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  • January 05, 2016
    Mother Nature blessed the area with another showing of artistic hoarfrost Monday, after heavy overnight fog left trees, branches, grasses and other stationary objects coated with ice crystals.
  • January 05, 2016
    Winter is the best time to prune trees to keep them healthy and protect them from disease, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. 

 “Pruning trees when they are dormant is a way to protect them from diseases such as oak wilt or Dutch elm disease that are active during the growing season,” said Jennifer Teegarden, DNR forestry outreach specialist. “Also, it is easier to see…
  • January 05, 2016
    Rock County Law Enforcement and emergency medical personnel will challenge the Luverne Fire Department in a friendly competition to see which department can recruit the most donors for the community’s blood supply for the Ninth Annual “Heroes Behind the Badges” next week. Donations will be accepted from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 11, at Sanford Luverne. Donors are…
  • January 05, 2016
    The first baby of the New Year born at Sanford Luverne Hospital is Azalea Grace VanVeldhuizen, born Jan. 1, weighing 7 pounds, 12 ounces and 20 inches long. She’s pictured with her parents, Melissa Radley and Josh VanVeldhuizen, both of Luverne, and she joins a 2-year-old sibling, Rome. Azalea’s grandparents are John and Laura Radley and Diane and Todd Elbers, all of Luverne, and Tim Keiser,…
  • By Lori Sorenson
    January 05, 2016
    The Luverne Fire Department spent several hours on New Year’s Eve at the scene of a fire on Edgehill Street in Luverne. Smoke was billowing out of the building, owned by Freda Fransman, when firefighters arrived, and Fire Chief David Van Batavia said crews were cautious about possible flammables stored inside. Fransman operates a painting and wood staining and varnishing business, and Van Batavia…
  • January 05, 2016
    The Lewis & Clark Regional Water System’s board of directors awarded a $5,257,710 contract to Carstensen Contracting of Pipestone for the 6½-mile segment of 24-inch steel pipe between Luverne and Magnolia. Magnolia is a connection point for both Rock County Rural Water District (RCRWD) and Lincoln Pipestone Rural Water System (LPRWS). Construction is expected to begin this spring and be…
  • By Mavis Fodness
    January 04, 2016
    Grain production in Rock County closed with near record yields, and last year’s abundance of corn left one area producer searching for a safe way to store the valuable commodity until it was needed. Shawn Feikema of Circle F Farms, a beef production facility north of Luverne, thinks he has found an easy answer by storing corn in plastic bags. Last week he and his uncle, Bob Feikema, were…
  • By Mavis Fodness
    January 04, 2016
    Rock County Veterans Service Officer Dave Haugom kiddingly told commissioners at their meeting Dec. 22 his future outreach efforts might include video games. “To reach the younger generation, I may have to become a character in a video game or start texting,” Haugom said. Appearing in a video game is not realistic but texting could become a future communication tool for the VSO. Earlier this year…
  • By Mavis Fodness
    January 04, 2016
    Last year local business, education and government professionals gathered in Luverne to discuss a career and vocational education program. The discussion is now expanding to include parents and students. Ed Elbers, a retired businessman and former sheriff, initiated the November 2014 discussion, which resulted in a 2015 legislative proposal to fund a pilot project. The $1.5 million request was…
  • January 04, 2016
    More than a foot of snow blanketed the region between Christmas and Dec. 29, creating perfect conditions for all snow recreation during the winter break from school. Students returned to school Monday, Jan. 4.
  • By Lori Sorenson
    January 04, 2016
    Felony theft charges were filed Tuesday against two Sioux Falls women for allegedly stealing from two Luverne businesses last summer. Shelley Meyer, 51, and her daughter, Allison Meyer, 18, both of Sioux Falls, are accused of shoplifting nearly $2,800 worth of merchandise from two retail stores in Luverne on Aug. 1. According to the complaints filed Jan. 5 in Rock County District Court, the…
  • By Mavis Fodness
    January 04, 2016
    A group of concerned citizens in Jasper wants to preserve the former Jasper High School and reinvent the 1911 structure into a multi-purpose facility. The school was designed by W.E.E. Greene, the architect who built Luverne’s prominent historic buildings — the Palace Theatre, Maplewood Chapel, Carnegie Cultural Center and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church. Concerned Luverne citizens have preserved…
  • December 28, 2015
    Greater protection is available through FSA’s Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) for crops for which Federal Crop Insurance is not available. Options created by the 2014 Farm Bill, provide greater coverage for losses when natural disasters affect eligible crops. Previously NAP offered coverage at 55 percent of the average market price for crop losses that exceed 50 percent of…
  • By Mavis Fodness
    December 28, 2015
    Luverne School District will receive an additional $48,638 as a result of setting a 1.9-percent levy increase for 2016. School Board members unanimously approved the final levy at their regular Dec. 17 meeting that included the annual Truth in Taxation hearing. The hearing is required by school districts to discuss and receive public input on the preliminary levy and the current budget. No one…
  • By Mavis Fodness
    December 28, 2015
    Rock County Commissioners formally approved the 2016 county tax levy at $5,153,362, which is 2.88 percent more than last year’s levy. The county’s preliminary levy had been set to increase 3.88 percent, but at their Dec. 22 meeting, commissioners decided to allocate $50,000 from the county reserves of $105,000 in order to keep the levy lower. No programs were affected by the reduction, and…
  • By Lori Sorenson
    December 28, 2015
    A glance at the Star Herald headlines in 2015 shows Rock County residents enjoyed a relatively stable year in terms of breaking news. There were highlights of a bumper harvest, new school superintendent and the Palace turning 100, but the story of 2015 unfolded in recurring themes. Headlines repeatedly shone light on soil conservation, Lewis and Clark water, fiber-to-the-home Internet access,…
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