Christmas store hours begin Friday
Holiday Christmas shopping hours in Luverne will begin this Friday.

Beginning Dec. 13, Luverne Chamber retailers will begin staying open until 8 p.m. for the final two weeks before Christmas.

Stores will close on Saturday at regular hours and will close at 4 p.m. on both Dec. 24 and Dec. 31.

If you need a little financial help when your purchases don’t forget the 0% Christmas Loan program the Luverne chamber is sponsoring.

You can borrow between $300 and $1,000 at any of the three Luverne banks and have up to six months to pay it off at 0% interest.

Christmas at the Palace this Friday
Don’t forget to attend"Christmas at the Palace" this Friday.

The Luverne Chamber of Commerce event will serve as a fund-raiser for the Blue Mound Area Theatre Group, which owns the Palace Theatre.

Participants this year will include groups from: American Reformed Church, Grace Lutheran Church, New Life Church, First Baptist Church, First Presbyterian Church, and St. Catherine Catholic Church.

Besides the local church choirs, other local talent will include Joe Dorhout, Carol Zwaan, Luverne High School Brass Choir, Wendy and Heidi Sandbulte and Amy Donth, Jack Leslie, Sue Sandbulte and the Green Earth Players. Dave Knips is also scheduled to perform on the Palace’s pipe organ.

All proceeds from the event will help restore the Palace Theatre.

The event will start at 7:30 p.m., with tickets selling for $5 or $3 with a food shelf donation.

Students 12 and younger can get in for $2. All tickets will be sold at the door the night of the event.

SHARE needs your help
Friday and Saturday are your last chances to make a donation to this year’s SHARE program.

Organizers will collect donations at the Armory from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13., and again from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 14,.

Donations may also be mailed to SHARE, P.O. Box 792, Luverne, MN 56156.

SHARE was started nearly 20 years ago to help collect and distribute Christmas gifts and food to people in Rock County who might not have much of a Christmas without them.

In 2001, SHARE provided 121 families with groceries, clothing, and toys for 175 children and 176 adults.

Contact Lona Klosterbuer, Cheryl Cox or Mary Tilstra for more information.

Minnesota on list for narrow gaps in income
Minnesota is on the short list for a state that has the closest gaps in low and high income.

Minnesota was fourth from the narrowest gap, with the bottom fifth average income at $20,245, and the top fifth average income at $154,972.

States with a narrow gap included South Dakota at 7.2 top to bottom ratio, with Utah and Indiana both at 7.0

On the other end of the spectrum, New York had the biggest income gaps.

The average income for the top fifth for New York State was $161,858, while the bottom fifth averaged $12, 639.

That puts Minnesota’s top to bottom ratio at 7.7 and New York’s at 12.8.

Other states with high top to bottom ratios included Louisiana at 11.6, Texas at 11.0, and California at 11.0

Want to send our servicemen an e-mail?
If you are so inclined, visit the U.S. Department of Defense Web page below and sign a brief message thanking the men and women of the U.S. military service for defending our freedom. The compiled list of names will be sent out to our soldiers at the end of the month. So far, there are about 1,300,000 names.

http://www.defendamerica.mil/nmam.html.

It only takes 10 seconds!

The National Debt and your share
As of Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2002, the National Debt clock was at $6,353,118,888,337.31

The estimated population of the United States is 289,089,191. So, each citizen's share of this debt is $21,976.33.

The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $1.25 billion per day since September 28, 2001!

Publisher Roger Tollefson can be contacted by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com

Memorial services for Grace Lapic will be Friday, Dec. 13, at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Montgomery. The Rev. Clarence Vavra will officiate. There will be no visitation.

Grace A. Lapic, 68, Wabasso, formerly of Luverne, died Saturday, Dec. 7, 2002, at Wabasso Health Care Center in Wabasso.

Grace Lapic was born to Frank and Mary (Ziska) Lapic on Jan. 4, 1934, in New Prague. The family moved to Luverne where she attended school. She graduated from Luverne High School in 1952. She was active in cheerleading, journalism and music.

She became a telephone operator, working in Luverne, Redwood Falls, St. Peter, Minneapolis and Rochester. While working in Minneapolis she was recognized as ‘Miss Voice" for her communications skills and warmth in working. She retired while working in Rochester and moved to Mankato where she lived until 1999.

Survivors include two sisters, Dolores Reisdorfer, Marshall, and Irene (Leonard) Hansen, St. Peter; and several nieces and nephews.

Ms. Lapic was preceded in death by her parents, a brother-in-law, Robert Reisdorfer, and one niece, Leah Hansen.

St. Peter Funeral Home-Klein Chapel, St. Peter, are in charge of arrangements.

Eugene Boelman, 74, Seattle, Wash., formerly of Luverne, died Sunday, Nov. 10, 2002, at his home in Seattle.

Eugene Boelman, was born to George and Cornelia (Boomgarden) Boelman on March 26, 1928, in Luverne. He graduated from Luverne High School. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

He married Dorothy Dean of Magnolia on June 6, 1952. They lived in Luverne for 20 years before moving to Seattle.

Survivors include his wife, Dorothy Boelman, three children, Jayne, David and Leigh; one granddaughter, Kimberly; his mother, Cornelia Boelman, all of Seattle.

Bleitz Funeral Home, Seattle, was in charge of arrangements.

Hills-Beaver Creek sophomore guard Cassi Tilstra puts up a shot in fornt of Edgerton's Kelly Esselink-Arp during Friday's Red Rock Conference girls' basketball game in Edgerton. Tilstra passed for 10 assists during Monday's win against Central Lyon.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek girls’ recorded their second consecutive road win when they traveled to Rock Rapids, Iowa, Monday.

Playing Central Lyon in a Minnesota-Iowa border battle, H-BC came out on the winning end of a 53-43 decision.

The victory was H-BC’s second straight, and it upped the Patriots’ season record to 3-1.

H-BC hosts Southwest Christian tonight and plays Murray County Central in Slayton Tuesday in Red Rock Conference play.

A solid second quarter played by the Patriots proved to be the difference in Monday’s tilt against the Lions.

The Patriots sported a 15-14 edge heading into the second period of play, when they went on a 17-7 scoring run to open a 32-31 halftime advantage.

Erin Boeve and Sarah Rozeboom played key roles in H-BC’s big second quarter.

Boeve, who led the Patriots with 17 points, 17 rebounds and five blocked shots, netted six points in the period.

Rozeboom, who added five assists and four steals to the winning cause, chipped in five second-quarter points.

CL never did recover from H-BC’s assault in the second stanza.

The Patriots led by as many as 16 points in the third quarter before settling for a 46-33 advantage at period’s end.

The Lions outscored H-BC 10-7 in the fourth quarter, but the outcome was settled at that point.

"We did a good job of moving the ball around in the second quarter," said Patriot coach Tom Goehle. "We were being patient, and at the same time, we were being aggressive."

Brittney Rozeboom scored 13 points for the Patriots. Cassi Tilstra contributed 10 assists and four steals to the cause.

Box score
B.Rozeboom 5 0 3-5 13, Tilstra 4 0 1-1 9, S.Rozeboom 3 0 1-2 7, Hoyme 0 0 1-2 1, Boeve 7 0 3-4 17, Olson 0 0 0-0 0, Mulder 2 0 2-4 6.

Team statistics
H-BC: 21 of 53 field goals (40 percent), 11 of 18 free throws (61 percent), 34 rebounds, 14 turnovers.
CL: 18 of 49 field goals (37 percent), seven of 10 free throws (70 percent), 31 rebounds, 20 turnovers.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek boys opened the 2002-03 basketball season by hosting Pipestone Area in Hills Tuesday.

The Patriots fell behind early against the visiting Arrows and were unable to rally in what ended as a 60-46 setback.

Pipestone scored the first 10 points of the contest and led 14-6 at the end of the first quarter.

The Arrows used a 21-13 scoring advantage in the second quarter to open a 35-19 halftime lead, and extended the difference to 19 points (50-31) by the end of the third quarter.

H-BC battled back to outscore Pipestone 15-10 in the final eight minutes of play, but it wasn’t enough to seriously challenge the Arrows.

"We battled with them after their initial fast start," said Patriot coach Steve Wiertzema. "I was pleased with the way we played. We just had a few too many turnovers and missed too many easy shots."

Kale Wiertzema led the Patriots in the opener by scoring 18 points.

Senior Jesse Leuthold pulled down 12 rebounds, while Tyson Metzger and Trey Van Wyhe collected seven and six rebounds respectively.

Tyler Bush had four assists and four steals for an H-BC team that didn’t match up well against a powerful Arrow squad.

"Pipestone is a pretty physical team. We just are not that physical yet," Wiertzema said.

The Patriots host Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster tomorrow and Central Lyon Saturday.

Box score
Bush 0 0 1-3 1, Wysong 1 0 1-2 3, Roozeboom 2 0 0-0 4, Wiertzema 2 2 8-11 18, Metzger 2 0 0-1 4, Leuthold 3 0 2-2 8, Van Wyhe 3 0 2-3 8.

Team statistics
H-BC: 15 of 56 field goals (27 percent), 14 of 22 free throws (64 percent), 32 rebounds, 22 turnovers.
Pipestone: 23 of 49 field goals (47 percent), 11 of 12 free throws (92 percent), 30 rebounds, 23 turnovers.

H-BC sophomore guard Brittney Rozeboom battles for a ball with a pair of Edgerton players during Friday’s girls’ basketball game in Edgerton. Rozeboom scored the go-ahead basket during a 5-0 run that gave the Patriots a 47-42 victory.

By John Rittenhouse
A late run by the Hills-Beaver Creek girls clinched a five-point basketball victory over Edgerton Friday in Edgerton.

The game, which served as the Red Rock Conference opener for both teams, was tight from beginning to end.

The score was knotted at 42 in the fourth quarter when H-BC embarked on a 5-0 run in the final minutes to clinch a 47-42 win.

Brittney Rozeboom put H-BC in front to stay (44-42) when she banked home a 12-foot jumper with 2:25 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Erin Boeve, who had a double-double with 17 points and 16 rebounds, turned an offensive rebound into a field goal with 42 seconds remaining before Amanda Olson capped the scoring with a free throw with 10 seconds left.

The win was H-BC’s second in three tries, but it didn’t come easy.

Edgerton sported 6-3 and 8-5 cushions in the first quarter before the Patriots moved in front 12-11 by period’s end with a 7-3 run.

A 6-0 run featuring field goals by Kelly Mulder, Boeve and Cassi Tilstra gave the Patriots an 18-11 advantage with 5:30 remaining in the second quarter.

Edgerton, however, battled back to tie the game at 24 before the intermission with a 7-0 run late in the second quarter.

Boeve, who scored 11 points in the second half, contributed three points and Olson added a field goal to a 5-0 run that gave H-BC a 33-28 lead in the third quarter.

The Flying Dutchmen, however, put together a 10-1 run late in the third quarter to take a 38-34 lead before settling for a 38-36 edge at period’s end.

The fourth quarter featured ties at 38, 40 and 42 before H-BC iced the game with its late run.

Tilstra had a big game for H-BC by scoring 10 points, passing for 11 assists, pulling down seven rebounds and charting five steals.

H-BC had a 42-34 rebounding advantage in the game, and outscored Edgerton 13-5 at the charity stripe.

Box score
B.Rozeboom 4 0 1-4 9, Feucht 0 0 0-0 0, Tilstra 2 0 6-8 10, S.Rozeboom 0 0 0-0 0, Boeve 7 0 3-4 17, Olson 2 0 3-4 7, Mulder 2 0 0-0 4.

Team statistics
H-BC: 17 of 45 field goals (38 percent), 13 of 20 free throws (65 percent), 42 rebounds, 15 turnovers.
Edgerton: 18 of 46 field goals (39 percent), five of 12 free throws (42 percent), 34 rebounds, 18 turnovers.

By Sara Strong
In response to questions and suggestions from Parents: The Anti Drug and Violence Task Force, the Rock County Board of Commissioners gave an overview of county services relating to family issues and prevention of drug use.

Commissioners also addressed the county curfew issue, which was not passed last time it was on the table.

The Rock County Attorney's Office reviewed a possible curfew ordinance for the board to consider.

Assistant County Attorney Terry Vajgrt said in a memo that there are positives and negatives to a potential curfew imposed by the county board.

Benefits are:

•A county wide curfew ordinance would provide law enforcement with reason to require juveniles to go home and stay there during appropriate hours.

•A county-wide curfew would provide “probable cause” to stop vehicles when it is apparent that occupants are in violation of the curfew. Those brief stops can be a tool to stop other illegal activities.

•A county-wide curfew might help identify at risk youth before other crimes are committed.

Possible drawbacks are:

•Vajgrt said he is concerned “that enforcement of a curfew ordinance will take deputies away from matters that should have higher priority. To date this year, law enforcement has made 31 DWI arrests in Rock County. I see this trend toward higher numbers continuing. A majority of DWI arrests occur during the time periods in which the county-wide curfew would be enforced. A deputy cannot be on patrol observing a drunk driver cross a center line if they are babysitting a juvenile while his/her parents are notified that their child has been brought to the Law Enforcement Center.”

•“A county wide curfew might, in my opinion, strengthen the misguided belief that the supervision of young people is a function of law enforcement, corrections and the courts rather than parents.”

Commissioner Jane Wildung said that the structure of the Law Enforcement Center itself is a part of the issue. With no holding cell, officers have to sit with people in custody. In the case of juveniles, they would have to wait until a parent or guardian can pick up the curfew violator.

In the case of juveniles likely to be out past curfew, Wildung said, parents might not be home or available to pick up their children.

Other concerns for a county-wide curfew are the inconsistencies between cities and the county in general. The cities of Kenneth, Steen and Magnolia don't have curfews, and other cities have varying hours.

Officers would have to memorize the different ordinances and hope people younger than 18 didn't congregate in the towns without curfews.

The proposed ordinance set curfew hours for children younger than age 16 from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. For juveniles 16 to 18, the curfew would be from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. There would be exceptions for work and school activities at the least.

The ordinance wasn't voted on, but the County Board turned it back to the Rock County Collaborative for further review and input.

County service overview
Chair Wildung said, “The County Board takes concerns seriously and is trying to develop some type of protocol to address the issues of the community.”

Key services available to families of Rock County were presented to the board and attending public.

•Policing — Rock County Sheriff Ron McClure said the two months of community policing classes have made a big impact on the department. “We have really good guys and they really believe in the concept.”

Deputy Jeff Wieneke said most department members like community policing so far. Related to the drug issue, Wieneke said he thinks the department will be more open and get more information from the public. Beyond that, he thinks reorganization within the department will help in gathering evidence and completing warrants.

McClure said to look for more programs the department will be putting on for the community.

The Task Force had previously expressed interest in grants for a school resource officer, a police officer in the schools. The grants are past for this cycle and some applicants are already in for the next, but the county theorizes that scheduling and prioritizing time may make it possible to get a school officer even without the grant.

The grant Rock County researched is $125,000 over three years. A school officer would probably cost $70,000 a year in total needs, so the difference would have to be made up somewhere. So even if the county gets a grant at some point, local funds would be needed.

Task Force member Elaine Fick said, “I realize the cost is an issue, but my hope is that by the end of the three years, we find that we really need this and the cost is worth it, that we can’t get along without it.”

She said the county might actually save money on the front end of law enforcement, rather than spending more money in detention and court fees.

•Public Health — Paula Anderson, public health educator for Nobles Rock Public Health is also a member of the Collaborative. She said the Collaborative looked at curfews in the past and decided it was better to encourage parents to better monitor their children.

As a reference tool for parents, the Collaborative will be distributing magnets that list appropriate curfews for children of different ages. The guideline may help parents set rules for the family.

Through her work with the Collaborative and Public Health, Anderson is trying to reach parents in different ways — through print material, classes and possibly the Internet — to get them information on parenting issues.

She has contacts to help parents and community groups looking for speakers or general information.

•Mental Health — Scott Johnson, director of the Southwest Mental Health Center, said addiction aftercare typically goes through Stephanie Pierce at Luverne Community Hospital.

“When I worked with people on an inpatient basis,” Johnson said, “some of the worst things, the scariest people were on meth. … I knew one patient who had gone through treatment 36 times. It’s an ongoing problem.”

•Corrections —
Community Corrections deals with criminals on probation. Random drug tests are done in favor of scheduled tests, but the Task Force voiced concerns that those weren’t done often enough.

Now, eight adults are on probation in Rock County for felony drug charges, most of which are fifth degree or for small amounts.

•Rock County Collaborative — The Collaborative’s purpose is to empower parents and prevent risky behavior in young people.

The Collaborative is broken down into groups that work within certain ages and tailor programs to those ages. It has ongoing programs such as Healthy Families Home Visiting Project, gifts of “Rock-A-Bye Baby Reader,” Child Guide Program at the elementary school, Big Buddies, Book of the Week Club at Hills-Beaver Creek elementary, parenting seminars, summer recreation expansion, seatbelt checks, Top Teens, middle school after school program, and many others.

By Lori Ehde
The December ground is hard and frozen, but Blue Mounds State Park staff are planning now for wildflowers that will bloom next spring in Carrie Nelson’s memory.

Park officials announced last week that ground had been broken for "Nelson Memorial Garden" near the Interpretive Center atop the Blue Mounds cliffs.

A memorial fund had been established for former park employee Carrie Nelson, who was murdered while working in the park office in May 2001.

Close family members, along with park workers decided an appropriate use for the funds would be a native perennial wildflower garden.

"I think it’s a real nice gesture," said Stan Nelson, Carrie’s father. "It’s a pretty spot, and I think we’re all touched by the gesture. It seems fitting that it’s at the park where Carrie loved to be. We’d been going out there since the girls were able to walk."

According to a statement released by the park Nov. 27, the plants will serve as an educational component for the park, as well as provide a place of relaxation and reflection for visitors.

Local stones were placed as footpath edging rocks, and seeds, representing more than a dozen species of local flowering plants, have been gathered. They’ll germinate indoors over the winter and the park staff plans to plant them in late spring.

Future plans also may include a sun dial, bench and stone pathways. "We are still searching for suitable material to build a permanent marker at the site," said Park Naturalist Dave Rambow.

The only funding for the wildflower garden is donations to the memorial fund. Those interested in supporting Nelson’s "living memorial" may send contributions to the Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce, 102 E. Main St., Luverne, MN 56156.

"It’s a great opportunity to remember Carrie and what life is supposed to be about — kindness and goodness," Nelson said. "And that helps, because it’s real important to me to remember Carrie. It’ll be a place for all of us, her friends and family, to go to remember her."

Nelson was found beaten to death on May 20, 2001, in the park office where she worked as a summer employee assisting visitors at the front desk.

The murder has not been solved, but the case remains open. The Rock County Sheriff’s Department still encourages anyone with helpful information on the case to call the Law Enforcement Center at 283-5000.

By John Rittenhouse
Football playoffs don't officially begin until Tuesday, but the Luverne Cardinals have already found themselves in a must-win situation.

After dropping a 42-16 decision to Redwood Valley in Redwood Falls Friday, 2-5 Luverne played last night's regular season finale against Jackson County Central at Cardinal Field with a sense of urgency.

In order to qualify for the Section 3AAA playoffs, the Cards had to knock off a JCC squad that has lost two games (to Worthington and RWV) all season. To complicate matters, JCC had something to play for as the Huskies could wrap up a No. 1 seed in their section with a win over LHS.

"This game (against JCC Wednesday) basically is a playoff game for us," said Cardinal coach Todd Oye. "We need a win and a loss by either Yellow Medicine East or Morris to get into the playoffs. JCC is playing for a No. 1 seed."

Friday's 28-point loss in Redwood Falls, and every other setback Luverne has taken this year, has left it in ninth place out of nine teams in the Section 3AAA points' standings. Since only eight teams make the playoffs in the section, Luverne's post-season hopes all hinged on what happened last night.

As they have in other games this season, Luverne simply made too many mistakes in Redwood Falls to win.

A turnover and a missed field-goal attempt kept the Cards from opening a big lead early. Two more turnovers and a possession that ended on downs led to a 27-point fourth quarter for RWV, which put the contest out of reach.

The first-quarter mishaps potentially cost the Cardinals 10 points.

A 28-yard pass from LHS quarterback Tony Smedsrud to Canaan Petersen helped set up a field-goal attempt at the end of LuverneÕs first possession of the game, but the kick was off the mark.

Luverne got the ball back and moved it inside the RWV 10-yard line with the help of a 21-yard pass completion to Marcus Walgrave. The Cards, however, lost the ball moments later on the RWV five.

The Cards did mount an eight-play, 30-yard scoring drive that ended with Walgrave scoring on a six-yard run and a successful extra point with 35 seconds left in the opening quarter, but Luverne's 7-0 lead could have been a lot bigger at that point.

"We miss a field goal during our first drive, and we fumble on the five the second time we have the ball. If we don't fumble and make that field goal, itÕs a 17-0 game," Oye said.

RWV erased Luverne's 7-0 lead when quarterback Mike Karsky hit Trevor Wittwer for a seven-yard touchdown pass with 8:05 remaining in the second quarter. A two-point conversion followed the touchdown.

Luverne regained the lead at 13-8 with a nine-play, 73-yard drive that was capped by a three-yard touchdown pass from Smedsrud to Aaron Schmidt with 1:32 left in the first half.

The drive featured 12-yard runs by Walgrave and Mark Remme, and an 11-yard run by Joel Evans.

RWV, however, moved in front with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Karsky to Tom Ellingworth with 35 seconds remaining in the half. A successful extra point gave RWV a 15-13 edge at the intermission.

Luverne regained the lead at 16-15 with its second possession of the second half. A 46-yard drive ended with Adam Kurtz booting a field goal with 5:51 left in the third quarter.

RWV countered Luverne's kick with a long drive that ended with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Once RWV gained the lead, it was able to take advantage of two LHS turnovers while putting together a 27-point fourth quarter.

"Our missed opportunities hurt us, but the difference in the game was our fourth-quarter turnovers, and our inability to stop them," Oye concluded.

Team statistics
Luverne: 220 rushing yards, 81 passing yards, 301 total yards, 19 first downs, three penalties, three turnovers.
RWV: 246 rushing yards, 81 passing yards, 327 total yards, 11 first downs, nine penalties, one turnover.

Individual statistics
Rushing: Walgrave 16-114, Evans 11-63, Remme 6-27, Andy Stegemann 2-14, Kurtz 2-11, Schmidt 2-4, Joey Pick 1-4, Smedsrud 2-minus 17.
Passing: Smedsrud 7-13 for 78 yards, Kurtz 1-1 for three yards.
Receiving: Pick 3-19, Ben Cornish 2-10, Petersen 1-28, Walgrave 1-21, Schmidt 1-3.