Editorials
- January 07, 2020The Minnesota Department of Public Safety recently released its 2019 traffic data, and it appears there are many ways we can improve our driving habits and resolve to be safer in 2020. Preliminary reports show there were 364 traffic deaths on Minnesota roads in 2019, compared with 381 in 2018. Recent fatalities in 2019 include: •A 17-year-old passenger killed when the vehicle he was riding in…
- January 01, 2020At the end of a year, and particularly at the end of a decade, it’s prudent to ask the question, “Are we better off now than we were a year ago (or 10 years ago)?” It’s good to ask the question, because the details and obligations of daily life have a way of distracting us from our intended direction. The question can apply to personal relationships as well as professional careers and community…
- December 22, 2019If you looked only at the big picture, you’d have to say our nation lives in deeply troubled times. It seems we’ve never been more polarized. Political discourse feels more like a war zone than a thoughtful national conversation. But what happens when you zoom in more closely? After all, real life doesn’t happen nationally. It happens locally. At the community level, we see people partnering with…
- December 17, 2019As families across Rock County prepare for the holidays, they will join 16 million families and friends who are also caring for someone living with Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia. Though holiday celebrations are often happy occasions, they can be challenging and stressful for those impacted by Alzheimer’s. This doesn’t mean our loved ones with Alzheimer’s shouldn’t be included in…
- December 10, 2019Winterfest weekend was another proud moment for Luverne residents to showcase holiday spirit and a respect for the meaning of Christmas. In particular, the “Love the Light” Christmas at the city park was a grand finale to the already great Winterfest weekend. If you haven’t had a chance to take in the lighted displays, they’ll be up through Jan. 5 and are definitely worth a slow drive through the…
- December 03, 2019We’re closing in on the end of another decade, and the Star Herald is looking back on the highlights of the years between 2010 and 2020. The first 10 years of the new millennium in Rock County were marked by the Ken Burns world premiere of his documentary series, “The War,” at the Palace Theatre. The decade also saw a regeneration of what we now know as the Courthouse Square with the stately…
- November 25, 2019Thanksgiving and the holidays are a perfect time to talk with your friends and family about what matters most in life. When people are together for Thanksgiving and the holidays, there’s no better time to have meaningful conversations and heartfelt sharing about matters truly important to each of us. Minnesota Public Radio’s Cathy Wurzer opened discussions two years ago about living and dying…
- By Tom GetmanOctober 22, 2019As I suggested last week, there is a bright side dawning in this dehumanizing time. There is increasing sense in our land, spurred by the political crisis, about what defines and characterizes honorable public service, a free compassionate society and faithful witness to the Good Shepherd. Shepherds, in the spirit of Jesus, take risks for the lost, lonely, endangered lambs … even those who may…
- October 08, 2019This week is National Fire Prevention week, National Domestic Violence Awareness Week and Homecoming Week in Luverne and H-BC schools, in addition to Pork Month, Sexual Assault Awareness Month and other important observances. Amid all these causes vying for ink in the Star Herald is National Newspaper Week, which typically gets little mention, because news organizations typically aren’t the…
By Jennifer Lindsey, Southwest Crisis Center, LuverneOctober 01, 2019October is often a busy month with school sports, fall festivals and harvest season upon us. Easily forgotten is that October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. In the past year, the Southwest Crisis Center in Rock County has provided services for 88 individuals who experienced domestic and sexual violence. To help bring awareness that domestic violence does happen here in Rock County, the…- By Evan Verbrugge, Rock County SheriffSeptember 24, 2019With the new school year beginning, I thought that it would be a good idea to review the driver’s responsibility for when they see children getting on or off a school bus, as well as the Hwy Pedestrian Crossing Lights. The Law states in MN Statute 169.444 Safety of School Children: Duties of Other Drivers. Subdivision 1. Children getting on or off school buses. When a school bus is stopped on a…
- By Craig Oftedahl, Luverne Public Schools SuperintendentSeptember 10, 2019This is somewhat an unusual title to an article in September, but each year at school, we get to experience a new beginning in September. Our tremendous staff members are busy prepping for the return of students and anxiously await the arrival of friendly faces, smiling students, giddy parents and the giggles and laughter that signal another school year. One of the great things about school is…
September 03, 2019This is the time of year we hear from school and traffic safety folks about school bus safety and student pedestrian safety. And yes, motorists, please watch for the big yellow school bus flashing lights and stop arms, and slow down at intersections to watch for little students on foot. Lives depend on it. This year in Luverne, however, we have a bigger traffic safety issue on the school campus…- August 27, 2019A story in the Wednesday, Aug. 21, edition of the Brandon Valley News caught our attention this week as a precautionary tale for all communities to be aware of. A Facebook post reporting over-the-limit radium levels in Brandon’s drinking water sent residents into a tailspin and prompted city administration to call a press conference to set the record straight. On July 28, the anonymous Facebook…
- August 20, 2019The Star Herald recently stepped back for a look around our communities and found a lot to be proud, but other areas were more worthy of “thumbs down” notations. Thumbs up — to the smooth ride on North Highway 75 through Luverne with the mill-off and overlay completed last week. After so many of years of bone-rattling bumps, the fresh asphalt is truly a luxury. Thumbs down — however, to the…
- August 06, 2019On June 30, 2014, 33-year-old Andrea Boeve was enjoying a bike ride along the shoulder of Highway 270 near Steen with her two daughters, 4 and 1, in a child bike trailer. It was around 11:30 a.m. on a Monday. About that same time, Chris Weber was also traveling eastbound on 270 in a flatbed truck when he picked up his cell phone to complete a bank transaction. His eyes left the road for a second…
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