Early predictions show a slight increase
in city property taxes next year

By Sara Quam

The Luverne City Council on Monday made progress in refining the 2001 city budget.

The preliminary levy won't be approved until September and won't be finalized until December, but the preliminary work required much council discussion.

As the budget reads now, the proposed city levy will affect average homeowners by an increase of 1.6 percent if their property values stay the same. Commercial properties will actually see a decrease on the city line item of their tax statements.

The council still has time to alter the budget before approving the preliminary levy at a special Sept. 13 meeting. After that meeting, the city can decrease the levy before finalizing it in December but cannot increase it.

Up for discussion

Budget talks highlighted proposed changes that were out of the ordinary for the city budget.

For example, various departments requested Border City Legislation funding, an automated meter-reading system, an upgraded generator, land acquisition and an incubator building to be used for multiple businesses.

Other large costs for the city are the underground electrical wiring project, well water developments and funding for the Lewis and Clark Rural Water System.

Because most of those mentioned projects fall in the city utilities budget, Councilman Keith Erickson said, "I think that when a special project comes along, we can postpone some long-term projects so we can provide stability [in the utilities budget]."

City Administrator Matt Hylen said that planning five years into the future is difficult when special projects like tax increment financing come up. "There are peaks and valleys, and there will continue to be peaks and valleys," he said.

Because of the increased number of utility projects, coordinator Red Arndt said he could postpone the automated meter-reading system until the 2002 budget. He said the generator upgrade is more important to the city because during a disaster it could sustain the city's water use for more than the day-and-one-half the current system allows.

The city's generator has been used seven or eight days already this year, so Arndt said an upgrade won't be a costly item that goes unused. The city will try to purchase a used generator.

The Economic Development Authority has a capital budget for the first time since it was started in 1996. With $500,000 as the high estimate for an incubator facility, the council may or may not allow for that expense.

"It's being talked about at the state level so we shouldn't have to pull this wagon by ourselves," council member Alex Frick said about possible state funding for an incubator project.

An incubator building could be used as a general office and meeting place for local companies that aren't equipped to handle that aspect of their business.

The meeting ended on a high note with Barb Berghorst, the city's financial manager, pointing out that the city has raised the tax rate by only 7.91 percent over the past seven years.

Sunday marked the last church service of the 106-year-old institution. Typically, 15 people show up, but this time, almost 85 came to say goodbye to their little country church.

Set amid corn and soybean fields, barbed wire fences and gravel roads, the church itself looked almost as sad as its congregation members.

Clerk of Session Ron Boyenga said it was previously suggested that the church have a celebration on its last day, but the church declined because no members felt like celebrating when it seemed to them like a time to mourn.

The church's 40 members, not all of them active, have seen this coming. In January, 14 were present for a vote to close - 12 voted in favor and two left their ballots blank.

One of those who will miss the small Sunday services is Jake Boyenga, who, at 98, is the oldest church member. He lives in Luverne now, but he never stopped going to the church he started attending when he was 7.

Jake remembers the church services gradually changing from German to English and celebrating the 25th anniversary of the church. He remembers pastors keeping cows and chickens to supplement the lean lifestyle of the 1920s and -30s.

"They would help him out," Jake said. "One would bring hay, another would bring some meat. They didn't make very much back then."

He spent the summer of 1950 in California with a cousin and went to a large church there. "The preacher didn't know them, and when church was over, nobody got acquainted."

"People get closer together here," Jake said.

The church bulletin is telling of how close the church really is. In the announcement section, it sends birthday wishes to "Gertie" and anniversary wishes to "John and Bernita." No last names necessary.

Even though it was a sad service for the congregation, it went on as any other. There were hymns ("Precious Memories" and "Church in the Wildwood"), scripture readings, a sermon and the benediction.

The melodrama was put on hold so they could worship. Some tears came later when most gathered in the basement for coffee and refreshments.

Jake and his wife, Hazel, were married at Stateline in 1969 and said they realize its closing is a part of the changing times.

Jake said, "Where we used to have four farms by the church, there's one."

The church and parsonage are up for auction Thursday. Money has been set aside for perpetual care of the cemetery.

Most of Stateline's members have made arrangements to transfer to other area churches, even though they say it just won't be the same.

After Sunday's coffee and refreshments in the basement, churchgoers were greeted outside by crickets chirping reminders of what a country church is all about - neighbors and faith connected in a rural setting.

In the words of lay minister John Dyck, "This is the last day of our corporate worship. - But our worship is something that we don't just do on Sunday. - We will be in new settings but carry the same heritage."

At 106 years old, Stateline
closes its doors for last time

By Sara Quam

Mourning doves sang a somber welcome as parishioners entered the final 10 a.m. service at Stateline Ebenezer Presbyterian Church.

By Sara Quam

Rock County couples have another option when deciding whether to continue working or to stay home with their infant children.

So far, no one has taken advantage of a new option that helps offset costs of missed work by paying a parent to care for the child at home.

The first-of-its-kind legislation was chief authored by Rep. Richard Mulder (R-Ivanhoe) and earned a first place Innovations Award at the Midwest Legislative Conference.

Moms or dads who want to stay at home through their child's first year get reimbursed for 75 percent of the state's share of licensed family day care, which is $1.75 per hour in Rock County. The amount of money reimbursed to the family amounts to about $3,000 to $5,000 a year.

Mulder said after more than 32 years of being a physician, he has an understanding of what people want. "This understanding inspired me to write this bill," he said. "Now I look forward to having an opportunity to encourage other legislators to develop similar child care programs in their own states."

How the program works

Eligibility for At-Home Infant Child Care is based on income, and the family caregiver must also meet the requirements of working, going to school or looking for work at the time the child is born. There is a 12-month limit in the program and the time can be used at once or divided among children.

"It's underutilized," Pam Nelson, financial assistant supervisor for Rock County Human Services, said of the new law. "Most people go back to work after maternity leave for financial reasons."

Although it hasn't been used so far in Rock County, the potential is there. Nelson said the basic sliding scale program, which helps qualified families pay for child care costs, has a waiting list of 12 families for the first time since 1997. The AHIC could help some of those families on the waiting list.

Families are currently having to wait because the county has already hit its maximum amount of allocated funding for the sliding fee program.

Nelson speculated that the AHIC program hasn't seen applicants because word of its existence hasn't gotten around yet.

To be a part of the AHIC program, families must turn in an application. Nelson said, "There's a state pool of money, and we have to determine how much they'll draw from the pool and then apply to the state. It's a first-come, first-served system."

Rock County's AHIC child care reimbursement is $282 a month. Families who can afford it are required to pay part of that $282. For example, a family of four grossing $28,000 gets reimbursed $219 because of a $63 reduction based on their income.

The reimbursement tops off at $37,940 for a family of four because the income-based co-pay equals the program's reimbursement.

In calculating income, the program considers things like sick or family leave - almost everything employers would be spending on caregivers had they stayed at work.

Nelson said the program is ideal for working people who want a little more time at home after having a child. Some of the families waiting for placement in the standard sliding fee child care program could consider this option.

"If a family is on the sliding fee waiting list and decided to use this, they wouldn't lose their slot on the list," Nelson said.

To the Editor:

In May of this year in New York City armed robbers herded six men and one woman into the walk-in refrigerator of a Wendy's restaurant, bound and gagged them, and shot each one in the head. Five of these people died and two were gravely injured. Under New York law had any of the restaurant employees or customers been armed they would have been considered as guilty as the murderers.

In Anniston, Ala., two armed robbers took over a Shoney's restaurant. This case differs from the first in that a patron of the restaurant, Thomas Terry, was legally armed. Contrary to what Carol Achterhof would have you believe, he was not carrying a firearm for any of the frivolous reasons as stated in her Star Herald Aug. 24th column, but for self-protection as is his Second Amendment right.

Alabama's state constitution proclaims "that every citizen has the right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state." And Mr. Terry did that and more. He also saved the lives of nearly two dozen other customers, even at great risk to his own life. Mr. Terry shot one robber dead and severely wounded the other. None of the patrons were injured except Mr. Terry himself, who was grazed in the hip by a bullet from one of the robbers.

Those who would ban firearms seek comfort in the vain hope that if we pass laws to get rid of guns, such horrors will cease. Against all experience, against all that common sense tells us about the protective value of guns, the gun banners will continue to babble on.

Let me close with the words of Robert E. Lee instead of the words of Johnny Carson. "Gun control laws increase the power of government and the criminal element over the average citizen and serve no other purpose."

Ed Lynch
Luverne

In what was the season-opening match for both teams, Luverne fell behind early in all three games only to rally and nail down consecutive wins in front of the home crowd in the Elementary School gym.

When the match was complete, the Cards had to feel good about outscoring their opponents 45-20 during their first match.

"All in all, it was a good first win," said Cardinal coach Mary Jo Graphenteen. "It's always nice to open the season with a win because it makes it easier to move on."

After falling behind 1-0 in Game 1, Luverne put together a 7-0 rally featuring two kills and a tip by Susan Remme, one kill by Tracey Scheidt, an ace serve and a service point from Missy Boomgaarden and another point by Leah Lundgren to gain a six-point advantage.

Fulda scored five of the next eight points to trim Luverne's lead to four (10-6), but a pair of kills by Abbey Franken, a kill by Remme, a tip by Lundgren and a point from Lisa Mulder made up a 5-0 run that clinched a 15-6 win for LHS.

The Cards trailed 2-0 before putting together a 10-point run in the second game to gain an eight-point cushion.

The rally featured one service ace and four more points from Lundgren, two kills and two ace serves by Remme and another kill by Emily Kuhlman.

Fulda scored five of the next eight points to trim the difference to six points (13-7) before a kill by Franken followed by a point from Lundgren iced a 15-7 win.

Luverne faced a 3-2 deficit in Game 3 before Franken produced three kills and a tip, Erin Lammert served a pair of aces and Scheidt added a service point during a 7-0 run that gave Luverne a 9-3 lead.

The Raiders rallied to pull within three points at 10-7 before the Cards posted a 15-7 win with two ace serves and another point by Lammert, a kill by Melissa Kopp and an ace tip by Lundgren.

"There were not a lot of long rallies during match, which makes it tough to get into your offense. We did have a couple of coverage breakdowns on defense, but that will only get better with time. Everybody got a chance to play, which is always nice. Whenever you can get all the players in the match it can only help down the road.

Lundgren, who recorded 23 ace sets, was 16 of 18 with 13 points at the service line. Lammert was 15 of 15 with 11 points and five aces.

Remme and Franken led the way at the net with nine kills each. Scheidt chipped in one kill.

The Cards host Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster and Adrian tonight and Tuesday respectively. Luverne competes in the Sioux City (Iowa) Tournament Saturday.

Hansen won a playoff to wrestle the fourth flight title from Don Lien.

Lien carded an 84 Saturday to open a two-stroke lead over Scott Spronk (86) and a six-stroke lead over Hansen (90).

Spronk fell out of title contention with a 50 during Sunday's opening round, while Lien outscored Hansen 43-45 to increase his lead over the eventual flight champion by eight strokes.

Mark Lais, who shot a 95 Saturday, toured the course with a 39 during Sunday's opening round and moved into second place behind Lien (seven strokes off the pace) heading into the final nine holes of play.

Lais cooled down with a 44 during Sunday's second round, which gave him a 178 two-day total and third place in the flight.

Hansen, however, outscored Lien 40-48 during the second round, which left the players with 175 totals for the tournament.

When Hansen birdied the first playoff against Lien, he was awarded the flight title.

Cashin turned a pair of consistent days on the course into a three-stroke victory in the fifth flight.

In what was a tight battle Saturday, Cashin, Cory Bloemendaal and Merlin Cleveringa shot 90s to share a one-stroke lead over John Oksness and Geff Fitzer, who carded 91s, and a three-shot advantage over Jarnet Johansen (93).

Cashin and Bloemendaal both shot 42s during Sunday's first round to remain tied for first place, while Cleveringa slipped one shot back with a 43. Oksness and Johansen shot 43- and 44-stroke rounds to fall two and three strokes off the pace set by the leaders, while Fitzer slipped out of contention with a 49.

Cashin's second 41 on Sunday gave him a two-day total of 174 strokes and a three-shot win over Bloemendaal, who finished with a 45 and placed second with 177 strokes.

While Johansen shot a 51, Oksness shot a 48 during Sunday's second round to place third in the flight with his 182-stroke total.

Gary Luft rallied from a four-stroke deficit on Sunday to take top honors in the sixth flight.

Evan Verbrugge shot an 88 Saturday to take a four-stroke advantage over Luft (92) and a five-shot lead over Keith Van Hulzen (93).

With Verbrugge shooting a 48 while keeping the lead during Sunday's first round, Van Hulzen turned in a 45 to take over second place (two strokes behind). Luft shot a 47 to fall into third place in the flight, three strokes behind Verbrugge.

Luft saved his best round for Sunday's final nine holes of play, outscoring Verbrugge 45-50. The effort gave Luft a 184-186 win over Verbrugge at tournament's end. Van Hulzen struggled by shooting a 54 during the final round, but he still placed third in the flight with a 192.

Kaczrowski notched a five-stroke win over the field in the seventh flight.

Kaczrowski and Paul Mehlhaff both shot 90s Saturday to share the flight lead over Gaylord Keck, who carded a 94.

While Keck slipped out of contention during Sunday's first round, Kaczrowski outshot Mehlhaff 46-50 to take a four-shot advantage into the final round. Steve Top, who scored a 97 Saturday, turned in a 44 during Sunday's first round and moved into third place, five strokes off the pace set by Kaczrowski.

Kaczrowski's score inflated to 50 during the final round, but neither Mehlhaff (51) nor Top (50) was able to close the gap.

Kaczrowski's winning total was 186 strokes. Mehlhaff and Top shared second place with 191s.

Bosshart had to battle back during Sunday's second round to win the eighth flight.

Bosshart and Jeff Ahrendt shared the lead after 18 holes of play Saturday with 95s. Bryce Oldre and Nate Skattum were five strokes back with 100s.

Ahrendt outscored Bosshart 45-48 during Sunday's opening round, but Bosshart returned the favor by outscoring Ahrendt 45-50 during the final round to win the flight with a total of 188 strokes.

Ahrendt placed second with a 190. Skattum outscored Oldre 48-52 during Sunday's first round, but Oldre used a 49-55 scoring advantage over Skattum in the final round to place third in the flight with a 201.

Boom won the ninth flight title by a four-stroke margin.

Boom and Chris Meyer shared the flight lead with 101s on Saturday. Del Spronk was three shots off the pace with a 104.

Boom then shot a 46 to start play Sunday to gain a four-shot cushion over Meyer, who turned in a 50. Spronk, who shot a 52, and Tom Sterrett, who carded a 47 during Sunday's first round after shooting a 109 Saturday, were nine strokes off the pace with nine holes left to play.

Both Boom and Meyer shot 49s during the final round, giving them the first- and second-place tallies of 196 and 200 strokes. Sterrett nipped Spronk 55-56 during the final round to place third with a 211.

By John Rittenhouse

The 2000 debut for the Luverne High School volleyball team was successful as the Cardinals registered a 3-0 victory over Fulda Thursday.

By John Rittenhouse

Ten other players joined Dan Serie as flight champions during the Men's Club Tournament played at the Luverne Country Club over the weekend.

Mike Haakenson, Craig Hohn, Dave Iverson, Jerry Wethor, Adam Hansen, Don Cashin, Gary Luft, Bob Kaczrowski, Don Bosshart and Cliff Boom all secured flight titles during the 36-hole event.

Haakenson took top honors in the president's flight, which was formed after the first 18 holes of play in the championship flight Sunday.

The 19 players were entered in the championship flight Saturday, but the nine golfers with the highest rounds after 18 holes of play competed in the president's flight Sunday, which Haakenson won.

Haakenson, Jeff Rollinger and Tracy Birdsey shot 83s on Saturday, which gave them a share of the lead when the president's flight began play on Sunday.

Jerry Stordahl, Joe Dorhout and Scott Olsen were one shot behind the leaders with 84s.

While Dorhout, Rollinger and Birdsey slipped back in the pack during Sunday's first round, Haakenson shot a one-over-par 37 to gain a three-shot lead over Scott Olsen and a four-shot cushion over Stordahl, who carded 39- and 40-stroke efforts respectively.

Haakenson shot a 42 during the second round, that ended with him winning the flight by three strokes with a 162-stroke effort.

With Olsen and Stordahl shooting 45- and 46-stroke tallies during the second round, Dorhout and Birdsey rallied to shoot 39s and place second and third with respective 165- and 167-stroke tallies.

Outstanding play on Sunday gave Hohn the championship in the first flight.

Hohn shot an 86 Saturday, which was good for second place behind Tom Foster and Curt Vander Stoep, who turned in 84s.

Hohn produced a 40 during Sunday's first round to gain a one-stroke lead over Vander Stoep (43) and Nate Golla, who rebounded from an 88 Saturday by shooting a 39 during Sunday's first round.

Randy DeKam, who also shot an 88 Saturday before carding a 42 during Sunday's first round, was four strokes behind Hohn. Foster shot a 46 to fall out of contention.

Hohn ended up shooting a 41 during Sunday's second round to finish the tournament with a 167-stroke total, which was good enough to win the flight by two strokes.

While Vander Stoep slipped to 46 during the second round, DeKam and Golla turned in 39- and 42-stroke tallies to share second place in the flight with 169s.

Iverson was a run-away champion in the second flight.

He shot a 79 Saturday to open a seven-shot lead over Dave Gangestad (86) and an eight-stroke cushion over Fred Vander Kolk (87).

Iverson shot a 41 during Sunday's first round to extend his lead to nine strokes over Gangestad and 10 over Vander Kolk, who both shot 43s.

Iverson shot a 44 during Sunday's second round for a two-day total of 164 strokes and a nine-stroke victory. Gangestad and Vander Kolk, who finished the tournament with 44- and 43-stroke efforts respectively, shared second place in the flight with 173 totals.

Jerry Wethor rallied from a four-stroke deficit on Sunday to win the third flight by three strokes.

Tom Serie shot an 83 Saturday to gain a four-shot lead over Wethor and Jack Bennett, who carded 87s, and a five-shot advantage over Greg Gabrielson (88).

A 45 by Serie to start play Sunday allowed all of his challengers to gain ground. Gabrielsen and Wethor, who shot 41- and 42-stroke rounds, moved within one stroke of Serie. Bennett's 44 placed him three shots off the pace, but a 45 during the second round knocked him out of contention.

Wethor's continued improvement led to a 41 during Sunday's second round and a tournament total of 170 strokes. Another 45 for Serie in the second round gave him second place with a 173. Gabrielsen also shot a 45 during the final round and placed third with a 174 total.