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 Lori SorensonJuly 28, 2020A business remodeling project resulted in a wall-size rural landscape painting and space for a Golla family heirloom at the Luverne Farm Store this summer. After Nate Golla restructured the store’s display area to make space for a conference room, he contemplated what to do with the resulting bare wall in the new meeting room. “I had this great big wall and I didn’t know what to do with it,” he…
- By Lori SorensonJuly 28, 2020Luverne Mayor Pat Baustian took a front-row seat to the community’s coronavirus experience last week after he came down with the illness. “It’s definitely respiratory,” he said Wednesday after testing positive. He described symptoms of fever, body aches and shortness of breath. “My chest was really tight. … Respiratory fatigue is a big one,” Baustian said. “But I’m feeling much better. … A little…
- By Mavis FodnessJuly 28, 2020The Kinsinger and Nath families are no strangers to the Rock County Fair and 4-H. In 2020 the (un)fair became a 4-H Showcase when the coronavirus pandemic caused the traditional summer event to be canceled. Mom Teresa (Nath) Kinsinger was a first-generation 4-H’er decades ago, and the tradition of exhibiting projects the last week in July has become a mainstay in the Kinsinger household. This…
- By Mavis FodnessJuly 28, 2020MnDOT officials outlined a 10-year road improvement plan that postpones reconstruction of Highway 75 from Luverne to Trosky until 2028. The project originally was planned for 2025. The addition of three years is due to funding and other state highways receiving a higher priority in the 13-county district. “We are trying to bring all pavements into better condition,” said District 7 Engineer Greg…
- By Mavis FodnessJuly 28, 2020When The Bluestem restaurant closed its doors March 21 amid the coronavirus pandemic, Chef Skyler Hoiland discovered a slower — more livable — pace from the previous 20-hour workdays. On Thursday, July 23, Hoiland announced he would not reopen the South Highway 75 restaurant he started in 2012. “I experienced a little bit of a normal life,” he said in an interview the following day. “I had tunnel…
- By Mavis FodnessJuly 28, 2020Luverne School Board members put hiring on hold last fall due to budget concerns, but Elementary Principal Stacy Gillette is requesting the addition of a first-grade teacher. She said enrollment in kindergarten through fifth-grade classrooms is averaging 20 to 22 students, and first-grade numbers may exceed the average. “Right now our first grade numbers are at 89,” she said. “With five sections…
- July 28, 2020Workers with Sports Graphics Inc. of Clarion, Iowa, installed a vinyl graphic over the plate glass windows of the Hills-Beaver Creek Secondary School entrance and commons area at a cost of $3,950. The graphics allow people to see out the windows, but visibility is limited looking into the building. The design is of the school’s Patriot mascot in red, white and blue colors with the words “Hills-…
- By Lori SorensonJuly 28, 2020A small handful of RCO clients returned to work last week, four months after the organization was forced to shut down March 18 under pandemic stay-at-home orders. The effect of shutdown on staff, clients, employers and others has been devastating, according to RCO director Elizabeth Schear. “It’s huge,” she said about the pandemic’s toll on RCO, which helps adults with disabilities achieve social…
- By Mavis FodnessJuly 28, 2020Parents with school-aged children in the Luverne district want in-person classes to resume this fall — as long as the environment is safe. Results from an online survey by Luverne school administrators showed 75 percent of parents supported in-person instruction with common sense measures for safety. Other families, given the choice, responded that they preferred hybrid classes (17.7 percent…
- July 28, 2020City of Luverne workers searching for a water leak under Hatting Street last week found the buried railway, the former Bonnie Doon Railroad. In order to make the repairs to a broken waterline near the former Sharkee’s parking lot, crews dug under the intact steel rails and railroad ties that were buried several feet under the asphalt roadbed. The rails and ties were later cut to make the repairs…
- By Jason BerghorstJuly 28, 2020After two weeks off, the Luverne 17U baseball team looked to be in good form Monday night at American Legion Field in Marshall. The team was idled for 14 days, due to a confirmed case of COVID-19 by one of the players. Coach Mike Wenninger said he was pleased with what he saw during a 4-1 victory over Marshall Orange Monday night. “After two weeks off, the guys did a good job of jumping right…
- By Mavis FodnessJuly 21, 2020“Story Stroll” is just one of the activities Rock County librarians have initiated under pandemic conditions to keep patrons engaged in their local library. Last week children’s librarian Bronwyn Wenzel placed 33 storybook placards along the front and east side of the library for anyone strolling by to enjoy reading. “We are hoping to put out a new story monthly,” Wenzel said. “Each story will be…
- By Lori SorensonJuly 21, 2020At least five local students have tested positive for coronavirus and more are being tested after suspected exposures. The first was a player on Luverne’s 17U baseball team who tested positive after traveling and playing with his teammates during the July 9 game in Worthington. More recently two students tested positive after spending time in the new weight room at Luverne High School, a high…
- By Mavis FodnessJuly 21, 2020For 24 years Jasper Sunrise Village provided assisted and independent living options for area senior citizens. On Sept. 15 the 25-unit facility will close. Fifteen current residents at the Village and 17-18 full- and part-time workers were notified July 11 that the facility could no longer financially operate. “For residents who have to leave, the news was hard — this was their home,” said Dave…
- By Lori SorensonJuly 21, 2020The giant bison on South Highway 75 is dressed in a superhero cape and mask as part of local efforts to encourage participation in the 2020 Census. Members of Luverne’s Complete Count Committee decorated the bison at Those Blasted Things on July 14. The Luverne bison joins several other “Census Heroes” across the state to remind residents that time is running out for them to respond to their…
- By Mavis FodnessJuly 21, 2020In less than two weeks, Rock County distributed $368,138.80 to 79 local businesses and non-profit organizations that made the grant requests. Checks were mailed Friday to those who finished paperwork for the grant agreement. Auditor-treasurer Ashley Kurtz updated commissioners Tuesday on the distribution process. “I received a lot of positive comments,” she said. “Thankful for the quick…
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