By Mavis Fodness
May 21, 2019
In the coming weeks city and township officials will decide whether or not to join the newly formed Rock County Economic Development Authority.
A 14-member committee of county commissioners studied the pros and cons of forming a countywide EDA for two months before recommending the new board.
Robin Weis with the Southwest Regional Development Commission outlined the committee’s findings at the…
By Mavis Fodness
May 21, 2019
Luverne Public Schools wrapped up the 2018-19 school year Friday, and by Monday teachers, paraprofessionals and custodial staff had removed classroom items from the middle-high school’s west wing, choir and band rooms. The district received permission from the state to begin classes before Labor Day last year and extend the school day an extra 30 minutes for an early dismissal this spring.…
By Mavis Fodness
May 21, 2019
Emergency repairs will be made to the bridge along County Road 1 in southeast Rock County.
Ice flow this spring damaged the bridge’s wood pilings, allowing a three-inch sag to develop on the bridge deck.
Repairs are estimated at $52,500.
Since state officials deemed the repairs as an emergency, the county is able to tap into the Federal Highway Emergency Fund to pay for the completed work.…
By Mavis Fodness
May 21, 2019
Late fees will no longer be charged on materials turned in after the due date to the Rock County Library.
Library director Calla Jarvie made the policy change announcement May 15.
“As of today there will no longer be late fees for books, audiobooks and music CDs,” she said.
The length of the borrowing period was also lengthened from two to three weeks.
The new late fee policy doesn’t apply to old…
By Mavis Fodness
May 21, 2019
End of school year field trips allow students and teachers a break from normal classroom activities.
Leaving the building for a morning field trip doesn’t mean that learning stops.
On May 7 the 100 Luverne Elementary fourth-graders traveled in two groups to Rock County Opportunities.
RCO serves adults with developmental and related disabilities.
Last year the students helped RCO move landscape…
By Lori Sorenson
May 21, 2019
The Luverne BackPack Program is in its 10th year of providing at-risk children with nutritious, pre-packaged foods for weekends until school and access to meal programs resume.
This program is funded by local donations, staffed by volunteers and serves more than 200 children ages preschool to 12th grade during the school year.
In its first year in 2009, 75 students in Luverne Elementary School…
By Lori Sorenson
May 21, 2019
One stolen vehicle has been located and another has been reported stolen, according to information from the Rock County Sheriff’s Office.
A minivan was stolen May 11 from Centennial Apartments in Luverne and was recovered this past weekend in Sioux Falls.
The report stated that the red 2003 Dodge Caravan had been parked at 120 N. Spring Street with the doors locked.
There were no leads on…
By Lori Sorenson
May 21, 2019
By Lori Sorenson
In the April 30 poverty simulation at Grand Prairie Events, Luverne High School student Alyssa Nattress was assigned the role of a 9-year-old whose mother was in prison and her father wasn’t in the picture.
She and her 7-year-old brother lived with their disabled grandpa and their grandma who worked full time and couldn’t tend to them much because of her work hours.
Nattress…
May 21, 2019
Rock County Red Arrow recently gave a $1,000 donation to Generations (formerly known as Rock County Senior Citizens) to support the upcoming building project for a new dining and activities center. Pictured are Generations president George Bonnema (from left) and Red Arrow board members Peggy Adams, Mike Schacht and Mary McLaughlin.
May 21, 2019
The deadline for Resource Conservation Partnership Program – Conservation Stewardship Program applications to be considered for funding in fiscal year 2019 is Friday, June 21, 2019. This special RCPP-CSP sign-up is targeted for four partnership projects:
•Improving Working Lands for Monarch Butterflies.
•Agricultural Water Quality Certification.
•Camp Ripley Sentinel Landscape.
•Prairie Pothole…
May 21, 2019
In order to comply with FSA program eligibility requirements, all producers are encouraged to visit the county FSA office to file an accurate crop certification report by the applicable deadline.
Please see the following 2019 acreage reporting deadlines for Minnesota:
•Nov. 15, 2018: fall seeded crops.
•Jan. 2, 2019: Apiculture.
•Jan. 15, 2019: Apples.
•July 15, 2019: all other crops.
The…
By Lori Sorenson
May 14, 2019
Highway 75 in Luverne is falling apart, and it will likely require a structural rebuild to bring it up to acceptable standards.
That was the general consensus at a meeting of local leaders and state transportation officials Tuesday, but funding isn’t available to do it.
In fact a Band-Aid “milling and filling” this summer will be necessary to carry the crumbling road through to 2025 when it’s…
By Mavis Fodness
May 14, 2019
A bur oak tree planted by representatives of the Luverne High School Class of 2019 grows on the Rock County Courthouse lawn in honor of Luverne’s businesses.
The 94 graduates of the LHS Class of 2019 spent Friday as “Senior Service Day,” a decades-old tradition of students spending a half day helping out the community in various ways on the last day of high school.
Each senior selected one of a…
By Mavis Fodness
May 14, 2019
Hardwick’s Main Street received a boost May 1 when the council accepted an agreement from a rural Jasper man to purchase the city-owned former grocery store, returning the structure to the private sector.
Bill Rolfs offered $50,000 for the two-story brick building, which council members unanimously accepted.
Paul Pierson with the Minnesota Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Marshall…
By Lori Sorenson
May 14, 2019
Tony Perez was working at a successful tattoo business near the Naval Base in Puerto Rico 13 years ago, but after the base closed in 2004, he moved stateside where his clients — mostly Marines — still sought his services.
Along the way, he tattooed Terry Gray of Herb ‘N Legend in Luverne.
“We kept in touch and I found out he was looking for somewhere to start a new shop,” Gray said. “I saw the…
By Mavis Fodness
May 14, 2019
Luverne High School senior Halle Hough didn’t set out to earn a State FFA Degree, but her path to learn about livestock production four years ago led her to receive the top member award at the Minnesota State FFA Convention April 28-29 in St. Paul.
“I always had an interest in agriculture and animals,” she said. “I wanted more information … and I made a lot of friends.”
The oldest of Jeremy and…
