Mortgage foreclosure sale set for April 27, 2023 
NOTICE OF MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE SALE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that default has occurred in the conditions of the following described mortgage:
DATE OF MORTGAGE: February 9, 2012
ORIGINAL PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF MORTGAGE: $240,000.00
MORTGAGOR(S): Justin Birger, Her Husband and Laressa Birger, His Wife
MORTGAGEE: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as mortgagee, as nominee for Dacotah Bank, its successors and assigns
DATE AND PLACE OF RECORDING: 
Recorded: February 21, 2012 Rock County Recorder
Document Number: 178607
ASSIGNMENTS OF MORTGAGE:
And assigned to: Colonial Savings, F.A.
Dated: January 19, 2017
Recorded: February 13, 2017 Rock County Recorder
Document Number: 190119
Transaction Agent: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc.
Transaction Agent Mortgage Identification Number: 100793500000021541
Lender/Broker/Mortgage Originator: Dacotah Bank
Residential Mortgage Servicer: Colonial Savings, FA
COUNTY IN WHICH PROPERTY IS LOCATED: Rock
Property Address: 302 E 7th St, Hills, MN 56138
Tax Parcel ID Number: 15-0316-000
LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY: Lot Three (3) and Four (4) in Block Two 
(2) of Parkview Second Addition to the City of Hills, Rock County, Minnesota
AMOUNT DUE AND CLAIMED TO BE DUE AS OF DATE OF NOTICE: $196,278.85
THAT all pre-foreclosure requirements have been complied with; that no action or proceeding has been instituted at law or otherwise to recover the debt secured by said mortgage, or any part thereof; that this is registered property;
PURSUANT to the power of sale contained in said mortgage, the above-described property will be sold by the Sheriff of said county as follows:
DATE AND TIME OF SALE: April 27, 2023, at 10:00 A.M.
PLACE OF SALE: County Sheriff`s office, in the lobby of the Rock County Law Enforcement Center, 1000 N. Blue Mound Avenue, Luverne, Minnesota
to pay the debt secured by said mortgage and taxes, if any, on said premises and the costs and disbursements, including attorney fees allowed by law, subject to redemption within six (6) months from the date of said sale by the mortgagor(s), their personal representatives or assigns.
If the Mortgage is not reinstated under Minn. Stat. §580.30 or the property is not redeemed under Minn. Stat. §580.23, the Mortgagor must vacate the property on or before 11:59 p.m. on October 27, 2023, or the next business day if October 27, 2023 falls on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday.
Mortgagor(s) released from financial obligation: NONE
 
THIS COMMUNICATION IS FROM A DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT. ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. 
 
THE RIGHT TO VERIFICATION OF THE DEBT AND IDENTITY OF THE ORIGINAL CREDITOR WITHIN THE TIME PROVIDED BY LAW IS NOT AFFECTED BY THIS ACTION.
 
THE TIME ALLOWED BY LAW FOR REDEMPTION BY THE MORTGAGOR, THE MORTGAGOR'S PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES OR ASSIGNS, MAY BE REDUCED TO FIVE WEEKS IF A JUDICIAL ORDER IS ENTERED UNDER MINNESOTA STATUTES, SECTION 582.032, DETERMINING, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THAT THE MORTGAGED PREMISES ARE IMPROVED WITH A RESIDENTIAL DWELLING OF LESS THAN FIVE UNITS, ARE NOT PROPERTY USED IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, AND ARE ABANDONED.
 
DATED: March 1, 2023
MORTGAGEE: Colonial Savings, F.A.
 
Wilford, Geske & Cook, P.A.
Attorneys for Mortgagee
7616 Currell Boulevard, Suite 200
Woodbury, MN 55125
651-209-3300
File Number: 050335-F2
(03-09, 03-16, 03-23, 03-30, 04-06, 04-13)

Rock County Highway Dept. seeks sealed proposals by April 3 
NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS
BRIDGE REPLACEMENT & APPROACH GRADING / S.A.P. 067-599-185 ETC.
BIDS CLOSE @ 11:00 A.M. APRIL 3, 2023
LUVERNE, MINNESOTA
Sealed *Bid Packets* will be received by the Rock County Highway Department
in Luverne, Minnesota until 11:00 A.M. on Monday April 3, 2023.
READ CAREFULLY THE PROVISIONS FOR THE WAGE RATES AS CONTAINED IN THE SPECIAL PROVISIONS, AS THEY WILL AFFECT THIS PROJECT.
Attention is called to the fact that the Contractor must comply with the Special Equal Employment Opportunity Provisions & Wage Rates as contained in the Proposal. 
Proposals will be opened and read publicly in the presence of the Rock County
Highway Engineer at the Rock County Highway Building located at 1120 North Blue Mound
Avenue in Luverne, Minnesota immediately following the hour set for receiving bids for the
following Rock County Highway work. Bids will be awarded on Tuesday April 4, 2023,
at the regular Board of Commissioners Meeting.
Construction of Bridges 67K56 & 67K57 / PCST. Box Culverts.
The Major Quantities of Work are: 41 Ft. of 14’x4’ PCST. Box Culvert + 2 End
Sections; 40 Ft. of 14’x6’ PCST. Box Culvert + 2 End Sections; 40 Ft. of 14’x7’
PCST. Box Culvert + 2 End Sections; 681 Cu. Yds. Aggregate Backfill & Bedding;
299 Tons Rock Bedding; & 168 Tons Random Riprap Class 2.
Plans, specifications and proposals may be viewed and downloaded on Quest at
www.questcdn.com and at the Rock County Highway Department website, www.co.rock.mn.us/highway . Questions may be directed to the office of the Rock County Highway Engineer, 1120 North Blue Mound Avenue, P.O. Box 808, Luverne, MN 56156-0808 /
(507) 283 - 5010.
The non-refundable cost for Plans and one proposal will be $50.00.
Bids must be accompanied by a certified check or corporate surety bond drawn in favor of the Rock County Treasurer in the amount of at least five percent (5%) of the proposal.
Sealed bids shall be clearly marked “PROJECT NO. SAP 067-599-185, Etc.”.
The Board of Rock County Commissioners reserves the right to reject
any or all bids and to waive any defects therein.
Rock County is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
Mark R. Sehr, P.E.
Rock County Highway Engineer
(03-09, 03-16, 03-23, 03-30)

School District #2184 seeks group insurance bids
 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Luverne ISD #2184 
Notice is hereby given that Luverne ISD #2184 requests proposals for 
Group Health Insurance. 
Specifications will be available from the District’s agent of record, National Insurance Services, at 14852 Scenic Heights Road, Suite 210, Eden Prairie, MN 55344, phone 
800-627-3660. 
Proposals are due no later than 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, to Luverne ISD #2184 at 709 North Kniss Ave, Luverne, MN 56156 and as specified in the RFP.
(03-09, 03-16)

The Luverne boys’ hockey players were crowned Section 3A Champions Wednesday, March 1, at the Lund Center in St. Peter to win a spot in the Minnesota Class A Boys’ State Hockey Tournament.
The Cardinals beat their nemesis, the New Ulm Eagles, 4-2, to move on to state quarterfinal competition against Hermantown at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul March 8. Game time is 11 a.m.
Luverne faced New Ulm twice in the regular season, losing both games.
In their first meeting on Dec. 9 in New Ulm, the Eagles beat the Cardinals 2-1. In the second game Jan. 26, the Eagles beat the Cardinals 4-1 in Luverne.
In the championship game March 8, Luverne came ready to play and avenge their two season losses to the Eagles.
“In both the semi-finals against Mankato East and the section championship against New Ulm our boys played disciplined and relentless games,” head coach Phil Paquette said.
“They did not play tight under pressure or when games got intense - they played unshakable hockey.”
The stage was set with the crowd in attendance heavily favoring New Ulm 3 to 1. The Luverne fans were not deterred and cheered on the Cardinals as if they were on home ice.
A minute and 59 seconds after the game puck dropped, senior Brady Bork scored the first goal assisted by junior Elliot Domagala and stunned the New Ulm team and crowd.
New Ulm tied the game at 13:41 in the first period and brought the Eagles crowd back into the game.
At the end of Period 1 the score was tied 1-1.
In the second period sophomore Blaik Bork beat the Eagles goalie on a power play assisted by junior Owen Sugenga and senior Brock Behrend.
The second period closed with Luverne ahead 2-1.
In the third period Blaik Bork scored once again on a power play at 1:10 assisted by Sudenga and Behrend.
At 3:32 in the third, New Ulm was able to get one past LHS goalie junior Tyler Arends to bring the Eagles one goal closer at 3-2.
The Cardinals did not back down, and goalie Arends blocked everything that came at him.
At 9:29 in the third period Elliot Domagala sealed Luverne’s win, beating the Eagles goalie one more time assisted by freshman Maddux Domagala.
The Cardinals beat the Eagles 4-2 to punch their ticket to state competition at the Xcel Energy Center Wednesday, March 8.
“Luverne has gotten stronger and more locked in throughout the season and that’s what it takes to win section championships and earn a trip to the Minnesota state high school hockey tournament,” Piquette said.
“We look ahead to the tourney as one of the greatest experiences a high school athlete can achieve.”
Piquette reflected on past tournaments, “Our draw against Hermantown is the third time in three trips to the state tournament.”
“In 2014 and 2017 Luverne competed and stood tall against one of the tournament favorites and we expect to do just that this time around - compete and leave it all at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.”

The Luverne wrestling program qualified four individual wrestlers for the 2023 State Tournament held at the Xcel Energy Center Friday, March 3, and Saturday, March 4.
The Cardinals sent two boys, senior DJ Rock at 160 pounds and junior Sam Rock at 170 pounds.
They also sent two girls to this year’s tournament, freshman Bernie Rock at 114 pounds and eighth-grader CeCe Rock at 138 pounds.
If the last names make you wonder … yes, all four are siblings. The Rock family moved to the Luverne School District last year from Colorado.
All four Rocks wrestled in Colorado. DJ placed fifth at state for two years, and Sam qualified for state one year.
Bernie and CeCe had success but were unable to qualify for state competition.
In the boys’ tournament that started on March 3, DJ Rock placed fifth in the 160-pound weight class in a bracket of 16 wrestlers.
DJ wrestled six total matches in the tournament, winning four matches by pins and losing two, one by a pin and one by decision.
Sam Rock placed fifth in the 170-pound weight class in a bracket of 16 wrestlers.
Sam won three matches, two by decision and one by pin, and his losses were both by decision.
In the girls’ tournament on March 4, CeCe Rock placed fourth in the 138-pound weight class in a bracket of eight wrestlers.
CeCe wrestled three matches, winning two by decision and losing one by decision.
Freshman Bernie Rock placed second in the 114-pound weight class in a bracket of eight wrestlers.
Bernie won two matches, one by pin and one by decision and lost one by decision.
A rundown of the Rocks’ matches are as follows:
 
DJ Rock - 160lb. weight class
Champ. Round 1 - DJ Rock (Luverne) over Kade Gaydon (Blue Earth Area) (Fall 1:04)
Quarterfinals - Tucker Zigan (LPGE-Browerville Wolves) over DJ Rock (Luverne) (Fall 1:02)
Cons. Round 1 - DJ Rock (Luverne) over Jake Nagel (Frazee) (Fall 1:25)
Cons. Round 2 - DJ Rock (Luverne) over Gaven Cimbura (Osakis) (Fall 3:00)
Cons. Semis - Simon Snyder (New York Mills) over DJ Rock (Luverne) (Dec 6-0)
5th Place Match - DJ Rock (Luverne) over Tucker Zigan (LPGE-Browerville Wolves) (Fall 2:48)
 
Sam Rock - 170lb. weight class
Champ. Round 1 - Maximus Hanson (Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa) over Sam Rock (Luverne) (Dec 9-2)
Cons. Round 1 - Sam Rock (Luverne) over Preston Mayfield (Frazee) (Fall 3:39)
Cons. Round 2 - Sam Rock (Luverne) over Nick Wagner (Canby) (Dec 6-5)
Cons. Semis - Jaedin Johnson (Kenyon-Wanamingo) over Sam Rock (Luverne) (Dec 4-2)
5th Place Match - Sam Rock (Luverne) over Landon Lehnertz (Dover-Eyota) (Dec 3-1)
 
 
Bernie Rock - 114lb. weight class
Quarterfinals - Bernie Rock (Luverne) over Jennifer Nguyen (Fridley) (Fall 3:59)
Semifinals - Bernie Rock (Luverne) over Madelyn Strohmayer (Aitkin) (Dec 4-2)
1st Place Match - Aspen Blasko (Forest Lake) over Bernie Rock (Luverne) (Dec 4-2)
 
CeCe Rock – 138lb. weight class
Quarterfinals - Cece Rock (Luverne) over Aliah Fischer (Owatonna) (Dec 8-4)
Semifinals - Abby Ervasti (Bertha-Hewitt- Verndale -Parkers Prairie) over Cece Rock (Luverne) (Dec 7-2)
3rd Place Match - Alley Altringer (Anoka) over Cece Rock (Luverne) (MD 11-0)

As thousands of students nationwide celebrated Read Across America Day on March 2, students at Hills-Beaver Creek Elementary received an extra special lesson celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday.
The kindergarten through fifth-grade students were treated to a skit by H-BC secondary students based on the Dr. Seuss story, “The Zax.”
The skit’s ending was modified to show how to solve conflicts.
“We really wanted them to focus in on how silly the Zax were being by not listening to one another,” said media specialist Lexi Moore, who teamed with district social worker Alison Breuer to guide “The Zax” performance.
Seniors Leif Tollefson and Britton McKenzie represented the North-Going Zax and the South-Going Zax from the Dr. Seuss book.
In the book’s version, neither Zax wanted to go outside their assigned direction and stood stalemated, staring and arguing with one another.
Moore said the Dr. Seuss story was read to the kindergarten through second-grade students prior to the skit.
“We discussed the many ways the Zax could have resolved their problems and what to do when you don’t agree with your friends,” Breuer said.
“We also reinforced these ideas with a worksheet/coloring contest for grades 3-5.”
The worksheet featured speech bubbles and the students were asked to write the dialogue to help the Zax solve their problem.
In the skit version, they leapfrog out of each other’s way, ending the conflict.
Conflict resolution is part of the Patriot Pride program that teaches students positive behavior interventions and supports.
The high school students played an additional role in the Read Across America event.
“Having the high schoolers there modeling both good behavior and showing that they enjoy reading is a giant benefit for the elementary students,” Breuer said.
“I believe they are more likely to remember the lesson and much more likely to go home and share both their experience and the lesson with their families.”
After the skit, the seven high school students read Dr. Seuss books in elementary classrooms and helped with a Dr. Seuss trivia game in fifth-grade classes.
“It was a great day at H-BC,” Moore said.

Competition was intense Saturday morning at the Generations Puzzle Tournament in Luverne where 22 different teams raced against time to complete their puzzles ahead of other puzzle fixers.
Winners in the 300-piece category of adults and youth teams were Heather Roberts and Summer Mollberg with a time of 36 min.
Winners of the 300-piece category of two team members were Zoe Harnack and Brianna Biber with a time of 38 minutes.
Winners of the 500-piece category with two or three team members were Gina Graff, Wyatt Graff and Jodi Fuerstenberg.
Organizers noted that 12 teams were comprised of adults and youth, and nine of them were from the Rock County Big Buddy Program.
Other teams were comprised of three generations. Among them were Jack Leslie, Jill Buss and Lauren Buss and also Roxy Bonnett and daughter-in-law and granddaughter.
Other family teams were Keith Benson and his daughters Jodi Benson and Janelle Lenz, Charlotte Dammer and her granddaughter Kiley, and Cheryl Nath and her granddaughter Elaine Nath.
Attendees were from Worthington, Rushmore, Ellsworth, Wilmont, Kanaranzi, Beaver Creek, Luverne, Sioux Falls and Volga, South Dakota.
Each team got to take their puzzle home, and the first place teams were awarded additional puzzles as prizes.  
The event wrapped up at 11 a.m. with a pizza party.
“The pizzas were gone quickly, and there were lots of smiles,” said Corrine Bonnema, one of the event organizers.

Luverne’s Main Street light pole banners featuring high school graduates will come down this summer at the end of June, and they’ll be replaced by banners honoring local veterans.
That’s according to the Design Committee of Luverne Initiatives For Tomorrow which recently announced the new banner opportunity to honor the service of past and current veterans.
“Beginning in 2020, parents and supporters have purchased banners honoring graduating seniors on Main Street in Luverne,” said Jane Lanphere of the Luverne Chamber, which is coordinating the effort.
“This year the banner sponsors have asked that the senior banners be returned to them by the end of June.”
At that point, she said, the LIFT Design Committee was tasked with providing ideas as to what kind of banners should be put up after the student banners are removed.
“The committee has decided that Luverne should replace those banners with banners of Rock County service members,” Lanphere said.
“Over the past four months, this project has been developed that allows veterans, families and friends to honor current and past service members by purchasing banners that will be placed on the light poles on Main Street from July 1 through the end of the banner season in mid- to late October.”
One side of the banner will display a photo and name and information of the veteran. The other side of the banner will say, “Thank You for Your Service.”
Banners will be returned to purchasers in the fall when they come down.
There are 82 locations for banners in Luverne, and if there are more banners purchased than there are poles to display them, a drawing will determine which banners are assigned.
The cost of the banner is $120. That fee will be refunded for applications not drawn for a banner, in the event that there are more than 82 requests.
To qualify for the Veterans Banner Program, honorees must be present or past (honorably discharged) members of the United States Armed Forces, and they must be current, former or deceased residents in Rock County (or have ties to Rock County).
Applicants must be the honorees themselves or be close living relatives or associates of the honorees.
Applications will be accepted now through May 1 at the Luverne Area Chamber Office, 507-283-4061, or online at luvernechamber.com.
Paper applications need to include a 5-by-7 image or larger. Digital applications need images with a resolution of 300 dpi or larger.
Lanphere said she hopes enough applications come in to fill all the light poles in Luverne.
“The banners act as symbols of our gratitude and pay tribute to the commitment and courage displayed by individuals who have served in the Armed Forces,” she said.
“Let’s thank the brave men and women from Rock County who have served with a banner.”

Members of the Luverne High School FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) chapter made 32 preschool and elementary students feel like princesses Feb. 28 during the group’s annual “Princess Gala” fundraiser conducted in the Luverne Elementary School commons. The participants were encouraged to dress as their favorite princess with some of the FCCLA members helping with fingernails, makeup, hair braiding and other princess special effects. “We hope that the participants are able to just feel very special for the night,” said adviser Carmen Thompson. “They get to be pampered by the high school girls and feel pretty with their dresses, crowns and getting their nails and hair done.” Organized through Luverne Community Education, the Princess Gala is in its second year. The event provides money for FCCLA members to attend the state convention and fund special projects.