By Lori Ehde
A jury in Rock County District Court convicted Scott Wentler, 19, Luverne, of possession of stolen property and first-degree burglary.

Wentler stood trial Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 30 and 31, for crimes committed last December at Harvey's Trading Post, Luverne.

He and 48-year-old Oliver Crawford, Luverne, were arrested Dec. 21 on South Highway 75 near Taco John's after stolen guns were found in the trunk of Crawford's car.

Rock County Deputy Evan Verbrugge stopped the vehicle, driven by Crawford, for speeding 42 mph in a 30-mph speed zone. It was 1:15 a.m.

When Crawford consented to a search of the car, 22 handguns and a weapon described as an "Uzi" were found in the trunk. The items were later found to have been stolen from Harvey's Trading Post.

According to store owner Kevin Kramer, the stolen items are estimated to be worth nearly $15,000. Included in that figure is the Uzi, a semi-automatic rifle, which costs $1,300 to $1,400 by itself.

The guns were reportedly registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, but, Assistant County Attorney Terry Vajgrt said in December, “Stolen guns are not typically sold to people who run registration checks. They’re sold to people who want stolen guns, and they’re used to commit crimes.”

Entry was gained through a broken storefront window, and little damage was done inside, except to locks on display cases.

Kramer's security system reportedly had not been turned on at the time of the break-in, and it was coincidence that the Crawford vehicle was pulled over for speeding.

A pre-sentence investigation has been ordered, and Wentler will be held at the Nobles County Jail, Worthington, until sentencing.

According to the Rock County Attorney's Office, Wentler will serve at least three years in prison for the burglary conviction, per minumum sentencing guidelines under Minnesota Law.

“I'm extremely satisfied with the the verdicts reached by the jury,” Vajgrt said.

Crawford's trial is set for Dec. 4 and 5. He is charged with possession of stolen property, but the County Attorney's Office is reviewing records of the Wentler trial to determine if an added charge of “aiding and abetting burglary” can also be brought against him.

The case stalled this summer when the attorneys for Crawford and Wentler challenged the legality of the search. They argued that Crawford never consented to a search of his vehicle.

This argument was dismissed when the court ruled the state provided enough evidence to show Crawford consented to the search.

“It seems likely that Crawford took a calculated risk that the search of the vehicle by Verbrugge would not extend to the trunk,” Vajgrt said.

By Lori Ehde
and Sara Strong
Rock County conservatives did their share in contributing to the Republican takeover of control in the Congress.

On local ballots, Republicans won in all but the state senate race, and even that one showed a narrow margin with Luverne's Alex Frick taking 49.78 percent of the votes compared with incumbent Jim Vickerman's 50.12 percent.

Partisan turnout aside, employees in the Rock County Auditor-Treasurer's Office were pleased with the 84 percent local participation.

“I think it's great to see the voter turnout,” said Lisa DeBoer. “It's great to see that people are interested in what’s going on in their community.

While the presidential election of 2000 brought 90 percent of registered voters to the polls, she said 84 percent is well above average.

That could be attributed to a number of things.

The sheriff and auditor-treasurer races haven't seen a contest for years, and the Luverne mayor candidates have gotten attention this year. School boards and county-wide competition in other city elections also increased voter turnout.

High voter turnout, in addition to hand-counting the supplemental ballots in the U.S. Senate race, made for a long night in the Auditor-Treasurer's Office.

“I went home at 5 a.m., took a hot shower, got the kids off to school, and came back to work on time,” DeBoer said.

Rock County Sheriff
Mike Winkels 2,663
Ron McClure 1,800

After 12 years at the helm, Rock County Sheriff Ron McClure will relinquish his duties to Sergeant Mike Winkels, who easily won the county’s sheriff election Tuesday.

“People wanted change,” Winkels said, when asked why he thought voters supported him. “People want to see change and they want to see results. They're definitely going to get that with the Policing Institute changes underway.”

Winkels said the campaign was a good way for the two candidates to mingle with the public. “I told Ron, the one good thing about this campaign is that you're out talking to people, and I'm out talking to people, and that’s what community policing is all about.”

McClure said he's not surprised so much that Winkels won, but that he won by such a wide margin. The final tally came in at 2,663-1800, with Winkels garnering 59 percent of the votes.

“I thought it would be close one way or another,” McClure said. “I guess people were just ready for a change. When you think of what's happened in the last year with the homicide and the drug activity … I think people felt we weren't doing anything about it. Part of it was change, and part of it was these things hanging out there.”

He said he hopes Winkels will support the efforts of community policing. “If he's smart he'll know this is what the people want and he won't undercut it,” McClure said.

McClure retains his duties as sheriff until the end of the year, and he said he won't remain with the department. He had no specific plans after that.

“I'm going to wait awhile before I decide if I'm going to do anything but retire,” he said. “I might enjoy this. I can do a lot of things I want to do, with a lot less stress.”

Luverne Mayor
Glen Gust 1,402
Keith Erickson 781

Mayor Glen Gust has served two years in office, and now has another two to look forward to.

“I had a good feeling [during the campaign],” he said. “I’ve just got some things to do so I wanted to stay in.”

Gust said the first two years went so fast, partly because he was learning so much about the city and running meetings. “I don’t have that learning curve now, so I’ll be able to do more.”

Gust will be leading a relatively new council, with two new members and two with just two years experience. New council members are Pat Baustian and Robert Kaczrowski.

Councilman Keith Erickson has served 12 years on the Luverne City Council and couldn't be reached for comment.

Auditor-Treasurer
Gloria Rolfs 2,394
Lisa Ahrendt-DeBoer 2,044

Long-time Rock County Auditor-Treasurer Margaret Cook announced she'll retire at the end of this year prompting a flurry of interested candidates for the job.

The September primaries resulted in current Auditor-Treasurer employees Gloria Rolfs and Lisa Ahrendt-DeBoer on the ballot.

They beat out Nic o'Lena Bosch, Candace Reese, Ona Reker and Johnna Bowron- Ahrendt for a run at the general election.

Rolfs earned the honor by a narrow margin Tuesday with 53.91 percent of the votes, compared with DeBoer's 46.03 percent.

Cook was elected treasurer in 1978 and took on the combined office of auditor and treasurer in the mid-1990s.
She’ll pass the baton to Rolfs in January.

The job includes overseeing many things including elections, vital records, passports, bond reports to the state, collecting taxes and settlements.

Other local races
Several Rock County rural communities saw races this year for mayor and/or council seats. Following are listings of who was elected in those races:

In Beaver Creek, Arlyn Gehrke and Burdell Willers will serve on the council.

In Hills, Keith Elbers and Linus Svoboda will take the council seats and Jim Jellema will serve another term as mayor.

In Steen, Robert Sandbulte and Brad Bosch will fill the seats. Melvin Van Batavia will be mayor.

In Kenneth, Walter Kopp returns as mayor and Keith Hoven and Delbert Nieuwboer will serve on the council.

In Magnolia, Fabian Deutsch will be mayor and Becky Kruger and Marvin Kroontje will serve on the council.

No information was available from Hardwick's elections.

On the county front, Richard Bakken, Jane Wildung, Robert “Bob” Jarchow and Ron Boyenga ran unopposed for Commissioner seats.

County Attorney Donald Klosterbuer and County Recorder Jere Ohme were re-elected in unopposed contests.

Statewide
Winning state candidates sometimes differed from Rock County's choices.

In Rock County, U.S. Senate Candidate Norm Coleman (R ) got 154 votes, and Walter Mondale (D) got 42. Actual winner was Coleman.

For U.S. Representative District 1, Rock County voted 2,509 for Gil Gutknecht (R ), 1,746 for Steve Andreasen (D), and 168 for Greg Mikkelson (G). Actual winner was Gutknecht.

State Senator District 22 in Rock County brought 2,258 votes for Jim Vickerman (D) and 2,243 for Alex Frick. Actual winner was Vickerman.

Rock County voters for State Representative District 22A gave Doug Magnus (R) 2,573 votes and Ted Winter (D) 1,930 votes. Statewide winner was Magnus.

In the Governor and Lieutenant Governor category Rock County voted 2,195 for Pawlenty/Molnau (R), 1,727 for Moe/Sabo (D), and 452 for Penny/Robertson (I).

Name and place of residence: Bruce Baartman, Luverne

Family information: Wife, Vicki, and children, Hannah, fourth grade, and Emilie, second grade, both in Luverne Schools.

Occupation: Director of Information and Technology at Midwest Provisions Inc., Sioux Falls, S.D.

Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration with an emphasis on accounting and marketing.

Community activities and involvement: Grace Lutheran Church Finance Ministry, Worship Team and choir, and Green Earth Players Ñ part in production to be performed Nov. 2.

Qualifications for service: Has experience within the school system as the first district technology coordinator from 1995 to 1997. With a prior position as Citibank vice president, he managed operations groups for two e-commerce offerings, managed vendor relations and negotiated contracts with each vendor, and determined strategic value of investments as well as return on investment. He also served as privacy and security officer for the e-commerce group.

If elected, what should voters expect you to accomplish during your term as school board member? In other words, if elected, what issues will be important to you?

Financial responsibility:

- Incorporating information provided by teachers and administrative staff and community input in the decision-making process.
- Gaining a clearer understanding of the financial standing of the school district.
- Insuring that board decisions are best serving the goals of the district and community.
Improved Communication
- Creating an environment that promotes open and honest communication between board members, administrators, faculty and staff.
- Improving communication with the community regarding decisions made as well as impact to students and staff.
- Welcoming community involvement in school board meetings, and making these meetings more interactive.
- Making sure the chain of command is clear; Board works for the district (taxpayers), Superintendent works for the board, business manager works for the Board and the Superintendent.
- Spending time on a regular basis at the school visiting classes and talking with students and staff.
- Exploring the use of focus groups with staff to gain a better understanding of issues and opinions.
Improved communication with staff and better financial reporting should lead to a better negotiation process with regard to teacher contracts.
Safety
- Soliciting input regarding student and staff safety issues on school grounds (parking lots, open campus policy, accessibility to intruders, etc.)
- Utilizing city and county resources in the fight against drugs in our schools.
We owe the best possible education to the children of our district, and to those who choose to open-enroll their children into our schools. We owe them our most thoughtful and informed decisions when it comes to their future and their opportunities.

Name and place of residence: Greg Aubert, Luverne

Family information: Wife, Patti, and children, Zane, a fourth-grader, and Wyatt, a second-grader.

Occupation: Plant manager of Gold'n Plump Poultry Further Processing facility, Luverne

Education: Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Pre-engineering courses were completed at U of M, Morris.

Community activities and involvement: Member of the Southwest Minnesota Workforce Council, served as a board member for Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce 1999-2001, coached youth soccer for four years, served on the curriculum committee for Luverne Schools, volunteer for Bookin' Buddies and is a member of St. Catherine Church, Luverne.

Qualifications for service: "I believe that the next few years are going to be very challenging. The State of Minnesota looks like it will be in a deficit situation. The economy looks to be uncertain in the near term. This will definitely put a strain on the amount of money that the state will be able to allocate to education.

"New innovative ideas will be needed if we want to keep the programs and services that we have in place. I believe that my four years of experience as a plant manager and 10 years in areas such as engineering, purchasing, distribution, transportation, etc., can be a benefit to the school district.
I have experience managing a budget, which is very similar in scope and complexity to the school district. I have experience managing overhead expenses and can give ideas to the administrators on how to reduce these expenses without losing quality or service. I hope that I can also add insight into the budgeting process."

If elected, what should voters expect you to accomplish during your term as school board member? In other words, if elected, what issues will be important to you?

"I would like to see a comprehensive drug education and prevention program at all ages, including parents. I would support class size equity throughout the school (i.e. the fifth-grade class size is substantially larger than the rest of the grade school). Equity in the budgeting process needs to be maintained for all grades. Maintenance of programs and services that are presently in place will be a priority.

"My goal would be to keep the school district financially sound while offering as many opportunities as possible for all students."

By Sara Strong
Rock County had another chance for drug education Monday night as the city of Luverne and Parents: The Anti Drug and Violence Task Force hosted an experienced speaker.

Kurt Rothwell is the safety director for the southwest region of the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association. He works with the city of Luverne regularly, and the city asked him to return to speak to the general public.

He outlined some of the signs of drug use, especially methamphetamine, but emphasized that families should look at all substances they use as examples for their children, including cigarettes and alcohol.

“I think marijuana is more prevalent. And if you're using chemicals in your home, if you're popping pills every day, chances are, the kids will too. How do you expect them not to?” Rothwell said.

In his capacity as a safety director, he is constantly researching and keeping up with news.

Rothwell pointed to meth lab seizures peaking in the late 1990s. “For every one that's caught, there’s five to 10 still out there. They’re not as easy to catch. The drug makers are getting smarter.”

Many of the labs that are stopped are the smaller scale ones, with many large-scale meth production labs still operating in Mexico and on the west coast of the United States.

Just last month in St. Paul, one couple had what Rothwell called a “mom and pop” operation in a trailer house. In that bust, 20 pounds of meth were seized. That amount of the drug was worth 90,800 doses.

To watch for
The base of methamphetamine is always some form of ephedrine or pseudoephedrine. The rest of the chemicals react to it and form what's known as meth - or speed, ice, crystal and various street names for the drug.

Some of the solvents and reactors used in “cooking” meth include: lantern fuel, drain cleaner, battery acid, sulfuric and muriatic acid. Salt is also used in the production during cooking.

Rothwell said, “It's like making cookies. Instead of putting in chocolate chips, you want a little something else, but that little something sure changes the cookie. Buyers never know the ingredients they're getting.”

Some ammonia gasses can freeze lungs when inhaled; other chemicals cause explosions.

Rothwell cautions roadside cleaning crews or volunteer groups against touching unlabeled containers or almost anything they find other than standard trash along the road. In drug production, chemicals are stored in inappropriate containers and erode and leak or create what would essentially be a bomb because of the explosive nature of the contents.

“This is a very dirty drug,” Rothwell said. For every pound of meth created, six pounds of garbage is also created in the process.

Common in meth users is tuberculosis, cholera, herpes, hepatitis and AIDS.

Trash and byproducts are also a part of meth use that affects more than just the users. Paranoid delusions or fear of being caught as a manufacturer often mean cookers stockpile garbage and cause problems community-wide.

Rothwell said that drug manufacturers are getting more and more clever in their ingredients. They split up into groups to purchase things such as matches (for the red phosphorus) cold medicine, diet pills, lithium batteries and Epson salt. Buying most of these ingredients doesn't cause alarm unless it's in huge quantities.

Other signs of a drug lab are various containers of liquid or white powder, filters, tubes, jars, pressure cookers, hot plates, kettles and filters.

Rothwell said the best sign of meth manufacturing is ephedrine, because that’s always the base, no matter what’s mixed with it.

“They can make it different every time,” Rothwell said. “Some will make you sweat, some will make you smell. What are they made of? I don't know.”

How they make it is usually spread word of mouth in drug circles, but books and the Internet are also sources.

The typical cooker is hard to pinpoint. Sometimes young children get involved in manufacturing it; chemistry majors in college sometimes do and so do older burnouts. “There's a wide range,” Rothwell said.

Personal effects
Trees growing near meth labs sometimes die. Fires started by the chemical mixtures can't be extinguished with water. That said, Rothwell explained what using the drug can do to its users.

If meth users aren't victims of explosions, fires or frozen lungs during manufacturing, they still suffer the consequences of using.

Rothwell compares the effects of meth to cocaine, but stronger.

Pupils dilate, blood pressure rises. Hallucinations and delusions are common, especially when coming off a high, so another high is needed.

Meth users lose bone mass (and often lose teeth) and are further damaged internally by not eating because of a diminished appetite. Their skin feels like bugs are crawling on it and they swat and scratch at themselves until varying degrees of sores are visible.

Depression can be a side effect of coming off a high and suicide isn't uncommon.

The paranoia associated with meth use sometimes means users are rigging labs to explode if people enter. Users and cookers often carry weapons to protect themselves.

Rothwell suggests keeping a distance from known users. He said to avoid shining bright light on meth users because their dilated pupils can’t handle the brightness. Rothwell also said to speak in a slow, low voice and move slowly around people suspected of being high on meth. Also, keep hands visible.

Although meth is getting a lot of attention now, it is the same drug that was prevalent in the 70s. Younger users, though, become addicts faster than adults and that’s the concern of the task force.

Next Parents meeting
The next meeting of Parents: The Anti Drug and Violence Task Force is 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, at the Pizza Ranch, Luverne. Lila Bauer wanted to remind people that the group is open to anyone.

By Lori Ehde
Contested seats in all of Rock County's school district s brought additional voters to the polls Tuesday.

In Luverne, incumbents easily won in the eight-way contest for four seats.

Becky Walgrave took 16.2 percent of the votes with 1,714 tallies. Bill Stegemann (1,646), Daniel Kopp (1,391) and Cary Radisewitz (1,356) followed closely behind. They will serve another four years on the board.

Challengers were Colleen Nath (1,341), Greg Aubert (1,157), Bruce Baartman (1,146) and Tim Burns (763). Luverne board members Don Bryan, Colleen Deutsch and Steve Tofteland are not up for election this year.

Ellsworth School District saw the most interesting race with nine candidates filing for four open seats on the six-person board.

Layton Gruis (40), Dave Goedken (36) and Rhonda Groen (34) were elected to the three open four-year terms. Korey Meester (29), Don Kramer (26) and Lynn DeBerg (24) were the other challengers for those seats.

Verlyn Timmer (38) was elected to fill the vacant two-year term on the board. He beat out Kelly Kramer (19) and Jody Hinrichs (10) for the job.

None of the Ellsworth incumbents, Dan Boltjes, Arnie Timmer, Brenda Deutsch and Jeff Deutsch, filed for re-election.

Cliff Schilling, whose seat is not up for election this year, said so many candidates filed because departing board members announced their decisions early and encouraged others to run.

Board member Jeff Boltjes holds the other seat not up for election this year.

In Adrian, newcomers garnered more votes than the two incumbents, displacing one of them. Patrick Thier (706), Tim Honermann (603), incumbent Gene Metz (579) and Mark Bullerman (485) were elected to the board for four-year terms.
They beat out Pamela Konz (395), incumbent Joe Wieneke (369), Kate McCann (327) and Joan Pater (294) for the job. Board members Dennis Kruger and Brenda Sailor did not file for re-election.

Current board members whose terms are up in 2004 are Mark Lonneman, Ted Reisdorfer and Aileen Tweet.

The Hills-Beaver Creek School District conducts its board elections in odd years - not concurrent with general elections. The next election for that board will be in the fall of 2003.

Elected school board members assume their duties Jan. 1.

By Lori Ehde
Sioux Valley and Luverne Community Hospital announced plans Tuesday to construct a new hospital and medical clinic building in or near the city of Luverne.

The feasibility of the new construction is contingent on the sale or disposition of the current medical facility on East Luverne Street, according to a statement released Tuesday afternoon.

The announcement came on the heels of the Rock County Board of Commissioners approval Tuesday of a resolution to work with the city of Luverne and Sioux Valley to consider alternative uses for the current facility.

The city of Luverne will consider a similar resolution at the next regular council meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 12.

Sioux Valley Hospitals and Health System, which owns the Luverne hospital, is working with the Luverne Advisory Board on the project.

Background
The option for new construction on a new location was just one of several options the hospital’s been considering to bring its facility up to date.

Increasing numbers of patients are utilizing services such as physical therapy, outpatient infusion, chemotherapy, respiratory care, laboratory services and more.

According to hospital administrator Gerald Carl, the current buildings are not well-suited to accommodate those services.

Further, inpatient rooms are outdated, lacking amenities such as personal showers, which have become standard in most hospitals.

In April, Sioux Valley hired an architect to study the pros and cons of renovating versus expanding. In July, that study yielded three possible options to pursue:

•Renovate and expand the present hospital and clinic on their existing campus.

•Build a new hospital on the parking lot to the north and expand and renovate the clinic in its current location. This option would include closing Brown Street and new space for parking would need to be addressed.

•Build a new hospital and clinic facility on a completely different site.

Since then, the third option has become the most attractive.

Still many unknowns

At this point, the only concrete decision is to build new on a new location.

Carl and Sioux Valley executives said two, possibly three locations are under consideration and negotiations are in process with landowners.

The size of the campus and the new facility will be determined by the hospital's budget considerations.

“What we want and what we can afford are still two different things,” Carl said Tuesday.

He was also unable to answer whether the new facility would offer additional services that would generate new jobs in the community.

All that aside, Greg Burger, president of the Rock County Development Corporation, said the new facility alone is good for the community.

“The opportunity to have a new healthcare facility in Luverne would be an asset to the people of Rock County,” he said. “When businesses want to relocate, the availability of good healthcare can be a deciding factor.”

Ed Weiland, president of Sioux Valley Regional Health Services, thanked the city and county for agreeing to work cooperatively on the project.

“More space and an updated infrastructure will make it possible to offer more services to the people who make Rock County their home,” he said.

Name and place of residence: Kate McCann, rural Adrian

Family information: Husband, Bruce, moved here six years ago from Colorado Springs. They have four children, three of which attend Adrian schools: Jenni, 15, Nick, 11, and Andy, 6.

Occupation: City clerk-treasurer for the city of Lismore where she's worked for five years.

Education:
Community activities and involvement: Vice president of the newly-formed Blue and Gold Parent Teacher Organization for District 511 schools. "I feel that volunteerism is necessary on all levels, and this community is great when it comes to stepping up and helping each other."

Qualifications for service: "My past work experiences that I feel qualifies me for this position are my numerous years of employment in the financial field. I was an insurance agen for 15 years, bookkeeper for my husband's custom home building business for 10 years and I have a broker's license in real estate. I am certified with the Minnesota Clerks and Financial Officers Association and the International Institute of Municipal Clerks. My No. 1 qualification would be as a parent that cares about the educational needs of my children."

If elected, what should voters expect you to accomplish during your term as school board member? In other words, if elected, what issues will be important to you?

"My reason for running for a position on the school board is to see better communication between school officials, teachers, parents and kids. At this time, my experience with the school board has been as an observer, and I would like the issues the school board faces to be relayed to the public, so that we, the public, can better understand the decisions the school is making. The input from all parties involved in the school district is essential.

Name and place of residence: Pam Konz, rural Adrian

Family information: Husband, Mike, and children, David, 20, Paul, 18, James, 16, Jonathan, 14, and Kaitlyn, 11.

Occupation: Faith Formation Director for St. Adrian Catholic Church for grades 1-12 and adults, as well as for grades 1-4 at St. Anthony, St. Kilian and Our Lady of Good Counsel churches in Lismore, St. Kilian and Wilmont. It's a full-time position sheÕs held for six years, and she was part-time for three years prior to that.

Education: She graduated from Trimont High School in 1978 and received an associate's degree in open studies from Mankato State University in 1980. She graduated summa cum laude from MSU in 1981 with a bachelor's degree in business administration with minors in finance and management.

Community activities and involvement: She is past president and current member of Music Parents Association. She has served on the Nobles County Library Board for eight years, most of those years as secretary, and is a member of the Plum Creek Library System governing board.

Qualifications for service:
"One of my responsibilities, since I married a farmer, has been to keep up the farm books and prepare them for the tax season. In addition, part of my job at St. Adrian is to submit a yearly budget and then to operate from it.

"These two experiences, along with the Library BoardÕs responsibility of overseeing the Library's budget, make me very aware of financial concerns and money management. None of these entities have unlimited incomes, so I've developed some skill at creative allocation of resources. As MPA president (and as a parent), I've learned how to listen to both sides of the story and to reserve judgment on issues until all sides have weighed in."

If elected, what should voters expect you to accomplish during your term as school board member? In other words, if elected, what issues will be important to you?

"I would like to encourage the board to consider the needs of the students as a priority in any policy making that the board does. I would also like to see that the financial situation of the school district is improved."