By Lori Ehde
Commissioner Charlie Weaver of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety addresses media at a press conference Thursday afternoon, Oct. 11, in the Minnehaha County Courthouse, Sioux Falls. Also pictured are (from left) Michael Campion, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Terry Vajgrt of the Rock County Attorney's Office, BCA Special Agent Paul Soppeland, Nan Karr Kaufenberg, mother of murder victim Carrie Nelson, and Carrie's father, Stan Nelson.

Friends and family of local murder victim Carrie Nelson haven't forgotten her, but others may have forgotten the circumstances of her death.

To help jar their memories, the reward for information leading to a conviction of her assailants has been increased to $50,000.

"Money talks," said Michael Campion, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

"Local investigators have followed every clue, they have pursued every lead, but they have reached a dead end."

Campion announced the $50,000 reward Thursday, Oct. 11, along with Charlie Weaver, commissioner of Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Paul Soppeland, special agent with the BCA, and Rock County law enforcement.

"Offering substantial rewards will get people thinking back to what they know about these crimes," he said at a press conference in the Minnehaha County Courthouse, Sioux Falls.

Nelson's murder case is one of three unsolved murders in Minnesota receiving funding from Spotlight on Crime.

The three cases are the first to receive money from the fund set up this year by Minnesota businesses and public safety officials. Target Corporation is the lead sponsor of the fund.

The reward fund, which now amounts to $757,500, is designed to re-energize cases - especially heinous crimes against innocent victims - where investigations have grown cold.

Nelson, a 20-year-old Blue Mounds State Park employee, was murdered on May 2 in the park office. An autopsy showed that the 1999 Luverne High School graduate had died of multiple injuries to the head.

A $15,000 reward had already been posted in Nelson's case. When asked if $50,000 would make a difference, Campion said history has shown more money does produce more information.

"We have seen where $5,000 or $10,000 isn't enough to loosen lips, but $50,000 is," he said. "If a lead generated by a reward brings a killer to justice, $50,000 is a small price to pay."

Vajgrt said he was grateful to the Spotlight on Crime organization for the additional help.

"We're optimistic the $50,000 reward money will provide motivation for someone who knows about this crime," Vajgrt said.

"All we need is one phone call from the right person to solve this crime."

Nelson's mother, Nan Karr Kaufenberg said she's glad her daughter's case is back in the spotlight.

"It's good to get this out in the open and talk about it again," she said Thursday.

Stan Nelson, Hills, talked about how much he missed his daughter. "Carrie was a wonderful girl. Whoever took her life took a beautiful thing from us. I miss her more than I can say," he said.

"The person who took her life should be brought to justice and made accountable, not for revenge - there is no payback for this - but to prevent more suffering."

Both parents wore orange ribbons made by Nelson's classmates. Orange was her favorite color.

By Lori Ehde
Luverne High School graduate Eric Steinhoff has had more than his share of terrorist experiences while interning for Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle.

On Sept. 11 he witnessed firsthand the effects of attacks on the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
This week, his work was affected by bioterrorism when a letter sent to Daschle's office tested positive for anthrax Monday.

"I'm worried to death about him," Steinhoff's father, Dave, said Wednesday after speaking with his son that morning.

He said one of Eric's primary responsibilities in Daschle's office is sorting through mail, but that day he happened to be out on errands.

"He wasn't actually in that room, but it could have traveled through the air ducts," Dave said. "They're going to have to close the building down."

Eric was tested and so far appears not to have been exposed, but 29 out of 40 employees have tested positive for being exposed to spores of the potentially deadly bacteria.

Daschle was in the Capitol and was not exposed to the letter, which was opened in his other office a block away in the Hart Senate Office Building.

By Lori Ehde
If Luverne School District residents vote "yes" on the proposed excess levy referendum next month, they'll be voting for a tax increase.

That's what the ballot will tell them.

By law, the ballots must be printed with that statement, but many district taxpayers will see a decrease in their taxes despite the school levy.

That's the message the district will try to get to voters before they head to the polls Nov. 6.

In addition, the district will work to convey the urgency of voting yes for the financial health of the district.

Given the direction of state funding for education, the excess levy referendum will simply protect programs and services in place, according to District Financial Officer Marlene Mann.

A no vote may mean several years of additional cuts.

Voters will be asked to approve a $400-per-pupil excess levy that would amount to approximately $234,000 asked of Luverne School District property owners.

If the excess levy is approved by voters, it will generate roughly $635,000 for the district. The local effort would be nearly 37 percent of that, or $234,000, with the balance coming from state aid.

"It's important to know it's a matched effort from the state," Mann said. "If you put down 37 cents you get 63 cents back."

District residents with a $50,000 home will pay $64 toward the new levy. Those with a $100,000 home will pay $128, and $200,000 homeowners will pay $256.

But many of these taxpayers, particularly those with farms and businesses, won't see these increases on their property tax statements.

According to Mann, district residents will see a decrease in the amount they'll pay for education next year. That decrease is due to a state shift of school funding from property taxes to sales and income tax.

She said the excess levy will be relatively painless for local taxpayers, but it will be priceless for the district in terms of guaranteed revenue when all other sources are shaky.

She said shifting school funding to sales and income tax looks good to local property taxpayers, but she said those funding sources are vulnerable to the economic health of the state.

Further, she said the district's own revenue sources are uncertain when student enrollment is projected to steadily decline.

Despite last year's $328,000 in cuts, the Luverne District's revenues still fall short of expenses by more than $100,000. Expenses such as fuel and health insurance have affected all districts.

That, combined with state support not meeting inflation and rising expenses, adds up to a projected $120,000 shortfall by the end of this school year.

Each Luverne School District property taxpayer will receive a mailing outlining the details of the proposed levy. Questions can be directed to the district office, 283-8088.

The special election will be from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6, in the middle school-high school gymnasium.

The proposal requires a 50 percent plus one majority to pass. If approved, the levy would be in effect for 10 years.

In personnel matters, board members...
Approved Oct. 5 unpaid leave of absence for paraprofessional Sharon Bouwman.

Approved the following coaching assignments: Corey Nelson will be varsity and B squad boys' basketball coach. Kim Schmidt and Gordy Hansen will coach and ninth- and eighth-grade boys' basketball, respectively. Lee Chaffee is hockey head coach. David Kraft is track assistant. Wade Hiller is varsity baseball assistant. Al Brinkman is varsity assistant and head B squad coach for girls' basketball. Tina Egland will coach ninth-grade girls' basketball.

In other business Thursday...
Teachers Kim Schmidt and Wade Hiller gave a presentation on Luverne School District's web site, www.isd2184.net. Schmidt said it allows the school to communicate with the public. Peer Helpers Brent Van Aartsen, Tom Bouwman and Aaron Schmidt help with the site.

Elementary Principal Melody Tenhoff reported 42 people attended Family Reading Night Tuesday, Oct. 2. Last year, she said the activity drew 20 at most. "To have 42 was just fabulous," she said.

A patriotic character building assembly is planned for 1:15 Wednesday, Oct. 24. Tenhoff said some Army personnel will participate, and she is looking for as many uniformed military personnel as possible to join them. They can call her at 283-4497.

Middle School Principal Dave Deragisch reported that at the volleyball jamboree he charged fees and brought in $400. The activity used to be free. "Instead of costing the district $700 we made $400, so we can look at that as a net gain of $1,100," he said.

High School Principal Gary Fisher reported on a domestic violence role-playing exercise students participated in. He said it taught valuable lessons. "High school students do not come forward to say they've been abused - they're embarrassed," Fisher said. "But there are places they can go and people they can talk to."

Curriculum Coordinator Jan Olson said midterms have gone out and that the district Web site has been a useful tool for communicating with parents.

By Sara Quam
The Southwest Regional Development Commission said it will no longer operate the Prairie Expo "in any way, shape or form in the future."

The organization is now asking for $18,000 from Rock County and all the counties that make up the SRDC just to keep its head above water. But the Rock County Board Tuesday said it wasn’t going to give that amount of money to a sinking ship.

It passed a resolution asking for specific questions to be answered before the board would consider giving the RDC an advance against future RDC tax levies. The money is needed just to make next month's payroll. Without the funding, the RDC won't likely survive.

Commissioner Wendell Erickson said, "I hate to see the RDC go under, but we need more information."

The request gave county boards just 15 days to decide whether to invest the $18,000, which the RDC said it would pay back with future levy monies.

Commissioner Jane Wildung said, "The fact that we know nothing and we're supposed to be partners is very disturbing. It is not a private non-profit - it's supposed to be a government partnership."

She said there are major communication problems when the group that is supposed to run the RDC doesn't know what is going on in executive meetings. There has been little evidence that any options for the Prairie Expo building exist.

The city of Worthington is trying to get back 50 acres that it donated for future Expo expansion.

Wildung said that even though local cities and the county didn't give huge amounts to Prairie Expo, their money was used through state taxes, and the public has a right to know what will be done with the building.

Wildung made the motion that no consideration be given for money to the RDC until it explains what will be done with the building, reveals what other debts exist and plans to repay them, and not until it makes efforts for better communication with its members.

The board said it regretted that some talented staff people at the RDC are suffering because of the budget problems.

Energy fees
The board denied a funding request also due to budget overspending.

The Southwest Minnesota Energy Task Force requested that the county prepay $500 of its dues for next year. The advance is for lobbyist fees that went over budget. Lobbyists worked mostly for wind energy support and ran up a $14,000 bill.

Commissioner Ron Boyenga said he thought counties with more vested interest in wind energy should pay more of the lobbying fees on top of their membership dues.

Commissioners Ken Hoime and Erickson voted in favor of the funding that was denied.

Wildung suggested that the task force use the Regional Landfill as a model to use for paying fees and lobbying service charges to members.

Domestic violence
Raevette Loonan, Southwest Crisis Center director, updated the board on some of the programs the agency works on, especially during October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

She talked to the board about engagements at area schools where she tells them that students can do things to keep the peace.

Battered women often come to her for help, but she said children in those families suffer just as greatly.

She said that date rape and dating violence is a problem among teens, and she concentrates on those issues when talking with schools. Statistically 40 Luverne students will be victims of dating violence in the form of destruction of property or verbal abuse, for example.

Loonan said she is thankful for the County Board’s support and likes working with the local judge and attorneys.
She said she gets about two new cases a month and continues with about seven at any given time. "The ones who are angry and ready to leave are the easiest to work with," she said.

In her seven and a half years on the job, language has been a barrier to her services just twice. In both of those cases, an interpreter was available for extra help.

"We continue to work with law enforcement and other agencies so everyone is on the same page," Loonan said.

More than 40 international students converged on Luverne over the weekend for the 12th annual International Student Exchange Thursday through Sunday. Above, one group of students finishes up a tour of the Hinkly House Friday morning with Sister Mariella Hinkly, Luverne (back, far right).

Students pictured are (front, from left) Thiago Fernandos, Brazil; Silvia Fernandez, Spain; Catalina Andrade, Colombia (in sunglasses); Tacyana Benites, Brazil; Rebecca Birrer, Switzerland (in white jacket); Fernanda Nasser, Brazil; Anett Vamos, Hungary; Gustavo Cruz, Brazil; (back, from left) Ann Marie Goh, Thailand (in white); Mar”a-JosŽ Vera, Mexico (with one elbow on lion); Michael Kreiner, Austria (in far back); Mayu Koyanagi, Japan; Ema Stefanova, Macedonia; Ann Scheib, Germany; Anke Borchert, Germany; Tine Leinberger, Germany; Emilie Laarman, France (far back); Juliana Morotelli, Brazil; and Eugenia Logoda, Belarus.

Local families hosted the students for the event, cosponsored by the Luverne Rotary Club and AFS. The also toured the courthouse, Rock County Museum, Carnegie Cultural Center, EROS Data Center, Minnesota Visitors Center, Brandenburg Gallery, Prairie Heights Bison and the Pipestone National Monument. Students attended a football game and dance on Friday night and a hayride and bonfire on Saturday. On Sunday they returned to their respective host families located throughout the tri-state area.

Five-year-old Hailey Hamann takes advantage of falling leaves by forming them into floor plans of her personal fort Tuesday after kindergarten. She later found they also work well for leaf fights with her grandma, Beatrice Hamann. Kids like to play in them, but grownups this year have enjoyed watching the leaves turn from green to brilliant shades of red and orange. Leaf pickup in Luverne starts Monday, and residents are encouraged to have their leaves on the curb by the weekend.

Photo by Lori Ehde

By John Rittenhouse
A smaller band of Patriots competed for Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth at the Rock County Invitational cross country meet staged in Adrian Thursday.

With a varsity volleyball match scheduled in Westbrook that night and the fact that the H-BC-E football team would be playing its biggest game of the season the next night, the other members of both programs decided to skip the meet.

H-BC-E did have representation in three races, but no Patriots ran at the varsity level.
Eight runners competed in the boys' junior varsity race.

Lee Jackson, Nathan Fick and Greg Van Batavia led the way by placing 10th, 11th and 13th in 15:01, 15:15 and 15:18 respectively.

Kale Wiertzema and Derek Haak placed 18th and 29th with respective 15:30 and 16:24 times to cap the team effort.

Nathan Mahone (39th in 16:46), Paul Jess (47th in 17:31) and Jared Drenth (52nd in 17:50) didnÕt influence the team scoring.

Six more boys ran in the junior high race.

Devin DeBoer, Kerry Fink and John Sandbulte cracked the top 10 by finishing fifth, seventh and eighth with respective 6:09, 6:17 and 619 efforts.

Adam Finke and Grant Hoogendoorn placed 16th and 18th in 6:42 and 6:44 to pad the team tally.

Justin Hinks didnÕt contribute to the team effort after placing 27th in 8:11.

H-BC-E's Amanda Tilstra and Kerri Fransman finished sixth and 12th with times of 7:06 and 7:19 as H-BC-E's lone entries in the girls' junior high race.

According to Patriot coach Tom Goehle, running against strong competition helped all of his runners Thursday.

"All of the kids ran as good of times as they have all year or better at this meet. I think running with the bigger schools helped us because it forced us to run harder. As a runner, it's a little bit different perspective when you are chasing people," he said.

By John Rittenhouse
Hills-Beaver Creek stepped out of the Red Rock Conference to post a volleyball win on the road Monday.

Taking on the Russell-Tyler-Ruthton Knights in Tyler, the Patriots ended a stretch of playing eight of nine matches against RRC foes.

The way things turned out in Tyler, H-BC appreciated playing a match with fewer implications.

The Patriots snapped a tie at one by winning the third and fourth games while posting a 3-1 victory.

"The girls really played well," said Patriot coach Nicole Fey. "We've really been coming around of late. WeÕre starting to play more consistently, which is what we need."

H-BC came out strong against the Knights by recording a 15-8 victory in Game 1, but R-T-R bounced back to even the match at one game each with a 15-6 win in the second tilt.

The Patriots regained their winning form by outscoring the Knights 30-14 in the final two contests.

H-BC rolled to a 15-2 win in the third game before prevailing 15-12 in the finale.

LaDonna Sandstede contributed 20 set assists and 15 service points to H-BCÕs winning cause.

Tonya Leenderts tied Erin Boeve for the team lead with seven digs. Boeve and Leenderts had 17 and six kills respectively. Boeve also charted five ace blocks.

Fey expects to see the Patriots make more progress as the regular season winds down, and she hopes they reach their peak at tournament time.

"I still don't think we've seen our best match of the year yet. We'll be looking for that to come very soon," she concluded.

By John Rittenhouse
A shorthanded Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth cross country team competed at the Dragon Invitational in Adrian Tuesday.

Illness and injuries limited the number of Patriots entered in varsity competition, but H-BC-E did receive some solid efforts from complete boys' junior varsity and boys' junior high squads.

With Nathan Mahone winning an individual championship with a time of 5:50 to lead the way, H-BC-E won the boysÕ junior high team title with 26 points.

Kerry Fink (fourth in 6:05), Devin DeBoer (fifth in 6:09), John Sandbulte (13th in 6:21) and Adam Finke (15th in 6:32) contributed to H-BC-E's team cause.

Justin Hinks placed 33rd in 7:56 without contributing to the team tally.

The boys' junior varsity team placed second to Sioux Falls Washington by a 42-43 margin.

Tyler Bush won the individual crown with a time of 14:27.

Greg Van Batavia (sixth in 15:35), Lee Walraven (seventh in 15:42), Derek Haak (13th in 16:16) and Paul Jess (26th in 17:26) padded the team tally.

Jared Drenth placed 33rd in 17:51 without contributing to the scoring.

Brad Haak and Nathan Fick represented the Patriot boys at the varsity level.

Haak finished second individually with a time of 17:28. Fick was 35th in 19:52.

Stacy Bush placed 20th with a time of 7:48 in the girls' junior high race, and Brittney Rozeboom was second in the girls' junior varsity run with a 17:31 effort.

The Patriots compete at the first Red Rock Conference meet in Slayton Tuesday.