By Lori Ehde
The marquee is blank and the doors are locked at Luverne's historic Palace Theatre - at least until this summer.

Meanwhile, the owners, Jeremy and Rachel Esser, are considering selling the business back to Blue Mound Area Theatre Corporation, the non-profit organization that sold it to them last summer.

BMAT met with the Essers Monday, Feb. 11, and were told the Thursday, Feb. 14, showing would be the last for a while.

Background
For more than 25 years, BMAT owned the Palace and existed for the purpose of protecting the theater's interest.

It leased the movie business to various managers, including the Essers who started in June 1999.

BMAT board members decided to sell it last year to the Essers because it was becoming increasingly difficult to manage as a board, according to BMAT chair Mike Hesch of Luverne.

"It's virtually impossible to find people to serve on boards like that," Hesch told the Star Herald in August.

"We wanted to see it back in public hands rather than maintain it ourselves."

The board at the time felt comfortable selling the Palace to the Essers because they had a strong reputation in theater management and because they had assured BMAT of their intent to preserve the historic nature of the building.

The purchase price was $50,000, and the agreement, signed July 25, 2001, included stipulations to protect the Palace and gave BMAT first right of refusal if the Essers were to sell it.

Community 'outrage'
Since the sale, however, community response has been negative, the most vocal of which is Luverne's Ben Vander Kooi.

His father, Ben Vander Kooi Sr., incorporated BMAT in 1971 and in 1978 Ben Jr. became involved in saving the Palace from bank foreclosure.

"This has been a major part of my life, going back 30 years," he said.

He said he and other community members were outraged to hear BMAT had sold the Palace without seeking public comment. In fact, in researching the bylaws of BMAT, a public non-profit organization, he learned the sale may have been illegal and contacted the Minnesota Attorney General's Office.

The state office replied to Vander Kooi earlier this month confirming the transaction hadn't taken place according to bylaws, but it is not pursuing the issue.

Instead, a letter addressed to BMAT instructed the board to adhere to its bylaws, specifically to schedule an annual meeting and board election, and to be more aggressive in seeking new members.

Public meeting
A meeting has been tentatively scheduled for 7 a.m. Tuesday, March 26, possibly in the Rock County Community Library.

Vander Kooi is urging public participation in this meeting. "It's a chance for the people to express their feelings about how the corporation has been run and to express their opinion about the Palace itself - who should operate it and how it should be operated," he said.

"It's the best opportunity for people to get involved," he said. "If people don't show up, it will speak volumes."

He said he hopes a board is elected that will be more responsive to the community, "so everyone has a voice but no one person has control."

Meanwhile, Vander Kooi has solicited memberships and paid dues from 40 interested community members, some of whom are interested in becoming board members.

"I have been amazed by the number of people expressing interest in helping out," Vander Kooi said. "I'm amazed because the board has said no one is interested. There's a real appreciation for the history of that building."

Any member can be elected to the board, and all members can vote.

Current BMAT board members, in addition to Hesch, include Bonnie Jordahl, Grace Loose, LaJean Lammert, Bob Dorn, Verlyn Van Batavia, Heidi Sehr, Keith Mundahl and John Bowron.

'A tough go'
Hesch told the Star Herald Monday that he blamed Vander Kooi and his supporters for sabotaging Esser's efforts by stirring public concern over the Palace sale.

"I feel really bad for Jeremy. He's the one who's going to be the loser here," Hesch said. "I think what Ben did is wrong. I think he basically destroyed JeremyÕs business."

He mentioned that, as well as other market factors, such as the Sept. 11 terrorism and the opening of the Verne Drive-In Theater for poor business.

The Star Herald was unable to reach the Essers for comment, but the Palace reportedly owes money to area businesses and is behind on its utility bills.

Terry Vajgrt serves as legal counsel for BMAT and confirmed that the group is negotiating buying the Palace back from Esser.

"I think he's having a tough time making a go of it," he said. "Unless and until the theater gets broader public support, it's going to be a tough go, regardless of whether it's owned privately or publicly."

Despite accusations that the board is not open enough to the public, Vajgrt reiterated BMAT's intent. "Obviously BMAT wants to ensure the theater stays a viable part of the community," he said.

He added that he hopes Tuesday's meeting is well-attended, which would indicate public commitment to the Palace.

"I would hope the meeting would provide an opportunity to refocus our efforts, as a non-profit organization and as a community, to save the theater," he said, adding that if a new board is elected, recognition would be given to current board members for their efforts.

"If there's increased interest by a number of people in the community to serve on the board, then that's a good thing," Vajgrt said. "If the sale of the theater awakened public interest, that's also a good thing."

Palace history
The Palace was built in 1915 by Herman Jochims, was intended primarily for the presentation of stage plays by traveling theater troupes and for "moving pictures," then an up-and-coming form of entertainment.

Its history is one thing that makes the Palace so unique among theaters nationwide.

According to the terms of the July 2001 purchase agreement, Esser owns the Palace Theater building, the second-story apartment and the Palace Museum space.

The Blue Mound Area Theater Board kept ownership of the contents of the museum, which include mementos of the vaudeville days, the days of silent movies and early sound movies. It occupies space that once served as a ballroom.

By Sara Strong
The Rock County Board of Commissioners approved a new emergency 911 routing system and reviewed other law enforcement issues at its Tuesday meeting.

As the county starts signing for rural addresses this spring, emergency dispatchers will also see changes.

The board approved going ahead with a new 911 system that includes the new addresses and a new system of notifying proper authorities of the emergency.

Cost to the county is about $13,000 and is borrowed against future state funds.

Rick Morrow of Independent Emergency Services outlined the plans. He's been familiar with Rock County's situation for a few years.

Rock County is one of just seven counties in the state that doesn't have a router-based 911 system or at the time of TuesdayÕs meeting, didnÕt have specific plans for one.

A router system means that a specific site routes 911 calls and keeps up with all data, such as new phone numbers or addresses. The routing system for Rock County would be out of Ruthton.

Morrow said the current system doesn't have a backup or redundant routing, and an in-house technical problem could impair dispatching. He also said that IES has a system that allows for staff to use computers at any location to run the system in the event that thereÕs problems at the headquarters.

By purchasing the IES system, Rock County's data will be continually updated. The IES team will continually work with the county as well.

Besides standard calls from home, the new system allows cell phone calls to be tracked. Morrow said, "We can know exactly where youÕre at on I-90. There's no spotting mile markers."

State Patrol connections are also a part of the package.

Investigation status
After public complaints about the Rock County Sheriff's Department and its work on some investigations, lawyers from the Rock County Attorney's Office updated the board on prosecutions.

Assistant County Attorney Terry Vajgrt said, "When it takes some time to solve crimes, it's frustrating for the victims and itÕs frustrating for us."

County Attorney Don Klosterbuer said that processing crimes through the courts, even when investigators are through, is a slow process.

"Many times an investigation is 90 percent complete and there's a missing piece out there," Klosterbuer said. So to victims, the crime seems solved, but evidence must hold up in court.

"We can't prosecute without the evidence," Klosterbuer said.

Once the Sheriff's Office collects the evidence, it's up to county attorneys to file a criminal complaint.

A specific case that's gotten a lot of attention in local conversations is shoplifting at Cenex Ampride. The store had shoplifters on tape, and word got out that nothing was being done with the evidence.

In fact, the tape was used, but the crime needed more attention because it may have been ongoing and involved more than those on the tape.

The criminal complaint was filed Dec. 14, and prosecution is under way.

The attorneys spoke to the board because board members became concerned about Sheriff's Department results when confronted with specific complaints by citizens.

Major crimes the attorneys want to prosecute are the Carrie Nelson murder and True Value arson.

By Jolene Farley
Rock County Relay for Life organizers hope to meet or surpass last year's $50,000 raised for the American Cancer Society.

This year's Relay for Life is planned for Friday, June 14, and Saturday, June 15, at the Luverne High School track and football field.

The Relay for Life involves teams of runners and walkers competing against each other to raise money.

Last year, the first for Rock County, 41 teams and 535 walkers registered.

Participants have many reasons for deciding to volunteer for the Relay. For co-chair Vicki Baartman, Luverne, it was the loss of her grandmothers and an uncle to cancer and the diagnosis of her father with the same disease that spurred her to volunteer.

"It's happened over and over in my family," she said. "I felt this was something I could do that might help."

Co-chairs Baartman and Nancy Kaczrowski hope to make this year's Relay for Life a countywide event.

"Our goal would be to get more teams from the entire county so it becomes a truly county Relay for Life." Kaczrowski said. "We want to make sure all the corners of the county are participating."

Corporations, neighborhoods or families can start teams. Kaczrowski is willing to help.

"If they are interested, they can contact me," said Kaczrowski. "I'd be happy to share more information and get them enthused."

The Relay is most noted for its luminarias lit in memory of individuals who have died from cancer or in honor of those who have survived cancer.

The luminarias are paper sacks anchored by sand and lit by a candle inside. Last year, Rock County Relay crowds saw 1,705 luminarias lit at dusk.

They can be decorated by individuals, or Relay For Life organizers can simply write a loved oneÕs name on the luminaria.

"Some families prefer to do their own," said co-chair Vicki Baartman. "They'll put pictures on it. If the person was particularly interested in golf or baseball they will decorate it representing the personÕs interests."

"It was really moving," said Baartman about last year's luminaria lighting. "It was a real visual reminder how many lives are touched by cancer."

The official kick-off for the event is Thursday, March 7, for committee members and team captains.
Eight-year-old Jessica Fick, cancer survivor, has been selected this yearÕs honorary chair. Jessica is the daughter of Mel and Denise Fick, Luverne.

There are several ways to get involved with this year's Relay for Life.

The Relay for Life needs more corporate sponsors. Jubilee Foods, Glen's Food Center, Minnwest Bank and Luverne Community Hospital and Sioux Valley Physicians Group (Luverne Medical Center) are the current Gold level ($1,000) sponsors for this year's event.

Teams of eight to 10 members are needed to walk during the relay. Organizers hope to see all the teams from last year plus some new teams as well.

Volunteers are needed to help plan entertainment for the evening and coordinate food and beverage donations.

Baartman can be reached at 283-4119 and Kaczrowski at 283-9261.

The marquee is blank and the doors are locked at Luverne's historic Palace Theatre - at least until this summer. Story inside.

Photo By Lori Ehde

By John Rittenhouse
A stunning loss to Southwest Christian all but ended Hills-Beaver Creek's chances for a Red Rock Conference Western Division girls' basketball championship Thursday in Hills.

H-BC, a team that beat the E-Gals by 10 points when they squared off in Edgerton Dec. 6, couldnÕt put anything together offensively in the rematch.

The cold-shooting hosts were limited to 21-percent field goal efficiency in what turned into a 51-31 setback.

The loss was H-BC's fourth in RRC play, and it has three games left to play. The Patriots would be eliminated from the title hunt with one more loss or one more win from Adrian, which has a 12-1 league record.

As one might expect, H-BC's shooting woes caused defeat against SWC.

"From the beginning of the game until the end, we really struggled offensively," said Patriot coach Tom Goehle. "It was just a poor shooting night for us. They deserve some credit for playing good defense, but the main thing was we had a hard time getting anything to go down."

The Patriots were limited to six points while falling behind by seven points (13-6) during the first eight minutes of play.

The E-Gals increased their lead to eight points (24-16) by halftime before using a 10-7 scoring advantage in the third quarter to make it an 11-point (34-23) difference heading into the final eight minutes of play.

SWC went on a 17-8 scoring run in the final period to win by a 20-point margin.

Erin Boeve's double-double consisting of 11 points and 11 rebounds was the highlight of the game for H-BC. She also had six blocked shots.

Becky Broesder snared nine rebounds for the Patriots.

Box score
B.Olson 1 0 2-2 4, Feucht 1 0 0-0 2, Rentschler 1 0 0-2 2, Tilstra 2 0 0-0 4, Broesder 1 0 2-4 4, S.Rozeboom 1 0 2-2 4, DeNoble 0 0 0-0 0, Boeve 3 0 5-6 11, A.Olson 0 0 0-0 0.

Team statistics
H-BC: 10 of 48 field goals (21 percent), 11 of 16 free throws (69 percent), 31 rebounds, 19 turnovers.
SWC: 18 of 52 field goals (35 percent), 13 of 18 free throws (72 percent), 34 rebounds, 13 turnovers.

By John Rittenhouse
Hills-Beaver Creek High School athletes Dusty Seachris and Kerry Fink tasted victory and defeat during a pair of outings as members of the Luverne-Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth wrestling team.

The H-BC connection posted a pair of wins during the regular season finale against Jackson County Central in Jackson Thursday.

They both dropped tests during the Section 3A Team Tournament opener in Lamberton Tuesday, where L-H-BC-E's 3-16-1 team season came to an end with a 51-24 loss to Lac qui Parle Valley.

The tournament seedings held form as No. 6 LQPV dumped the No. 11 Cards by 27 points in Lamberton.

Fink ended up getting pinned by LQPV's Cameron Avelsgard with 11 seconds remaining in the first period of the 125-pound match.

Wrestling at 145, Seachris stayed alive against Vince Toutges before being pinned at 3:23.

Fink and Seachris both contributed six-point wins to L-H-BC-EÕs team tally during Thursday's regular season finale in Jackson.

Fink and Seachris drew forfeits at 125 and 130 respectively to account for 12 of L-H-BC-E's 27 points during a 43-27 setback to the Huskies.

The loss left L-H-BC-E with a 1-5 Southwest Conference record and a 3-15-1 overall record during the regular season.

The Cardinal wrestlers will compete in the Section 3AA Individual Tournament at Lac qui Parle Valley High School near Madison Feb. 22-23.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek girls came up on the short end of a 36-33 score during a hard-fought basketball game played in Slayton Tuesday.

Taking on the Murray County Rebels in a Red Rock Conference Western Division clash, H-BC took every blow the hosts had to offer.

When it was all said and done, the Rebels simply were three points better than the Patriots on this particular night.

"I thought we played pretty well overall," said Patriot coach Tom Goehle. "It came down to MCC making a couple more shots and a couple of more free throws than we did."

The Patriots were right in the game until the end.

After facing 21-15 and 32-26 deficits at the end of the second and third quarters, the Patriots scored the first six points of the third period to knot the score at 32.

The Rebels countered with a 4-1 surge that proved to be the difference in the game when an H-BC three-point shot attempt at the end of the game missed its mark.

The Patriots, who led 13-11 after eight minutes of play, had trouble putting the ball in the basket with any consistency. H-BC made 31 percent of its field goals and 42 percent of its free throws in the contest.

Erin Boeve led H-BC with an eight-point, 10-rebound performance.

The 12-8 Patriots host conference-leading Adrian in the home finale tonight before ending the regular season in Fulda Monday.

Box score
B.Rozeboom 0 0 0-0 0, B.Olson 1 0 0-0 2, Rentschler 1 0 2-4 4, Tilstra 3 0 1-4 7, Broesder 2 0 0-0 4, S.Rozeboom 1 0 0-0 2, DeNoble 3 0 0-0 6, Boeve 3 0 2-4 8.

Team statistics
H-BC: 14 of 45 field goals (31 percent), five of 12 free throws (42 percent), 28 rebounds.
MCC: 14 of 39 field goals (36 percent), eight of 11 free throws (73 percent), 27 rebounds.

Hills-Beaver Creek post Erin Boeve (43) worked the paint to score 20 points during Monday's 50-43 girls' basketball victory in Ellsworth.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek girls pulled off a come-from-behind victory when they squared off against Ellsworth in a non-conference basketball game in Ellsworth Monday.

Trailing by as many as eight points in the first half, the Patriots clawed their way within two points of the Panthers at the intermission.

H-BC completed the comeback by outscoring Ellsworth 32-21 in the second half to nail down a 50-43 win.

Erin Boeve and Jody Rentschler played key roles in H-BC's second-half rally.

Boeve netted 14 of her team-high 20 points in the final two stanzas. Rentschler struck for eight of her 10 points.

Ellsworth led 22-18 heading into the third quarter, but the Patriots went on an 8-2 run in the first 3:30 of the second half to take their first lead of the game at 26-24.

Panther Kayla Boltjes canned a three-point shot to put EHS in front 27-26 before the Patriots went on an 8-0 run consisting of five points from Boeve and three by Brittney Rozebom. This gave H-BC a seven-point advantage (34-27) that was trimmed to five points (34-29) when Jamie Leuthold converted a field goal for EHS with six seconds remaining in the period.

Ellsworth scored the first two points in the fourth quarter to trail by three, but the Patriots countered with a 10-0 run to open the biggest lead of the game at 44-31.

The Panthers did climb within seven points (46-39) when Laurel Drenth converted a three-point play with 1:54 remaining, but that would be as close as EHS would come to catching H-BC.

Ellsworth looked to be the stronger team in the first half.

Boltjes canned a three-point shot at 4:59 of the first quarter to give the hosts a 7-2 advantage. H-BC pulled to within one point of the Panthers twice as the period progressed before facing a 14-12 deficit at period's end.

Jenna Groen, who netted 20 points to lead the Panthers, capped a 6-0 run to start the second quarter with a field goal at 4:24 to give EHS its biggest lead of the game at 20-12. The score was 22-14 when H-BC ended the quarter with a 6-0 run capped by Rozeboom's field goal with 38 seconds left in a first half that ended with EHS sporting a 22-18 lead.

Eleven of Groen's 20 points came in the first half. Leuthold scored eight of her 14 points in the first half for EHS.

Box score
H-BC
B.Rozeboom 4 0 1-3 9, B.Olson 2 0 0-0 4, Rentschler 4 0 2-4 10, Tilstra 2 0 1-2 5, S.Rozeboom 1 0 0-0 2, DeNoble 0 0 0-0 0, Boeve 9 0 2-4 20.
Ellsworth
Boltjes 0 2 0-0 6, Jenniges 0 0 0-1 0, Wurpts 0 0 0-0 0, Drenth 1 0 1-1 3, Ln.Leuthold 0 0 0-0 0, Jm.Leuthold 7 0 0-0 14, Groen 6 0 8-11 20.

Team statistics
H-BC: 21 of 48 field goals (44 percent), six of 13 free throws (46 percent), 26 rebounds, nine turnovers.

Ellsworth: 16 of 41 field goals (39 percent), nine of 13 free throws (69 percent), 31 rebounds, 16 turnovers.

By Jolene Farley
A Hills native and her Bolivian husband have been working to share some American wealth with impoverished Bolivian communities through their volunteer organization, Mano a Mano Medical Resources.

Segundo Velasquez noticed many differences between life in the United States and life for the people of Bolivia during trips to visit family in his home country, according to his wife, Joan (Swanson) Velasquez.

"One of the things that struck him most about the United States was how much material wealth there is here," she said.

Awareness of the inequalities between the two countries blossomed into the idea that maybe they could do something to help.

"It's kind of an amazing story," said Joan. "We had no organizational backing whatsoever. We just decided to do it. We saw a need no one was meeting."

Segundo and Joan met in Bolivia while she served in the Peace Corps, and after Segundo moved to the United States in 1969, they married.

Bolivia is South America's poorest nation with an average annual income of $200 per year. Ninety-nine percent of rural residents are unable to sustain healthy diets.

The economy operates primarily on a barter system, according to the couple. Most homes are built of adobe and have no electricity or running water. Residents are fortunate if they own a bed or a table.

"Materially, everything is extremely sparse," Joan said.

The impact of poverty is especially hard on Bolivia's children. Seventy-percent of children under the age of 5 are malnourished. One-third of rural Cochabamba, Bolivia, children die before they are 1 year old, mostly from preventable respiratory or gastrointestinal infections.

"Most of them (Bolivians) have never seen a doctor or a nurse before," said Joan.

After the couple decided they would try to help the people of Bolivia, they searched for ideas on what to do and where to start. Segundo's brother, Jose, is a doctor in Bolivia, so the couple decided to concentrate on the medical field.

A friend suggested approaching area hospitals as a non-profit organization and asking them to give medical supplies they would normally throw away.

Mano a Mano ("hand to hand" in Spanish) Medical Resources, as the couple's organization is called, has continued to operate on that principle since it incorporated in 1994.

Donated items usually would be thrown away if not given to Mano a Mano. For example, when doctors perform surgery, instruments and supplies are ordered in kits, and sometimes all the individually packaged items in the kits are not used. Mano a Mano asks medical facilities to donate the unused items.

When hospitals acquire advanced technology, Mano a Mano asks them to donate their obsolete machines. Several used exam tables, doctor stools and side tables have found their way to Bolivia because clinics redecorated or no longer needed the old equipment.

Medical professionals in Bolivia are ecstatic to receive any supplies. "Their comments are they have never seen anything that modern in their country," said Joan.

The first shipment to Bolivia was a handful of medical supplies delivered by Segundo on a visit to his family. Since he was a Northwest Airlines employee, he could visit Bolivia frequently.

Shipments continued to increase in size until Mano a Mano was forced to look for an alternate way to transport donations. "Then we called in the Air Force Reserves," joked Segundo.

The couple found a little-known law, the Denton Amendment, which permits military aircraft to transport humanitarian cargo free of charge on a space available basis. All shipments are now transported twice a year by the Air Force Reserves.

"We never know when it's going, but we do know it will get there," said Joan.

The couple considers the help of the military invaluable. "It makes us able to complete this work," Joan said.

The military has transported 600,000 pounds of medical surplus out of the Twin Cities for Mano a Mano over the last seven years.

The guards fly the supplies into the capital city of La Paz, Bolivia, and volunteers drive over the Andes Mountains to Cochabamba, Bolivia, carrying the cargo to a Mano a Mano warehouse.

Mano a Mano has up to 100 volunteers in the United States and 40 volunteers in Bolivia.

Because of its volunteers, Mano a Mano's expenses are less than 1 percent of revenue. "We say we are the organization that doesnÕt pay anyone to do anything," said Segundo.

The couple appreciates the local support they receive for their organization. Bethlehem Lutheran Church ladies quilt blankets for Mano a Mano, and Hills-Beaver Creek students donate school supplies.

In 1996 almost by accident, Mano a Mano branched into building clinics. A friend of the Velasquezes was celebrating her 70th birthday, so another friend suggested asking for gifts for Mano a Mano instead of birthday gifts.

The couple hoped the gifts they received would be enough to purchase a microscope. After donations spiraled to more than $9,000, they realized they could fund a much larger project.

A one-room clinic in Bolivia can be constructed for between $3,000 to $4,000 with some donated labor. So the birthday donations allowed the organization to build two clinics.

Before a clinic is built in a community, an agreement is signed stating what is expected from each party. Communities must supply four unskilled workers per day for three to four months of construction. Residents have logged more than 25,000 hours of labor on projects in their communities.

In 2000 an anonymous $2 million grant allowed Mano a Mano to plan the construction of 30 more clinics. The grant also partially funded staffing at the clinics for a period of seven years.

As a future project, Mano a Mano hopes to build a hospital in Cochabamba. Land has been purchased, and a group of medical professionals in Bolivia are creating a nonprofit group to try to raise funds.

Mano a Mano will always remain a Bolivian organization, according to Joan. "The need is so enormous (in Bolivia)," she said. "It would be hard to imagine our organization able to cover the whole country."