2024

Trenton Bass, Hills, will speak publicly for the first time in his home community since his 2017 football injury that left him paralyzed from the chest down. The free event, “Faith, Friendship and Community in Confronting Adversity,” will be at 4 p.m. Sunday, June 2, in the Hills-Beaver Creek High School gymnasium in Hills. “I feel like it has been long enough since I last addressed my home…

The annual Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony took place Monday morning at Maplewood Cemetery in Luverne, organized by the Luverne American Legion Del Hogan Post 123 and auxiliary and the Veterans of Foreign Wars members. Friends and members of military loved ones gathered for the hour-long program to remember and honor those who died in order for the U.S. to retain the freedom for all its…

After commencement practice Thursday morning, May 23, the Class of 2024 students took a final walk around the school campus where they received cheers, claps and high fives from the kindergarten through eleventh-grade students and staff who lined the halls from the elementary through the middle-high school. The Grad Walk tradition also provides role models for the younger students to follow in…

Luverne High School junior Sage Viessman will attend the American Legion Boys State as the Rock County representative. Sage, the son of Scott and Tricia Viessman of Luverne, is sponsored by the Hardwick American Legion Post 478. The primary purpose of the program, open to high school juniors, is to teach how government works, according to the organization’s website. Participants also work on…

The May 14 Board of Appeals and Equalization meeting in Luverne drew several property owners questioning valuations of their property. County Assessor Rachel Jacobs answered questions, and she and her staff agreed to visit some properties for possible adjustments. Mostly though, the evening was a lesson in the difference between property valuations and property taxes and what drives valuations…

Dispatch report May 11 •Complainant on E. Dodge Street reported a missing person. •Complainant at Redbird Field reported a door/window open. •Complainant eastbound on Interstate 90, Luverne, requested assistance from another department. •Complainant on Walnut Avenue reported a miscellaneous public assist. •Complainant northbound on Interstate 29 reported a road and drive law. •Complainant…

Members of the Luverne High School FFA Chapter recently conducted their 2023-24 awards banquet this spring in the school commons. FFA is an inter-curricular program and originated as an internal part of high school agricultural education. FFA activities encourage members to learn through hands-on experience, meeting transactions, public speaking, problem solving and taking a role in civic…

Luverne businessman Eric Oye is Rock County’s new veterans service officer (VSO) after he was sworn in during the May 7 Rock County Board meeting. “I’m passionate about helping veterans because I do think it is really important, and I’ll try to help them out as much as I can,” Oye said. As a veteran, Oye has experience with the Veterans Administration (VA), which he will now use to help other…

Prior to joining the Southwest MN Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities (CEO) program last fall, Joy Taubert quietly made British pastries and hosted tea parties for her family. Today she’s turned the hobby into a business called “A Sip of Joy.” On Friday, May 10, the Hills-Beaver Creek High School senior and soon-to-be CEO program graduate debuted her business during a special event at the…

Susan Bullerman’s junior kindergarten class performs “Down at the Beach” Friday afternoon for friends and family in the Luverne Elementary gymnasium. The students are directed by Morgan Van Holland and performed six songs about the beach, the fish and a baby shark.

Spring fieldwork took off in Rock County and across the region in mid-April, but conditions changed in late April and early May after more than 3½ inches of rain fell over a two-week period. According to the USDA Weekly Planting Progress Report released on April 29, 30 percent of the corn in Minnesota had been planted, compared to a five-year average of 18 percent. Progress in Rock County and…

Kindergarten through fifth-grade students at Luverne Elementary School raised more than $10,000 with their annual Cardinal Dash Wednesday afternoon, May 1. Parents Partners in Education (PPIE) organize the event, which included a fun run and grade-level tug of war tournament. Students sold Cardinal cards to friends and family to raise money for added special events and activities in the 2024-25…

Rock Ranch near Hills is joining the “Seen Through Horses” campaign during the month of May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month. “We are very grateful to be a part of this tremendous national campaign,” said Dan LaRock, who co-founded Rock Ranch with his wife, Marie, in 2016. “It helps shine a light on the power of equine assisted counseling as a reliable and helpful resource for many who…

Dispatch report April 27 •Complainant on S. Main Avenue in Hills reported theft/larceny. •Complainant reported an outage. •Complainant on W. Mead Court reported weapons. •Complainant on W. Warren Street reported a road and drive law issue. •Complainant on N. Lindale Street reported trespassing. April 28 •Complainant eastbound on Interstate 90, mile marker 16, Luverne, reported a road and…

LSS meals at Generations   Monday, May 13: Sloppy Joes, roasted potatoes, green beans, dessert. Tuesday, May 14: Chicken a la orange, broccoli florets, rice pilaf, pineapple tidbits, dinner roll. Wednesday, May 15: Beef pepper steak, mashed potatoes with gravy, peas and carrots, bread, oatmeal raisin cookie. Half-Price Day sponsored by Christian Reformed Church. Thursday, May 16: Tater tot…

10 years ago (2014) •Tuesday was a big day for local early childhood education supporters and the “Nature Explore Outdoor Classroom” in Luverne. A groundbreaking Tuesday morning put the wheels in motion for a new outdoor classroom to be built near the elementary school between the bus garage and playground. Discovery Time Preschool Teacher Angie Janiszeski has taken the lead to implement the…