By Sara Quam
Border city legislation applications were more clearly defined for the Luverne Economic Development Authority Tuesday.

Chris Hood, a lobbyist who helped Luverne get the legislation passed, explained some factors to the board.

He said it involves a few steps through the application and approval process and requires cooperation from the county assessor and even the state Department of Revenue before border cityÕs benefits start taking effect.

All of the particulars don't amount to much, however, if the city canÕt find a business in which to use the tax incentives.

Waiting for businesses to approach the city might take longer without the city trying to get the word out. "I think it's important for Luverne to advertise this new program," Hood said.

Sioux Falls and the state of Michigan are two big advertisers that highlight advantages of running businesses there, so Luverne could develop a similar campaign.

Mayor Glen Gust said, "I don't think we need to be dilly-dallying around. I think we need to get our marketing started and get this thing going."

Getting it going is just what the lobbyist said Luverne should do. Going to the Legislature next year with tangible results - more jobs and more residents moving to Luverne - could help increase the allocated money for the border cities initiative.

Hood suggested the city first set general guidelines on what business expansions and new businesses would qualify to dip into the fund of $175,000. He said the city would likely see better results if it invested the tax incentives in a few big projects rather than a dozen small ones.

The county as a whole and cities outside of Luverne could feel the impact of the new law, too.

If an existing business in Rock County wants to relocate to Luverne using this program, it would have to get permission from its current city or, if it isnÕt in a town, from the Rock County Board.

One of the specific aspects of the program that the city may or may not use under border city legislation is property tax exemption. This exemption covers county as well as city portions of property tax.

LEDA Director Tony Chladek said he would prefer to move cautiously if county exemptions would come into the picture. Or he would like the LEDA to consider reimbursing the county for their lost revenue with funds from the border city allocation, which is allowed for under the law.

"This is something we have to work with people on," he said.

Filling vacant buildings
The LEDA also looked at a draft of a new program designed to get vacant commercial buildings filled.

The LEDA would match 50 percent of advertising costs, up to $500, for up to a year in an effort to fill the space by lease or sale. After a lease or sale to a business that isn't already in existence in Luverne, the property owner would then get a "$500 kicker."

The program allows for only six applicants to receive the incentive concurrently. The application process and its specific requirements will be handled by the LEDA director.

By Sara Quam
Luverne City Council members got plenty of feedback on the recent parking ordinance draft and it wasn't favorable. Because council members felt they needed more research on the issue, they tabled the decision at their Tuesday meeting.

The parking ordinance proposal had parking banned on city streets November through April from 1 to 6 a.m. A special provision would have no overnight parking in the central business district year round.

The intent was to make it easier for city crews to remove snow and clean streets while making it clear enough for law enforcement to ticket offenders.

The communication the council got back, however, was that the city should still be able to clean streets without imposing on residents who donÕt have three-car garages.

Mayor Glen Gust said, "I think we need to tell the people exactly what needs to be done or why it needs to be done."

Council member David Hauge said he received calls from people in apartments or in homes with single or no garages. They told him that they didn't mind parking on their lawn when it snows to stay off the streets - but that to park there every night for half the year isn't fair.

Councilman Jim Kirchhofer said he roughly estimated the streets are plowed fewer than 30 nights a year, so it might be more fair to restrict parking on those days rather than outlaw it all season.

"It's an inconvenience, and it's just not being citizen-friendly," Kirchhofer said.

People were also concerned about winter holidays and the extra cars they have that need to park.

The council acknowledged that banning certain parking would make it easier on patrollers and city crews. But making patrollers and city workers happy isn't necessarily the goal of the council.

Councilman Keith Erickson said, "I lean toward being a little more user-friendly." He suggested that for the downtown area, designated days be scheduled for sweeping so parking is possible most nights of the week.

"I think we should soften parts of this," Erickson said.

All of the council members said they got calls on the issue that was first brought up about a month ago.

The city will look into amending the draft and bring it back to the council for a vote.

Fire relief
The council passed a pension increase for the Fire Relief Association. It is now a $1,900 annual pension contribution that can be cashed in at retirement.

It is retroactive and covers all current Luverne Fire Department members even if they started at a lower pension.

The townships contribute 25 percent of that, and although they don't like the effect it will have on their budgets, they didn't object to the $200 increase.

Louis Loger, Clinton Township Board member, said, "I don't think we have a problem with raising the relief, but it's an economic hardship for townships."

In other business Tuesday the council:
Decided to put one of its houses up for bid. It owns the Britz house on the southeast corner of Main Street and Highway 75. It will be advertised with a minimum bid amount set and people can make an offer. One stipulation is that the purchaser must agree to move the house to another location.

The decision comes after previous discussion that the city intended to sell it for a minimal price to someone who would move it to the former Fledgling Field.

Mayor Gust said that the new owner of Fledgling Field shouldn't get a break just because the city has houses - that citizens should be able to bid.

Hauge said he thought selling the home and other city surplus homes to low bidders who would move them onto the vacant lot would be in the best interest of the city, even if some citizens want to buy the homes for different locations.

"I'm thinking of the future of the city and not the best interest of individuals," Hauge said. He said putting homes on Fledgling Field would finish off the neighborhood and calm the controversy over the plot of land.

Hauge said he preferred to look at the "broader picture" and put "development over just one sale" as the city has outlined residential development in its long-term plans.

Another home the city may sell is the large Christensen home at the end of Blue Mound Avenue. The council members agreed it would fit in well on Fledgling Field, but no decision was made on that house because the Economic Development Authority owns that.

Met two new business owners. Mark Zimmer and Daniel Wedin attended the meeting as the council approved liquor license transfers from Meagher Inc. to the Howling Dog Saloon, the former Scotty's Bar and Grill.

Zimmer and Wedin own eight similar establishments in Minnesota. They plan to do some basic remodeling and sign changing and will then see what direction to take the business from there. They plan to visit Luverne about once a week.

By Lori Ehde
Tuesday dawned sunny and peaceful in Rock County, but news of the East Coast terrorist attacks quickly hit home for many local residents.

In what is being called the most deadly attack against the United States, hijackers crashed two commercial planes into the World Trade Center Tuesday morning. Within the same hour, another dived into the Pentagon and a fourth crashed outside of Pittsburgh.

Luverne High School grad Eric Steinhoff had been interning in Sen. Tom Daschle's office for only a week Tuesday when he was ordered to evacuate the Senate Office Building.

"When the planes hit the towers, that was bad, but it was still in New York. But then the Pentagon was hit, and they said, 'That's it. Everybody's clearing out,'" said Steinhoff, son of Dave and Joann Steinhoff, Luverne.

"We're a mile from the Pentagon, but our building is right across from the Capitol. Even before the Pentagon was attacked, a lot of people in our office were worried, because we knew if it was going to happen, this is where it's going to be."

He said it took him a long time to get home because traffic was gridlocked. He said it was equally as difficult to let his parents know he was OK because phone lines jammed.

"This is a tragic event, but it's pretty amazing being here," Steinhoff said. "I'm used to watching this stuff on TV, but now I'm here."

He said the city had been declared under a state of emergency, and as he spoke on the phone from his apartment, he could hear police sirens and see helicopters and military aircraft circling in the sky.

"I'm glad to be out of there," Steinhoff said of the evacuation from his office. "It's pretty traumatic. We left in such a hurry. You feel so vulnerable, too, because there's nothing you can do about it. It's American planes taken over and crashed."

H-BC roommates live in apartment by Pentagon
Hills-Beaver Creek graduates Chris Fagerness and Matt Ebert are roommates in Washington, D.C., and also contacted their parents in Hills after the terrorist attacks.

Their apartment is less than a mile from the Pentagon, and they spent a good share of their morning trying to get home - mostly on foot.

They spent much of the rest of the day watching television and viewing the destruction from the observation deck of their building.

They figured the terrorists had flown the hijacked plane directly over their apartment building before crashing it into the Pentagon.

"Even from my bedroom window I can see smoke pouring out of a gaping hole in the building," said Fagerness, son of Steve and Joan Fagerness. He is an assistant athletic trainer for a Washington, D.C., school that evacuated.

Ebert is a paralegal in the Justice Department. To get to work, he gets off the subway at the Pentagon. "It's freaky, because I was just in the Pentagon about an hour before the plane crashed into it."

Ebert, son of Gregg and Cyndi Ebert, described the scene as something he'd seen in the movie, "Independence Day."

"Cars were honking, people were scrambling to get out of the area and sirens were going," he said.

"It's tense, but it's remarkable how organized the chaos is. If this had happened in another country it'd be far worse, but here you can tell people are working together. All things considered, people are responding well to it."

Accounting for family
Luverne's Bill and Esther Beimers were among millions of Americans watching the horrific events unfold on television.

Their son, Tom, works and lives in Washington, D.C., and their other son, David, and his family were flying home to St. Paul from Maine that morning.

Fortunately, Tom called them soon after the news broke on major networks.

Tom, a 1987 LHS grad, was on his way to work Tuesday morning when he heard the news about the Trade Center terrorism.

"He was about to get on a bus to his downtown law office on Pennsylvania Avenue when he decided to take a cab instead," Bill said.

"They were stopped at a stoplight and he said there was a terrific explosion on the mall, and both he and the cab driver decided not to get closer. They turned the cab around and now Tom is at home."

Bill said Tom was close enough to see and feel the explosion, but he didn't see what caused it.

"He said there was low flying military aircraft in the area, but he didn't know if there was a crash or a bomb," Bill said.

Later that evening, Bill and Esther finally heard from David and Sarah, who were supposed to have departed from the Portland airport Wednesday.

They were traveling with their 4-year-old twin boys and infant daughter. Their flight remained canceled as of Wednesday.

Grounded flights
All airlines nationwide were grounded following the four hijackings and subsequent terrorist crashes.

In Luverne, that meant local travel agents weren't booking flights.

"We have been extremely slow today. Nobody wants to fly or even think about flying," said Stacy Mente at Roundwind Travel.

"I've just been concentrating on who I have flying now and figuring out how to get them to their destinations."

Sue Hoffman at Great Planes Travel, Luverne, helped Luverne residents Tom and Sandy Klein arrange for a rental car to drive home.

The Kleins were returning home from San Antonio when their flight was grounded in Kansas City Tuesday morning.

"It was pretty scary," Sandy told the Star Herald when they returned home Tuesday night.

"Our flight left San Antonio at 7:15 like it was supposed to, and an hour and a half later, the captain came on and said there had been a national emergency, and they were advised by the FAA that all planes needed to land at the nearest airport.

"The nearest airport was Kansas City, so we were diverted there.

"...You could see out the window other planes circling around waiting to land, and we were pretty lucky because we were one of the first to land."

Klein said heightened security at the airport was very obvious, and police squad cars manned all entrances and exits.

She said they stood in line for two hours waiting for a rental car, and the only reason they got one was because they called Roundwind in Luverne to have one reserved.

Despite the long waits for luggage and rental cars, she said no one complained. "Everyone was so happy to be on the ground, knowing what was going on."

She said people were working together to carpool to get everyone home. In fact, the Kleins carpooled with a man from Minneapolis, who took the rental vehicle on with him after they retrieved their van in Sioux Falls.

At the Sioux Falls airport, she said the entrance was blocked and they had to persuade the police officer to let them get their vehicle.

"We're going to wake up tomorrow and it's going to seem like such a dream," Klein said.

She added that all their hassles in getting home seemed like a small price to pay, considering all the families mourning for victims on the East Coast.

Local effects
The East Coast terrorism was felt across the country as major centers of population were shut down, including the Mall of America in Bloomington and the Empire Mall in Sioux Falls.

Hardwick native Deb (Bruynes) Fick works for the Minnesota Department of Transportation building in St. Paul.

She e-mailed her sister, Sue Bruynes, Tuesday, about how the East Coast terrorism has affected the State Capitol.

"I can't believe there is another terrorist attack," she wrote. "Always makes me a little nervous to be working in a government building right by the Capitol!"

She and her co-workers spent much of the day Tuesday in a security lockdown with no access to current news via television or radio.

"All of our offices have been locked to the outside world, and security has been called in to all entrance points," she said via e-mail.

"Visitors are not allowed unless they are escorted by a Minnesota Department of Transportation employee."

In Rock County, schools and government offices were open as usual.

According to a spokesperson with the Minnesota National Guard, heightened security had been ordered at training and community centers around the state, but Army and Air Force Guard members were not placed on special notice as of Tuesday.

Some churches in the community held prayer services Tuesday night, including one organized by the Rock County Ministerial Association in the Christian Reformed Church.

Above, professional opera singer Emily Lodine, Magnolia, performs for a full house during Grandparents Day activities in the Mary Jane Brown home Sunday afternoon. At right, Ruth Frahm (left), Rachel Vollmer and Kay Vollmer enjoy an outdoor barbecue.

Roughly 300 visitors attended activities at both Mary Jane Brown and The Oaks apartments.
According to one of the organizers, Brenda Plimpton, rainy weather that morning had her worried, but everything turned out well. "We certainly were pleased with the day, especially since the weather cooperated," Plimpton said. "Everyone was extremely tired come Sunday evening, and we even had some sunburned faces. But the residents were thrilled." The afternoon's events included an outdoor barbecue and local entertainment, including a performance by professional opera singer Emily Lodine. In addition, there were kidsÕ games, ice cream and a Country Store table. Plimpton said Good Samaritan staff had good help from volunteers to pull off the celebration which was intended to involve Good Samaritan residents and the community in observing national Grandparents Day.

Photos by Brenda Plimpton

Eric Kraetsch, son of Kevin and Jenalee Kraetsch, caught a couple of sunnies while attending an Early Childhood Family Education picnic at Schoneman Park early Monday evening.

The picnic was a season opener for ECFE to allow participants to get to know staff and say good-bye to childhood educator Nancy Kaczrowski, who now works in public relations at Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Home. Jenalee Kraetsch is filling Kaczrowski's position, and Shelly Kruger is new on staff to help out. The School Readiness program starts Monday, and ECFE will continue to host special events like a trip to the apple orchard and gym night this year.

Photo by Sara Quam

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth cross country teams made their 2001 debut at the Wolverine Invitational in Mountain Lake Wednesday, Aug. 29.

As has become a tradition, Patriot coach Tom Goehle limited his runners to junior varsity competition for the first meet of the year.

"We do it (run at the junior varsity level) to ease into the season," Goehle said. "I was really happy with the way things went because the kids gave a spirited performance. They ran really hard. It was an excellent way to start the year."

Sixteen H-BC-E boys ran in Mountain Lake, where they dominated the team competition by winning the junior varsity title with 22 points.

Brad Haak, Tyler Bush and Lee Jackson led the charge by placing first, second and third with respective 10:58, 11:23 and 11:51 efforts during the two-mile event.

Matt Buck and Greg Van Batavia capped the team scoring by finishing sixth and ninth with respective 11:58 and 12:07 times.

Rounding out the Patriot boys are Kale Wiertzema (16th in 12:25), Nathan Fick (18th in 12:38), Devin DeBoer (19th in 12:47), Nathan Mahone (20th in 12:48), Derek Haak (37th in 13:35), John Sandbulte (39th in 13:49), Paul Jess (42nd in 13:54), Kerry Fink (50th in 14:09), Jared Drenth (73rd in 14:49), Adam Finke (85th in 15:45) and Justin Hinks (107th in 19:14).

The Patriot girls placed fourth in a 19-team field with 124 points.

Cassi Tilstra set the pace for H-BC-E by finishing second in 5:58 in the one-mile race.

Brittney Rozeboom, Becky Broesder, Amanda Tilstra and Stacy Bush contributed to the team effort by placing 11th, 27th, 29th and 55th with respective 6:24, 6:42, 6:44 and 7:03 times.

Kim Janssen placed 93rd in 9:25 without contributing to the scoring.

By Jolene Farley
The search continues for a new Hills-Beaver Creek superintendent to replace Tom Knoll, who left in July.

Interim Superintendent Daryl Williams updated School Board members on the hiring process at Tuesday's meeting.

The closing date for applicants is Friday, Sept. 14. The district has received about 20 applications so far.

Williams advised board members they would need to schedule some time the week after the cut-off date to review applications and decide whom they want to interview.

He suggested the board come up with a ranking of characteristics desired in a superintendent to be used to formulate the questions asked during the interviews.

Board Chair Roland Crawford characterized the applications received so far as "some good, some way over-qualified for us."

Williams advised the board to keep in mind, "people move for different reasons, sometimes location or they want to move to a rural area."

Williams plans to ask for staff input on the hiring at an in-service on Monday.

In other board business:
A marketing brochure to "let people know what the Hills-Beaver Creek district has to offer" will be distributed around the area.

The brochure provides background information on the district and details academic and extracurricular programs offered by the school.

The board suggested putting the brochures in convenience stores and at city hall. They also thought realtors would be interested in passing them out to potential Hills area residents.

The School Board meeting scheduled for Monday, Aug. 27, is cancelled. The next meeting will be Monday, Sept. 10.

By Lori Ehde
It's been more than three months since Luverne's Carrie Nelson was murdered while working at Blue Mounds State Park, but the case remains a top priority for both local and state investigators.

"All leads are taken, and all are followed up on," said Assistant County Terry Vajgrt. "It's a very methodical process."

The latest update to the story is a possible increase in the reward money offered for information leading to an arrest. The amount currently stands at $15,000.

Vajgrt said he and local law enforcement met in St. Paul Aug. 24 to review evidence to date with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

"We have no significant developments and sometimes that's the hardest news to release," Vajgrt said Tuesday. "But without question, the case continues to be a top priority."

He said the St. Paul meeting involved himself, Rock County Sheriff Ron McClure, Investigator Clyde Menning, eight to 10 BCA agents and a representative from the Minnesota Attorney General's office.

"Forensics scientists at BCA are working hard on the case examining physical evidence," Vajgrt said.

"At least one BCA agent at all times is working exclusively on the case - and that's in addition to the forensics scientists.

"Our local investigator, Clyde Menning, is working almost exclusively on the case, following up on leads."

Nelson, 20, was found beaten to death at the Blue Mounds State Park entrance building in the afternoon of Sunday, May 20.

Still key to solving the murder is information on the watch found at the scene of the beating.

Investigators think the watch was worn by the person responsible for the robbery and murder.

The digital watch face bears the logo "Field Ranger" and is silver. The watchband is tan with brown leather accents.

Anyone with knowledge of a person wearing a watch matching this description is asked to call the tip line at (507) 283-1301.