By Jolene Farley
A community auction and pork loin feed is planned Saturday, Aug. 11, at the Valley Springs American Legion Hall to benefit victims of the flood waters that swept through the town Tuesday, June 12.

Residents Roger and Kathy Larsen spearheaded the fund-raiser, but many others are donating their time or goods.

Auctioneers Spencer Jacobson, Valley Springs, and Bob Julson, Sherman, have donated their services for the auction.

The Valley Springs Fire Department will cook and serve pork loin sandwiches and help with the auction.

The Beaver Valley Lutheran Church Quartet "Straight From the Heart" will perform.

The 12 families most severely effected by the water carried no flood insurance. Damage estimates were not large enough for the federal government to step in with disaster funds, according to Kathy Larsen.

"These people are without a lot of things and no help," said Kathy.

A clothing and furniture drive immediately after the fire was enormously successful. The drive was finally shut down because of lack of space, according to Kathy.

Leftover clothing from the drive was donated to the Children's Inn and the YMCA in Sioux Falls.

Some auction items have already been dropped off, but the Larsens hope many more donations are on the way. For more information on how to donate contact Roger or Kathy at (605) 757-6583.

Lutheran Brotherhood, Eastern Sioux Falls Branch #8605 will match the funds raised from the benefit.

Floyd Arthur Hawes, 92, died Sunday, July 22, 2001, at Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center in Luverne.

Services were Wednesday, July 25, at Jasper Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jasper. The Rev. William Clyma officiated. Burial was in Jasper City Cemetery.

Floyd Hawes was born to Earl "Roy" and Angelina "Lena" (Walvatne) Hawes on April 16, 1909, on the family farm in Rock County where he was raised and attended country school. Upon completion of his education he helped on the family farm.

He married Nina Mae Loeffler on March 14, 1929, in Luverne. Following their marriage they lived on two different farms for a short time. In 1939 they settled on a farm in Springwater Township in Rock County where they lived and farmed until he retired. After his retirement he continued to live on his farm. Mrs. Hawes preceded him in death on June 25, 1995. In October 1996 he became a resident of Sunrise Village in Jasper. He moved to Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center on Dec. 17, 2000.

Mr. Hawes was an active member of Jasper United Methodist Church. He served on the School Board, Elevator Board and Rock County Fair Board. They enjoyed traveling and were active in the Holiday Rambler Rambling Pheasants RV Club and spent many winters in Weslaco, Texas. He was a good ballroom dancer and enjoyed dancing throughout his lifetime.

Survivors include nine children and their spouses, Glenn and Joyce Hawes, Jasper, Marvin and Sharon Hawes, Luverne, Lloyd and Carol Hawes, Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, Arlen and Marla Hawes, Crooks, S.D., Rosella Murphy, Sioux Falls, S.D., Betty and Jim Lane, Kennewick, Wash., Shirley and David Haraldson, Bella Vista, Ark., Marvel and Curtis Swenson, Lakeville, and Sharon and Steve Gilb, Windom; 26 grandchildren; 38 great-grandchildren; one sister, Fern Laackmann, Viborg, S.D.; and many nieces and nephews.

Mr. Hawes was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Nina, one daughter, Marilyn Eustice, an infant son, Norman Eugene Hawes, an infant granddaughter, one son-in-law, Dan Eustice, one brother, Lawrence Hawes, and one sister, Luella Hawes.

Foster-Hartquist Funeral Chapel, Jasper, was in charge of arrangements.

V. "Joycelynn" Herr, 61, Windom, formerly of Luverne, died Sunday, July 29, 2001, at Sogge Good Samaritan Home in Windom after a battle with ovarian cancer.

Services were Wednesday, Aug. 1, at Evangelical Free Church in Windom. The Rev. David Lightner officiated.

"Joycelynn" Steinfeldt was born to William C. and Vivian K. (Miller) Steinfeldt on June 19, 1940, in Luverne. She graduated from Luverne High School in 1958.

She married Marvin Kroontje in 1960, Frederick Herr in 1974, and Charles Hendricks in 1980. She was a homemaker and also worked for a short time out of the home as a nurse's aid. She lived in several communities throughout Minnesota and the United States, including Luverne, Waukegan, Ill., Kenneth, Magnolia, Salt Lake City, Utah, Las Vegas, Nev., Windom and then Mt. Lake. She continued to live in Mt. Lake until recently when her health began to decline and she became a resident of Sogge Good Samaritan Home.

Mrs. Herr attended Evangelical Free Church in Windom. She was active as a volunteer for the Cottonwood County DAC and Sogge Home activities.

Survivors include seven children, Mark Kroontje and his wife, Susan, Herreid, S.D., Vivian Griffin and her husband, Keith, Sodus, Mich., William Kroontje and his wife, Brenda, Ashton, Iowa, Trudy Schniderman and her friend, Howard Brower, Round Lake, Darcene Lensing and her husband, Gregory, Comfrey, David Miller and April, Las Vegas, Nev., and Chris Herr and his wife, Cindy, Sioux Falls, S.D; 22 grandchildren; one great-grandchild; two brothers, William A. (Ruth) Steinfeldt, Windom, and James Steinfeldt, Luverne; Betty Jean (Jim) Fullington, Whitehall, Wis., and Helen L. Kellen, Luverne; and special friend, Robert Stoesz, Mt. Lake.

Mrs. Herr was preceded in death by her parents, and spouse, Charles Hendricks.

Anderson Schmidt Funeral Home, Windom, was in charge of arrangements.

George Arthur Johnson, 83, died Sunday, July 29, 2001, at Minnesota Veterans Home in Luverne.

Services were Wednesday, Aug. 1, at Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne. The Rev. Dell B. Sanderson officiated. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery, Luverne. Masonic services were Tuesday, July 31, in Engebretson Funeral Home, Luverne.

George Johnson was born to Ole and Oline (Gunderson) Johnson on June 9, 1918, in Rock County where he was raised. He attended Kenneth Public School. In 1942 he entered the U.S. Army Air Force where he served as a mechanic. He returned to the Luverne area in January 1946.

He married Betty Sanny on May 12, 1946, in Remsen, Iowa. He worked for the Minnesota State Highway Department until his retirement in 1983. Following his retirement they continued to live in their home in Luverne. On Jan. 29, 2001, he entered Minnesota Veterans Home in Luverne.

Survivors include his wife, Betty Johnson, Luverne; one son and daughter-in-law, Gary and Pam Johnson, Rochester; twin daughters and two sons-in-law, Shirley and Richard Olney, San Jose, Calif., and Sharon and Fred Wendt, Plymouth; five grandchildren; two stepgrandsons; one stepgreat-grandson; three stepgreat-granddaughters; three brothers, John (Rosa) Johnson, Luverne, Olaf Johnson, San Diego, Calif., and Lloyd (Jean) Johnson, Albert Lea; and one sister Anna (Erling) Tofteland, Luverne.

Mr. Johnson was preceded in death by his parents, one brother, Kenneth, and one sister, Ida Steiner.

Engebretson Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Services for Bernadine "Dena" Aanenson will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 3, in Grace Lutheran Church, Luverne. The Rev. Dell B. Sanderson will officiate. Burial is in Luverne Memorial Gardens Cemetery, rural Luverne. Visitation is from 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2, with the family present from 5 to 8 p.m. at Dingmann Funeral Home in Luverne. There will also be a one-hour visitation prior to the service at the church on Friday.

Bernadine Aanenson, 84, Luverne, died Monday, July 30, 2001, at Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center in Luverne.

Bernadine Hisken was born to Lambert and Tena (Bottinga) Hisken on Oct. 29, 1916, in Kanaranzi Township, Nobles County. She attended Kanaranzi School and then attended Luverne Goembel School in rural Magnolia.

She married Obert J. Aanenson on Oct. 1, 1940, in Ellsworth. After their marriage the couple farmed in Rock County and later moved to rural Leota. She painted houses at Kreun Lumberyard in rural Edgerton. In 1956 the couple moved to Luverne where she worked at Ben's Bakery for more than 10 years. She moved to Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center in Luverne in 1999.

Mrs. Aanenson was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne, the Ladies Aid, and the League of Women Voters. She was very active in Luverne Senior Citizens. In 1995 she was Rock County Outstanding Senior Citizen. She enjoyed growing flowers and playing bingo.

Survivors include three sons and daughters-in-law, Larry and Nola Aanenson, Slayton, Donald and Loretta Aanenson, Minneapolis, and David and Sandra Aanenson, Sioux City, Neb.; 10 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; one sister, Helen (Bill) DeBoer, Luverne; one sister-in-law, Florence Aanenson, Luverne; and one brother-in-law, Lawrence Thode, Luverne.

Mrs. Aanenson was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Obert, on Sept. 19, 1987, two brothers, Jerry and Hildebrand Hisken, and one sister, Leona Thode.

A tree will be planted in memory of Bernadine Aanenson by Hospice of Luverne Community Hospital.

Luverne 13, Westbrook 11
Luverne lived to play Sunday by beating Westbrook during a loser's bracket clash on Saturday.

The Cards never trailed in the game and led by as many as eight runs at one point. Westbrook, however, put together a pair of five-run innings late in the game to make things interesting.

After a scoreless first frame, Luverne scored six runs in the second and two in the fourth to open an 8-0 cushion.

Kopp, Kurtz, Pick and Studer all doubled home runs in the second. Jesse Kuhlman added an RBI single.

Boen walked and Pick reached base on an error before scoring on passed balls and errors to make it 8-0 in the fourth.

Westbrook scored once in the bottom of the fourth, but the Cards recorded a pair of runs back in the fifth.

Kopp reached base on an error and scored in the fifth when Kuhlman singled. Kurtz, who also reached base on an error, scored on a fielder's choice by Boen to make it 10-1.

Westbrook scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth before Luverne scored three times in the top of the sixth to make the difference 13-6.

Reisch doubled home a run and Kurtz added an RBI single to highlight the sixth inning for Luverne.

Westbrook scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh before Kurtz recorded the final out of the game to pick up a save.

Kuhlman started the game on the mound and earned the win. Justin Johnson also pitched for Luverne.

Box score AB R H BI
Studer 3 1 1 1
Boelman 1 0 0 0
Johnson 1 0 0 0
Pick 5 1 2 1
Schmidt 4 1 1 0
Reisch 5 2 2 1
Kopp 4 3 1 1
Kurtz 4 2 2 2
Kuhlman 4 1 2 2
Fodness 2 1 0 0
Goembel 1 0 0 0
Boen 3 1 0 0

MB 4, Luverne 3
The Cardinals opened the tournament by dropping a one-run decision to Marshall Blue Saturday afternoon.
Luverne had 2-0 and 3-2 leads during the contest, but Blue scored one run in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game and won it by scoring another counter in the seventh inning.

The Cards drew first blood by scoring twice in the top of the second, but MB countered with two runs in the bottom of the second to knot the score at two.

Kurtz reached base on an error and scored on Kuhlman’s triple to account for Luverne's first run in the second. Kuhlman scored on a wild pitch.

Studer tripled and scored on a single by Pick to give the Cards a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth, but MB scored the game's final two runs.

Schmidt went the distance on the mound and took the loss for the Cards.

Box score AB R H BI
Studer 3 1 1 0
Pick 4 0 1 1
Schmidt 3 0 0 0
Kopp 3 0 0 0
Reisch 3 0 0 0
Kurtz 3 1 0 0
Kuhlman 3 1 1 1
Fodness 2 0 1 1
Top 3 0 0 0

By John Rittenhouse
Luverne advanced to the championship game of the Third District VFW Baseball Tournament in Worthington over the weekend before its 20-13 season came to an end after the title tilt.

The Cardinals opened the tournament by losing a one-run decision to the Marshall Blue during Saturday's first round before bouncing back to best Westbrook by two runs in a loser’s bracket game Saturday.

Luverne met and beat Marshall Blue by six runs in an elimination game on Sunday to earn a berth in the championship game. The team lost a six-run decision in the championship game to Worthington which will represent the District during the state tournament in Mankato Aug. 10-13.

Worthington 9, Luverne 3
The district championship game ended like the three prior meetings between the two teams this season, with Worthington coming out on top.

Worthington, which beat Luverne twice in the regular season and in the title game in the Southern Division Playoffs, continued its mastery of the Cardinals by downing them by six runs in Sunday's meeting.

The Cardinals did stun Worthington by scoring three runs in the top of the first inning, but the hosts countered by scoring nine unanswered runs the rest of the way to win the tournament crown.

Worthington's lucky number was two as it scored twice in the first, third, fourth and fifth innings to gain an 8-3 advantage. The champs capped the scoring by scoring once in the sixth.

Jake Studer was hit by a pitch to start Luverne’s first inning rally. Joey Pick doubled home Studer before scoring on a single by Aaron Schmidt. Schmidt scored when Adam Kurtz bounced into a fielder’s choice.

Jordan Kopp went the distance on the hill and took the loss for Luverne.

Box score AB R H BI
Studer 3 1 1 0
Pick 4 1 1 1
Schmidt 4 1 1 1
Kopp 4 0 1 0
Reisch 4 0 1 0
Kurtz 3 0 0 1
Kuhlman 3 0 0 0
Fodness 2 0 0 0
Boen 3 0 0 0

Luverne 12, MB 6
The Cardinals avenged their opening-round loss to Marshall Blue by knocking it out of the tournament with a six-run setback on Sunday.

Trailing 6-5 after three and one-half innings of play, Luverne took the lead for good by exploding for six runs in the bottom of the fourth inning before capping a six-run win by scoring once in the bottom of the sixth.

Luverne lost a 5-4 edge when Marshall scored twice in the top of the third, but the Cards went on a 7-0 scoring run the rest of the way to win the elimination game.

Wild pitches and errors by MB allowed Luverne to score four of its runs in the bottom of the fourth. Kopp and Pick added RBI doubles to the rally, which ended with the Cards leading 11-6.

Adam Reisch was hit by a pitch before scoring an insurance run in the sixth when Rob Fodness bounced into a fielder’s choice.

The teams exchanged runs in the game's first inning. Studer walked and advanced around the bases on errors and wild pitches to account for Luverne's run in the bottom of the first.

Marshall led 4-1 after scoring three runs in the top of the second, but Luverne answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning to gain a 5-4 edge.

Fodness doubled home a run and Tim Boen singled in a run to highlight the second inning for the Cards.

Kurtz went the distance on the hill to pick up the win.

Box score AB R H BI
Studer 2 3 1 0
Pick 4 1 3 1
Schmidt 2 1 1 0
Kopp 4 1 1 1
Reisch 4 2 1 0
Kurtz 3 2 1 0
Kuhlman 4 0 0 0
Fodness 3 1 1 2
Boen 3 1 1 1

By Sara Quam
The city of Luverne is figuring out how best to use its new border city development funds. And while citizens may have heard of the term, they may not be clear on what exactly happened with the legislation or how it could affect the city.

The lobbying firm that helped push legislation wrote a final report that condenses what was included under various newspaper headlines.

The city of Luverne attempted to pass the border city development zone law in the 2000 legislative session, but it did not pass. The Senate Tax Bill contained the provision, but the House Tax Bill did not.

At Luverne's request, Rep. Richard Mulder and Sen. Arlene Lesewski agreed to offer the border city legislation in the 2001 session.

It was then introduced by Mulder in the House Jan. 18. Lesewski introduced it in the Senate Jan. 25.

In the House, the first step was to get the Luverne legislation passed out of the Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs Committee to the House Tax Committee. The Luverne legislation was given a hearing Feb. 5 in the Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs Committee. Prior to the committee meeting, Flaherty and Hood lobbied key members of the committee and met with the chair. Mulder, Luverne Mayor Glen Gust and lobbyist Corey Elmer presented the information and successfully got it referred to the House Tax Committee.
The bill was sent to the House Tax Committee, chaired by Rep. Ron Abrams (R-Minnetonka). Mulder, Gust and Luverne City Administrator Matt Hylen met with Abrams to discuss the legislation. Abrams indicated sympathy with Luverne’s situation but didn’t indicate that he would support the legislation to extend the law to Luverne.

The lobbyis's strategy was to use Mulder's relationship with Abrams and work with Gust to convince Abrams of Luverne’s need for the legislation.

In the Senate, the Luverne legislation was referred directly to the Senate Tax Committee's Income and Sales Tax Budget Division. The bill was heard April 5. Lesewski and Luverne City Council member Keith Erickson testified in support of the legislation. Prior to the meeting, the lobbyists met with key members of the committee to explain the legislation and get support.

At that hearing, several committee members spoke in favor of the legislation. The committee discussed the legislation and laid it over. Somewhat out of the ordinary, the Senate Property Tax Budget Division also heard the bill April 20, which is where the bill has been heard in the past. The bill was discussed and laid over for possible inclusion in the Omnibus Tax Bill. Later, both divisions of the Tax Committee released their respective lists containing their recommendations regarding what bills or provisions should be included in the Omnibus Tax Bill. Both lists contained the Luverne legislation.

However, despite the recommendations, Sen. Larry Pogemiller (DFL-Minneapolis) did not include the Luverne legislation in the Senate draft of the tax bill. Lobbyists then worked with Lesewski, John Hottinger (DFL-Mankato), and Sen. Jim Vickerman (DFL-Tracy) to determine the best approach and timing for adding the provision.

The decision was made to offer the legislation as an amendment to the Senate Tax Bill on the Senate floor. Lesewski engaged the help of Vickerman because of his position as a ranking majority member of the Senate to offer Luverne's amendment.

On May 11, the Senate Tax Bill was heard on the floor. Vickerman offered the Luverne amendment. Pogemiller stated his continued and unwavering opposition to it. The Senate voted to add the legislation to its Omnibus Tax Bill. The Senate was swayed by the comments of several DFL and Republican senators, from both Greater Minnesota and the metropolitan area, who spoke in favor of the amendment.

In the House, Mulder succeeded in getting the support of Abrams, which was the key to the inclusion of the Luverne legislation in the House Tax Bill. As a result, both the House and Senate tax bills contained the Luverne provision, which is a significant achievement.

The tax conference committee, or working group, spent several weeks negotiating the differences between the two tax bills. Luverne's local legislators, lobbyists and Gust aggressively lobbied for the legislation, and in the end it was included in the final tax bill. The language that passed allocates $175,000 for tax reductions or offsets, a reduction of $8,000 from the original request, and allows for up to three areas to be designated as border city development zones.

By Lori Ehde
The first class of all day every day kindergartners is about to start first grade, and by all reports, they will be better prepared for first grade than those who attended kindergarten part-time.

Kindergarten teacher Mary Jacobson thanked School Board members at their Thursday, July 26, meeting for deciding to fund all day every day kindergarten another year.

She said some of the problems teachers feared turned out to be no problem, and many of the benefits they anticipated did happen.

"Stamina wasn't a problem at all," Jacobson said. "Having a full day allowed us to break into things slowly. In other years we've had to hit the ground running the very first day."

She said the consistency of a daily routine was most beneficial. "We didn't have to go back and do a lot of reteaching," she said. "The curriculum flowed a lot better for us that way."

She said she's curious to hear from first-grade teachers this year about how prepared the students are for first grade.

"We were really able to build a solid foundation," Jacobson said. "We had a lot of kids who were reading by the end of the year. They were so excited."

Parents Teresa Hup and Karen Wohnoutka attended the meeting to share their observations with board members.

Wohnoutka's son attended every-other-day kindergarten two years ago, and her daughter attended every day last year.

"Kaitlin didn't appear to be as tired going every day as Joe did when he was going every other day," she said.

An assessment designed to measure skills in young students backed up casual observations with measurable data.

By the end of the year, for example, 28 students showed a high mastery of the reading curriculum, compared with only seven students the year before.

Similarly, only nine students this year showed poor mastery of material compared with 27 students last year.

"Obviously, many more students are able to master the curriculum placed before them," Elementary Principal Melody Tenhoff said.

"This could be just a bright class of kids, but it wouldn't have made that big a difference in the test scores."

Remodeling update
In other business Thursday, Superintendent Vince Schaefer told board members the middle school-high school remodeling project is continuing on schedule.

Ceiling grid work is being installed in the hallways, and tile and electrical work is going in. That means lighting will soon be available again in hallways, and the acoustical ceilings will be in place before school starts.

"The lunchroom and kitchen is the site of a lot of activity," Schaefer said, referring to installation of a new oven and rewiring there.

The $1 million project includes a new heating, cooling and ventilation system and replacing the 50-year-old electrical service.

At the same time, lighting and ceiling panels are being replaced in first-floor corridors.

"We're hoping the work will be complete by the start of school," he said. "Any details left undone by Sept. 4 will not impede the start of classes."

In other business Thursday, the board...
Took action on new school year business, including bus driver compensation and substitute teacher pay.
Bus drivers will receive $52 per day for regular routes. Last year they received $50. Substitute teacher rate increased from $70 to $85, which is more competitive with area districts.
Agreed to let administrative staff work on a fair way to make the new elementary breakfast program available to all students.
Accepted Bruce Gluf's resignation as cross country coach.
Approved the coaching assignments for 2001-02. Coaches are still needed for head boys' hockey, head cross country, eighth-grade boys' basketball, assistant track, assistant baseball, assistant girls' varsity and ninth-grade girls' basketball.
Approved a leave of absence for paraprofessional Sharon Oksness so she can travel to Rome with her church group. She'll miss seven working days.