Community celebrates annual winter tradition
Luverne’s annual Winterfest Celebration featured all the classic holiday activities over the weekend, along with an appropriate dose of winter snowfall Saturday afternoon.
Public opinion evenly split between rifle, shotgun deer season
Paul Aukes held up a piece of quarter-inch angle iron Tuesday night, Dec. 2, at the public input meeting about rifles vs. shotguns for deer hunting.
Meeting at the marker
Coaches and players from Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota state champion football teams met at the Tri-State Marker in the southwest corner of Rock County Thursday, Dec.
Fighting a losing battle
These two were fighting a losing battle Saturday as they tried to keep up with falling snow on Main Street in Luverne.
Respect lunch encourages use of 'please' and 'thank you'
Luverne Elementary students enjoyed a sit-down, family-style meal Friday for Respect Lunch, sponsored by Parents Partners in Education.
Santa Claus coming to ... the library
The Christmas Time Story Time Friday morning in the Rock County Library basement featured a special visitors for the children and adults who attended the event, which kicked off activities for Winterfest weekend in Lu
News
- By Lori SorensonOctober 08, 2025Roughly $3 million worth of capital improvements are under consideration at the Luverne Municipal Airport over the next five years, according to a plan approved by the city council. At their Sept. 23 meeting, Luverne City Council members approved a five-year Airport Capital Improvement Program (CIP) as part of a requirement to qualify for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and state grant…
- By Mavis FodnessOctober 08, 2025Hills City Council members voted to increase the levy by 2.21 percent for an additional $3,250 to be collected from property owners within the city limits in 2026. The city projects spending $545,210 in 2026 with $541,960 expected in revenue. The proposed 2.21 percent levy increase will cover the budget shortage due to rising costs. In 2025 the city collected $147,191 from local property taxes…
October 08, 2025Workers with Pat’s Roofing in Sioux Falls replace the roof membrane Thursday morning, Oct. 2, at the Rock County Courthouse on the north side of the west roof point. Workers have been removing the roof tile to lay the new membrane and new copper flashing before reinstalling the tile on both the north and the south side of the west roof point. Pat Roofing submitted a bid of $59,500 for the roof…- By Lori SorensonOctober 08, 2025The city of Luverne is assisting the Luverne Hockey Association with financing for a $750,000 chiller replacement project at the Blue Mound Ice Arena. The city owns the ice arena building and leases it to the Luverne Hockey Association. At their Sept. 23 meeting, Luverne City Council members agreed to apply for a Mighty Ducks Grant of $250,000. The city will also provide matching funds…
October 08, 2025More than 230 people attended the Rock County Pheasants Forever Banquet Thursday night, Oct. 2, in the Big Top Tents and Events Center in Luverne. Pheasants Forever is a nonprofit conservation group focused on improving and conserving wildlife habitat for pheasants, quail and other upland game birds and wildlife. Last week’s banquet was a fundraiser to support those efforts in Rock County. Above…
October 08, 2025Temperatures climbed to 90 degrees Saturday as the first annual Hills Fall Festival began at 3 p.m. and continued for five hours of family entertainment. Organizers estimate 1,000 people attended the event that featured area vendors, local businesses and organizations that sold merchandize and/or sponsored carnival-like activities for children and adults. Organizer Jessica Martens said she talked…
October 08, 2025Luverne Optimist Club members hosted their annual Optimist Club Fishing Derby Sunday, Sept. 7, at the Veterans Pond in Luverne. The event included hot dogs and $750 worth of prizes for participants. Pictured are (from left) Demetri Spillman, Brody Bailey, Charlie St. Clair, Jayden DeKam and Beau Paquette. (Shared image and information)
By Lori SorensonOctober 08, 2025Luverne 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, 2025Rock 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 FodnessOctober 08, 2025Twelve 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 SorensonOctober 08, 2025Janine 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, 2025Esther 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 SorensonOctober 01, 2025Nina 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 FodnessOctober 01, 2025Hills 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 FodnessOctober 01, 2025Students 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 SorensonOctober 01, 2025At 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…
You must log in to continue reading. Log in or subscribe today.
