The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Feb. 9, 1923.
 
Public Health Nurse For Luverne Schools
 
Board of Education Votes to Add Trained Nurse to Regular Staff of Luverne Public Schools
 
Action Hastened by Big Epidemic of Bad Colds
 
Mrs. Clara Herm Engaged to Fill Position and Will Enter Upon Duties Early Next Week
 
In order to further safeguard the health and physical welfare of pupils of the Luverne schools, the school board has completed arrangements for the addition of a health nurse to the school corps.
Mrs. Clara Herm, of Lake Mills, Ia., has been engaged to fill the position and is expected to arrive here next week from Tracy, this state, where she is at present engaged. Her office will be at the Central building.
One of the first duties of Mrs. Herm will be to make a physical examination of all the pupils of the schools in order to detect those who show symptoms of the grippe, influenza or severe colds. During the “cold” epidemic which has been sweeping over this city and vicinity the past few weeks, the number of absences at the high school daily averaged from 35 to 45 and at Central school this number is even greater. It is recognized that colds are contagious and spread rapidly, especially among school children.
The contention has been made that the county nurse is to take care of all the schools in the county, and that therefore the services of a school nurse would not be required. The county nurse, as she is often called, is not paid by the county, but receives her salary from the Red Cross funds. With her various duties, she is unable to give the time and attention that are required to protect the health of as many pupils as are enrolled in the Luverne schools.
Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Aug. 12, 1892.
 
Everything Booming
 
This is The Condition of Things Generally In Luverne And The County at Large
The present year will go into history, if present indications may be trusted, as the most prosperous ever known in the county.
The fame of this county as the richest agricultural  country in the west, has steadily been reaching abroad, and the influx of new settlers of late has been rapidly increasing. The price of land has been steadily advancing and is destined to advance still more rapidly in the near future. Nearly all the large tracts of lands once owned by James Thompson, the Close Brothers, and the St. Paul & Sioux City Railway company, are now in the hands of actual settlers, and most of the “raw prairie” is under cultivations.
During the present year improvements on an extensive scale have been made in all parts of the county. New residences, new barns, and new granaries may be seen on every hand. New farms have been opened and a long step has been taken toward that time to which we have long been looking when a prosperous home will be found on every quarter section in the county.
No one familiar with this section for a number of years, can drive at the present time through any part of the county without feelings of surprise and wonder at the marvelous improvements which have been made of late, and every stranger who visits this section and sees for the first time our magnificent country and our beautiful farms, concludes that nothing in the world can be finer and that the Herald for years has said of Rock county is less than the facts would warrant.
Luverne is likewise making wonderful progress in the way of improvement, but it is simply keeping abreast with the march of progress in the surrounding country. In the neighborhood of fifty new residences and three magnificent business blocks are now in course of erection in the village. One of these blocks, that of Nelson Bros. & Co., will be by all odds the finest store building in southwestern Minnesota, and either of the other two would do credit to any inland town in the state.
A splendid system of waterworks has recently been completed and within two or three months a first class electric light plant will be in operation in the village.
Luverne easily leads all its neighboring rivals, and is conceded to be the largest, most prosperous, and most enterprising town, as well as the best business point in Southwestern Minnesota.
Business and residence property, like land in the surrounding country, is steadily advancing in price, and offers excellent opportunities for profitable investment.
On the whole Luverne and Rock county, as well as the smaller towns in the county, are getting to the front with rapid strides.
         Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on May 20, 1932.
 
Raccoons are Latest Addition to Park Zoo
 
Alderman Peschon Secures Pair from Arnold Schoon to be Exhibited with Deer and Bear at Park
An important addition to the zoo annex at Luverne’s public park was made the first of the week by Park Commissioner Frank Peschon, when he secured a pair of raccoons, which are now on exhibit there with the bear and the deer that have been domiciled at this popular recreation grounds for a few weeks. The latest addition was secured from Arnold Schoon, of Steen.
Mr. Schoon has had the ’coons in captivity since last fall, having purchased them in Iowa with the intention of raising a colony. They do not appear to be much inclined to cultivate an intimate acquaintance with the public and since they took up their new residence they appeared bewildered.
Mr. Peschon procured a securely built wire enclosure with the raccoons from their owner, and this is the only reason why they are still habituating at the park, for from the very outset they have shown a pronounced dislike for human associates and are inclined to crawl into their box and remain out of sight whenever anyone approaches. Mr. Peschon outguessed them, however, by attaching a wire to one end of the box that represents their home, and by raising this the little animals are prevented from remaining out of sight. As time goes by they will likely get used to being on daily exhibition, but so far they have persisted in showing a very unfriendly attitude toward everyone.
 
         Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on May 10, 1935.
 
Roller Skating Rink To Be Opened Here
 
Amusement Company Erecting Portable Floor and Tent on East Main Street; Formal Opening Next Week
The roller skating rink which is being erected on the vacant lot on East Main street just west of the B. F. Olberding filling station, by the Mott & Leach Outdoor Amusement and Concession company, of Dexter, this state, will be opened to the public some time next week. During the summer months it will be under management and supervision of Clarence Peterson, of Forest City, Iowa.
Last week’s rains prevented the rink from opening as soon as had been expected. Heavy timbers are being laid as ground joists, and over these a maple flooring is to be laid. Dimensions of the floor will be 44x96 feet. The entire lay-out will be covered with a canvas canopy.
The rink will be operated in the afternoon and evening, with roller skating lessons for beginners being conducted in the afternoon from 2:30 to 4:30 o’clock.
 
         Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on March 8, 1935.
 
Taking of Muskrats Unlawful this Year
 
State Game and Fish Division Issues Prohibitory Order After Dangers of Undue Depletion are Shown
Trapping of muskrats or taking of them in any other manner will be unlawful throughout this year, according to an official statement received by County Auditor Ray Koehn from Erling Swenson, director of the division of game and fish of the Minnesota department of conservation. This order was issued following an investigation in which it was shown that muskrats in the state are in danger of undue depletion.
It takes effect at once, and shall be in force until December 31st, 1935. Specification is made that “no muskrats may be taken in the state of Minnesota in any manner except as may be provided by orders issued pursuant to Mason’s statutes 1927, section 5544, during the year 1935.”
A survey of the muskrat situation was recently conducted by all game wardens in the state, within their respective districts. The nature of the reports sent in to the division of game and fish led the state department to issue its latest order, to protect these fur-bearers from possible extinction.
 
         Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Feb. 22, 1935.
 
Rock County Now in Drought Relief Area
 
Farmers in Dire Need of Feed for Livestock Can Secure Emergency Feed Loans to Meet Situation
Rock county is now included in the emergency drought relief area in Minnesota, which means that farmers who happen to be in dire need of feed for livestock can secure emergency feed loans. Official notification to this effect was made yesterday by Harry Alle, of Worthington, federal seed loan field representative.
A central office for Rock county has been established. In the office of County Agent Willrett, with Geo. Dunbar, of Ash Creek, a chief clerk. Mr. Allen was in the city yesterday assisting in making arrangements for the establishing of his office, from which the feed loans will be issued. A county committee composed of A. A. Anderson, Frank Peschon, Wm. Jacobsen and C. J. Martin has been appointed to pass on the loans.
Applications for loans may be made at any time at the central office. The amount to be loaned will be at the rate of $3.00 per cow, $4.00 per horse, $1.00 per hog and 50 cents per sheep. These loans are issued on a per month basis.  The loans will be due and payable on November 1st this year. The rate of interest is 5½ percent.
Farmers and stockmen in nine additional Minnesota counties, including Rock, were this week placed on the list of those eligible to obtain emergency feed loans from a part of the emergency drought fund appropriated last year. The other counties are Kittson, Mahnomen, LeSeuer, Pennington, Rice, Polk, Brown and Dakota.
Such loans are being disbursed from a part of the emergency fund appropriated by congress and approved June 19th, 1934, and are obtained only through the emergency crop and feed loan offices, and not from any of the permanent lending agencies under the Farm Credit administration.
While the need for these feed loans is by no means widespread in Rock county, undoubtedly some farmers may have felt the effects of the drought to such an extent that the loans will prove of considerable help. Efforts to have Rock county included in the feed loan area have been in progress for some time, particularly  on account of the hail storm which swept the northern part of the county last summer, but no definite action was taken until the supplemental list of the above mentioned counties was approved.
         Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

The following appeared in The Rock County Star-Herald on Jan. 17, 1946.
 
Rock County’s New Extension Agent and Soil Conservationist Are Named
George Golla, 27, Shevlin, Minn., arrived this week to begin his duties as Rock county’s new extension agent. A native Minnesotan, he was graduated from Mahnomen high school in 1936, and from the College of Agriculture, University of Minnesota in 1942. He was an active 4-H club member and spent three summers serving as county 4-H club agent in Carlton county, which had a membership at that time of about 800 boys and girls.
He entered the armed forces, and served as a pilot of a B-24 with the 5th Air Force in the Pacific, flying 40 missions against the enemy in the Philippines, Borneo, Formosa and China. He was discharged on December 15, 1945, at which time he had the rank of first lieutenant.
He is married, and the father of one and one-half year old daughter, Vikki Jean.
He and his family will reside in the home in Beaver Creek vacated by the Fred Haverland family. Mrs. Haverland and daughter have gone to live with her parents until Mr. Haverland locates a place to live in St. Cloud. The Haverlands have sub-let the home, furnished, to Mr. and Mrs. Golla until that home.
 
Jerry Simpson, 34, will succeed Fred Haverland as county soil conservationist.
He will come here the first week in February from Rochester, Minn., where he is presently located, and he plans to move his wife and two small sons here as soon as living quarters are available.
Mr. Simpson has been in soil survey work for the past 10 years most of the time in Minnesota. He attended Kansas State college at Manhattan, Kansas.
Mr. Haverland, who purchased a business in St. Cloud in partnership with Kay Aanenson and Clifford R. Simon, will assist Mr. Simpson in getting started with the work here.
The soil conservation office will hereafter be located in the former Gildemann building, on Main street, directly across from Nelson Brothers.
 
 
         Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Feb. 22, 1935.
 
Birthday Ball Shows $157.15 Net Proceeds
 
Total Receipts From Sale of Over 800 Tickets, $215,10; Funds Will be Used for Health Activities
A financial report covering receipts and disbursements for the President Roosevelt birthday ball, held in Luverne on January 30th, was presented yesterday by F. A. Leicher, treasurer for the 1935 event. Total receipts from ticket sales were $215.10, more than 800 tickets having been sold, and net proceeds amounted to $157.15, after the various expenses had been met.
Items listed under disbursements were: Orchestra, $25.00; police, $2.00; announcement, $1.00; postage, cards, etc., $8.80; printing, $11.15, and use of the Armory, $10.00. Disbursements totalled $57.95.
Under the same arrangement that prevailed throughout the country, seventy percent of the net proceeds is retained to promote relief and rehabilitation work among persons in this community afflicted with infantile paralysis. The other thirty percent is being remitted to the national commission sponsoring research in the treatment of this disease, in which President Roosevelt is actively interested.
 
         Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

The following appeared in The Rock County Star-Herald on April 7, 1949.
 
County Public Health Nurse Would Cost Residents Estimated 40 Cents Per Person
 
Maximum Annual Outlay For Program Would Be $5,000, According to Report
Cost of maintaining a public health nurse in Rock county will average 40 cents per person per year, it was announced here Friday night.
A meeting, arranged for by the Luverne Mothers Club, to discuss the question of a public health nurse, was held at the high school building here. In attendance were three members of the county board, representatives of various civic organizations, several school teachers, and a group of nurses and public health workers from Nobles county.
Speaker of the evening was Dr. B. O. Mork, Jr., Worthington, director of the state department of health. County Supt. of Schools Barrett presented the figures on the cost in the absence of County Auditor Koehn, whose records were used as a basis for the computation.
Cost of having the nursing program, based on costs in other counties in the state, was estimated to amount to between $4,800 and $5,000; the state will pay $1,500; the remaining $3,500 being the county’s share of the cost. Figuring on the basis of $10,000,000 in assessed valuation of Rock county property, the nursing program would increase the total tax bill for each taxpayer by .35 of a mill. For the average quarter section of land with an average set of buildings, taxes would increase $1.75 over the present amount now paid, Mr. Barrett indicated.
(The county board of commissioners hires the nurse if a public health program is adopted. Costs incidental in the nursing program are paid from tax funds.)
Benefits which the people of the county would derive through a public nursing program would more than offset the offset the cost, Dr. Mork pointed out.
“The cost of a couple of movies or a couple of haircuts shouldn’t be too great for the people to pay for this health service,” he stated.
Among the benefits derived through a county nursing home program, Dr. Mork pointed out are:
(1) Tuberculosis testing (mantoux) on a county wide basis. Dr. S. A. Slater, of the Worthington Sanatorium, hesitates to make Mantoux tests on a mass basis when there is not a public health nurse in the county, because a nurse is needed for follow-up work, Dr. Mork stated.
(2) Work in cancer control, with funds made available by the American Cancer Society. The Cancer Society, it was pointed out, will work though a nurse in educating the public regarding cancer in its early stages. Death from cancer can be prevented, in at least one-third of the cases, if cancer is detected early enough.
(3) Earlier detection of such diseases as tuberculosis. Each case of tuberculosis that requires sanatorium treatment costs the county at least $2,000 per year for case. For every death caused by TB, in its early stages, Dr. Mork pointed out, the saving to the county resulting from such a discovery, would almost pay the nurse’s salary for a year.
Duties of a nurse, Dr. Mork said, fall into three categories. She would provide nursing care and health guidance to school children and families. In Nobles county, he said, the nurse calls on all mothers of newborn babies to give them assistance and advice. Secondly, she participates in educational work, assisting in training home nursing classes, etc. Thirdly, she cooperates with the medical profession and citizen groups in putting the county health program into effect. This may include TB testing, mass immunization, health examinations of school children, etc.
In breaking down the cost figures, Dr. Mork said that the nurse’s salary would run from $2,800 to $3,000 per year, based on what other counties are now paying. A part time clerk would entail an expenditure of an additional $1,000; $700 would go toward travel expense, while another $300 would be required for office supplies and incidentals.
Mrs. Jerry Simpson, a member of the Mothers Club Public health nurse committee, said she had investigated costs of counties of approximately the same size population and area as Rock county, to maintain a nursing program. Cost in Stevens county last year was $3,575; Sherburne, $4,067.57; Houston, $3,832.61; Dodge, $4,281.51; Pipestone, .4,013.72.
Rock is one of 21 counties in the state which does not have a nursing program, yet there is not a county in the state which has a greater agricultural valuation than Rock county, Mrs. Simpson pointed out.
Dr. C. L. Sherman said that the medical profession as a whole was in favor of the nursing program, and Dr. O. W. Anderson said that everyone he had talked to felt the same way.
County Commissioner G. V. Carstens, Luverne, when asked how the county board felt about it, said that if anyone were interested in how that county board felt about it, they were welcome to attend the county board meeting, and the county board would express their views at that time. He said that since the county board tabled the matter last year, two new members had replaced two of those who had been on the board at that time, and the board’s views may have changed since then.
County Commissioner W. G. Perkins said no one in his district had spoken to him in favor of a nurse, and he had had some speak against it. “If I thought the people of my district favored a nurse,” he said, “I’d vote for it. But, it’s my duty to represent the people of my district and vote as they want me to vote.”
County Commissioner Harry Leslie did not voice his opinion. Commissioner A. H. Halls and L. J. Moeller were not in attendance.
         Donations to the Rock County Historical Society can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, 312 E. Main Street, Luverne, MN 56156.
Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.