OK Taxi gets city approvalThe Luverne City Council approved a taxi license for OK Taxi Service at their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday.According to the new operators, Orv Green and Dan Kern, the taxi service will operate on nights and weekends, and will not compete against the Heartland Express.The two have purchased a minivan for use in the service and are planning to charge $4 per trip within the city of Luverne, and the Luverne Country Club.Trips outside their defined territory will be available on a mileage basis.The two hope to start offering the service by May 1.School board puts Jasper building on holdAfter some comments of concern, from members of the community, the Pipestone/Jasper school board has backed off of a sale for the Jasper school building to a Lubavitch Yeshiva boarding school, a Jewish religious organization.The Jasper Journal reported Monday, that comments were voiced after residents learned that the possible buyers had been forced out of a boarding school in St. Paul in 2000 for alleged zoning violations.School Superintendent Jerry Horgen and school board chairman Gary Gillin told the board they wanted to consider several other individuals and organizations, which have expressed interest in the Jasper building.Gillin made it clear to the board that they did not have a "done deal" and that they have not eliminated the Lubavitch Yeshiva School from the list of potential buyers.Allegations against the school three years ago in City Pages included boys being unsupervised and unruly.Area residents also filed letters of complaints to the zoning board in St. Paul, alleging the director failed to meet basic safety codes for the home and ignored pleas to clean up the property and care for students.According to the Jasper Journal, Yeshiva is a Hebrew word meaning a seminary for boys training to be Orthodox rabbis.Lubavitch, headquartered in Brooklyn, has 1,400 institutions in 35 countries. Boys ages 14-22 from all over the world study in the schools.‘What’s up with kids’That question is at the heart of an event being planned by the Rock County Collaborative.The presentation is intended for a wide range of people, including students, parents, professional, or any county residents who have an interest in 6–12 grade students.The students recently completed the Search Institute Student Survey and the Collaborative hopes the "What’s Up With Kids" forum will give Rock County residents a chance to see how local students responded to the survey.What does the survey cover?Youths were asked to share their thoughts on attitudes and experiences in the following areas: drugs, alcohol, tobacco use, sexual activity, school climate, parents, friends, neighborhoods, safety, security, expectations, encouragement, love, support, perceived values, adult role models and setting limits.The "What’s Up" night is scheduled from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, May 5, at the Blue Mound Banquet Center. A free meal will be included for those in attendance, but the organizers request that you RSVP.Information will also be available for forum participants, which describes the many services and support available for Rock County youth and families.The evening’s presentation will be provided by Shelby Andress, Search Institute – Vision Training Associates Consultant.The data was collected from the Hills-Beaver Creek and Luverne school districts.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com
