By John Rittenhouse
Some clutch free-throw shooting by the Hills-Beaver Creek Patriots gave them a berth in the semifinals of the South Section 3A Boys' Basketball Tournament Saturday.

Taking on No. 5 Murray County Central in a quarterfinal-round tilt in Worthington, the fourth-seeded Patriots drained five free throws in the game's final 1:20 to secure a 61-56 victory over the Rebels.

The win ups H-BC's record to 15-8 heading into tonight's semifinals in Worthington, where the team takes on top-seeded Southwest Christian at 6 p.m.

SWC, the three-time defending state champions, ousted Adrian 66-44 during another quarterfinal round game played Saturday.

The Eagles and Patriots have met two times during the regular season. SWC won both times, but the game played in Edgerton Feb. 19 was a tight one (59-54).

Saturday's clash against the Rebels also was up for grabs at the end of the game.

The teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 46, and the score was knotted at 56 as time was winding down.

Patriot junior guard Darin DeBoer, who had not scored a point in the game, gave the Patriots a 58-56 lead when he drained a pair of free throws.

DeBoer added another free throw after Brad Haak made a pair in the game's final minute to ice a five-point Patriot win.

All things considered, free throws gave the Patriots their victory. H-BC outscored the Rebels 19-6 at the stripe during the game.

The game's first half featured both teams sporting two-point cushions at the quarter breaks.

H-BC played its way to a 15-13 edge during the first eight minutes of play. MCC countered by outscoring the Patriots 22-18 in the third quarter to gain a 35-33 edge at the intermission.

The Patriots tied the game at 46 with a 13-11 scoring cushion in the third quarter before outscoring MCC 15-10 in the final eight minutes of play.

Senior David Top carried the Patriots to victory by scoring a game-high 34 points. Top made 10 of 16 field goals in the game, and he canned both of his attempts from three-point land. Top was 12 of 12 at the charity stripe.

Haak, who scored 12 points and made all five of his field goals in the game, also turned in a solid effort. He had six rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Top and Matt Buck led the Patriots with eight rebounds each. Lyle DeBoer contributed four assists to the win.

Box score
D.DeBoer 0 0 3-4 3, Van Maanen 0 0 0-0 0, Haak 5 0 2-5 12, Leuthold 0 0 0-0 0, L.DeBoer 2 0 0-2 4, Van Wyhe 0 0 1-2 1, Top 8 2 12-12 34, Buck 3 0 1-2 7.

Team statistics
H-BC: 20 of 40 field goals (50 percent), 19 of 27 free throws (70 percent), 31 rebounds, 18 turnovers.
MCC: 23 of 50 field goals (46 percent), six of eight free throws (75 percent), 22 rebounds, 18 turnovers.

By John Rittenhouse
Considering some of his recent decisions, John Cox leaves the impression he enjoys experiencing different things in life.

Take his selection of a college, for instance.

Instead of staying close to home while attending one of the many higher-learning institutions in the surrounding area, the 1999 Luverne High School graduate opted to travel to the East Coast and continued his education at Boston College.

It was at Boston College where Cox, now a junior at the school that competes in the Big East Athletic Conference, made another interesting decision.

Instead of participating in familiar intramural sports like football and baseball as he did at the varsity level during his LHS days, the son of Luverne's Mike and Cheryl Cox is a second-year member of the Boston College Rugby Football Club.

Rugby is a popular sport on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, as it was first played in England. It is a sport without many ties to the Midwest, but it thrives at schools such as Boston College in the eastern part of the country.

Cox admitted that he had heard of the sport, but he had never seen it played until his freshman year at BC. After watching some of his best friends play the game and listening to their conversations about it, Cox thought it was a sport that might interest him.

"I gave it a try and really liked it," he said from his BC dorm room Sunday. "A bunch of friends were playing it during my freshman year in college, and thatÕs when I first saw it being played. I started playing the game as a sophomore last year, and this will be my second full year as a member of the team."

According to Cox, rugby is a game played on a field similar to a football field. Although sites vary, the average field is 110 yards long and 160 feet wide. It has goal posts on each end of the field, and the object of the game is to carry the ball into the try zone (10 yards long, at the end of each field) for a five-point try.

After a try, the team that scores gets a free kick in an attempt to put the ball through the goal posts for two more points. When a team is called for a penalty, the other has a chance to kick the ball through the uprights from the spot of the foul for three points.

Unlike football, there are no forward passes in rugby. A team, which consists of 15 players, advances the ball by running it or kicking it toward the opponent's try zone.

A game consists of two 40-minute halves that are played with continuous running time. What makes the game unique is that it is a full-contact sport (like football) that is played with few or no pads.

"It's a pretty intense sport," Cox said. "Some guys wear a foamed helmet called a 'scrum cap,' but that's it for padding."

Cox said BC began preparing for its spring season in late February. The spring season is a limited one, designed to develop new players for the more important fall season.

The team practices two hours daily in preparation for the spring schedule, which will consist of warm-up games against Holy Cross and Fairfield University.

The Cherry Blossom Tournament will be played April 6-8 in the shadows of the Washington Monument in Washington D.C., which will be followed by the annual Bean Pot Tournament involving teams from BC, Harvard, Boston University and Northeastern April 13.

Although Cox is one of the team's inexperienced players, he has earned the respect of his peers to the point of being named a co-captain for the spring and fall seasons.

"It's an honor in that it's a role that commands leadership skills and the respect of the other team members," he said.

A big part of the co-captain position is setting up practice sessions that are instrumental in toning the skills of the veteran players, and teaching the new team members the fine points of the game.

If all goes well, the spring season will serve as a good stepping stone for the all important fall season, which begins with Saturday afternoon games in early September and runs through late fall.

BC will play every team in its division (Harvard, Boston University, Northeastern, University of Massachusetts and the University of Connecticut), and two more schools from a different division that forms the region of which BC is a member. Each division champion advances to playoffs that lead to a berth in a national tournament.

Cox said rugby is not a varsity sport at BC, which has its advantages and disadvantages.

No player will get jumped on for missing a practice when it conflicts with a class, but the athletes must pay for some of their expenses to participate in the club sport.

"We have to buy things like our shoes and shorts. The school pretty much takes care of the rest of our expenses, including the travel and lodging for our tournaments," he said.

Although serving as a co-captain for the team and taking part in demanding practice sessions have their drawbacks, Cox said he has gained more than he's given to participate in the school's rugby program.

"I'm participating in a sport with pretty much all of my best friends, and we're having a pretty good time on and off the field," he said.

Feikema Farms applies
for new construction
feedlot permit
PUBLIC NOTICE
In accordance with amended Minnesota State Statutes 116.07, Subdivision 7a

I Feikema Farms do hereby give notice that I have applied for an animal feedlot permit for new construction. The construction will consist of a 100x350' total confinement barn to house 900 (cattle) head equivalent to 900 animal units.

The feedlot will be located in the SE 1/4 of section 9 in Mound township of Rock County.

Nearest State, County, or Township Road: Hwy 75.

Construction Location: From intersection of County Rd. 20 and Highway 75, 1 mile north, 1 mile west, 1/3 mile north.

The Rock County Land Management Office will be conducting the permitting process.
311 West Gabrielson Road
Luverne, MN 56156
(507) 283-8862 Extension #3
(3-14)

Feikema Farms hearing
set for March 25
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Conditional Use Permit
Pursuant to the Rock County Zoning Ordinance, Notice is hereby given by the Rock County Planning Commission that a public hearing will be held at the Rock County Family Service Building located at 2 Roundwind Road in Luverne, MN at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 25, 2002. The purpose of the hearing is to rule on the application submitted by Feikema Farms for a change of their existing conditional use permit located in the SE 1/4 of section 9 in Mound Township. The application is to construct a 100' x 350' total confinement cattle barn housing 900 head of cattle. This would expand the current operation from 2620 animal units to 3520 animal units.

Interim Zoning Administrator
Douglas Bos
(3-14, 3-21)

Digital imagery for 2002 crops bids set for April 1
Flight/Photography Service Announcement
FY 2002 Aerial Compliance
The Farm Service Agency (FSA) will be accepting offers from vendors for digital imagery for the 2002 crops. The digital imagery must meet the following criteria:

oNatural color digital imagery, geo-rectified, by county, will be required for FSA program use.

oResolution requirements must meet or exceed a minimum of 2.0 meter pixel resolution.

oMinimum image coverage area shall be two sections (two square mile), with a 180 meter buffer on all four sides of the image.

Image files shall be provided in geo-tiff format, by county, on CD-ROM.

The imagery will be at least 90% free of cloud cover per county.

The approximate performance period for image acquisition is the prime agricultural growing season of June 1, 2002 to August 15, 2002.

The accuracy of the geo-rectification must be such that an area measurement taken from any part of a geo-tiff image will be within +/-5% of the same areaÕs measurement against a reference source meeting National Map Accuracy Standards; either a USGS 7.5 minute topographic map or a USGS digital ortho quarter quad (DOQQ) or a USDA mosaiced digital ortho quad (MDOQ).

Additional requirements may be applicable.

Bids must be received no later than April 1, 2002.

For more details, sample offer forms may be obtained from your local Farm Service Agency.

ROCK COUNTY FARM SERVICE AGENCY
311 W. Gabrielson Rd.
PO Box 897
Luverne, MN 56156
Phone: 507-283-2369
(3-14, 3-21)

By Sara Strong
Pipestone banker and Global Ventures owner David Logan has signed a plea agreement in U.S. District Court that would bring $160,000 to Rock County.

Logan is accused, among other things, of conspiracy to defraud federal bank regulators and of misapplying monies of First National Bank in Pipestone and Garretson.

Rock County is included in the plea agreements because the crimes involved some county feedlots and were connected to former Land Management Director John Burgers' bribery crimes.

As part of the plea agreement, Logan would pay $250,000 in "extraordinary restitution" for environmental or regulatory programs in southwest Minnesota.

About $130,000 of what Rock County receives would go toward the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency conducting "Level 3 inventories" on county feedlots.

The inventories are extensive, and to cover all of Rock County's nearly 600 registered feedlots will likely take all summer.

Interim Land Management Director Doug Bos said at Tuesday's Rock County Board meeting, "In the long run it may turn out to be good for Rock County. We'll get a clean bill of health, and everyone will take a second look at their operations."

Even if the county's Land Management Office recently completed an inventory, the state will look at the feedlot again, to remove any suspicion of corruption or environmental hazards.

Commissioners agreed that for water safety the inspections are probably worth it but don't want animal producers to be offended by the extra checks.

Commissioner Ron Boyenga said, "We should get in front of it and let people know the plan."
Although the county doesn't know specifics from the MPCA, it wanted to let producers know what they may be a part of this spring and summer.

Level 3 inventories are the most specific of all inspections. They cover location, number of animal units and drawing dimensions, all specifications of feedlot buildings and lots and evaluate the entire operation.

A feedlot is defined as an area of animal confinement, and anyone with 50 animal units or more must register the feedlot.

If a feedlot is within 300 feet of a shoreline (meaning lakes, waterways or streams) it must be registered with the county and state if it contains as many as 10 animal units.

Animal units are measured by an animalÕs mass. For example, a cow is worth more animal units than a sheep.

There are provisions that limit fines to feedlot owners in cases where health is not in imminent danger.

By Lori Ehde
Harvey and Tamara Horn welcomed a new addition to their family last weekend but didn't have a home to bring her to.

While Tamara was in Luverne Community Hospital recovering from Friday's C-section delivery, a fire destroyed their home in the early morning hours Sunday.

The Horns' boys, Tanner, 10, and Tucker, 6, were staying with their cousins while Tamara was in the hospital.

Horn was home alone Saturday night. He had fallen asleep with his clothes on and was awakened at about 3 a.m. by a loud popping noise.

It was spray paint cans exploding in the hallway outside his bedroom door. "We had done some Sheetrocking and used the spray paint to mark the studs," Horn said.

"I took a minute to look and I saw a flash of flames. It looked like it had come up through the floor."

After that, he said things happened quickly.

"This big cloud of smoke rolled in, and I jumped out of bed and immediately went to the boys' rooms, but then I remembered they weren't home," Horn said.

From that point he said the only way out was through the bedroom window. "I threw up the sash, took a step back, and dove out the window," he said.

He landed first on the garage roof and then jumped to the ground below. His landing was cushioned by a fresh layer of snow.

"I stood there in my bare feet and remembered the dog was still inside," he said.

So he went to the door and called for Scamper, who escaped safely.

Then, he remembered his cell phone was in the pickup, parked out front, but it was locked. "I threw up my hands, and when they came down they hit my leg and I could feel the keys in my pocket," Horn said.

The call to the Luverne Fire Department came in at about 3:30 a.m., and firefighters were on the scene until about 5:30 a.m.

"The fire department did a heck of a job," Horn said. "They were real considerate and did all they could."

Smoldering debris in a wall reignited at about 4:30 a.m. Monday, calling firefighters to the scene again for a few hours.

Tamara and the baby, Katarina, were discharged from the hospital at noon Monday, and Horn said his sister, Valarie Schomacker, is letting them stay in her home near Beaver Creek.

"She just started a new job in Lexington, Neb., and is staying in a motel out there until she can find something," Horn said. "All her stuff is still there, and she told us to go ahead and move in. That was a really good deal. It was really nice of her."

The fire apparently started in the living room, and the cause, Horn said, is likely electrical.

He said insurance adjusters deemed the damages beyond repair, and the house will be removed from the lot on the corner of Dodge and McKenzie streets.

He said some possessions in the Horns' garage are salvageable, but most everything in the house is lost. Yet to be found in the ashes is Tamara's wedding ring, which she had stopped wearing when pregnancy caused her fingers to swell.

"We can't find it, but we're not done looking," Horn said.

"The best part is everyone's here. We can live without a ring. If we lost someone, that would be worse."

He said State Farm Insurance wrote them an emergency check for $1,000 so they could buy clothes and necessities. And he said the community has been supportive, especially with baby items.

"A lot of people have been real nice about this deal and really willing to give," Horn said.

A fund has been set up for the Horns at First Farmers and Merchants Bank, Luverne.

By Lori Ehde
Authorities have arrested a suspect in the Dec. 16 burglary of Tony Bosch's rural Brandon storage shed.

Twenty-year-old Mark Duane Lafrenz was arrested earlier this month on burglary charges filed in Minnehaha County Court, Sioux Falls.

The complaint alleges he entered the garage with the intent to burglarize the place.

Rock County law enforcement has been working with South Dakota investigators on the burglary that Bosch, formerly of Luverne, stumbled on that day.

Shortly after leaving his rural Brandon residence Sunday morning, Bosch reportedly returned home after realizing he'd forgotten a set of keys.

Upon his return, he witnessed a burglary in process at a storage building on his property. It was about 6:45 a.m.

Lafrenz was arrested at a rural intersection north of Brandon later that morning for possession of a controlled substance.

He denied playing any role in the burglary, but authorities connected him to the vehicle used in the crime.

Other suspects are also being questioned.

Criminal charges are accumulating against Lafrenz.

In addition to the burglary and controlled substance charges, Lafrenz also faces felony charges for his involvement in a Christmas day car accident.

In that accident, which occurred north of Luverne, Lafrenz's vehicle rear-ended a van carrying 43-year-old Harland Kemerling and his sister, Lynette, who is now paralyzed from the hips down.

Lafrenz was charged last week in Rock County District Court with criminal vehicular injury.

The complaint filed in Rock County District Court, alleges Lafrenz had methamphetamines in his system and he drove the car negligently.

He was arrested last week on that charge but posted bail Monday.

By Lori Ehde
Biodiesel legislation was passed into law Friday, and supporters are comparing it to ethanol, in terms of its projected effect on soybean markets.

Jim Willers, Beaver Creek, is state director of the Minnesota Soybean Growers Association and has been working to see the bill passed into law.

"You could call this Minnesota's second oil well - after ethanol," Willers told the Star Herald Monday.

Minnesota is the first in the nation to mandate the use of biodiesel.

The law requires a portion of diesel fuel sold in Minnesota to contain soybean-based biodiesel by 2005.

The law requires a 2-percent biodiesel blend when state biodiesel production exceeds 8 million gallons.

This will happen 18 months after the state or federal government provides a biodiesel tax credit, or at least by 2005, with or without the credit.

Biodiesel is a clean-burning alternative fuel made from renewable fats or oils, such as soybean oil. It can be burned in any diesel vehicle, and more than 50 major fleets across the nation have used it commercially.

The fuel performs similarly to a petroleum diesel but is non-toxic and biodegradable, and its use reduces harmful air emissions. Biodiesel produces up to 50 percent less dangerous particulate matter than petroleum diesel.

Willers said there are a great many of Rock County soybean producers who stand to benefit from the new mandate.

"What's been holding down the price of soybeans is the glut of soybeans on the world market," Willers said. "This will give us a larger market."

He said there are 2.9 billion gallons of vegetable oil in storage worldwide, and that supply is growing.

"Minnesota will use 16 million gallons of biodiesel annually, but we need other states to use biodiesel also," Willers said.

At the federal level, he said Sen. Mark Dayton has introduced legislation that would provide tax incentives for biodiesel use.

"Biodiesel is a homegrown renewable fuel," Dayton said. "Even as world oil prices are tightening, America's farmers are producing record crops of soybeans... Building demand for biodiesel will help increase these commodity prices while enhancing our nation's energy security."

He's proposed a 1-cent tax credit per 1 percent of biodiesel used in diesel fuel, up to 20 cents.

Since opponents have criticized biodiesel as a costly alternative, Willers said, "The tax incentive would take care of that cost difference," Willers said.

Three biodiesel processing plants are scheduled to come online soon in Albert Lea, Mankato and Brewster.

A small soybean processing plant is in the research and development stage for Luverne, but its products would include foods, not biodiesel.

Gov. Jesse Ventura decided Friday to allow the bill to become law without his signature, registering a protest against the measure, but without killing it with a veto.

"I have serious reservations about any mandate from the government," he said in a letter to the Legislature. "If this bill did not present such a clear opportunity for our farmers and our state, I would veto the bill on these grounds alone."

By Sara Strong
An OSHA investigation of a December electric accident resulted in $56,000 in fines for the city of Luverne.

The Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Division cited Luverne for "willful" violations in the Dec. 3 electrical accident. Injuries from that accident left Fulda Electric employee Phillip Kramer without his left hand and part of his forearm.

The city received two citations for $28,000 each:

One citation was for failing to properly de-energize, or turn off power. In this case the electrical equipment operated at 14,000 volts.

Part of the city's citation is that it allowed Fulda Electric electricians to enter the west substation when they were "not qualified to work on or near electrical equipment energized at distribution voltages."

The second citation was also called willful. In it, the city was determined to have not tested or otherwise determined the power source to be turned off, even if it believed it to be de-energized.

Willful violations are the most severe that OSHA hands out for one-time incidents. They carry a minimum fine of $25,000.

"This is what OSHA is determining right now," City Administrator Matt Hylen said. That doesnÕt mean the city agrees with OSHA's findings.

Hylen said City Attorney Don Klosterbuer and the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust are working on appealing the amount of the fine and the designation of violations as "willful." They have 20 days to start the appeals process.

"We know our deadline, and we're trying to get it done," Hylen said.

Hylen gave a rough estimate of legal fees at less than $5,000 for an appeal. If the appeals process favors the city and the violation status drops to "serious," the city could pay as little as $14,000 in fines rather than the $56,000.

Hylen said that even in the case of tragic accidents, part of his job is to remember to look out for taxpayer interests by keeping expenses as low as possible. Any fines the city pays will come out of the electric fund.

OSHA normally investigates injuries on behalf of employees. But at the time of the accident Kramer was doing work on the city of Luverne's electrical upgrading project. Under OSHA's classifications, he was considered a sort of employee under the multi-employee rule.

The city and its insurance trust are further looking into the causes of the accident. Hylen said a city employee or employees may face disciplinary action or termination.

The city is reluctant to elaborate on events that caused Kramer's injuries because of possible civil litigation in the future. The city does have insurance that would cover those costs, so those wouldnÕt come out of the regular electric fund.

Another electrical accident that killed a cable worker in Luverne Oct. 20 is still under investigation. OSHA has until April 20 to cite the city if it is found to have been in violation.

In-house safety
As the city has had a difficult year with the two major electrical accidents, Luverne was still called "phenomenal" by a Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association safety coordinator.

Kurt Rothwell presented the Luverne City Council an overview of the safety training programs with full-time city staff.

For almost five years, no city employee has had an on-the-job injury that caused him or her to miss work.

Rothwell said most cities have about two per year.

His job covers mostly safety training with some investigative work. Full-time city employees are trained in various safety-related subjects - from blood-borne pathogens to stress management.

If there is an incident, Rothwell said his function is to train from that to prevent it from happening again in any location within his southwest region.

By Sara Strong
Magnolia Steak House co-owner Amy Dispanet-Ver Steeg said the business will probably reopen by this summer.

"It'll be a while before we serve onion rings again, but we will have them," she said of their famous appetizer.

Other co-owner Brad Ver Steeg said they will "repair, refurbish and reopen."

As one of Luverne's landmark businesses, it could have been lost Tuesday if not for the quick actions of an employee and effective reaction from area firefighters.

The fire was initially reported by Steak House employee Sue Erwin just after she punched out at 1:27 a.m. After smelling something suspicious, she looked around and saw smoke coming from the roof and dialed 911.

Assistant Fire Chief Don Deutsch said, "We'd have been looking at a pile-up if she hadnÕt called when she did."

Deutsch said that when Erwin smelled smoke, instead of dismissing it as coming from some other source, as many might have done, she further checked before leaving for home.

The fire's cause is officially listed as electrical but was specifically caused by a neon sign transformer that started a fire between the shingles and interior ceiling.

The exact reason - whether it was faulty wiring or weather-related - isn't yet known, but investigators have ruled out any foul play.

Besides structural damage, the fire also claimed storage items in a crawl space below the roof. Those included things such as decanters and beer steins that didn't fit in the dining display areas and some spare equipment like microwaves.

"As far as other equipment, the meat market or the kitchen, everything's fine," Dispanet-Ver Steeg said.

She credits the fire department with what she still has.

"Their minimal use of water kept the damage to a minimum," Ver Steeg said. "There's a mess, but a lot of it got away unscathed. In some places the only damage is some firemen's footprints."

Carpet, drywall, and parts of the ceiling beyond what was damaged in the fire have to be replaced as well.

But smoke damage, like the rest of this story, could have been worse, too. In fact, an insurance representative lit a pipe in the bar area during the assessments, and its odor was more prominent than the other smoke.

The Steak House is also connected to the Super 8 Motel. Before firefighters were even on the scene, those employees evacuated rooms and shifted occupants to the Comfort Inn. Some truckers chose to leave town or sleep in their own cabs.

No damage reached the motel, and by Tuesday night, the Super 8 was accepting guests.

Family ties
Although the business seems lucky to have escaped worse damage, the outside view of it early Tuesday morning didn't leave a lot of room for hope.

"At first, we just saw that the flames engulfed the building," Dispanet-Ver Steeg said.

Other area fire departments were dispatched for their back-up pumpers in case more water was needed. Dispanet-Ver Steeg first learned of the fire from her brother-in-law, Nathan Ver Steeg, who is a volunteer firefighter from Magnolia.

On his way to the fire, Nathan called his brother and sister-in-law at home and told them where he was going but said he didn't know anything about the condition.

Dispanet-Ver Steeg said she left for the steak house in a frantic state of mind. "I put my boots on the wrong feet."

She said her employees and community reaction helped her through the rough day Tuesday. "All the employees have either stopped by or called today."

As the third generation of the Dispanet family to own and operate the well-reviewed establishment, she feels ties beyond financial ones to her business.

As she said when she took over the business a year ago, "It's a tradition and a challenge. You could say it's in my blood."

Second fire for steakhouse
Ironically, the Magnolia Steak House came to its current location in Luverne because a fire in 1988 destroyed its former building in Magnolia.

"I don't know the chances of one family having a fire in their business twice," co-owner Amy Dispanet-Ver Steeg said.

Dan "Muggs" McGuire is one employee who is often reminded of that first fire. "Some of the old Scotch bottles, when you take them out of the box, still smell like smoke," he said.

The old steak house's bar survived that fire and is at home in the Luverne building. It was retrofitted for the new location but still shows signs of the fire, where a portion of the bar's wood is darker than the rest.

The Magnolia fire in 1988 was also started by an electrical short.