Hills
By Nicole RonchettiJuly 08, 2026The Hills City Council received the city’s audit results from Meulebroack, Taubert & Co. during a special session held on June 30 and also adopted a resolution for data practices. Amy Mollberg, a partner with the accounting firm that conducted the audit, told the council that the audit came back healthy, despite some funds where expenses exceeded revenue. For example, the general fund was…
By Nicole RonchettiJuly 08, 2026During the Hills Friendship Days on June 12 Deon Carriere raised $2,360 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation by grilling burgers and bratwurst through his business, Brody’s Bar. It’s his third year of fundraising for the cause, but at this year’s event, he met 6-year-old Lilly Sandager, a little girl who is living with cystic fibrosis. They took a photo together, and her family thanked him for…
By Nicole RonchettiJune 17, 2026The owners of three parcels of agricultural land within Hills’ city limits are requesting separation, providing the formal paperwork to the city con June 9. The farmers had previously come before the council in May with a request to transition the land into rural service districts, which would have kept the land in city limits but lowered the tax rate to account for its agricultural use.…
June 17, 2026The community of Hills was filled with food, music and fun with the annual celebration of Friendship Days over the weekend. The event, hosted by the organization Helping Build Communities Stronger, began on Friday, June 12, and ran through Sunday, June 14. It featured a cruise-in, street dance, live music and a parade among other activities so that community members of all ages could enjoy…
By Nicole RonchettiMay 15, 2026A public forum during the May 12 Hills City Council meeting drew over 60 people, the majority of whom were there to express support for the city council and city clerk amid an expected lawsuit. Hills Area Chamber of Commerce president Kris Gagnon has said he is filing the lawsuit alleging that the City of Hills and City Clerk Connie Wiertzema have failed to provide public data when requested in…
By Nicole RonchettiApril 22, 2026Three landowners with agricultural property inside of Hills city limits are requesting that their parcels — a total of approximately 91 acres — be designated as rural service districts. The designation, common in rural cities throughout the state, would allow the land to be taxed at a lower rate since it does not receive the benefits of city services. “It’s taxed at a much higher rate than…
By Nicole RonchettiApril 22, 2026Hills resident Allen Saakyan presented a demonstration of what a new city website could look like during the city council meeting on April 14. The presentation brought council members on a tour of the potential website, which Saakyan said would be simple to transfer to city ownership. “I put together a little demo of what a beautiful, modern city website can be,” Saakyan said, showing the…
By Nicole RonchettiApril 22, 2026Hills City Council members heard a recommendation to establish a fire escrow account during their April 14 meeting. The account would provide financial protection for the city in the case of a property owner abandoning a damaged structure after a fire. “How we’ve seen this play out in other areas is there’s some kind of structure fire or building explosion, and the property owner takes the…
By Nicole RonchettiMarch 31, 2026For Dennis Hartman, the best projects aren’t just blueprints, they’re a story. That’s why when Brian and Wendy Carlson approached him with a stack of ash wood and a vision, he didn’t hesitate. The wood wasn’t sourced from a lumber yard. Instead, it came from the Carlson’s own acreage northwest of Beaver Creek just into South Dakota. When they knew the ash trees on the property had to come down…
By Mavis FodnessFebruary 25, 2026Since founding Rock Ranch as a nonprofit organization in 2016, Marie LaRock is still building on the vision she saw for her grandparents’ farm located west of Hills. “I could see what we could do here, but I didn’t want to just serve people with disabilities,” she said. “I wanted to be able to serve all abilities, and I wanted to incorporate everybody together in a Christ-filled setting.”…
By Nicole RonchettiFebruary 25, 2026The night before Nicole Wiertzema attended her first group fitness class, she was so nervous she couldn’t sleep. What if she looked like she didn’t know what she was doing? What if other people judged her? Today, as owner of The Well Fitness Studio, Wiertzema and her team help newcomers overcome the same fears she once faced about group exercise. “I never thought I would instruct classes, and…- By Mavis FodnessJanuary 28, 2026Editor's note: Story has been revised to correct Kate DeBoer's first name and the name of her business. Members of the newly formed Hills Chamber of Commerce envision their new organization not only supporting and promoting local businesses but also enhancing the quality of life in Hills. Five of the Chamber members met with the Hills City Council Jan. 13 to collaborate with them by sharing…
- January 21, 2026Arlene Mae Kooistra, age 91, of Hills, died Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, at the Tuff Memorial Home in Hills. Funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, at the American Reformed Church in Luverne, officiated by Pastor Mike Altena. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church on Thursday. Burial will be in the Beaver Creek Cemetery. Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne, is in…
By Lori SorensonJanuary 07, 2026Glenda McGaffee is in her 50th year of working at Tuff Memorial Home in Hills, a milestone she will celebrate with co-workers and residents on Jan. 15. “She does so much for our residents, staff, and the HBC community, we want the day to be special,” said Tuff Life Enrichment Director Jocelyn Jacoby. To prepare for the 50th work anniversary party, Jacoby wrote a profile piece about McGaffee in…- By Mavis FodnessNovember 12, 2025The number of retail cannabis businesses allowed under county ordinance will remain at one, after commissioners revisited plans by a Hills businessman. Dennis Hartman and his son, Tim, spoke with commissioners at their Nov. 4 meeting. Dennis Hartman said he is in the process of purchasing property in Beaver Creek Township near I-90 for a retail cannabis business (Integrity Farms Cannabis) and…
November 12, 2025Gerald Allen Ackerman, age 79, of Hills, Minnesota, died Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, at Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. A public visitation will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, with the family present at the Community Reformed Church of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. A graveside service will be at 10:30 a.m., Monday, Nov. 17, at Eastside Cemetery near Steen, Minnesota. A memorial…
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