By Lori Sorenson
October 08, 2025
Luverne City Council members approved a mineral extraction land lease with Northern Con-Agg, LLP.
The agreement outlines the lease of 15.15 acres of city-owned land along 150th Avenue northeast of Luverne for the purpose of mining sand, gravel and rock.
According to council discussion at the Sept. 23 meeting, the city had purchased that tract of land back in the 1960s for the purposes of well…
October 08, 2025
Rock County's new sheriff was sworn into office Wednesday, Oct. 1, by Fifth Judicial Judge Kayla Johnson in the Rock County Courthouse in Luverne. Matthew Sorenson, retired Minnesota State Patrol lieutenant, replaces Sheriff Evan Verbrugge who retired Sept. 30 midway through his elected term. Sorenson, who lives northwest of Beaver Creek, was appointed to fill the remaining 15 months of the term…
By Mavis Fodness
October 08, 2025
Twelve aspiring singers are preparing for a special December children’s choir performance.
The Luverne Street Music Songbirds Children’s Choir began rehearsals in late September, practicing each Tuesday in Luverne Elementary music teacher Kira Degerness’ classroom.
Degerness was asked by Luverne Street Music organizers to start a music-related group.
“I previously directed a children’s choir…
By Lori Sorenson
October 08, 2025
Janine Papik, Luverne, was recognized this summer with the Advocate for Choral Excellence Award for her contributions to choral music in her community.
The award was presented by the Southwest District of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) during the annual conference at Concordia College in Moorhead.
“It’s a reflection of our great choral tradition here in Luverne,” Papik said…
October 05, 2025
Esther Frakes celebrates 21 years at the Star Herald office on October 5. She answered a few questions about her time at the Star Herald.
1. How did your journey with the Star Herald start?
I am retired from teaching German and English at Luverne High School, and when I became widowed for the second time, I was looking for just a little something to do in my free time. My sister-in-law Gayle…
By Lori Sorenson
October 01, 2025
Nina Willner traveled from Washington, D.C., to Luverne Friday as part of a book signing tour for “The Boys in the Light,” which she released this summer.
The book is about her father, Eddie Willner, who escaped from a German concentration camp and was rescued by Elmer Hovland, an American tank commander who grew up near Kenneth.
While she sold and signed books in Luverne, she said her visit…
By Mavis Fodness
October 01, 2025
Hills business owner Jessica Martens envisions the first “Fall Festival on Main” to be more than a community event in Hills.
Scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 4, from 3 to 8 p.m., she said the festival will bring families and businesses together for a memorable day.
“As a small business owner, I’ve learned that our community thrives when families have opportunities to come together,” she said.
“…
By Mavis Fodness
October 01, 2025
Students and staff will move into the new Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary School in November.
An Oct. 7 public hearing will officially close the current school building in Beaver Creek.
The state-required public hearing begins at 2 p.m. in the H-BC Secondary School commons in Hills.
Attorney Steve Rutzick will conduct the hearing that gives district residents an opportunity to voice concerns of…
By Lori Sorenson
October 01, 2025
At their Sept. 23 meeting, Luverne City Council members approved a preliminary levy of $3,887,585 for taxes payable in 2026.
That represents a 9 percent increase over the current levy of $3,566,592 for an additional $320,998.
By statute, local governments are required to set preliminary levies in September. Those amounts can be lowered but not increased by the time levies are certified in…
By Mavis Fodness
October 01, 2025
The Rock County Commissioners set the 2026 preliminary levy to increase by 5 percent at their Sept. 16 meeting.
The additional $373,192 will be garnered from property owners in 2026, upping the county’s levy share to $7.835 million.
Commissioners supported the recommended percentage from the budget committee headed by County Administrator Kyle Oldre.
“What the budget committee did is we…
By Lori Sorenson
October 01, 2025
Kathy Thomas, Garretson, South Dakota, is the new owner of Functional Nutrition, the wellness and nutrition store in downtown Luverne.
“I've always dreamed of owning my own business,” she said. “With over 30 years in health care and a personal transformation through becoming a Certified Health Coach, I felt called to expand my impact.”
That transformation involved a “wake-up call” from Covid…
By Lori Sorenson
October 01, 2025
At their Sept. 23 meeting, Luverne City Council members approved a cannabis registration application for Prairie Sky Enterprises, LLC for a retail cannabis microbusiness at 1551 S. Kniss Ave.
Donavan Hakim and Justin Dunaskiss, Edmond, Oklahoma, secured preliminary approval from the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) for a cannabis microbusiness and have now secured their local…
By Lori Sorenson
October 01, 2025
At their Sept. 23 meeting, Luverne City Council members approved two resolutions related to the 2026 Highway 75 rebuild in Luverne.
One authorizes an official detour for the project, and the other details payment responsibilities for certain improvements to the roadway.
The Highway 75 Detour Agreement is a cooperative agreement between the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) and the…
By Lori Sorenson
October 01, 2025
City Council members opted not to renew a contract with Braun Intertec Corporation for continued investigation of environmental staining on Luverne properties.
Braun had submitted a $55,000 proposal to the City of Luverne to expand the scope of the investigation into the source of staining.
This would be in addition to the $53,000 the city has already spent on Braun services plus $15,000 in…
October 01, 2025
Motorists traveling on Minnesota roads this fall
should stay alert for large farm equipment transporting crops to markets, grain elevators and processing plants, according to the
Minnesota Department of Transportation.
Crash data shows there were 455 crashes involving farm equipment in
Minnesota from 2022 to 2024, resulting in eight deaths and 180 injuries.
“Fall harvest season brings more farm…
October 01, 2025
Lyle Rollag (above) combines wet corn for livestock feed Sunday afternoon in Beaver Creek Township and (at left) Dick Kramer combines soybeans in Rose Dell Township Friday afternoon. “Soybean yields have been impressive across the area,” according to Lucas Peters with Professional Ag Marketing, Luverne. “Consistent yields are a talking point this year as we avoided the excessive rainfall events…
