Bollinger heads for retirement, sells practiceAfter 34 years in the Luverne dental community, Bill Bollinger announced this week that he would be retiring.In a letter, Bollinger thanked his patients for their loyalty and said "I am eager at this time in my life to spend more time with my family, particularly my 5 grandchildren."Bollinger also took this opportunity to announce the sale of his practice to Dr. Mark Bierma.Bierma, a graduate of the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in May of this year, grew up in New Brighton, Minn.Mark’s wife, Aleta, is a pediatric nurse, and they have an infant daughter, Katelyn.The Bierma’s recently purchased a home in Luverne and started moving in last week.The first day on the job for Luverne’s newest dentist will be July 14.Bridge work closes overpass at MagnoliaA three-bridge project will close the I-90 overpass near Magnolia.The bridge over I-90 at the Magnolia exit, County Road 3, is expected to be closed until late July.The bridges are to be milled and overlaid, along with some guardrail improvements.Nobles County Highways 19 and 9 are the other two bridges affected.The detour for Rock County Road 3 will be the township road east of Magnolia.Progressive Contractors of St. Michaels was awarded the project with a bid of $350,619.Will Rock County bars stay open until 2 a.m.?Under legislation passed in the Minnesota Legislature, Rock County bars, as well as the rest of the state bars, will now be able to stay open until 2 a.m. if they choose, and if the cities allow them.The additional hour will cost the bars an additional fee. For bars with annual alcohol sales of less than $100,000, the yearly fee is $500. If annual sales are in excess of $100,000, the fee is $600.Bottle clubs, or 3.2 taverns that gross less than $100,000 will pay $200, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.The fee is scheduled to expire on July 1, 2005.The additional hours of bar time is estimated to bring in an additional $11 million in sales taxes along with the estimated $2.5 million from the licensing fees.Governor Pawlenty had opposed the expanded bar hours as a legislator, but agreed to sign the bill if it included using the fees for an additional 50 state troopers.The new troopers are likely to be laid-off city police officers according to State Patrol Chief Anne Beers.Of the 535 uniformed officers, 421 are assigned to patrol highways, down from 450 twenty years ago.Once the new troopers are on the job, patrolling hours will be extended to 3 a.m.Minnesota currently ranks 47th in the nation in per-capita trooper coverage.None of the additional troopers will be assigned to the metro area.Who’s going to stay open later?Statewide about two-thirds of the state’s bars are expected to opt for the new hours, including nearly all of the largest 2000.Along with the additional fees the bars will pay, the federal government will also kick in $1 million a year toward additional liquor control.The driving force behind the additional hours came from lobbying efforts of the Minnesota Hospitality Association, a group that represents bars, restaurants etc.The group had been trying to expand liquor hours for the past several years.It was the hospitality groups’ contention that the earlier closing hours (1 a.m.) was a hindrance in getting national associations to hold their conventions in Minneapolis and St. Paul.Closing time for bars in Minnesota has been 1 a.m. since 1949.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com
