By Lori Ehde
Sleep, or lack of it, is a major discipline issue in the United States.

What many parents don't understand is that 90 percent of behavioral problems stem from lack of sleep or poor quality sleep, according to family educator Mary Sheedy Kurcinka.

"So many reasons for power struggles may actually be that your child, and probably you, are exhausted," Sheedy Kurcinka said.

She spoke to parents Thursday, April 18, about the importance of sleep to healthy families.

Sheedy Kurcinka is a former director of one of Minnesota's largest Early Childhood Family Education Programs and authored the best seller "Raising Your Spirited Child."

Most sleep information to date focuses on night-time strategies. "The reality," she said, "is a good night's sleep begins long before bedtime."

Her talk Thursday focused on practical ways families can structure their days and behaviors to result in well-rested children and parents.

For example, she offered the latest research on average sleep needs.

Toddlers need 11 hours plus a two-hour nap.

Preschoolers need 11 to 12 hours, plus half of all preschoolers also nap.

School age children need 10 hours.

Adolescents need nine hours (research shows that teens average less than seven hours).

Adults need eight hours (research shows adults average less than seven hours).

"The closer you get to this, the nicer your kids are and the more effective you are as a parent," Sheedy Kurcinka said. "It's amazing how sleep affects our lives."

She said sleep-deprived people are not only low on energy, but they get sick more often, suffer long-term memory loss, battle extra weight (because sleep affects metabolism) and have a general poor outlook on life.

Sleep-deprived children are accident-prone, short-tempered, impatient, clingy, forgetful, impulsive, uncooperative, have trouble learning and complain of headaches.

Well-rested children, on the other hand, tend to be patient, cooperative, flexible, tolerant and more able to inhibit impulses.

This isnÕt to say that all discipline problems are related to sleep, but Sheedy Kurcinka said in her experience with families and conflicts, sheÕs found they often are.

The key is for parents to recognize when bad behaviors are actually tired behaviors and help get their children back on track.

WhatÕs contributing to sleep deprivation in the United States is the popular approach to parenting that says kids need to be challenged and stimulated during the day for optimal brain development.

"All day long they suck it up and soak it in - all that stimulation - and then at night, we tell them, OK, go to bed," she said. "They can't just turn it off."

She said children in Holland get an average of two hours more sleep per day than U.S. children.

That's because the country recognizes sleep for children as a major public health issue.

This isn't to say that children shouldn't be involved, but parents need to recognize sleep patterns.

For example, they should choose weekends to resolve issues with their teen-agers, after they're rested and are better able to reason.

In addition to high stimulation levels throughout the day, Sheedy Kurcinka outlined other barriers to sleep:

Stress
Irregular bedtimes (this shouldnÕt vary by more than an hour - even on weekends)
More than 60 minutes of screen time (television, computers, etc.) per day
Caffeine
Lack of exercise
Roughhousing after dinner.

She said all these things have a physiological affect on the body. "We need to bring the body into balance to kids can sleep at night," she said. "We have to help the brain relax once the adrenal system is stimulated."

She made the point that the quality of sleep decreases the more tired a child is, and she advised parents to recognize a sleepy child before he or she becomes an "overtired" child.

She said this window of opportunity to put a sleepy child to bed varies with each child, depending on temperament, but it often appears with yawns, rubbing eyes or other subconscious signals.

"When you see this happen, scoop them up and get them to bed," she said.

It's important they get to sleep before they go into "overdrive," in which they get wild, irritable or irrational.

Once this happens, she said, the adrenal system has been activated, and it can take up to 90 minutes to get them sleepy again.

Further, overtired children often wake earlier in the morning and their overall sleep quality declines.

It's important for parents to recognize overtired behavior and to respond with ways to calm them - not punish them.

She suggests dim lights, books, quiet games, fans and other "white noise." She advised against TV watching, because the screen light tells the brain itÕs 2 in the afternoon and inhibits sleep.

She spoke briefly on baby sleep patterns and told parents they should follow their hearts when establishing their own night-time rules.

But, she emphasized that whatever children are doing when they fall asleep, they need to be doing the same thing through the night, or sleep is often disturbed.

"We can't make children sleep, but we can recognize each child is different, and we can make decisions during the day to set that biological clock," she said.

"We can create an environment that makes it easier to fall asleep."

Swenson probate
DISTRICT COURT
PROBATE DIVISION
FIFTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT
NOTICE AND ORDER OF HEARING ON PETITION FOR PROBATE OF WILL AND APPOINTMENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS
STATE OF MINNESOTA
COUNTY OF ROCK
ESTATE OF
DOUGLAS J. SWENSON
DECEDENT
It is Ordered and Notice is given that on Monday, May 6, 2002 at 9:00 (a.m.) a hearing will be held in this Court at Rock County Courthouse Luverne, Minnesota, for the formal probate of an instrument purporting to be the will of Decedent, dated September 14, 2000 and codicil (N/A) to the will dated N/A, and separate writing (N/A) under Minn. Stat. 524.2-513 ("Will"), and for the appointment of Vincent Swenson whose address is: RR 1, Box 77, Luverne, MN 56156 (2) Joyce Thode whose address is: 609 W. Main, Luverne, MN 56156 as personal representatives of the Estate of the Decedent in a SUPERVISED administration. Any objections to the petition must be filed with the Court prior to or raised at the hearing. If proper and if no objections are filed or raised, the personal representatives will be appointed with full power to administer the Estate, including the power to collect all assets, pay all legal debts, claims, taxes and expenses, to sell real and personal property, and do all necessary acts for the Estate.

Notice is also given that (subject to Minn. Stat. 524.3-801) all creditors having claims against the Estate are required to present the claims to the personal representatives or to the Court Administrator within four months after the date of this Notice or the claims will be barred.

/s/ TIMOTHY K. CONNELL
TIMOTHY K.CONNELL
Judge Date
/s/ SANDRA L. VRTACNIK
SANDRA L. VRTACNIK
Court Administrator Date
Attorney For Personal Representatives
BENJAMIN VANDER KOOI, JR.
VANDER KOOI LAW OFFICES, P.A.
127 E. Main
P.O. Box 746
Luverne, MN 56156-0746
607-283-9546
Attorney I.D. No. 112124
(4-18, 4-25)

Pool and Fitness Center proposals set for June 3
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the County of Rock and the City of Luverne, Minnesota, requests proposals for the sale, lease, or management contract of the Rock County Community Pool and Fitness Center. Details of the request are contained in the Request for Proposals document available through the City Office, 203 East Main Street, Luverne, MN. (507) 449-2388.

Proposals must be received by 4:00 p.m., Monday, June 3, 2002, by the City Office. All proposals shall be clearly identified as "Pool ProposalÑRock County Community Pool and Fitness Center."

MATTHEW L. HYLEN
CITY ADMINISTRATOR
(4-25, 5-2, 5-9)

By Sara Strong
The new Land Management Office Director comes to Rock County with experience in leading, most recently as the mayor of Okabena.

Eric Hartman also has a family farming background and worked as an agronomist, so the principles of the LMO aren't new to him.

Hartman said, "One of the many interesting things that I look forward to is conservation."

In Okabena, Hartman was involved with some conservation interest groups that worked on a watershed and lake restoration group along with an environmental learning center.

"I look forward to serving the people of Rock County, and my wife and I are excited about our upcoming move," Hartman said.

He and wife Cheryl, a cake decorator in Worthington, will move from Okabena with two children, Caitlin and Alexandra.

As LMO director, Hartman will work with constantly changing codes and regulations, state and local government officials and individual Rock County producers.

Caitlin is in preschool so the move will wait until after the school year. Hartman said he'd like to relocate somewhere between Luverne and Worthington so he and his wife have a similar commute. Their children will likely attend school and day care in Luverne.

Hartman grew up on a family farm, north of Okabena, where they fed cattle and raised corn, soybeans and sometimes alfalfa and small grains.

After high school, he attended Worthington Community College and continued on at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, to earn a degree in ag business.

Dr. Larry Lyon, hospice medical director, was named the 2002 Distinguished Hospice Team Member during the Eighth Annual Hospice Charity Dinner and Auction Friday in the Blue Mound Banquet and Meeting Center. Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Helen Saum presents him with an original watercolor painted by Luverne artist Cloyce Smith.

By Lori Ehde
The Eighth Annual Hospice Charity Dinner and Auction drew 400 people to the Blue Mound Banquet and Meeting Center Friday night.

"It was our biggest ever," said Helen Saum, Hospice Volunteer Coordinator. "Wow, what a great night for hospice!"

Hospice staff is still tallying receipts, but it appears the local hospice program took home nearly $30,000 after expenses.

"One hundred percent of this money will stay locally to support our hospice program and patients," Saum said.

A highlight of the annual event is naming recipients of the three distinguished hospice awards.

Dr. Larry Lyon, hospice medical director, was named 2002 Distinguished Hospice Team Member.

"We would like to thank you for your compassion and the sincere, gentle approach you take in overseeing the medical care of our hospice patients," Linda Reisdorfer said.

"Thank you for ensuring the dignity and comfort of our patients is foremost in their plan of care."

Annabelle Frakes was named the 2002 Distinguished Hospice Volunteer. Frakes, a retired nurse, has volunteered 365 hours with hospice since its beginning.

George and Corrine Bonnema were honored with the 2002 Friend of Hospice Award for helping develop the Memorial Path and Garden at The Cottage.

Each honoree received original water color paintings by Cloyce Smith, Luverne.

Money raised at the Hospice Charity Dinner and Auction is deposited in the Luverne Health Care Foundation. It is restricted for hospice and is used locally for hospice patients and service in a 30-mile radius of Luverne.

The fund-raiser is necessary because as the number of hospice users and the cost of their care rises, the proportion of Medicare reimbursements has fallen.

Friday's money was raised from the sale of dinner tickets, donated silent auction items, live auction items, advertising and dedications in the booklet, raffles and cash donations.

Included in the total is $2,293 in raffle tickets for the annual Blue Mound Quilters' contribution to the event. This year it was a king-sized quilt won by Mike Pap.

By Lori Ehde
Unless or until bar owner Dan Kern pays back the money he stole, the Hardwick American Legion is stuck with a $7,000 deficit in its gaming fund.

Kern, owner of the Green Lantern Bar, Hardwick, faces theft charges for skimming funds from the pulltab box, operated by the Hardwick American Legion.

The Gambling Control Board licenses the Hardwick Legion for pull tabs in both the Green Lantern and Kenneth bars.

As a result of the theft, not only is the Legion liable for those losses, it may lose its pulltab privileges in the Green Lantern for six months.

"It's too bad," said Legion gambling bookkeeper Diane Strassburg. "That's money that would be donated to local charities."

Kern said Tuesday that he's making payments to the Legion and intends to repay his debt in full, but meanwhile, the Legion has had to take out a loan to cover the loss. "We don't have that kind of budget," Strassburg said.

The Gambling Compliance Review Board met Tuesday, April 16, to discuss the case, which remains under investigation.

"They saw no wrongdoing on the part of the American Legion," Strassburg said, adding that no fines were levied against the organization.

She said the Legion was out of compliance in that its members knew about KernÕs problem and had been patient, hoping he'd be prompt in paying his debt.

"It's a local business, and all, but you've gotta follow the rules," she said. "It's hard, but you can't be Mr. Nice Guy all the time."

Thirty-seven-year-old Kern, also known as "Cue Ball," was charged with two counts of theft after a winter investigation revealed a $7,000 shortage in the pull tab fund at the Green Lantern Bar.

According to the complaint filed March 14 in Rock County District Court, local law enforcement executed a search warrant of the Green Lantern with the Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

The agents and local officers found on Dec. 3, 2001, gambling and bar proceeds co-mingled.

When questioned, Kern said the games had been played, but instead of depositing money into the Hardwick American Legion gambling account, he had used the money to repay personal debt.

He acknowledged involvement in personal gambling and said he used proceeds from pull tab games to pay down personal debt resulting from gambling.

He said this had been going on for a year or more, and he estimated he owed the Legion around $3,800. But an audit by the Gambling Control Board identified $7,189 of gambling proceeds he had illegally retained.

His felony theft charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine.

Kern also owns the Green Lantern Restaurant, but his sister, Carrie Van Dyke, manages that part of the business, and neither she nor the restaurant was implicated in the pulltab theft.

By Sara Strong
The Rock County Board of Commissioners and the Luverne City Council left a joint meeting about law enforcement Tuesday split on whether a consulting firm should be paid to help the Sheriff's Department implement community policing.

The Luverne City Council voted unanimously to ask the county to provide community policing standards under the direction of the Upper Midwest Community Policing Institute.

The commissioners took no action, but Ken Hoime said he needed more time to think about options and Ron Boyenga said he was against it.

County Commissioner Jane Wildung spoke in favor of granting the city's request. The city is a partner under joint law and contracts with the county for law enforcement services.

Wildung said that the county has continually invested resources and money on family services, environmental issues and roads and bridges, "But we have not really invested in our law enforcement services. I am very supportive of this concept."

The philosophy of community policing is generally considered to be more proactive than reactive to crime. Communication and working with the public is encouraged.

Dennis Cusick, director of the Institute, said, "It's more than just appearances.... It's more than walking around town and having a D.A.R.E. program. It's an organizational change, not just little things on the surface."

Commissioner Boyenga said he thought most of the outcome of the consultants' work would be superficial and wouldn't help solve the outstanding murder or arson cases.

"I'd like to see what we can do on our own first," Boyenga said, noting that after a recent Sheriff's Department meeting with township residents that an arrest was made because of more open communication.

Wildung said, "Small tweaks aren't going to do the same job as an entire program."

Other than the concept of community policing, the City Council and County Board have to consider costs.

A total cost of $52,900 is proposed by the Institute, which would cover assessing the department, designing a system for the officers, training the officers, consulting with them, evaluating progress and travel, lodging and per diems.

The Institute is offering financial support of up to a maximum of 10 percent of the total cost of the final contract.

The fee for the contract can be paid over two years, and costs outside of the regular Sheriff's Department budget could be levied for.

In previous discussions, the county considered signing up for portions of the contract, which would have a lower total cost.

Principles and practices
Before the city's vote Tuesday, council member David Hauge said he was skeptical coming into the meeting. But he said after hearing the presentation, he was eager to give community policing a try.

"It may help straighten out some problems," he said.

Rock County Sheriff Ron McClure said, "I think it's a good idea - a good concept."

McClure also said he thought his officers would go along with it, even though change in any administration can be difficult.

Cusick said the term "community policing" can sometimes be looked down on by officers who have a long history of being reactive to crimes.

"Instead of thinking, 'Where can I be to catch the next bad guy?' you limit the opportunities for the bad guy," Cusick said,

Cusick is a retired law enforcement officer. He served 33 years in municipal law enforcement, the last 18 years as the Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police for the city of Cottage Grove.
He has worked on community policing for other small law enforcement agencies but hasnÕt yet dealt specifically with combined city and county law enforcement. But, he said, the concepts still hold true for Rock County's situation.

Under his plan, officers would have geographic accountability. That means regular patrols go on as usual, but officers track and keep up on crimes in their assigned regions. This establishes a familiarity and pride in the officers as well as the region.

Cusick said community involvement can be as little as encouraging more communication or as much as citizen education in law enforcement and neighborhood watches.

The old management style of policing, Cusick said, turns both the public and officers away from interaction that is so valuable to crime solving and prevention.

He said the regional accountability allows officers time to check in on homes where noise nuisances have been reported, follow up on restraining orders before they are violated, track areas that are notorious for speeding or check on adequate night lighting in neighborhoods.

The community policing concept also translates to rural areas where officers would do the same preventative and follow-up checks.

Cusick said, "Success of community policing is sometimes measured by intangible things, unfortunately."

He said faith in officers and feelings of increased safety are usually reported after community policing is implemented. "I've seen it work."

One man's junk is another man's treasure - or, in the case of these two Luverne kids, it's a luxury cruiser. Chris Smook reclined in a sofa sectional, and Mike Nelson, driving the lawn mower, cruised for junk Sunday on a unique mode of transportation built out of junk they collected Saturday. Items included in their Sunday loot included a mailbox, rims, a flag, a chair, a satellite dish and license plates. A sign taped to the rear of the laundry basket reads, "Recycled Junk."

Photo by Chantel Connell

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth golf team played its first match of the 2002 campaign at the Rock River Country Club near Rock Rapids, Iowa, Tuesday.

Entertaining Red Rock Conference foe Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster on a course the Patriots will call home until next season, H-BC-E came up on the short end of a 195-205 decision during the opener.

Tom Janssen played a solid round for the Patriots by shooting a seven-over-par 42 on the par-35 course. Janssen earned the meetÕs medalist honor for his effort.

Kyle Sammons, Jeremy Tiesler and Jeremy Elbers contributed 51-, 54- and 58-stroke rounds to H-BC-E's team tally.

Jordan Scott and Clint Roozenboom shot 59- and 66-stroke rounds without influencing the scoring.
Tim Sather led the winning Raiders with an eight-over-par 43.

SV-RL-B fielded an incomplete B team against an H-BC-E squad that recorded a 217.

Dusty Seachris led the Patriots with a 51.

Travis Broesder, Nick Deutsch and Dustin Bonnema pitched in 52-, 53- and 54-stroke rounds to the team total.

Tom Scholten and Adam Lange shot 58- and 60-stroke rounds during the B squad match.

The 0-1 Patriots host Southwest Star Concept and Westbrook-Walnut Grove at the RRCC today and Tuesday respectively. The Patriots play Lincoln HI in Hendricks Monday.

By John Rittenhouse
Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth evened its baseball record at 1-1 by posting a Red Rock Conference win in Lamberton Tuesday.

After dropping their opener one week earlier by giving up a big lead in the seventh inning, the Patriots turned the tables while posting a 7-3 win over Red Rock Central-Westbrook-Walnut Grove.

H-BC-E trailed 3-2 when RRC-W-WG plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the third but rallied to score five runs in the sixth and seventh innings to give first-year coach Jason Langland his initial victory.

"Our guys really impressed me," Langland said. "The kids really played a great game. Justin Van Maanen pitched a great game, we made some plays defensively and we hit the ball well."

Van Maanen, who allowed a first-inning run before being touched for a pair of counters in the third, blanked RRC-W-WG over the final four frames to get the win. He allowed four hits and eight walks while fanning three batters.

The Patriots turned Van Maanen into a winner by scoring two runs in the sixth inning and three in the seventh.

Darin DeBoer, who doubled twice and drove in three runs in the game, tied the game at three with a two-bagger in the top of the sixth. Zach Wysong, who also had two RBIs in the game, chased home DeBoer with the go-ahead run as the inning progressed.

Lyle DeBoer capped a two-hit, two-RBI game with a run-scoring double in the seventh. Darin DeBoer added a two-run double.

After RRC-W-WG took a 1-0 lead in the first, H-BCE tied the game with an RBI single from Wysong in the second. Lyle DeBoer doubled home a run to make it a 2-1 game in the top of the third.

H-BC-E hosts Murray County Central today and Edgerton Monday before playing in Adrian Tuesday.