LHS to host a Career Education FairMore than 80 representatives from postsecondary institutions will be in Luverne Monday, April 19, for a Career Education Fair.The event, for all area high school students, will run from 1 to 3 p.m.Congrats to Mark IvelandCongratulations to Luverne native Mark Iveland.Iveland was recently named Austad’s Manager of the Year.As his reward for outstanding service to the Austad Golf organization, Iveland traveled to Augusta, Georgia with Austad’s CEO, Dave Austad, to watch two rounds of the Masters.Iveland has been with Austads for the past four years, three as manager of the Lincoln, Neb., store.Iveland is a 1986 graduate of Luverne High School.Including their home office in Sioux Falls, Austads has nine stores in three states as well as an Internet site.Miracle at the PalaceThe miracle that Luverne’s Palace Theatre needs is an anonymous check for a million dollars, but that’s not the one that’s showing up.The "miracle" that is coming is a pretty good movie however, and it has Minnesota at its core.The movie "Miracle on Ice" is based on the true story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team and its coach, Minnesota’s Herb Brooks, who led the team over what was believed to be an invincible Soviet Union team.Kirk Russell stars as Herb Brooks, who was the University of Minnesota Gopher hockey coach before being named to the Olympic post.The Internet movie data base gave it a user poll rating of 7.9 out of 10."Miracle" will show at the Palace at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.Retail may be eliminated from JOBZA bill in the Minnesota House of Representatives would eliminate retail from businesses qualifying for benefits through the Job Opportunity Building Zones (JOBZ).Rep. Tim Mahoney, (DFL, St. Paul) sponsored the bill, which will be considered for possible inclusion in the omnibus tax bill.According to Mahoney, "the program was designed and proposed to create $10 to $15 per hour jobs, which are not typical in retail establishments."The JOBZ program established zones in Greater Minnesota to encourage economic development.Luverne recently took advantage of the program, to lure Total Card Inc. to the former Tri-State building.According to Louis Jambois, director or the Business and Community Development Division of the Department of Employment and Economic Development, retail was left out of the original bill because they wanted to see what kind of businesses would apply for it.Jambois said the intent of the bill was to stimulate manufacturing development and other such businesses, which attract workers and build communities.Buzz Anderson, president of the Retailer Association, said his organization opposes the bill because of the benefits retailers provide to a community- particularly small town retailers.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com
