Guilty plea entered in vehicular homicide case
Twenty-three-year-old Jayson Delfs, Hardwick, entered a guilty plea Monday morning in Rock County District Court to the charge of criminal vehicular homicide.
Murder case proceedings on hold
Legal proceedings for Luverne murder suspect Melvin Frazier are suspended following a Rule 20 motion that was granted in Rock County District Court Monday.
Administrator announces retirement
After 33 years on the job, Rock County Administrator Kyle Oldre officially submitted his notice of retirement during the Aug. 18 county board meeting.
Oldre’s final day of service will be Feb. 28, 2027.
Charter amendment measure advances
Luverne voters will be asked in the Nov. 3 general election if they support an amendment to change their city’s government charter.
Peterson wins election for county commissioner
Rick Peterson won the special election for Rock County’s District 3 and is set to join the county board of commissioners early next week.
PowerOn Midwest narrows routes
PowerOn Midwest has narrowed its preferred route for a proposed high-voltage transmission project, and one of its choices would cut through Rock County within one mile of the Blue Mounds State
News
April 29, 2026Eighteen young professionals were honored Monday night as graduates of the first cohort of Rock County’s Future Leaders Network. “You’re the beginning of a momentum that we can continue to build on,” program founder Ron Honken told the group of 20- and 30-somethings. “The results of your efforts are going to be simply immeasurable.” Honken, a 1983 LHS graduate, returned to the area five…
By Nicole RonchettiApril 29, 2026Nine hundred thousand dollars from the Federal Emergency Management Agency intended for Rock and Nobles counties is currently inaccessible due to the partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. The funds would reimburse counties for damages to their jointly owned railroad that occurred during flooding in 2024. “We ended up suffering a lot of damage (to the railroad),” said Rock…
By Nicole RonchettiApril 29, 2026Rock County Rural Water received approval from the county board to submit an application for a $250,000 loan to build a storage shed. The loan will be through the Minnesota Rural Water Association, with systems director Ryan Holtz explaining the need to the county board during its April 21 meeting. “Right now, we have an oversized double garage out there, (but) it’s just plain too small,” he…
By Lori SorensonApril 29, 2026Rock County officials worked fervently on damage control Friday after they learned a county email had been hijacked by scammers. According to Rock County Administrator Kyle Oldre, a township official called Auditor-Treasurer Ashley Kurtz Friday afternoon questioning an email he had received from her office. It requested election information and instructed him to reply. He instead called Kurtz…
April 29, 2026Luverne’s long-time elementary principal Stacy Gillette officially announced her retirement on April 23 as a part of the district’s regular school board meeting. Gillette has been with the Luverne School District for 24 years and has served as the principal for Luverne Elementary School for 22 years. “It’s hard to narrow down what’s been most rewarding about my experience,” Gillette shared…
By Lori SorensonApril 29, 2026There were two power outages affecting Luverne and Rock County and the region over the past several days. Both were due to outages affecting L&O Power, which is the company that provides electrical transmission to the city of Luverne, Sioux Valley Energy and other local providers. The outage on April 20 occurred in the early morning hours and lasted several hours. The outage on Sunday,…
By Lori SorensonApril 29, 2026Rock County native Candace (Schilling) Adams will return “home” on May 6 to bring her story about “The Compassionate Way” to the community. Adams will share her message in Luverne at the May 6 Ecumenical Coffee of the Presbyterian Church. The event is at 9:30 a.m. and includes a light breakfast for attendees. The Rev. Dr. Adams grew up in Rock County, attending school and church in…
By Nicole RonchettiApril 29, 2026After nearly two months of deliberation, the Luverne School Board has approved a calendar for the 2026-27 school year. At its work session on April 9, school board members discussed two primary contenders and the differences between them. Afterwards, Superintendent Craig Oftedahl created a third calendar based on their feedback. This option blends a calendar first presented to the board on…
By Nicole RonchettiApril 29, 2026The Luverne School Board approved a one-year contract for Superintendent Craig Oftedahl during its April 23 meeting. The contract covers the 2027-28 school year, and comes after Oftedahl announced his retirement earlier this year to allow himself to begin drawing from his pension. Oftedahl expressed a desire to be rehired, but also offered the board alternatives to seek a replacement. School…
April 29, 2026The first of the bison calves arrived last week at the Blue Mounds State Park where staff expect between 20-25 calves this year. “It will just depend on how many cows actually have calves,” said park naturalist Tiffany Muellner. “We do have a handful of older cows in their 20s who may not calf.” She said this will bring the total to approximately 81-86 animals this summer during the July-Aug…- April 29, 2026Calving season is upon us. Each spring the Blue Mounds bison herd expands as the cows give birth to little red calves. Attend bison babies nature cart and stop by the naturalist’s table anytime from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 2, to learn about growing up as a bison and hopefully catch a glimpse of a newborn through the spotting scope. *Bison are wild and unpredictable. Viewing them…
April 29, 2026As spring arrives in Minnesota, it’s time for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to kick off its popular program that relies on Minnesotans to monitor our 12,000+ lakes and 92,000+ miles of streams: the Volunteer Water Monitoring Program. The MPCA is currently recruiting volunteers to measure water clarity in numerous lakes and streams across the state and then report the data back…- By Minnesota Secretary of State's OfficeApril 29, 2026This week, the Minnesota Secretary of State Office is highlighting some of the updates to Minnesota election laws that have taken effect in recent years. These changes help modernize election systems and ensure Minnesotans continue to have access to free, fair and secure elections. •Pre-registration of 16- and 17-year-olds: Young Minnesotans can now pre-register to vote so they’ll be ready to…
By Lori SorensonApril 29, 2026Middle school students involved in the Hills-Beaver Creek Robotics program are preparing for competition at the international level after earning placement at events earlier this year. The annual “FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Open Invitational event will be June 12-14 at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Mass. It’s often referred to as WAFFLE — WPI Annual FLL Event, which…
April 29, 2026Luverne observes 'Aces and Excellence' One of the most anticipated high school events of the year came to Luverne Saturday with prom arriving in all of its glitz and glamour. Following a casino night theme, junior and seniors dressed up to celebrate a year nearly complete, holding a grand march through the gym and performing arts center at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 25, to share the special…
By Lori SorensonApril 24, 2026Rock County officials are working fervently on damage control today after they learned a county email has been hijacked by scammers. According to Rock County Administrator Kyle Oldre, a township official called Auditor-Treasurer Ashley Kurtz this afternoon questioning an email he had received from her office. It requested election information and instructed him to reply. He instead called Kurtz…
You must log in to continue reading. Log in or subscribe today.
