By Mavis Fodness
December 27, 2023
Three Luverne High School students are bringing attention to congenital heart defects and the local FCCLA chapter.
Senior Brooklyn Wicks and juniors Bethany Behr and Nora Louwagie worked as a team to raise $370 in a bake sale Dec. 10 at St. Catherine Church.
The trio are members of the LHS Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) chapter. They hope their STAR (Students Taking…
By Mavis Fodness
December 27, 2023
More than 30 contractors gathered in the Hills-Beaver Creek Secondary School media center Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 19, in Hills for the bid opening to construct a new elementary school in Beaver Creek.
A total of 82 bids were received for the 33 identified construction projects necessary for the new elementary school.
Overall, bids ranged from $68,250 for the sealing of joints to $4.596 million…
By Mavis Fodness
December 27, 2023
Terry Eernisse of Luverne will begin as the Luverne Public Schools business manager on Jan. 4.
Eernisse, a 1993 LHS graduate, comes to the district after 25 years in the banking industry.
He currently works as an underwriter with First National Bank in Sioux Falls, a position he has held for the past six years. Previously, he worked 16 years with Wells Fargo.
As a commuter, Eernisse said he…
By Mavis Fodness
December 27, 2023
With a budget of over $18 million, Luverne Public Schools tried to keep the impact to local taxpayers “neutral” coming into the new year.
“That’s been the philosophy we’ve used here for a long time,” said Superintendent Craig Oftedahl.
During his tenure, the highest levy amount has been 5 percent. In the last nine years, the levy has been 2 percent or lower.
The 2024 school district levy will…
By Mavis Fodness
December 27, 2023
The Hills-Beaver Creek School District personnel received praise Monday night, Dec. 11, when auditor Matt Taubert with Meulebroeck, Taubert & Co. presented the annual financial report from the 2022-2023 school year.
The district ended the year on June 30 with a balance of $4.3 million in the reserved and unreserved accounts.
“The district has a policy of trying to maintain a fund balance of…
December 27, 2023
The following is a list of the obituaries that appeared in the issues of the Rock County Star Herald in 2023.
December 2022
Dec. 30: Charlotte Twito, 87, Luverne; Glenn Rye, 95, Sun City, Ariz.
Dec. 31: Maria Korthals, 51, Luverne.
January 2023
Jan. 1: Renita Schlegel, 64, Lincoln, Neb.
Jan. 2: Benedict Blum, 73, Luverne.
Jan. 3: Carol Haycraft, 82, Luverne.
Jan. 5: Leonard “Shorty…
By Mavis Fodness
December 20, 2023
Bid opening for the new Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary School will test cost estimates that school officials, architects and construction managers have been working on for months.
Sarah Fox, architect with ATSR, led the design process.
“Most important is to get the school built on budget,” she said.
Bids were set to be opened at 2 p.m. Tuesday after the Star Herald’s press deadline. Bid…
By Lori Sorenson
December 20, 2023
For Rodger and Dianne Ossenfort, Santa was more than an act; it was a calling.
And for the children — and their children — who climbed on their laps, Santa and Mrs. Claus fed their imaginations and nurtured their belief in the magic of the season.
“They’re kind and caring and made each child feel special,” said Tammy Johnson, whose children were among the first to experience the Ossenforts in…
By Mavis Fodness
December 20, 2023
The design by Andrew Prekker of Luverne was chosen over 2,123 other designs to become the basis for a new Minnesota state flag.
The state Emblems Redesign Commission announced their top pick late Friday afternoon in a press release.
The commission indicated Prekker’s design may go through some modifications before it’s submitted to the Minnesota Legislature for approval.
Prekker’s idea to…
December 20, 2023
Visitors to Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne Sunday leisurely take in the sights and sounds of the annual Live Nativity in the church parking lot. The walk through the nativity scene provided a serene atmosphere as songs played in the background. Grace Lutheran youth and adults portrayed Mary and Joseph, an angel, wisemen and shepherds who tended to live goats, donkeys and camels. For warmth,…
By Lori Sorenson
December 20, 2023
In April, Hills-Beaver Creek School District voters approved a $26.5 million bond referendum for a new elementary school in Beaver Creek.
As construction plans materialize, local leaders are wrestling with how to best meet the water needs of the new facility.
At their Dec. 13 meeting, Beaver Creek City Council members signed off on the district’s building permit for construction across the…
By Lori Sorenson
December 20, 2023
Local law enforcement and the Minnesota BCA are investigating a fatal hit-and-run that occurred on the morning of Dec. 13 in rural Rock County.
A passerby called law enforcement around noon to report a body had been discovered in the north ditch near the intersection of 141st Street and County Road 6.
The man, identified as William Krotzer, 76, of Luverne had been found about one-half mile…
December 20, 2023
About 260 students in four middle school and high school choirs sing under the direction of Seana Graber in the Luverne performing arts center last week to a full auditorium of audience members. There were over 1,000 people in the performing arts center for the candelight grand finale of "O Holy Night."
On Dec. 14, the performing arts center again filled with music, this time with band students…
By Lori Sorenson
December 20, 2023
Luverne City Council members certified the levy at $3,232,740 for taxes payable in 2024.
That’s an increase of $466,180, nearly 17 percent, over the current levy, and council members explained their rationale during the city’s annual Truth in Taxation hearing Tuesday night, Dec. 12.
City Administrator Jill Wolf acknowledged that the levy increase is significant but said taxpayers will not bear…
By Lori Sorenson
December 20, 2023
Beaver Creek City Council members approved their 2024 budget and levy during their final meeting of the year Wednesday, Dec. 13.
The levy was set at $146,342 for taxes payable in 2024. That’s a 6.85-percent increase over the current levy.
The amount will fill the gap between Beaver Creek’s revenues of $140,814 and its expenses of $287,156.
As part of the budget process, the council also…
By Mavis Fodness
December 20, 2023
The city of Hills is looking toward the future as council members agreed to hire a third party to develop a strategic plan for the community of 694 residents.
Chris Webb with the Southwest Regional Development Commission in Slayton will lead city officials through the months-long process beginning early next year.
The $12,000 contract, approved Dec. 12, is to provide public leaders a framework…
