With the 250th anniversary of America nearing... a look back at scenes from 150 years ago By Julie Parent N.J. Trenham was a photographer who lived in Alexandria 150 years ago. He took several photos of people and places in the area that can now be viewed at area museums. These photos helped paint a picture of what life was like in this part of the country during the latter part of the 1800s. Photo courtesy of the Douglas County Historical Society On July 4, 2026, people acro

School art masterpiece refurbished, brought home By Jennie Zeitler Jeannie Brever Goligowski, who grew up in Browerville, collected buttons for the Button Madonna in 1951. She helped her grandma cut buttons, which were saved in a coffee can. She donated buttons again for the Madonna’s recent restoration. Contributed photo Sr. Elvan Drayna was a teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Little Falls in 1951, when she and her 53 third- and fourth-grade students created an artwo

Deerwood man coordinate restoration of ‘34 truck By Jillian Kellerman Quint Hanson of Deerwood is the owner of a 1934 Chevrolet 1.5-ton flatbed truck. This rare truck, originally built during the Great Depression, has been rebuilt from the ground up, as close to original specifications as possible. “It happened over a long period of time, and there were times when my wife wanted me to give it up, and I probably would have agreed with her,” Quint said, “but at some point, you

Clara City man, 101, served as a medic By Patricia Buschette Bob Brix, a 101-year-old resident of Clara City Senior Living, in Clara City, Minn., has a vivid memory of his experiences in WWII. Bob Brix at the Iwo Jima memorial. Bob was given the opportunity to travel to Washington DC to see this memorial and others as part of the Honor Flight program.  Photo by John Donner Bob was born in 1924 in North Minneapolis where he graduated from North High in January of 1942. “My fat

Silver Lake woman writes Amish romance novels By Patricia Buschette Stephanie Sorensen of Silver Lake with one of her novels “A Merry Amish Christmas.”  Sorensen’s interesting life experiences with the Amish, other groups, have helped her with developing storylines. Photo by Patricia Buschette A lifetime of choices made by Stephanie Schwartz Sorensen, 72, of Silver Lake, Minn. has led her down paths even she would never have anticipated. Born into a Jewish family in Upstate N

Hobby has become way of life for Fergus Falls man By Carol Stender Mike Streeter of Fergus Falls earned the nickname “Cast Iron Mike” for his cast iron collection and methods to remove rust and seasoning from the pans. His collection includes some unique as well as commonly used pieces from cast iron figurines to pots and pans.  Photo by Carol Stender They call him “Cast Iron Mike” for good reason. Mike Streeter of Fergus Falls is a cast iron expert and has quite a collection

Minneota man donates 25th gallon of blood Article originally appeared in the Minneota Mascot; reprinted with permission By Scott Thoma Rick Bot walked into the gymnasium at Lakeview High School in Cottonwood two days before Thanksgiving and sat in a metal folding chair waiting to be checked in for a Red Cross blood donation. None of the nurses on hand or organizers of the event knew that this man was about to do something that few others have ever been able to accomplish. Whe

Hutchinson man has volunteered for DAV for 30+ years, was recently recognized nationally By Scott Thoma Van Karg of Hutchinson has been volunteering his services as a driver for the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) organization for over 30 years, logging over 15,000 hours in the process. Van Karg of Hutchinson assists a disabled veteran to a medical appointment at the Veteran’s Hospital in St. Cloud.  Van Karg has been helping veterans through DAV for more than 30 years. Phot

Woman reluctantly retires after 69 years By Karen Flaten At 91 years old, Natalie Rosen of South Haven retired from nursing after spending 69 years in the field. “I loved it!” she said. “And I didn’t want to stop. But I fell, you see, and it became quite difficult.”       Natalie’s fall resulted in several broken ribs in 2024. The recovery was long and arduous, and she realized that trying to work while recovering from the fall was nearly impossible. So she decided to retire.

Clara City man, 101, served as a medic By Patricia Buschette Bob Brix, a 101-year-old resident of Clara City Senior Living, in Clara City, Minn., has a vivid memory of his experiences in WWII. Bob was born in 1924 in North Minneapolis where he graduated from North High in January of 1942. Bob Brix at the Iwo Jima memorial. Bob was given the opportunity to travel to Washington DC to see this memorial and others as part of the Honor Flight program.  Photo by John Donner “My fat

Hutchinson woman, 89, loves to stays active, try new things, live an adventurous life By Maggie Gray She first learned to hunt at 15, chasing the attention of a boy who spent his weekends in the woods. If she wanted his company, she figured, she’d better learn to shoulder a rifle too. That spark grew into a lifelong passion that carried her and her late husband Dale, affectionately called “Moose,” onto 300 acres of wild land outside Hutchinson. Darlene fishing with friends. C

Couple has small army of Christmas figures By Scott Thoma Brenda and Rick Swenson of New London admit they get a little “nuts” over the holidays. That self-proclaimed moniker rings true from mid-October until early January when their home in New London becomes a residential museum with over 700 nutcrackers filling nearly every available space throughout their home; even in the bathrooms. Rick and Brenda Swenson in front of a few of the 700-plus nutcrackers in their collection

Browns Valley woman, 88, has made and gifted 63 blankets the last few years  By Carol Stender Kitty Johnson is one prolific crocheter. The 88-year-old Browns Valley Health Care Center resident has completed 63 blankets over the past three years. Some were given to family and the rest to workers at the care center. “Every blanket is given freely,” she said. “It’s my way of saying thank you for helping me.” She orders and pays for the yarn online by herself. Kitty is particular

Alex woman has collected over 130 nativity sets By Julie Parent Many households have a nativity set (or two) on display as a way to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ over the Christmas season. Cathy Johnson of Alexandria has taken that celebration to the next level. She has collected more than 130 nativity sets and continues to add to her unique collection.  Cathy Johnson and her dog Chewy are surrounded by nativity sets throughout the room. Photo by Julie Parent A nativity

By Bill Vossler How do you make an oven that weighs 2,000 pounds? Basically, with a village, said Marjorie LaCoursiere of Red Lake Falls. “Jane Vignes of Climax came up with the idea,” Marjorie said. “She got the plans online, and made one herself. Since she is on the Board of Directors for AFRAN (local American/French Club) she thought it would be a good idea to make one for the Chautauqua Festival we sponsor near Huot every year. We all thought it was a good idea too.” So a

Couple first met in elementary, discovered a shared love of geocaching By Vivian (Makela) Sazama Betty Jo and Wes Sorenson of Leek Lake near Vergas never thought a friendship that began while children would return in their later years and spark into love and marriage. When Wes was in 5th grade he lived in Hawley and Betty Jo, who was in 4th grade, lived in Dilworth. “My dad liked to play poker and so my parents would go to a friend’s house in Dilworth to play. Since they coul

St. Cloud Area Fun Singers started performing in the ‘80s By Nikki Rajala Sandy Hurd, a member of the St. Cloud Area Fun Singers, doesn’t just stand there and sing a part. A volunteer at heart, she tells jokes, participates in skits, and chats up the audience afterward. Why? “Because we bring so much joy to people,” she said. “Seeing the appreciative faces of our audiences is what I like most about being in this group. We like entertaining them and they look forward to us. So

Renville man awarded Air Medal, Bronze Star, Silver Star, Purple Heart for service in Vietnam By Patricia Buschette  Leonard O. DeGree of Renville prepared for combat in Vietnam. Contributed photo In 1964, much of the news of the world focused on Vietnam because of attacks on U.S. Naval vessels by North Vietnamese forces. Known as The Gulf of Tonkin incident, it escalated U.S. military involvement. Leonard DeGree was a 1960 graduate of Renville High School who still lives in

‘Being outdoors doing what I love keeps me feeling young’ By Maggie Gray John Pennoyer of Maple Grove stands ready with his camera and zoom lens, ready to capture the perfect wildlife image. Contributed photo The lake is very still, veiled in an early morning mist, every sound magnified in the pristine quiet. Then it comes—that tremolo call, eerie and beautiful, the haunting call of the Minnesota Common Loon breaking the silence. John Pennoyer of Maple Grove waits, breath hel

Brainerd couple served for decades in Nat’l Guards By Bill Vossler Having two members of one family in the National Guard at the same time can present problems, said Kristin Rajala of Brainerd. “No children, so that wasn’t a complication. But for 20 years we gave up 25 percent of our weekend free time. And when Army business comes up outside of drill time, as an officer you need to respond,” she said. Jerry Steinke and Kris Rajala are waiting for their flight overseas into, r