Family Dollar Store to be built on S. Kniss
A new retailer is planning to add Luverne to its long list of locations.
Family Dollar Store is planning on building a 7,000 to 8,000 square-foot store at 303 S. Kniss, site of the former Lampert Lumber Company.
According to their Web site, Family Dollar Stores Inc. is one of the fastest growing discount store chains in the United States.
The first Family Dollar store was opened in Charlotte, N.C. in 1959.
As of the end of its last fiscal year, the chain had 4,141 stores, with 525 of them added within the last year.
According to the company Web site, the merchandise is sold at everyday low prices in a no-frills, low overhead, self-service environment. Most merchandise is priced under $10.
According to Florence Stanley, investor/public relations for the company, the target for opening the store is near the end of 2002.
Align-Tech buys former True Value building, adds U-Haul to services
Rich Dreckman, owner of Align-Tech and Tire, has purchased the former True Value building from Mark and Beth Novotny.
According to Dreckman, the building, which was severely damaged in a Dec. 7 fire, will be demolished and the lot will be for used vehicle and consignment sales.
In addition to the auto sales, Dreckman has also acquired the U-Haul dealership for Luverne.
G & S Auto Service had the U-Haul dealership, but recently lost the lot used to store the equipment.
U-Haul rents small trailers to large trucks and tow dollies.
Winter and Vickerman get DFL endorsement
Not that there was ever any question, but last Thursday, Rep. Ted Winter and Sen. Jim Vickerman were unanimously endorsed for re-election to the Minnesota House and Senate at the District 22 DFL Convention.
Winter, a farmer, from rural Fulda, has served his southwest Minnesota district since 1986.
Vickerman, a farmer and former county commissioner, lives in Tracy. He has also served in the Minnesota Senate since 1986.
The recent redistricting has put Rock County in Winter's and Vickerman's district for the first time.
Richard Mulder had been Rock County's Representative since 1994.
Arlene Lesewski had served as Rock County's Senator since 1992.
Rock County was removed from their districts and both Lesewski and Mulder decided not to run for re-election.
Winter said in a press release that he would work for good schools, good roads and tax policies that will create strong Main Streets.
Winter said his prime achievement of the past session was passage of a biodiesel promotion bill. "The law, which will require statewide use of soybean-based biodiesel fuel blends, promises to create a new rural energy industry similar to the ethanol industry," according to Winter.
A second major achievement was the passage of a Winter-authored overhaul of the taxes on wind power facilities.
The new system will be based on the amount of electricity generated and that will put additional dollars into the coffers of towns and counties where wind farms are located.
Vickerman put finding ways to stabilize and improve funding for rural schools as a priority, as well as addressing ways to keep young people in rural communities after graduating from high school and college.
Winter will now go on to the general election in November, where he will face Doug Magnus, rural Slayton, who was nominated by Republicans on May 24th at their nominating convention.
A republican challenger for Vickerman has not yet been announced for the position, according to Bill Weber, a Rock County Republican Party member.
Publisher Roger Tollefson can be contacted by e-mail at
tolly@star-herald.com