Dispatch report
July 21
•Complainant westbound on Interstate 90, mile marker 18, Magnolia exit, reported a transient.
•Complainant on N. East Park Street reported weapons.
•Complainant on County Road 5 and 110th Avenue reported a driving complaint.
July 22
•A weather reported was issued.
•Complainant on U.S. Highway 75 reported trespassing.
July 23
•Complainant on E. Dodge Street reported weapons.
•Complainant west-bound on Interstate 90, mile marker 1, Valley Springs, South Dakota, reported road and drive laws.
•Complainant on 100th Avenue, Hardwick, reported trespassing.
•Complainant west-bound on Interstate 90, mile marker 12, Luverne, requested roadside assistance.
July 24
•Complainant west-bound on Interstate 90, Beaver Creek, reported a driving complaint.
•Complainant on E. Warren Street reported theft.
•Complainant north-bound on Highway 75 from the Iowa border requested assistance from another department.
•Complainant on S. Central Avenue, Hills, reported a missing person.
•Complainant on S. Kniss Avenue requested extra patrol.
•Complainant on S. Kniss Avenue reported drunkenness.
July 25
•Complainant on S. Kniss Avenue reported a driving complaint.
•Complainant on W. Luverne Street reported theft.
•Complainant on S. Estey Street reported a disorderly.
•Complainant reported training in session.
•Complainant on S. Kniss Avenue reported debris.
July 26
•A weather alert was issued.
•Complainant on E. Luverne Street reported a fire.
•Complainant south-bound on Highway 23, mile marker 10, Jasper, reported a driving complaint.
•Complainant on McKenzie and Warren streets reported suspicious activity.
•Extra patrol was requested at the fairgrounds.
•Complainant on S. Kniss Avenue reported lost property.
July 27
•Complainant on S. Estey Street reported disturbing the peace.
•Extra patrol was requested at the fairgrounds.
•Complainant on S. Kniss Street reported a fire.
•Extra patrol was requested at the fairgrounds.
July 28
•Complainant at Verne Drive-In requested an unlock.
•Complainant east-bound on Interstate 90, mile marker 1, Luverne, reported a driving complaint.
•Complainant on W. Koehn reported an accident to property damage.
 
In addition, officers responded to 1 motor vehicle accident, 1 deer accident, 1 transport, 1 escort, 12 ambulance runs, 6 parking violations, 2 paper services, 5 animal complaints, 4 burn permits, 1 alarm, 2 purchase and carry, 3 purchase and carry permits, 4 stalled vehicles, 52 traffic stops, 6 abandoned 911 calls, 2 tests, 2 welfare checks, 2 reports of cattle out and 1 OFP.

Card showers
Mary Lutmer will celebrate her 90th birthday on Thursday, Aug. 10. Greetings may be sent to Minnesota Veterans Home – Luverne, Attn: Mary Lutmer, 1300 N. Kniss Ave., PO Box 539, Luverne, MN 56156.

LSS meals at Generations
 
Monday, Aug. 7: Salisbury steak with gravy, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, dinner roll, fresh orange.
Tuesday, Aug. 8:
Taco salad with salsa and sour cream, corn, fresh apple, dessert.
Wednesday, Aug. 9: Baked chicken, baked potato with sour cream, peas, bread, dessert.
Thursday, Aug. 10: Chicken salad sandwich, cucumbers, fruit.
Friday, Aug. 11: Kielbasa, scalloped potatoes, carrots, bread, dessert.
Half-Price Day sponsored by McClure Electric.
LSS Dining offers well-balanced and affordable meals in a community atmosphere.
Call Pam Franken at 283-9846, extension 11 to reserve one day prior, to arrange to pick up a dinner or for home-delivered meals.
Gift certificates are available at the meal site or online at www.lssmn.org/nutrition.

Walgrave earns master’s degree
Michael Walgrave, Luverne, graduated following the Fall 2022 semester from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, Wisconsin, with a Master of Science in Sustainable Management.
 
Baustian receives doctorate at U of W Madison

Tanner Baustian, Luverne, earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the Spring 2023 semester commencement at the University of Wisconsin Madison.  

10 years ago (2013)
•Luverne salon owner Diane Elbers is moving Hair Ltd. From 101 South McKenzie Street to 111 West Main (the tiny building with the “Vineyard Growth Associates” sign just west of the Manitou Hotel building).
Elbers said that one of the best parts of moving the business is “that sign will finally come down. It hasn’t been Vineyard for years and years.”
Elbers said the move from a larger space to a smaller one will help give her clients a more relaxing salon experience.
“I’ve wanted a smaller, more intimate setting so we decided, rather than go bigger with more chairs, we’d go bigger with more service.”
 
25 years ago (1998)
•The intersection of East Maple Street and South Cedar Avenue will take on a new appearance this summer. Gary Papik plans to demolish the old Schoon/Papik Motors building later this month.
The buildings have been vacant since 1996 when Papik Motors moved to a new facility on I-90.
Papik said the buildings have been for sale since they were vacated, but that with costly repairs or demolition needed, few buyers have shown interest.
“I’ve got some parts of the building with the roof caved in. I can’t do anything with the building. I’ll have more options with bare land. It seems that is what people are looking for when they come to town.”
Economic Development Director Tony Chladek inspected the building and consulted with commercial contractor Curt Valnes and Luverne Building Inspector Joe Kauth.
In a memo, Chladek wrote, “Both buildings are clearly substandard and economically unsalvageable.”
 
50 years ago (1973)
•Don Suprenant, owner of Myhre’s Studio, has been using cameras for many years.
And during those years, he’s sold a lot of them … different makes, different sizes, and for different purposes.
But, he says, he’s never been as excited about a new innovation in picture taking as he is in the new Polaroid SX-70, unless it was the original Polaroid, the first instant picture camera when it was introduced a number of years ago.
“I read about the SX-70, when it was first introduced,” Don said, “and I figured it must be something with advantages that you don’t get in other cameras. Now that I’ve seen it, I can only say it’s almost unbelievable what it can do.”
 
75 years ago (1948)
•Rock county’s 1948 free fair is going to have entertainment that is different, according to Secretary George Golla.
A thrill show, and two nights of midget auto racing are scheduled as entertainment for the grandstand spectators the three nights of the fair.
The nationally famous “Death Drivers” will present a thrill-packed performance on the night of August 31. They will “jump” cars over trucks, drive through flaming walls, and have a number of other chilling acts, featuring both cars and motorcycles.
Midget auto racing, featuring some of the Upper Midwest’s best cars and drivers, will headline the programs on the evenings of September 1 and 2. “We’ve booked a good racing program for these two nights,” Golla said, “and racing fans both young and old will have the time of their lives on these two nights.”
 
100 years ago (1923)
•A new athletic organization for Luverne, to be known as the Luverne Horseshoe Club, was organized at a meeting held Monday evening at I.O.O.F. hall. Ray Geerdes was elected president of the club; John Lamm, vice president; D.W. Campbell, secretary; James McKeon, treasurer.
Three courts have been installed in the back of the McGrath building on the south side of Main street, and this has been electrically lighted and otherwise fitted out in excellent condition for playing. At least two more courts, it is expected, will be put in during the summer.
 

The following article is part of the Diamond Club Member group that began in the January 7, 1943, issue of the Rock County Star Herald. Members of this group consist of persons of age 75 and older.
The following appeared in The Rock County Herald on Nov. 25, 1943.
         Perhaps one of Luverne’s best known residents is Frank H. Fritz, retired plumber, whose experiences if listed in chronological order and in detail would fill a good size book, and would be as interesting, perhaps, as any biography of a mid-westerner ever written.
         Mr. Fritz has virtually been on “his own” since he was seven years old. One of a family of 17 children, he left home to live with his grandparents, after his grandfather had promised to give him a pony.
         “Grandfather was in favor of union hours,” Mr. Fritz said, “only his viewpoint was somewhat different from those of this day and age. He believed in an eight-hour day, alright; eight hours in the forenoon and eight hours into the afternoon.
         “As a matter of fact,” he added jokingly, “sometimes when we got up in the morning, we’d meet ourselves just coming to bed.”
Born in Wisconsin
         Mr. Fritz was born in Durand, Wisconsin, October 22, 1868, the son of Jacob and Caroline Fritz. His father, a cabinet maker by trade, had taken up a homestead in Wisconsin in 1858. He had served seven years as an apprentice cabinet maker in France before coming to this country, and had also served three years with the German army during the Franco-Prussian war.
         After Mr. Fritz went to live his grandfather, he helped on the latter’s farm until 1882. As a boy, he bound grain side by side with a man on one of the old reapers which had just come into being. He earned the first money he could call his own, however, by picking up lumber along the river and selling it to the local lumber dealer. He explained that a sawmill was located up the stream from Durand, and the finished lumber was floated down on rafts. Occasionally, lumber would fall into the water and float onto sand bars, and it was this that he picked up and sold. He collected $8 worth one Sunday, he recalls.
         Another way he earned money was by taking fishermen out at night to spear fish. At this job, he earned as high as $1.50 per night.
         Speaking of fish spearing, he related that he can also take credit as being a professional fisherman. He speared various kinds of fish in the Chippewa river, and these sold to the meat markets for two cents a pound. The dealers retailed the fish for four cents a pound, he said.
Learned Tinner’s Trade
         In 1882, he hired out to a man in Durrand to learn the tinner’s trade. The first year he earned $75, the second $100, and the third, $125, but during the latter year, he had to pay for his board out of his earnings. During those years, he not only helped his employer with his trade, but he took care of his team, and milked the family cow besides. Despite the seemingly meager wages, he managed to save $100 in those three years, and at the same time, he bought his own clothing.
         He finished learning the trade in July, 1886, and he then decided to go to South Dakota to help with harvest. He got as far as Glenwood, Minn., and there he obtained work with a railroad grading crew, hauling provisions with four miles and a wagon from Glenwood to Elbow Lake.
         “I’ve hated a mule ever since,” Mr. Fritz said, and explained his dislike for the hybrid equine by stating that every time he crossed ground that was soft underfoot, one of the mules would lie down. “The only way I could get that mule started again was to unload the wagon by packing whatever I was hauling on my back to dry ground, and then reload it again.”
“Good Old Days”
         In his younger days, he also did some logging in the northern woods. “Lots of times,” he said. “I’d be standing in icy cold water clear up to my armpits. Those really were the good old days!”
         The spring after he worked at Glenwood he came to Luverne, arriving here May 5, 1887. He immediately entered the employ of the late J.W. Gerber, pioneer hardware merchant, and worked for him until January 1893.
(Continued next week).

Audrey (DeYong) Watzek, 87, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, formerly of Luverne, Minnesota, passed away on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at Edgewood Memory Care in Sioux Falls.
Funeral services will be 2:00 p.m. Monday, July 31, 2023, at George Boom Funeral Home & On-Site Crematory in Sioux Falls. Visitation will be from 3:00 until 5:00 p.m. Sunday, July 30, 2023, also at the funeral home.  Additional obituary information, online guestbook, and link to view the service are available at www.georgeboom.com

Glen Lee Uithoven, age 60, peacefully passed away on Saturday, July 29, 2023, after a short hospitalization at Sanford Worthington Medical Center.
Glen was born August 8, 1962, the son of Marcus Jr. and Viola (VanRoekel) Uithoven in Luverne, Minnesota.
While Glen was still an infant, he was diagnosed with microcephaly, possibly the result of a severe case of rubella. While the condition prevented developmental milestones, it did not prevent Glen from having a positive impact on his family and all who interacted with him. Glen always seemed to have a positive nature and enjoyed life, usually with a mischievous grin on his face indicating that he knew something that you didn’t.
In 1973, in an effort to better manage Glen's condition, he became a ward of the state and was placed in care facilities at Sauk Centre and Willmar, Minnesota, before moving to a group home in Worthington, Minnesota, in 1986. He spent the remainder of his life in Worthington which allowed easy access for his family and church friends to visit.
Glen enjoyed visits, especially a drive through the countryside and if possible, a stop for an ice cream cone.
While in Worthington, Glen was active at the Nobles County Developmental Center. When at home, and not eating, Glen enjoyed watching television, finding humor in his own special thoughts.
Glen enjoyed his 24 years working at the Nobles County DAC in Worthington. He was known there for reminding staff of his presence by displaying his ever so loving "jazzy" side.  When Glen loved you, he would let you know by his "signature" body language and giggle.  Glen was full of life, even at work.  He looked forward to his days at the DAC as he greeted everyone off the bus with a smile.  He worked hard but enjoyed his leisure time socializing with staff as they tried getting their work done. Glen's DAC family will cherish the memories they shared with him. He will be greatly missed by all who worked with him.
Glen is lovingly survived by four siblings, Gary Uithoven of Las Cruces, New Mexico, Greg (Marilyn) Uithoven of Magnolia, Minnesota, Leanne (Jim) Zarling of Fairmont, Minnesota, and Lisa Uithoven of Omaha, Nebraska; numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins; and his extended family and caring staff of adult residential homes and Nobles County D.A.C. staff.
He was preceded in death by his parents; sister-in-law Marcia Uithoven; niece Amanda Uithoven; and nephew Shawn Uithoven.
A private graveside committal service for family and staff will be Friday, August 4, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at Memory Gardens Cemetery in Luverne.
Arrangements are under the care of Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne. To sign an online registry, please visit www.hartquistfuneral.com.Memorials preferred to Nobles D.A.C.

The Hills-Beaver Class of 1973 met for their 50th class reunion on July 29 at Take 16 Brewery. Pictured are (front, from left) Lex (Van Wyhe) DeWit, Carol (Wallenburg) Nelson, Joyce (Sandager) Norton Wulf, Beth (Oolbekkink) Gravley, Laurie Schlueter-Hynes, Cathy Aykens, Carolyn (Schubbe) Randall, Sandy (Stoltenberg) Sisk, (second) Bill Stegemann, Wayne Beyenhof, Brad Larson, Rodney Bajema, Becky (Leuthold) Wulf, Lila (Bos) Kroon, (back) Darwin Hoeck, Ken McFarland, Kathie Hull, Paul Ahrendt, Don Bosch, Kristi Rollag, Merlyn Sandstede, Glenn Fick, Donna (Deragisch) Schneider.