As the realities of flood damage to crops come into focus, area producers are considering options for soil that was supposed to grow corn and soybeans.
The second annual Carson’s Cause Car and Truck Meet at the Verne-Drive-In attracted more than 120 vehicles and raised $27,000 for local efforts to improve brain he
Multiple rounds of torrential rain in Rock County and the tri-state area created significant flooding over the past week, wreaking havoc on properties and public infrastructure.
St. Patrick’s Day parades aren’t typically a big deal in Luverne, but this year it will mark a turning point in a pandemic that’s canceled most forms of community celebration.
“The last parade in Rock County was for the Band Festival in 2019 so we have had a long dry spell,” said Luverne Area Chamber Director Jane Wildung Lanphere.
To entice more parade entrants, the Chamber is offering a gold…
The Luverne Economic Development Authority approved a $25,000 gap loan for Schomacker Properties to help with a $153,000 construction project between their two stores on Main Street.
Randy, Sharon, Anthony and Joe Schomacker own and operate Schomacker's Home Galleries located at 202 E. Main Street.
They started with a cleaning business, then added flooring and appliance and then mattresses…
Luverne Counseling’s façade improvement is a perfect example of the how the program works, according LEDA director Holly Sammons.
She updated the Luverne Economic Development Authority Monday on the recent Main Street project and on the city’s façade improvement program to date.
In 2016 and 2017 Sammons worked with the business to create a first design proposal and worked through color revisions…
Gevo Inc. is seeking to hire 20 employees for a May 1 reopening, according to Agri-Energy plant manager Phil Cherry.
“We are excited to get things back to ‘normal’,” he said March 3. “Whatever that is — so we must put quotes around normal.”
In March 2020, the coronavirus pandemic forced Agri-Energy to stop producing isobutanol, a jet fuel made from corn.
On March 27, 2020, plant officials laid…
An off-road, multi-use path along County Road 4 from the Luverne City Park east to County Road 9 is no longer viable due to cost and unavailable ground.
Instead, county commissioners approved a plan at their March 2 meeting to pave the existing 8-foot gravel shoulders along that route as part of the Ashby Memorial Path.
It can be done as part of the scheduled improvements to the highway from…
For the past two weeks, the Perseverance rover has been sending data from Mars about its geology and its potential for supporting past life.
And since its Feb. 18 landing on Mars, Luverne graduate Tony Nelson has been remotely operating “SuperCam,” sending commands to and analyzing data from the instrument.
“We’re trying to understand the geology on Mars — how those rocks formed, because they…
Miki Loosbrock, Scoutmaster of Troop 32, had six boys in her troop, and four of the six earned Eagle Scout Rank, which is no small task in the world of scouting.
Her troop members and their parents recently recognized her contributions with a glass plaque and personal thank-you letters at a Pizza Ranch gathering Sunday.
“Miki encouraged each scout to work toward their Eagle Scout rank through the…
Luverne High School mock trial students made history last week when they competed in the state mock trial tournament from their homes in front of their computers
Dyan Ebert, current president of the Minnesota State Bar Association, who organizes the mock trial program, noted the historical significance of this year’s tournament.
“You will forever hold a very unique honor of having participated in…
Bill Stegemann (left) hands a $300 Give Grant check to Blue Mound Area Theater president Deb Aanenson recently. The Give Grant, through CenterPoint Energy, recognizes current and former employees’ volunteer service. Stegemann, a retired CenterPoint Energy employee, logged at least 40 volunteer hours including donating time at the Palace Theatre and with BMAT.
Hills-Beaver Creek sixth- through eighth-graders will focus on learning rather than winning at their first LEGO robotics competition Saturday.
The new team is called HELP, which is an acronym for Healthy Electronic Learning Playmate.
Heroes makes its debut after five months of organization, recruiting, building and practicing.
Lexi Moore, district media paraprofessional, is the team’s first coach…
Local artist McKenzie Wieneke led a group of aspiring young painters through a step-by-step process of creating a winter scene on canvas Tuesday night, Feb. 23
Working in a semi-circle of tables in the lower level of Lord Grizzly Art Gallery on Luverne’s Main Street, the students participated in the Community Education Class, “Paint a Winter Wonderland.”
They started by reading a wordless book…
Total Card Inc. employees learned Monday that the Luverne office will close March 31 and all customer service representatives will be laid off.
The company, including its Sioux Falls headquarters, was sold late last year to San Diego-based Vervent, which offers loan servicing, call center support, credit card servicing and other financial services.
In November 2020, Vervent purchased the Total…
Classes for the 2021-22 school year at Luverne Public Schools will begin Tuesday, Sept. 7, according to action at the Feb. 25 School Board meeting.
The beginning of the new school year will also signal the end of construction at the Luverne Middle-High School, with students and staff having full access to a new commons, media center and performing arts center.
Construction began in March 2019 and…
Local public health officials hosted their second vaccine clinic in Luverne Wednesday at Grand Prairie Events in Luverne.
The clinic provided seconded doses for the nearly 300 people who were vaccinated in the event center Feb. 3. The group included those who were 75 years and older.
Wednesday’s clinic offered these people their second dose, and it also provided 150 doses of vaccine for K-12…
Dr. Tanner Brolsma has taken over the Luverne Family Dental practice since Dr. Rebecca Vis relocated to northern Minnesota.
Brolsma has been working in Luverne for just over a month and said he’s enjoyed meeting patients in the community.
“I’ve been extremely happy during these first six weeks,” he said. “The staff has been extremely helpful and the patients have been welcoming.”
He said he’s…
Construction of the first commercial solar farm in Rock County won’t start until next year.
Letters were sent to landowners in Vienna Township indicating National Grid Renewables won’t start construction on the 80-megawatt solar energy facility on 720 acres north of Magnolia in 2021 as planned.
Lindsay Smith is a spokesperson for National Grid Renewables, which acquired Geronimo Energy,…