Nose for News, By Sarah Stultz

I sat on the edge of my seat this last week waiting for updates about the nationwide search for Blooming Prairie woman Lois Riess, who is suspected in the shooting deaths of her husband, David Riess, and Florida woman Pamela Hutchinson.

I don’t know if it’s my news background or the fact that this woman was from only about 30 minutes away that captured my interest in this case. After all, it’s not every day that something that happened literally in our own backyard took the attention of the nation.

I found myself checking for news updates multiple times a day through simple Google news searches and also through the Associated Press.

I was surprised and somewhat nervous the search continued as long as it did — based on the allegations — and was relieved to hear when she was found at a restaurant in South Padre Island in Texas less than 30 miles from the border to Mexico.

What was particularly interesting to me was how authorities had received a call from a restaurant manager who had reportedly seen her earlier that day. Though they arrived at the restaurant a few minutes too late, she was ultimately arrested later that evening at a restaurant down the street. I’m sure that man’s phone call helped tremendously.

What did I learn as someone who was watching this case unfold from the outside?

As responsible citizens, we have to pay attention to what’s around us. Though we most likely won’t be in the situation where we’re looking for murder suspects — thankfully — we can keep an eye out for our neighborhoods and our communities for any actions that might be linked to criminal behavior.

If we’re paying attention, we can sometimes pick up on  unusual behavior and then alert our local law enforcement authorities.

We’ve heard the importance of doing that from Albert Lea police before regarding car break-ins and other incidents, and I think it can apply to many areas.

On the Riess case, there are still many unknowns, and I hope the families of all involved can receive more answers.

New issue coming out later this week

Our next issue of Albert Lea Magazine is slated to come out at the end of this week, and I couldn’t be more excited for you all to see it now that warm weather is arriving. It is our gardening issue, and I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready to get out and garden! We interviewed community gardeners and an Albert Lea family who is teaching their children the joys of gardening. There are also lots of fun recipes that you can try out once your fresh produce starts coming in.

Our cover feature is about a remodel of a twin home owned by Lynn and Cyndy Bartness. It was a pleasure to see all the work that had been done in that home, and I look forward to showing it to all of you.

Make sure to pick up a copy here at the Tribune when it’s in or around town.

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Tribune. Her column appears every Tuesday.