternoon I sat down for lunch with Mikhail to talk about his 9/11 story. His story was powerful, emotional and moving. We were in agreement that the story he shared should simply be in his words. With this edition of the paper publishing on 9/11, I wanted to feature stories...

Thank you Mayo, Grandma's Kitchen

Last Monday I was at an Albert Lea Kwik Trip store when a voice I had not heard in a long time said, “Hi Eli.” In disbelief I turned around, stunned. The man saw my face and said, “Grandma’s Kitchen.” It was Bob, former owner and cook at a restaurant my dad and I frequented...

Tennis courts to hospital beds

Last week I attended a Waseca tennis match where I ran into numerous folks. Most notably, Blake and Blain Nelson. It was a Thursday, so I asked Blake if he had read the Braves baseball article I published in the Pioneer. Of course, he did. “I can never talk to you during a...

Moments I know print isn't dead

Last week our anniversary edition went to print and thus, a convoy of Pioneer staff members made the long trek to Madelia’s House of Print to pick up more than 10,000 newspapers to be delivered to various post offices. The drive was pleasant. Due to construction, I ended up taking a route I had...

Reflecting on time passed

Thank you to our readers, advertisers, employees and everyone who makes the Waseca County Pioneer possible. As we celebrate our third anniversary and begin our fourth year, I want to reflect, personally, on the time that’s passed. The first three years of the Pioneer have been a battle...

Scenes from Farm and City Days

Another successful Farm and City Days celebration is in the books. A couple things really stood out to me as I spent my Saturday walking New Richland’s main street. The number of events for kids. I was really happy seeing the large amount of entertainment for youths. Ever since...

Six miles from the front line, far from home

Two of my best friends, Kyle and Anastasiia, (both in their 30s) were in town visiting Monday and Tuesday. They are now permanent Floridians, but still have family in Southern Minnesota. Yesterday we had dinner together and spent the evening chatting. Anastasiia is from Ukraine. Her...