This irreverent group gathered at Cy's in Chaska after work today to honor Mark Weber's departure from Southwest Newspapers. Stan hired Mark (seated at left) in the late 70s as a reporter. He became editor then publisher of the Eden Prairie News and ultimately served as General Manager of the newspaper company. Beer and appetizers seasoned non-stop war stories in an uproarious reminder of the good, bad and crazy times in community journalism. Times have changed, of course: Immediately after retiring in 2008, Stan's name appeared weekly on the Chaska Herald masthead as "Publisher Emeritus." Sadly, that honorific had to be scrapped, an unapologetic Bob Suel (back row, left) explained to his ex-boss, to make room for the newspaper's Twitter feed address.
