Hardwick celebrates annual Jubilee Days
Hardwick residents and visitors celebrated the town’s annual Jubilee Days Saturday and Sunday.
Rock County among 21 included in presidential disaster declaration
Rock County is among 21 counties included in a major disaster declaration approved Friday by President Biden.
Local Soil Health experts brainstorm for options as farmers consider next steps for flooded fields
As the realities of flood damage to crops come into focus, area producers are considering options for soil that was supposed to grow corn and soybeans.
Carson's Cause Truck Meet and Classic Car Cruise attracts over 120 and raises $27,000 Saturday
The second annual Carson’s Cause Car and Truck Meet at the Verne-Drive-In attracted more than 120 vehicles and raised $27,000 for local efforts to improve brain he
Disaster declared in Rock County
Preliminary estimates are over $2 million in public infrastructure damage as a result of the June 21-22 flood event.
Some areas receive 12+ inches of rain
Multiple rounds of torrential rain in Rock County and the tri-state area created significant flooding over the past week, wreaking havoc on properties and public infrastructure.
News
- By Mavis FodnessOctober 13, 2020Rock County farmers are well ahead of the average grain harvest timeline for the 2020 growing season. Last week Hardwick farmer Dan Niemeyer was combining his last field. Weather this year has been more cooperative. Last year Niemeyer recalled the wet weather delayed spring planting with most seed hitting the ground in May. This year, planting was able to occur in April, with more farmers like…
- By Mavis FodnessOctober 13, 2020It’s been a challenging start to the 2020-21 school year for the Luverne district where learning resumed amid a major construction project and a pandemic health threat. With the “hybrid learning model” elementary students attend in-person classes every day while the middle-high school students are split into two groups, alternating days of in-person learning at school and distance learning from…
- By Lori SorensonOctober 13, 2020A handful of Minnesota National Guardsmen descended on Grand Prairie Events in Luverne Monday and within two hours turned the events center into a COVID-19 community test site. The Minnesota Department of Health is in its fourth week of offering free, “no barrier” tests in communities around the state for anyone who wants to participate, regardless of symptoms of circumstances. The goal is to…
- By Mavis FodnessOctober 13, 2020Hills-Beaver Creek High School is preparing for the upcoming 2020 Homecoming celebration Oct. 19-23. Activities will kick off Monday, Oct. 23, with a 2 p.m. coronation of this year’s Homecoming king and queen. The event will take place at the school’s football field. Members of the royalty were announced last week. Queen candidates are Annie Bos, Allie LaRock, Abby Knobloch and Lauren Tatge. King…
- By Lori SorensonOctober 13, 2020Four residents at the Tuff Memorial Home in Hills have lost their lives to Covid-19, and 30 others have tested positive for the virus. In addition, 15 staff members are positive as of Tuesday and are taking measures to quarantine. Some of those are returning to work after quarantining and some residents are no longer considered active cases. Tuff Administrator Eli Ripley said the outbreak is…
- By Mavis FodnessOctober 13, 2020Voters in Hills will choose between two candidates running for mayor in the Nov. 3 general election. Incumbent Mayor Keith Elbers is being challenged by Arlen Leenderts. The Star Herald asked the two mayoral candidates four questions about why they decided to run for office and what they feel qualifies them for the position. The questions were: 1.) Why do you want to be (re)elected as city of…
- October 13, 2020Five Sanford Luverne Medical Center employees were recognized by Sanford Health’s south region of hospitals and clinics. Casey Westphal, Jane Beers, Hailey Gaunt, Mary O’Toole-Hemme and Lila Dewitt were honored with four awards, with seven other nurses receiving nominations. Westphal, a registered nurse and health coach, received the Structural Empowerment Award, which recognizes “professional…
- October 13, 2020Midwest Fire Equipment & Repair Company, Luverne, hired new sales representative Newt Johnson, Rapid City, South Dakota. Johnson worked as an onsite-equipment specialist before joining Midwest Fire. He’ll start on the production floor, as do all Midwest Fire personnel, to gain a foundational knowledge of the company. Midwest Fire CEO Sarah Atchison said the new sales hire is part of the…
- By Lori SorensonOctober 13, 2020The Albert Van Belle family farm lost 21 acres of standing corn to a field fire Tuesday, Oct. 6, after a spark from a cornstalk baler caught a gust of wind. Allyson Van Belle said the field caught fire in an instant, and her husband, Nick Van Belle, and his family found themselves disking under corn that was about to be harvested. “It was a pretty sickening feeling for them to do that,” Van Belle…
- October 13, 2020A corn drive conducted annually by the Hills-Beaver Creek High School FFA Chapter took place Oct. 9. FFA members contacted local grain producers for a donation of corn, with members transporting and selling the grain at the New Vision Elevator in Hills. Members also accepted monetary donations and all funds were given to the Hills-based Game Plan 4 Hope organization. The FFA’ers raised just over…
- By Mavis FodnessOctober 06, 2020The family of Tony Miller says the coronavirus was something they heard about on television or read in the newspaper. Since March the Luverne family donned masks, social distanced and expected the viral respiratory virus would be history in a couple of months. On Friday, Sept. 25, Tony Miller became Rock County’s first death attributed to COVID-19. On that date he was one of 2,008 Minnesotans who…
- By Lori SorensonOctober 06, 2020The National Weather Service issued a “red flag warning” Tuesday amid “extreme fire conditions” in southwest and west-central Minnesota. The warning follows a turbulent week of fire calls in Rock County as farmers worked to harvest corn and soybeans in hot, dry fields. In a single day within an hour on Sept. 29, the Rock County Sheriff’s Office dispatched firefighters to three different fire…
- By Mavis FodnessOctober 06, 2020A newly installed grain dryer sparked a fire Sunday night at the CHS Elevator in Magnolia. The Magnolia Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched at 7:55 p.m. Sunday to the facility. Smoke was seen pouring out of the dryer located on the east side of the in-town facility. The Luverne Fire Department was paged to provide mutual aid at 8 p.m., according to the Rock County Sheriff’s Office. According…
- By Mavis FodnessOctober 06, 2020Jan Olson spent 37 years teaching in Luverne Public Schools, primarily sixth-grade English, and recently decided to retire. “It wasn’t until this past summer that I decided it was the right time to retire,” she said. “Everyone always told me I would know when the time was right — it just seemed like the time was now.” Childhood experiences as an elementary student in Excelsior influenced Olson’s…
- By Lori SorensonOctober 06, 2020Friends and neighbors of Randy and Bonnie Muller joined forces last week to help with the Mullers’ 2020 soybean harvest after Bonnie was hospitalized with lung cancer. Randy said the harvest help took some pressure off his schedule as he balanced time between the fields near Jasper and the hospital in Sioux Falls. “I sure appreciate it,” he said. “It’s really good of them to do that.” He said…
- By Lori SorensonOctober 06, 2020A resident at the Tuff Memorial Home in Hills died Monday as a result of Covid-19, and 18 others have tested positive for the virus. In addition, 11 staff members are positive as of Tuesday and are taking measures to quarantine. According to Tuff administrator Eli Ripley, the outbreak is creating challenges, but he said the facility is managing. “We have a great staff here and we’re taking it day…
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