Luverne observes July 4 at Lake
Luverne residents and visitors celebrated their 11th Annual Fourth of July celebration at The Lake Friday.
New alumni, educators to be inducted into Luverne Halls of Fame
Several additional Luverne alumni and former educators will be inducted this fall into the Luverne Alumni Hall of Fame and Luverne Educators Hall of Fame.
Beaver Creek school may open in segments
Contractors at the Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary School construction site are focused on completing administration offices first.
Ag weather station coming to Rock County
A Minnesota Department of Agriculture weather station south of Luverne will provide real-time climate information that will be available online to the public.
'Libraries with Heart' initiative offers health equipment to public
Two blood pressure cuffs are available for patrons to use at the Rock County Library, thanks to a grant through the American Heart Association (AHA).
Unique arrangement brings new priest to St. Catherine
June 30 marked Monsignor Gerald Kosse’s last day in Luverne as the full-time priest for St. Catherine Catholic Church.
News
By Mavis FodnessJuly 17, 2025In just over an hour, more than 15,000 hot dogs were consumed during the 63rd annual Hot Dog Night Thursday, July 10, in Luverne. Dozens of businesses cooked hot dogs and offered various toppings for the free hot dogs and buns to anyone who wanted one. Activities occurred throughout the day including youth 3-on-3 basketball games, Hinkly House tours, free inflatables, tae kwon do demonstrations…
By Lori SorensonJuly 16, 2025Katie Walgrave addressed a small crowd gathered at the base of the partially completed World’s Largest Nutcracker Saturday morning. The bad news, she said, was that the statue wasn’t completed in time for Luverne’s Nutcracker Fest. The good news, she joked, was that it’s on track to be finished before the Crazy Horse memorial is completed in South Dakota. “Look on the bright side,” Walgrave…- By Lori SorensonJuly 16, 2025The Luverne Planning and Zoning Commission approved another conditional use permit application for cannabis licensing following a public hearing Tuesday, July 8. However, given the proposed dispensary’s proximity to another planned dispensary across the street, it may not be feasible due to the Luverne cannabis ordinance that requires a 1,000-foot buffer between retail cannabis businesses.…
- By Lori SorensonJuly 16, 2025Four applications were turned in for the Rock County sheriff position, which will be vacant this fall. They include current Rock County deputies Chad Kempema, Jeff Stratton and Troy Wenzel and re-tired Minnesota State Patrol lieutenant Matthew Sorenson. The Rock County sheriff is an elected position, but current sheriff Evan Verbrugge is retiring before his current term expires Dec. 31, 2026.…
By Lori SorensonJuly 16, 2025Rock County Historian Betty Mann threw out the opening pitch ahead of Friday night’s game between the Luverne Redbirds and the Brandon Belugas. For the casual “Nutcracker Base Race” game during Luverne’s Nutcracker Fest weekend, the Redbirds became the “Luverne Nutcrackers,” donning special nutcracker-themed jerseys. Luverne ended up beating Brandon 5-2 at Redbird Field, but for a moment, 95-…- By Lori SorensonJuly 16, 2025The criminal case for Luverne’s R G Hensley is on hold, pending an examination to determine if the 81-year-old is able to understand the proceedings of his case. Hensley, Luverne, is facing felony charges of first-degree and second-degree criminal sexual conduct for illegal acts that allegedly occurred repeatedly between 2007 and 2017. Hensley appeared in Rock County District Court Monday for…
By Mavis FodnessJuly 16, 2025Hills-Beaver Creek Secondary teacher Isabel Sylvanie spent three days last week getting students excited about art. Sylvanie conducted “Summer Art Adventure,” her first class offering through the school’s community education program. “The district wanted to offer more activities other than sports,” Sylvanie said. “Students get creative experiences through the school year, and now they can get…
By Lori SorensonJuly 09, 2025Luverne residents and visitors celebrated their 11th Annual Fourth of July celebration at The Lake Friday. The holiday event included all the classic summer beach features, including land and water competitions, food, live music and fireworks. The daylong event started with a triathlon (see page 2B for results) and continued with food trucks, a beer garden, music and inflatables throughout the…
By Lori SorensonJuly 09, 2025Several additional Luverne alumni and former educators will be inducted this fall into the Luverne Alumni Hall of Fame and Luverne Educators Hall of Fame. The 2025 Class of the Luverne Alumni Hall of Fame and the Luverne Educator Hall of Fame will be honored in ceremonies Friday, Sept. 19, during Luverne’s Homecoming celebration. The Luverne Public Schools Hall of Fame Committee includes…
By Mavis FodnessJuly 09, 2025Contractors at the Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary School construction site are focused on completing administration offices first. “Traditionally, when you want to move, you have to get the administration over there first thing because without that you can’t handle the kids,” said Michael Beach, construction manager with RA Morton of St. Cloud. Beach led the Hills-Beaver Creek School Board…
By Mavis FodnessJuly 09, 2025A Minnesota Department of Agriculture weather station south of Luverne will provide real-time climate information that will be available online to the public. Tower equipment will collect rainfall, air temperature, relative humidity, dew point temperatures, and wind speed and direction. Ground equipment will measure soil temperatures at 7.5 feet, soil moisture, and snow depth. Rock County…
By Mavis FodnessJuly 09, 2025Two blood pressure cuffs are available for patrons to use at the Rock County Library, thanks to a grant through the American Heart Association (AHA). Library director Calla Jarvie said the local library joined the “Libraries with Heart” initiative which provides two blood pressure cuffs (one standard size and one extra-large size). They are available to anyone to use and are located in the…- By Kent Thiesse, Farm Management AnalystJuly 09, 2025The late June USDA Acreage Report is always highly anticipated because it becomes the first “hard data” after the March USDA Plantings Intentions Report to give an indication of crop production levels for a given growing season. Many times the June USDA Report can have a big impact on grain market trends, either upward or downward; however, 2025 was rather “non-eventful.” The crop acreage report…
- By Lori SorensonJuly 09, 2025A semitrailer rollover on Interstate 90 caused local traffic delays for several hours Saturday morning. According to the Minnesota State Patrol, the crash was reported at 7:10 a.m. on I-90 roughly 2 ½ miles east of Luverne. The report states the 2018 Wabash tractor was traveling eastbound on I-90 when it rolled into the median and came to rest on the driver’s side. Eastbound traffic was…
By Mavis FodnessJuly 09, 2025June 30 marked Monsignor Gerald Kosse’s last day in Luverne as the full-time priest for St. Catherine Catholic Church. Parishioners ushered him into retirement with a June 29 supper celebrating his 49 years in the priesthood. He has served Luverne’s St. Catherine since the parish merged with Pipestone’s St. Leo Catholic Church in 2018. Under Kosse’s guidance, the dual parish gained its first…- July 09, 2025In partnership with over 200 libraries and bookmobiles across the state, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is expanding the popular library park pass program, which provides access to state parks and recreation areas at no cost to library patrons. Piloted in 2018 and launched statewide in 2021, the program offers seven-day state park passes that can be checked out from participating…
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