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Last week the city of Luverne finished up another round of the citywide junk pickup. A tip of the hat goes to the crew that picked up our junk. They swooped into my neighborhood, wearing their neon green vests, with a garbage truck, a Payloader, a couple of John Deere side-by-sides and a dump truck or two, and with the speed and precision of a NASCAR pit crew, they were in and out of the hood in…

Question: I spend a fair amount of time on the road and I see a lot of drivers on their cell phones. What are you guys doing about it? Answer: Right now, to help change dangerous driving behaviors, law enforcement agencies statewide are participating in a distracted driving enforcement campaign April 1-30. We’ve been doing this for several years now as April is “national distracted driving…

The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older. This is continued from last week’s edition of the Star Herald. January 14, 1943 The distinction of being a distant relative of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence belongs to Mrs.…

It does not take long after the ice is gone for the open water anglers to start trying to satisfy their itch to go fishing. The weather has been totally awful, but I still see people out fishing. The game fish season in Minnesota is currently closed, and all you can legally target are panfish right now. These include crappies, perch and bluegills. You cannot target walleyes or other game fish…

I’m not sure if it’s muscle memory or just that we’re creatures of habit, but there are things we do every day without giving it any thought. Challenge yourself to pay attention to how many daily routine things you do the same way and don’t even realize it. Here are a few of the things I do every day and never really notice as to how or why I do them the way I do. I shave the right side of my…

The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older. This is continued from last week’s edition of the Star Herald. Mr. Kennedy was married May 4, 1894, at Luverne to Susie Kean, a native of Village Creek, Ia. and they made their home on the farm at the…

Tiger Woods’ return to competitive golf at last weekend’s Masters tournament is both awe-inspiring and motivating. Tiger could have easily retired from golf after each of his injuries, but he’s returned after each one, more determined and more fit to possibly win yet another major tournament. I watched him walk the Augusta, Georgia, course and listened to him talk with his caddy about club choice…

It is pretty amazing how a little thing can turn into a big thing. This can happen when a small issue or discovery really turns and stuff hits the fan. Every once in a while, though, a little thing can become a big thing in a positive way. When this happens, it can really make your day, and I am going to share one of those little things that turned into a very great outcome. Last spring I was…

Both of my grandmas had fat arms. As youngsters growing up in St. John Lutheran Church in Luverne, my siblings and I would occasionally sit with either set of grandparents during the church service instead of with our parents. When the morning grew exceptionally long, our grandmothers’ large, pillowy arms served as lovely headrests. I recalled those moments as my six-year-old granddaughter,…

Ask anyone from our office or most everyone I know, and they’ll tell you I have been complaining for years about the wind. Like many of you, I grew up in southwest Minnesota and have spent my entire life in these here parts, but I don’t remember when the wind has influenced or ruined so many outdoor activities. It seems the days of a nice breeze have long been forgotten. Just off the top of my…

Prescribed fire is one of the most beneficial management tools and is one of the most misunderstood. Spring burning gets a really bad rap from those who do not fully understand prairie ecosystems. Even when these benefits are explained, there will always be a certain percentage of folks who will disagree as they have drunk the wrong Kool-Aid served up at some local coffee shop. The most difficult…

The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on July 18, 1902. This is continued from the March 31 edition of the Star Herald. Summer Training School For Teachers of Rock County and Vicinity—Four Weeks’ Term Begun Monday. READING. The study of some good selection as Vision of Sir Launfal. With this I plan to give outlines of work from Clark on “How to Teach Reading” applying the steps from…

Writing an outdoor column can help make our readers more informed about wildlife and resource issues.  My column today is about Earth Day, and my research for this script has resulted in my gaining a large amount of new information to share with you. Earth Day was started in 1970 primarily as a student campus activity. The date of April 22 was chosen because it fell between spring break and…

In two months voters in Congressional District 1 (which includes Rock County) will face the first of several ballots to fill the U.S. representative vacancy. I say “several” ballots because in the middle of filling the vacancy for five months, another vote will take place to fill the same position during the November general election for the two-year term beginning in January. The best scenario…

In the span of less than two weeks we turned our clocks ahead an hour, pretended to be Irish for a day, and celebrated the first day of spring. All good signs of longer, brighter, warmer days ahead. All of those are signs that the outdoor grilling, smoker and flat top griddle season is here. Remember the good old days when all you had for outdoor cooking was a round charcoal grill on a flimsy…

When out on my wildlife rides, I routinely stop at bridges to check water clarity and to see if northern pike can be seen getting ready to spawn. Pike are about the first fish in our area to spawn and will often stage in the shallows under the ice when there is open water near shore. This happens even when the lake is still ice-covered. This time of year, most of the water I see is usually pretty…