Eight seniors will lead the Hills-Beaver Creek High School boys' basketball team into battle during the 2001-02 season. Front row, left to right, are: Matt Buck, Randy Krull and David Top. Back row: Justin Van Maanen, Darin DeBoer, Lyle DeBoer, Brad Haak and Paul Jess.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek boys have the ingredients to develop into a good basketball team this season.

The Patriots, who are coming off an 8-15 campaign, possess many ingredients needed to be successful on the court.

Topping the list of positives is experience. H-BC has five players who drew starting assignments for the 2000-01 team returning to the ranks and two other letter winners who picked up playing time in a reserve role.

With three players 6-3 or taller, the 2001-02 Patriots will have the size to create match-up problems for future opponents. Add in athleticism that appears in the form of quickness, and H-BC has a list of strengths that creates optimism for the upcoming season.

Experience, athletic ability and a physical presence are qualities that most area coaches would love to have in their teams. According to Patriot coach Steve Wiertzema, this H-BC team has something else that makes it special.

"What I like about this group is the intensity they have been practicing with. If we can play with the same intensity in games, it will be a plus.," he said.

"Other things I like about this team are our experience and size," Wiertzema continued. "The kids have played a lot of basketball, and it's always good to have experience. We also have pretty good size and quickness."

A combination of H-BC's strengths has made the Patriots a team area coaches will not take lightly after a rough 2000-01 season.

With a 7-14 regular season, which included a 1-3 record and a third-place finish in the Tri-County Conference, the Patriots drew a less-than-impressive eighth seed for the South Section 3A Tournament.

What the seeding didn't reveal was H-BC was a team on the rise at seasonÕs end, and that was evident when it sported a fourth-quarter lead over eventual state champion Southwest Christian before falling 52-42 in the quarterfinals of the post-season event.

The Patriots did lose two key players from the 2000-01 team, and they will have to find a way to replace graduates Lance Crawford and Chris Fransman.

Crawford was a post who led H-BC in rebounding while locking up a spot on the All-T-CC roster during his senior year. Fransman, an outstanding jumper as a forward, also started at times for a Patriot team that did not feature a set starting five last year.

Wiertzema's decision not to establish a regular starting five last winter should pay dividends this season. H-BC will have five players with starting experience and seven letter winners coming back to a team with a pre-season roster consisting of eight seniors, three juniors and one sophomore.

"We'll be trying to play most of our kids to start the year just to see where we are at," Wiertzema said. "Obviously, the returning letter winners will be playing. We'll also give our seniors the first shot to play their way in or out of our lineup."

Six of the eight seniors on the roster played varsity basketball last season, and five of them did start at times.

Matt Buck, a 6-5 post, is the most experienced senior. He earned a spot in H-BC's starting five late in his sophomore season and has become a go-to player ever since. Buck made the All-T-CC team as a junior.

Seniors David Top and Brad Haak bring added size to the floor along with past starting experience.

Top and Haak are 6-4 and 6-3 wings respectively.

Darin and Lyle DeBoer are the other seniors who started for the Patriots in 2000-01.

Darin DeBoer is a 6-1 point-guard, and Lyle DeBoer is a 6-1 wing.

Senior Justin Van Maanen and sophomore Trey Van Wyhe are the other experienced players on H-BC's roster.

Van Maanen is a 5-10 wing and Van Wyhe a 6-2 post for a Patriot team that should be able to challenge opponents a lot of different plays.

"We'll look to push the ball some, but we won't be a true fast-break team," Wiertzema said.

"Our size will allow us to set up in a half-court offense and create some mismatches we hope to take advantage of. Our overall depth will allow us to play at a higher tempo. Man-to-man will be our base defense, but weÕll also do some zone pressing and playing some half-court zone defenses because our size will created problems for some teams."

Seniors Paul Jess and Randy Krull will be given an opportunity to add to H-BC's depth this season.
Jess is a 5-8 guard and Krull a 6-1 post.

Juniors Tyson Metzger, Clint Roozenboom and Jesse Leuthold round out the pre-season roster.

Metzger is a 6-1 guard, Roozenboom a 6-2 wing and Leuthold a 6-0 post.

Wiertzema is looking forward to playing in the Red Rock Conference this season, which H-BC joined when the T-CC disbanded last season.

Instead of playing four conference games last year, H-BC will play 15 league tilts in the 2001-02 season.

"That will be fun. We'll be playing a bunch of new teams, and there will be some great competition," Wiertzema said.

Not knowing the teams H-BC will be facing keeps the Patriot coach from establishing win-loss goals for the season. Wiertzema, however, thinks H-BC will be a team that gets better as the season progresses.

"We'll get better as the year goes on, because of the length of the football season and the fact we still donÕt have our basketball legs yet. We have some kids nicked up, so we've only been practicing once a day rather than twice a day in past years. I think we're going to have a good year playing an exciting brand of basketball," he concluded.

The Patriots open the season by hosting Ellsworth tonight.

By John Rittenhouse
A Hills-Beaver Creek High School athlete will be a member of the Luverne-H-BC gymnastics program this winter.

Angie Bush, an H-BC junior, was in attendance at the team's pre-season practice sessions that started Nov. 12.

A member of the H-BC volleyball program this fall, Bush is expected to compete in three events during her third year as a member of the gymnastics program.

The balance beam, uneven bars and floor exercises are the events Bush is expected to participate in.

She will see action at the junior varsity level to start the season, which has the look of becoming a good one for the L-H-BC team.

"We have a lot of younger girls this year, and we also have a lot of talent," said Cardinal coach Phoebe Flom. "We have a lot of potential overall."

L-H-BC is coming off a 6-6 2000-01 campaign that ended with the Cardinals placing sixth as a team in the Section 3A meet.

Allana Gacke, who set a program scoring record in all-around competition during a meet last season, was a key member of the team who was lost to graduation last spring. Gacke drew honorable mention from the Southwest Conference coaches at the end of the season.

L-H-BC has six varsity letter winners returning to the program this season.

Senior Amanda Aning, junior Gabe Van Dyk and sophomores Callen Bosshart and Amanda Dooyema are all-around competitors expected to lead the 2001-02 team.

Senior Jessica Mann and freshman Cassie Pap are varsity candidates who also lettered last winter.

The L-H-BC squad opens the season in St. Peter tonight.

By Jolene Farley
Many Rock County farmers have "surfed the net" this week visiting the Web site ewg.org.

Earlier this month, the nonprofit Environmental Working Group listed the amount of every farm program payment made over the last five years, organized by state, county and producer on the database.

Since then, farmers have had plenty to say about the information. Many complain the numbers are misleading

"I don't have a problem with it being printed, but I wish people would understand it isnÕt all profit," said Beaver Creek farmer Roland Crawford.

"They all see that and say, 'h, they are making a whole lot of money.' It isn't like we made a whole bunch and they are giving us that on top."

He said accepting subsidies is a necessary evil. "If we would get paid so we could make a living ... With commodity prices so low there has to be some incentive to keep going."

The average return per acre in south central Minnesota without government payments was a negative $62.04 per acre for corn and a positive $1.60 per acre for soybeans, according to information provided by Extension Educator Kent Thiesse.

Hills farmer Gary Esselink said subsidies have become part of doing business. "There are payments, yes, but it all balances out with the low commodity prices," he said.

Esselink said commodities are a safety net for farmers. In his opinion, when the 1996 Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act or the "Freedom to Farm Bill" was enacted the government never expected the prices to go so low, but overproduction and a strong dollar on foreign markets sent demand and prices plummeting.

"It's a tough call. The government wants cheap food for the consumer. If they are going to do that they are going to have to help us out some," Esselink said.

"It's frustrating. Any farmer you talk to about this says this is not the way they want to farm. They would rather have corn at $3 per bushel and beans at $7 to $8 per bushel."

Beaver Creek farmer LeRoy Kellenberger said he is paid the same price for his crops as he was paid 30 years ago, while his expenses have increased by three-quarters. He said without government subsidies he wouldn't be in business.

"Do I feel good about it? No, I don't. But that's the price farmers have to pay," he said. "We just can't operate on $1.50 corn; that's what we got 30 years ago. It just isn't a gift. Most farmers would just as soon have the price."

Who are the top 10 percent?
The preliminary results of EWG's analysis of 2000 USDA farm subsidy payments indicated that two-thirds of the $27 billion paid out in federal farm subsidies last year went to 10 percent of the nation's farmers.

Thiesse points out the percentages can be very misleading unless that factor is accounted for.

He said the "highest 10 percent of farm program recipients" in most counties are family-based and operated by persons who live in their communities, support their local businesses, attend their schools and churches and serve many leadership roles.

Kellenberger agreed, "When you look at the dollars spent in Rock County (on subsidies), farmers turn around and spend that money. It goes right back into the system."

More complicated than numbers indicate
Thiesse said payments for "market loss assistance" and "oilseed" have been added in the last three years of this study (1998-2000), and again in 2001, to offset low commodity prices and reduced farm incomes.

The Loan Deficiency Payments or LDP's and "non-recourse" marketing loans were established to encourage farmers to market grain, even when it was below CCC loan rate.

Continued low commodity prices for the past two years led to the large amounts of payments listed for LDP's and gains in marketing loans on the database, according to Thiesse.

Because these payments are based on the county loan rate, for the most part, these payments should not be considered as payments that usually enhance net income.

"It (the database) makes the farmer look like he is getting a handout from the government," when what farmers really want, according to Steen farmer Alan Baker, is a fair price.

"They should put an explanation why we get that (the payments) and how we get that. What it's based on, how we get the farm program payments," said Baker.

"We all need each other. We are all just a link in the puzzle, but unfortunately we all like to fight each other."

Public's right to know vs. farmers' rights to privacy
Most Rock County farmers have found their own names and possibly the names of their neighbors and the amount of farm subsidies received on the site. All have an opinion on the availability of such information, and it is not favorable.

"It is federal money. There is other federal money spent and I feel it all should be printed," said Crawford.

"Do they publish what doctors get from Medicare, the government?" asked Kellenberger.

Many wonder how the USDA information was available to place on the Web site to begin with and if any data privacy policies were violated.

The Web site information was obtained by EWG through the Freedom of Information Act, according to their Web site. The data was made public as a result of a 1996 lawsuit won by the Washington Post. A federal judge ordered the United States Department of Agriculture to open its records to the public.

By Jolene Farley
Santa Claus is coming to town Saturday, Dec. 15, but his visit will not coincide with Hills Appreciation Day this year.

For more than 10 years, Hills merchants have served an appreciation lunch to thank customers for their business throughout the year.

This year, Hills Development Corporation has decided to discontinue the yearly event due to a dwindling number of people attending. A lack of retail businesses on Main Street was also a contributing factor, according to Hills Development Corporation representative Bob Hanson.

In previous years, merchants contributed money to sponsor the event and many volunteered to work. Hills merchants have mixed feelings about the decision not to have appreciation day.

"I guess we would like to see it," said Hills Product and Design owner Jeff Bass. "If we had our way we would definitely have it."

"It was kind of slow (last year), but the weather was nice. Maybe it would be better to do it in the evening," said Hills Product and Design manager Amanda Rozeboom.

Another business owner said she could understand why the event wasn't going to be held this year. The last few years, she said it "seemed like not too many people were around." She also said it was usually a limited number of people who did the work.

Some merchants will have their own holiday or customer appreciation open houses for their customers.

Tyler Bush (left), Derek Haak and Travis Broesder wait patiently on their snowmobiles for traffic to pass so they can cross the highway near Steen Tuesday afternoon. The winter storm that hit the area Monday and Tuesday dumped more than a foot of snow, making winter sports enthusiasts and snowmobilers happy, while leaving those having to move snow not so enthusiastic.

Anna Tofteland, 74, Luverne, died Friday, Nov. 30 at Luverne Hospice Cottage. Services will be Monday, Dec. 3 at 10:30 a.m. at Grace Lutheran Church, Luverne, with Rev. Maurice Hagen and Rev. Dell Sanderson officiating. Burial will be in Maplewood Cemetery. Visitation will be Sunday, Dec. 2 from 2 to 8 p.m. with the family present from 6 to 8 p.m. at Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne.

Esther V. Koehn, 96, Hills, formerly of Luverne, died Friday, Nov. 23, 2001, at Tuff Memorial Home in Hills.

Services were Wednesday, Nov. 28, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Hills. The Rev. Lowell Berg officiated. Burial was in Flowerfield Cemetery, rural Hills.

Esther Nordby was born to August and Johanna (Moe) Nordby on Nov. 14, 1905, in Hills where she was raised and graduated from Hills High School. She was baptized and confirmed in Trinity Lutheran Church in Hills. Following her education she worked for the Hills Bakery for a few months and then began working for the Hills Post Office where she worked for 10 years. She then worked at Rock County Courthouse in Luverne where she was the deputy county auditor for 30 years.

She married Ray Koehn on Sept. 24, 1977, and moved to Luverne. Following Mr. Koehn's death on Jan. 22, 1990, she continued to live in Luverne until moving to Tuff Memorial Home in Hills in 1997.

Mrs. Koehn was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Hills where she was active in church circles and was church treasurer. She was also a member of Hills Senior Citizens, Luverne Senior Citizens and Rock County Historical Society.

Survivors include by two stepdaughters, Patricia Paske, Bloomington, and Dorothy Stager, Pipestone; stepgrandchildren; stepgreat-grandchildren; two nieces, Margaret Thornton, Madison, S.D., and Frances Muir, Jackson; five nephews, Jan Nordby, Sioux Falls, S.D., Craig Nordby, Ellicott City, Md., Todd Nordby, Garland, Texas, Lance Nordby, Hillsboro, Ore., and David Nordby, London, England; and one cousin, Raymond Nelson, Hills.

Mrs. Koehn was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, one stepgrandson, Tony Stager, two sisters, Anna (Mrs. Otto Bakke) and Rachel (Mrs. Alfred Bakke), and two brothers, G. Oliver Nordby and Joseph A. Nordby.

Engebretson Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.

Sally McFadden, 67, rural Luverne, died Tuesday, Nov. 6 at Luverne Hospice Cottage. Visitation of remembrance will be Friday, Nov. 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Engebretson Funeral Home.

Esther Koehn, 96, Luverne, formerly of Hills, died Friday, Nov. 23 at the Tuff Memorial Home in Hills. Services will be Tuesday, Nov. 27 at 10:30 a.m. at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Hills, with Rev. Lowell Berg officiating. Burial will be in Flowerfield Cemetery, rural Hills. Visitation will be Monday, Nov. 26 from 3 to 6 p.m. at Engebretson Funeral Home, Luverne.