By Jolene Farley
Home improvement enthusiasts can tour five beautiful area homes from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, during the Holiday Tour of Homes. Proceeds from the event go to the Hills-Beaver Creek After Prom fund.

The tour features the homes of Harlin and Yvonne Rozeboom and Dave and Eunice Roozenboom, all of rural Steen, the Brad and Linda Bosch home, Steen, the Chris and Grace Van Wyhe home east of Hills, and the Beverly Wassenaar home, Hills.

Tickets and maps for the tour are available at Hills-Beaver Creek High School and Steen Reformed church on the day of the tour.

Tickets are $7 for ages 10 to adult.

Parents are asked to drop off children younger than 10 at the babysitting service provided by the Hills-Braver Creek Spanish Club. Proceeds will be used to fund the students’ trip to Costa Rica in June. To pre-register children, call Teri Richards at 962-3240.

Junior parents will serve lunch at Steen Reformed church.

Also on Saturday, Country Flowers and Crafts will have a holiday open house featuring Premier Designs jewelry. The location of Country Flowers and Crafts is included on the Holiday Tour of Homes map.

Five local men appeared in Rock County District Court Monday on drug charges stemming from Nov. 26 arrests. Story inside.

Photo by Lori Ehde

Better than ever
Luverne High School Marching Band drum majors Becky Antoine (left), Alisha Moeller and Emily Brandel (back) display their take of trophies and plaques from the 2002 competitive season. Results from the Luverne High School Marching Band season are as follows: Waseca Marching Classic: second place in both parade and field; Tri-State Band Festival: first place in both parade and field, in addition to Outstanding Guard and Outstanding Drum Majors awards; Sioux Falls Festival of Bands: second place in field; Brandon Big Sioux Review: second place in field; Spirit of Madison Competition: first place in field and Outstanding Guard award; and Brookings Optimist Competition: third place in field. Luverne High School Marching Band, under the direction of Dale Nelson, competes among schools in the Class AA division.

Photo by Lori Ehde

Are Thanksgiving shoppers missing the point of the holiday?

It’s an irony, to me, that the day after Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year.

We spend Thanksgiving day being thankful for all our blessings — typically priceless things like good health and love of family. Then, we rush out the next day to buy the pricey things that we presumably need for Christmas.

I’m not opposed to Christmas or shopping, it’s just that staging both major events back-to-back seems a little … well … missing the point.

Considering this is the time of year people often spend themselves into debt, it’s probably not a bad idea to reconnect with some priceless assets and re-evaluate wealth.

According to a new book by inspirational leader and financial adviser Steve Rhode, money problems are often not about money; they are about who we are underneath what we’re trying to be.

The process of becoming someone we’re not can often be expensive, and the resulting low self-esteem can lead to more spending.

His book, "The Path to Happiness and Wealth: How to Enjoy Money and Life at the Same Time," is worth at least a page skimming.

He encourages people to strive for 10 personal attributes in order to prioritize values. A few of his more poignant mentions are:

Kindness — The nice thing about kindness is that as you give, you are repaid a little in your life’s savings account. The more you are kind to others, the better you will feel about yourself.

Gratitude — The only thing you are entitled to in life is … let’s see … nothing. That’s right. Everything more than nothing is a blessing in your life.

Responsibility — Before you can move forward in your life you must accept responsibility for those things for which you are responsible. Don’t assign blame when things go wrong; take responsibility for fixing them and move on.

Mindfulness — To be mindful is to be aware of what we are seeing and what we are thinking. Be aware of your intentions and how you see them through your actions.

Introspectiveness — The hardest person for us to answer to is ourselves. We need to examine the motivations behind what we do with money, credit and debt.

Honesty — The simple ability to see your situation for what it is. Be honest with yourself, because there are plenty of people who will lie to you.

Rhode reminds readers that enough can actually be enough.

"We take everything for granted," he said. "Instead, we need to start each day believing that everything — breathing, shelter, love, money and the rest — are luxuries."

Happy Thanksgiving, and happy (smart) shopping.

Luverne has new $100,000 winner
The Korner Gas Stop at Main Street and Hwy. 75 in Luverne was a lucky stop for Mary Ellen Polge last week.

The Luverne resident purchased five quick-pick tickets for the November 30 Powerball drawing.

The first line of numbers matched the numbers 1-4-19-21-29 (the Powerball was 8) for a $100,000 prize.

Odds of winning a prize in the Powerball is 1 in 36, and 1 in 120 million for the winning jackpot.

According to lottery officials, prizes of $100,000 from the Dec. 22, 2001, Jan. 19, 2002, March 27, 2002, June 19, 2002, Aug. 10, 2002, Aug. 17, 2002 and Oct. 2, 2002, are unclaimed

One ticket worth $500,000 (Power Play) from the Oct. 12 drawing is also unclaimed.

Players have one year from the date of the drawing to claim their prize.

Palace to show "Jack Frost" for Winterfest weekend
Those looking forward to movies at the Palace, will have the opportunity to go to the show this weekend.

The Palace will open its doors this Winterfest weekend for the movie, "Jack Frost".

"Jack Frost", starring Michael Keaton and Kelly Preston, (John Travolta’s wife) will be shown three times: first at 1 p.m. Saturday, again after the Winterfest parade, and then at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Members of the Blue Mound Area Theatre Group, owners of the Palace, are hoping movies at the Palace will be a regular event sometime after the first of the year.

The most likely scenario being discussed by the board would be a movie on the first weekend of every month.

Take advantage of 0 percent finance
Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, the Christmas shopping ritual is well underway.

Since buying such a large number of Christmas presents are compressed into a few weeks, can be taxing on the bank account, the Chamber of Commerce is once again offering Luverne shoppers a 0 percent Christmas loan program.

Twenty-two Luverne Chamber members have teamed up with the three Luverne banks to help make the shopping experience a little gentler on the pocket book.

Here’s how it works.

1. Go to either First National Bank of Luverne, First Farmers and Merchants National Bank or Minnwest Bank and apply for a loan.

2. Banks will issue gift certificates for the amount of the loan.

3. Certificates may be used at any participating business up to Dec. 24, 2002.

4. Merchants are not permitted to give change for certificates. You will be required to pay any amount over the nearest $10 increment in cash.

5. Certificates may be applied to your bank loan if done so by Dec. 27, 2002, with maximum allowable amount set at 10 percent of loan total. Example: One payment in six months of $300 per $300 borrowed.

This is the 14th year for the loan program.

Last year more than $32,000 was borrowed for Christmas shopping through the program.

MnDOT announces safer bridges
According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, two bridges on I-90 in southwest Minnesota will be safer for the traveling public thanks to a new automated de-icing system.

The Freeze Free system has sensors on the bridges that automatically activate the system or enable the MnDOT staff to remotely active equipment to apply chemicals that prevent the formation of ice on the bridges and overpasses.

Overpasses are generally the first places where ice forms.

The two overpasses, located at Beaver Creek and Worthington, have an average of 12 snow and ice related crashes every year.

The de-icing allows the application of chemical much sooner than under traditional methods.

Pavement sensors monitor surface conditions when they are approaching the freezing point.

Within minutes, 36 to 40 application nozzles mounted along the bridge and guardrails spray anti-icing chemicals. Obviously, this is much quicker than dispatching trucks to the site for the traditional method of de-icing.

When the chemical is dispensed, motorists could encounter a spray as high as 18 inches from the ground.

In another test, MnDOT will also test automatic gates.

During a severe storm, MnDOT will be able to close the gates from a remote location to prohibit access to roads that are unsafe.

The automatic gates are expected to save approximately 15 percent of the cost to clear roads more quickly.

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

Gladys Helgerson, 97, Grand Junction, Colo., former Hardwick resident, died Saturday, Nov. 23, 2002.
Crematory services will be at a later date.

Survivors include her children, Betty Blasick, Grand Junction, and Bob Helgerson, Bonners Ferry, Idaho; two brothers, Virgil Thompson, Luverne, and Clarence Thompson, La Crosse, Wis.; and two sisters, Ruby Viland, Luverne, and Harriet Bryan, Billings, Mont.

Mabel Eidahl, 94, Owatonna, died Saturday, Nov. 23, 2002, at Cedarview Nursing Home in Owatonna. She was the mother of former Luverne resident, Konrad Eidahl.

Services were Wednesday, Nov. 27, at Grace Lutheran Church in Albert Lea. The Rev. Todd Walsh officiated. Burial was at Graceland Cemetery, Albert Lea.

Mabel Knutson was born to John E. and Bolette (Haugsdal) Knutson on June 19, 1908, at her rural family home south of Emmons. She was baptized by the Rev. P.G. Ostby and confirmed by the Rev. O.T. Storaasli at Emmons Lutheran Church in Emmons. She attended rural Rovang school in Worth County and Lake Mills, Iowa, high school. After school she worked for Dr. K.I. Roshiem for many years.

She married Kenneth A. Eidahl on June 10, 1931, at Emmons Lutheran Church in Emmons. After marriage they lived in Leland, Iowa, until 1942 when they moved to Albert Lea. In 1950, they moved to Lake Mills and owned and operated Kenny’s Lunch. They moved back to Albert Lea in 1955. She worked at Skinner Chamberlain, Albert Lea Bakery, Land O’Lakes, and as a nursing assistant in several local nursing homes.

Mrs. Eidahl was a charter member of Grace Lutheran Church in Albert Lea. She taught Sunday School and was active in mission circle, Ladies Aid and Bible study. She liked nature and animals of all kinds and especially loved music and playing the piano.

Survivors include one son Konrad (Javonne) Eidahl, Emmons, two daughters, Katherine (Luther) Hermanson, Lester Prairie, and Marcia Kay (Richard) Ferguson, Owatonna; nine grandchildren, Kyle (Carol) Eidahl, Pamela (Tim) Christensen, David (Lynn) Eidahl, Brenda (Tim) Schmitz, Patrice (Jody) Hocking, Lucienne (David) Wurster, Karalee (James) Byl, Troy Folven and Melanie (David) Morrison; 18 great-grandchildren, Jessica Mann, Cara (Justin) Muth, Daniel Mann, Lindsey, Stephanie and Alexandra Schmitz, Stephanie, Matthew and Cody Christensen, Marcus and Christian Eidahl, Jessica (Justin) Maalis and Mandra (Chris) Peterson, Dylan and Madison Wurster, Bryce, Mariah and Megan Byl; one great-great-grandson, James David Maalis, one sister, Burnette Grunhovd, Albert Lea, one sister-in-law, Dorris Knutson, River Bend, Ariz., and many nieces, nephews and cousins.

Mrs. Eidahl was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Kenneth in 1972, one daughter-in-law, Barbara Eidahl, one grandson, Mark Eidahl, three brothers, Albert, Eddie and Roy, and two sisters, Alma Herfendal and Bernice Knutson.

Bonnerup Funeral & Cremation Services, Albert Lea, was in charge of arrangements.

By Sara Strong
Women seem to be driving the exercise and fitness market in Rock County.

Last week, the Rock County Pool and Fitness Center Committee voted unanimously to turn the existing community room into a weight room for women only.

Manager Carol Wessels said it’s something members and non-members have shown interest in for years.

"It’ll meet the needs of people we have now who aren’t using the facility as they could," Wessels said.

As well as pleasing current members, Pool and Fitness Center Director Darrell Huiskes said women who don’t do any form of exercise will probably feel more comfortable doing so now.

The Pool Commission voted to spend $30,000 on new equipment for the overall facility, with most of the new weights going to the existing co-ed weight room.

The cardio room will also see some new equipment, but the biggest change will be in the women-only area.

The community room is now infrequently used as a party room and for different classes or staff programs.

Wessels said she’s personally glad to see the room get more use, and at the same time add variety to the facility. "We’re all really excited about it," she said.

The same theory of offering a comfortable atmosphere, centered on women and wellness, was put into practice through the type of fitness center offered at Curves for Women, downtown Luverne.

"There’s a market that is intimidated to some extent by the thought of a weight room," said Deb Meyer, manager of Curves for Women.

Curves now has 270 members, surpassing the business goal of 150 memberships by Christmas.

"We’ve gone above our goal by far," Meyer said. "Another thing we’re doing is offering classes on weight loss after Christmas and looking into adding more machines."

Even with another facility available, memberships at the Rock County Pool and Fitness Center haven’t suffered. Curves and the Pool and Fitness Center are hoping to reach an untapped market in Rock County.

The county facility still holds a steady 312 pool memberships and 418 fitness memberships.

The Pool Commission and management hope that the new weight room brings in more memberships. With the added members, more staff time will be dedicated to training and supervising use of the equipment.

The Pool and Fitness Center is also implementing a weight loss program called Choose to Lose.

Curves and the Fitness Center aren’t the only businesses that have shown a warm welcome to women who might otherwise not exercise. The trend of a friendlier atmosphere is national and regional.

Sioux Valley Hospitals and Health System fitness centers have started offering "transitional" rooms that are well suited to seniors or people new to exercise.

Staying fit isn’t about vanity for a lot of people who exercise. Older women — up to age 89 in the case of one Curves member — exercise now more than ever as it increases strength and flexibility and helps prevent falls and even osteoporosis.

The new fitness room for women, which doesn’t have a specific name yet, should be available by Jan. 1.

New equipment coming to the Fitness Center:
leg extension
leg curl
lateral pull down
assisted chin dip
rotary torso
total chest
total leg
total shoulder
flat/incline bench
supine press bench
incline press bench
decline press bench
Smith machine
3-way press bench
preacher curl
cable crossover
thera crunch
glute press
inner/outer thigh

The Pool and Fitness Center is also getting a rubber mat to protect carpet in the weight room from damage caused by metal weights.

Manager Carol Wessels said some active members helped suggest some new purchases.

By Sara Strong
Landlords concerned that they could get stuck with tenants’ unpaid bills asked the Luverne City Council to reconsider its utility policy.

The council heard concerns from property owners Evy Vanden Berg and Mike Jarchow at the Tuesday, Nov. 26 meeting.

Other alarmed property owners and managers have been communicating with the council after receiving letters last week.

The letter explained the city policy on unpaid utility bills, which hasn’t previously been enforced according to code. That policy essentially calls for certifying unpaid utilities (except electric) to the property taxes of the owner, even though the actual utility user wasn’t the property owner.

The city will still go through collection processes, but in the end, the property owner is viewed as the utility customer, as interpreted by an assistant city attorney.

Landlords asked the city to clarify some of its policies before enforcing them as written.

For example, will the city notify property owners when utilities are not being paid so the landlord can intervene before the unpaid amount increases?

Vanden Berg said she had a tenant who paid rent on time, but ran up other bills. Vanden Berg worries that in that situation, she wouldn’t have known her taxes would eventually be assessed unpaid utilities until after the tenant moved.

Among other questions is this: Will the city continue to ask renters for utility deposits? If so, that could signify that the legal contract is with the renter, not the property owner.

Council member Keith Erickson said, "Maybe we need to hold a meeting on this to hear from the people it affects."

Mayor Glen Gust objected to the letter itself and the overall policy at a previous council meeting.

Matt Hylen, City Administrator, said that it’s well within the City Council’s rights to change the code, which hasn’t been examined for an estimated 20 years.

Concerns from landlords who didn’t speak out at the meeting were also shared with individual council members and the mayor.

Assistant City Attorney Jeff Haubrich first brought the issue to the council. He said it’s typical for city codes to call for landowners to pay utilities.

He said all Luverne citizens would, in effect, subsidize the business of renting to tenants if the city services weren’t paid.

The council will reopen the issue at a future meeting to allow for more feedback.