living history

20 years ago Excerpts from the Feb. 6, 1997 Pioneer Journal • Johnson found guilty of murder A Wadena man was convicted Thursday of strangling his wife to death and hiding her body in an excavated portion of her Wadena home last July. Jerry Lewis "J.J." Johnson, 38, was convicted...

20 years ago Excerpts from the Jan. 30, 1997 Pioneer Journal • Lead plagues Wadena family What would you do? That is what Jay Steward is asking. Steward moved his family to Wadena in May of 1995. He was looking for a safer environment for his wife and children. But along with the...

10 years ago Excerpts from the Jan. 25, 2007 Pioneer Journal • Gas under $2 for first time in two years This week, area drivers turned from the gas pump to cast their eyes on a sight they haven't witness in nearly two years - the number "1" leading the price of gas. Wadena gas prices...

10 years ago Excerpts from the Jan. 18, 2007 Pioneer Journal • Wadena Walmart opens Monday Among many new features, employees at the Wadena Walmart will wear navy blue tops with khaki pants instead of the traditional vests. "I think we're the second store in the state to implement...

10 years ago Excerpts from the Jan. 11, 2007 Pioneer Journal • Council cuts Maas bill The Wadena City Council lowered an assessment bill that included demolition of a playhouse in Wadena resident Mim Maas's yard after she appealed the decision. In a letter dated Dec. 27, Maas said...

10 years ago Excerpts from the Jan. 4, 2007 Pioneer Journal • Carr Sr. hands keys to Carr Jr. Mike Carr handed over the keys to his son, Mike Carr Jr., on Tuesday after serving as Wadena County Sheriff for 28 years. "For me, today is kind of a bittersweet day," Mike Jr. said. "I've...

25 years ago Excerpts from the Dec. 26, 1991 Pioneer Journal • Schools win equal levy lawsuit A judge in a district court has ruled what many school officials have believed for a long time. Reliance on referendum levies is unconstitutional. The levies create disparities in spending...

25 years ago Excerpts from the Dec. 19, 1991 Pioneer Journal • Wadena man killed in crash A rural Wadena man was fatally injured in a two-vehicle collision that occurred at the intersection of County Road 127 and township road T49 in Leaf River Township last Thursday.

15 years ago Excerpts from the Dec. 13, 2001 Pioneer Journal • Homecrest benefits from training grant Employees at Homecrest will receive more on-the-job training thanks to a $339,515 grant received by Teamworks, Inc. Some of the area's tax dollars have come home to Wadena in the...

10 years ago Excerpts from the Nov. 30, 2006 Pioneer Journal • Skogen named vice chair of committee State Senator-Elect Dan Skogen (DFL-Hewitt) has been named vice chair of the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee. "The environment is important to the many area resort...

15 years ago Excerpts from the Nov. 22, 2001 Pioneer Journal • Book fans wait in line for much-anticipated Harry Potter movie All the Voldemorts in the world couldn't stop eight-year-old Brendan Lauer from opening night of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

15 years ago Excerpts from the Nov. 15, 2001 Pioneer Journal • Two dog breaks from dog pounds within county In two separate incidents, dogs were broken out of Wadena County dog pounds in the last two weeks. One dog and suspect are still at large and one dog owner has been charged....

25 years ago Excerpts from the Nov. 7, 1991 Pioneer Journal • Lundquist, Tubandt, Wolden in Incumbent Jan Tubandt and newcomer Wayne Wolden were elected to five-year terms on the Wadena City Council in Tuesday's general election. In his first campaign, Wolden was the top vote getter....

25 years ago Excerpts from the Oct. 31, 1991 Pioneer Journal • Old Wadena supporters still look for way to save site In some ways efforts to organize an Old Wadena revitalization group took a step back at this week's meeting with Department of Tourism Regional Manager Frank Allen....

20 years ago Excerpts from the Oct. 31, 1996 Pioneer Journal • Deer Creek cattle, buildings destroyed in Saturday's storm A power outage shortly after 5 p.m. delayed Roy and Betty Redfield from milking cows on Saturday. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. So did Audrey Grove's...