By Lexi MooreHills resident Luella Schleuter will retire from the news industry after making local information her business for nearly half a century."Hills Local News," her column, has been published weekly in the Hills Crescent for decades. She began writing for the paper when her husband, George, was publisher in the mid-1900’s.Shortly after relocating to Hills with George, Luella began her role as Hills correspondent. "I decided to help, so I went around to businesses and asked for news," said Schleuter in a 2001 Hills Crescent story.In addition, she gathered news about residents’ travels and visitors for each week’s paper.Two weeks ago, Schleuter informed Crescent editor Lexi Moore that she intended to retire at the end of the month."I will be moving into an apartment and starting a new part of my life," she said. "I need to retire. I just can’t do everything anymore."Even after her retirement, Schleuter believed local families and businesses of Hills would continue to call her with news if the Crescent did not hire a new columnist to cover local news. Not long after beginning her search for the right candidate, Schleuter contacted Cheryl Pavel.Pavel has been a Hills resident since 1994 when she and her husband, Rich, relocated here from Valley Springs."We always liked the Hills area and decided we would go get a house there instead of putting money into our old home," Cheryl said.Rich and Cheryl were raising their five-year-old granddaughter until Rich passed away in the fall of 2005. After Rich’s death, Cheryl assumed sole custody of the little girl and became a single mother. In dealing with her many changes in life, Cheryl had decided to try some new things and was eager to accept Luella’s offer."I felt very honored she thought of me," she said. "This is something totally different than what I have done in the past. It sounded really fun."Although Cheryl doesn’t have prior experience as a columnist, Tollefson Publishing hired her as the new "Hills Local News" columnist based on her enthusiasm and interest in Hills.Her first column, with the assistance of Schleuter, appears in this week’s issue.Residents are encouraged to call or write her with local news, events and visitors at 962-3344.Although the Crescent will miss having Schleuter on staff, staff members are looking forward to a long business relationship with Cheryl.
