The Luverne School Board added two additional days to the school calendar to compensate for two days district officials called off classes due to blizzard conditions in February.
Students will now have class on Thursday, May 25, and Friday, May 26.
The current school year was previously set to end Wednesday, May 24.
Superintendent Craig Oftedahl presented the calendar change to the School Board on Feb. 27.
He said the two extra days would bring the total student-contact days back to the state-mandated 168 days.
The school-ending date of May 26 is not unusual for the district.
“That Friday has been our typical release day for the past several years so it won’t be out of the norm,” Oftedahl said.
Board members unanimously approved adding the May 25 and 26 class days.
Graduation for the Class of 2023 remains as scheduled Sunday, May 28.
 
Board sets next year’s school calendar
The Luverne School Board also adopted the 2023-24 school calendar at the Feb. 27 meeting.
Students will begin the new school year after Labor Day on Tuesday, Sept. 5. The last day of school is Wednesday, May 22.
May 23 and 24, 2024, are designated as snow days.
Graduation for the Class of 2024 is Sunday, May 26.
Holidays and breaks are:
•MEA, Oct. 19-20.
•Thanksgiving, Nov. 22-24.
•Christmas, Dec. 22-Jan. 3.
•President’s Day, Feb. 16 and 19.
•Easter, March 29 and April 1.

Meetings
 Beaver Creek Township Board will meet at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 14, in the Township Hall. The annual meeting will follow at 4 p.m.
Parkinsons Support Group will meet at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 16, in Poplar Creek, Luverne. All are welcome. Call 507-935-8173 with questions.
 
‘Crafty Canines’ at Blue Mounds March 11
Meet from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 11, in the Picnic Shelter at the Blue Mounds State Park for a program on “Crafty Canines.”
Coyotes, foxes, and wolves are all members of the canine family, and the naturalist will share information about the tricks these clever critters use to survive and serve as a valuable link in the food chain. Program will conclude with some crafty projects to take home. All ages welcome. Call 507-283-6050 for details.
 
BQA training March 21
Minnesota Extension and Minnesota Beef Council will offer a free online Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) training from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 21, for producers to receive their three-year BQA certification. Register at z.umn.edu/BQAMarch21 to receive the Zoom link.
Call 320-533-4655 with questions. Anyone can complete the online BQA training at www.bqa.org at any time.
 
Help make Rock County ‘dementia friendly’
Dementia Friends Minnesota will offer a free event at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 15, at Generations in Luverne to share information about dementia — how to recognize signs of dementia — in order to better interact with caregivers and people living with dementia.
To register, contact Linda Wenzel at 507-238-5064
 
Child’s Remembrance Garden Wine Tasting and Dinner March 25
A Wine Tasting and Dinner benefiting the Child’s Remembrance Garden will be at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 25, at Big Top Tents and Events, Luverne. A cash bar is available for those not drinking wine.
Purchase tickets by March 22 at Blue Mound Liquor or by calling 507-449-5052. See childsremembrancegarden.org or the group’s Facebook.
A photo table will honor children who have gone too soon. To share a photo contact Mary Thompson, 507-920-6226.
 
‘Amphibians and Reptiles’ at Blue Mounds March 25
Meet from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, March 25, in the Picnic Shelter at the Blue Mounds State Park for a program on “Amphibians and Reptiles.”
Learn which amphibians and reptiles you can find in the park and explore the life cycle of these animals to discover how they give clues about the health of an ecosystem.  Call 507-283-6050 for details.
 
Mobile dental clinic in Luverne March 30
The mobile dental clinic will be in Luverne Thursday, March 30, in the Rock County Health and Human Services community room.
This clinic, organized by #Luv1LuvAll's Rock County Oral Health Task Force, provides dental care for adults and children ages 0 to over 100. Call 612-746-1530 to schedule an appointment. All forms of insurance are accepted.
 
Tree trimming and pruning help
Project Food Forest is offering to help with any and all tree trimming for trees less than 10 years old. The local organization will provide one-on-one guidance in the process, specifically tailored to individual trees. To schedule a service, email mickey@projectfoodforest.org or call 605-215-1051.
The service is available through March 31, weather permitting,
 
Community Ed
Community Education will offer the following classes in the next few weeks. Call 507-283-4724 to register.
Children ages 0-5 with parent can attend Open Gym on March 10. Registration required, but there is no fee.
Taking Defensive Driving Classes allows adults 55 years of age and older to save on insurance premiums. The Beginning 8-Hour Class is April 17 and 24 (four hours each evening). Refresher 4-Hour Classes are March 13 and April 3.
Project Food Forest can help you tap your maple tree and make maple syrup with Community Wide Maple Tapping starting in mid-March. Fee is $12.
Students in grades K-5 can learn to decorate spring -themed cookies like a professional at B's Bakehouse on April 3. Register by March 24. Fee is $30.
Students in grades K-12, it’s time to sign up for summer T-ball, baseball or softball. Register before March 27 for lower fees and an assured spot on a team. 
 
Free tax preparation at library
AARP volunteers will offer free tax preparation for low-income individuals and seniors at the Rock County Library on Mondays starting Feb. 13 through April 15.
Call 507-449-5040 for appointments. Bring documents, including last year’s tax return and a form of identification to document social security number. Tax returns for 2021 will be prepared if requested.
 
Library Happenings
For more information about library happenings, call 507-449-5040 or email rockcountystaff@gmail.com.
Story Time with Bronwyn is at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays and 10 a.m. Fridays now through April 28. Stories and make-and-take crafts are the same at either event.
Winter Book Club meets at different local restaurants during February and March.
The 50 State Challenge for adults and older teens is currently underway where patrons are encouraged to read a book set in one of each of the 50 states through Jan. 1, 2024.
The annual Plum Cleek Library System winter reading program, “Get Wrapped in Reading,” goes now until March 31.
Trivia Night is at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of every month at Take 16 in Luverne. Team registration begins at 6 p.m.
Reminiscence Kits are available featuring various topics such as gardening, pets, baking, sewing, farming and hunting. The kits are designed to use with a loved one experiencing memory loss, encouraging the loved one to open up about activities they once loved in the past.
 
Community Ed announcements
Community Education will offer the following classes in the next few weeks. Call 507-283-4724 to register.
ECFE Classes for children ages 0-5 years and parents offers information and support to parents and provides activities for parents and children to explore together through classes that meet once a week throughout the school year. 
New Residents: Census Information Needed for Preschool Children. Call 507-283-4724 with information for children ages 0 to kindergarten. The school district uses the information for planning purposes, mailing out information on school events, including the state-mandated Preschool Screening for all 3-year-old children.
 
Food Shelf evening hours
The Rock County Food Shelf is now open for an additional evening shift from 5 to 6 p.m. the first and third Thursdays of the month. Call Mary at 507-227-5548 or Katie at 507-227-3531.
 
A.C.E. respite care available, volunteers needed
A.C.E. of SW Minnesota (A.C.E.) offers respite care services in Rock County for those needing a break from caring for a loved one.
The respite program offers short-term (1-3 hours), temporary care for families and caregivers by providing a brief period of reprieve from the daily cares they provide to their loved one.
Volunteers provide non-professional supportive services to caregivers to give them time for themselves, relieve their stress and help them remain healthy.
Respite care volunteers are also needed. Trained A.C.E. volunteers provide respite care to family caregivers of adults age 60 and older who are suffering from long-term health conditions.
Contact Linda Wenzel at 507-283-5064 or ace.rock@co.rock.mn.us.

The Blue Mound Figure Skaters captured first place as a team at the Prairie Polar Blast in Brookings, South Dakota, last weekend. The 29 local skaters represented the club in competition with three other clubs at the event. Pictured are (front, from left) Noel Henrichs, Aliyah Tiesler, Nevaeh DeBoer, Addison Wieneke, Kelsey Baker, Lydia Jarchow, Audrina Tiesler, Afton Nuffer, Aubrey Nuffer, Kallista Van Grootheest, (second row) Brianna Sowles, Grace Kempema, Ellianna Kopp, Ella Sprock, Mya Akin, Katherine Kelm, Emma Schneekloth, Josalyn Hiebert, Autumn DeCesare, Braelinn Papik, (third row) Grace Schneekloth, Lillian Palmquist, Hannah Kempema, Reese Henning, Madilyn Wenzel and Augusta Papik. Not pictured are Haidynn Kingery, Olivia Schneekloth and Emary Zwaan. Coming up, four local skaters will represent the Blue Mound Figure Skaters in the BOLD challenge in Minneapolis this weekend, and the Annual Ice Show is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, March 17 and 18, in Luverne.

Rock County Star Herald and Announcer production manager Heather Johnson earned a first-place award from the Midwest Free Community Papers Association for an advertisement she created to promote use of the Midwest Classified Network.
Johnson’s ad was chosen from 15 finalists submitted by designers from three states. The judging was handled by a team of independent judges with experience in ad design.
According to MFCP, the judges were drawn to Johnson’s compelling design and her crisp, clear copy writing.
Johnson has been a leading creative designer with the Announcer and Star Herald since 2017.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced an end to winter load increases in the south, southeast and metro zones on Monday, March 6.
 MnDOT will continue to evaluate weather forecasts to determine the start date for spring load restrictions in these zones. Ending dates for spring load restrictions are variable and based on how weather is affecting roadway strength.  
MnDOT will report start and end dates on its 24-hour automated message center at 1-800-723-6543 for the U.S. and Canada
For questions about legal axle weight or Gross Vehicle Weight Schedule, call the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, State Patrol – Commercial Vehicle Enforcement at 651-350-2000
For questions about oversize/overweight loads/permitting call the Minnesota Department of Transportation Freight and Commercial Vehicle Operations – Oversize/Overweight Permits at 651-296-6000 or email:  ofcvopermits.dot@state.mn.us
 All changes are made with a minimum three calendar-day notice.
 For the most current information, go to MnDOT’s automated 24-hour message center at 800-723-6543 for the U.S. and Canada. This information is also published on the MnDOT seasonal load limits website at mndot.gov/loadlimits.

Luverne City Council members approved a 2023 snowmobile trail permit in response to residents’ complaints earlier this year that snowmobilers were traveling on private property.
The council and the Rock County Sno-Masters Snowmobile Club agreed on a route that snowmobilers can use in town to reach their approved trail system outside of city limits.
Club trail master Greg Vande Velde attended the Feb. 28 City Council meeting to answer questions.
He said the route is similar to the routes that have been used in the past, with a few changes as the trail system was developed.
The city first adopted an ordinance for the Sno-Masters map in 1970, and it’s supposed to be permitted regularly for snowmobilers in city limits.
But when there hasn’t been snow, the requests haven’t been made, and VandeVelde said new riders haven’t been up to speed on the trail in town and about trail etiquette.
“I can’t police everyone,” he said. “But I do all the signing of the in-town route myself, so I’ll make sure that it’s marked better so people can stay on the trails better.”
Council member Dan Nath had received complaints from residents in his district about snowmobilers trespassing, and he raised the discussion at a previous meeting.
“I think it really wound up being an education more than anything,” he said Tuesday. “We just haven’t had snow, and we’ve got a lot of younger riders and they just needed to be made aware.”
VandeVelde said he would raise awareness among his members and through social media.
“We need to stay on the trail and respect private property,” he said. “You need to have permission, and if you don’t, you’re trespassing.”
He also said he’d educate new riders through the snowmobile safety courses that 12-year-olds take through the Sno-Masters.
Students register through Community Education and take online courses. The driving course is conducted by the Sno-Masters at their clubhouse in town.
VandeVelde said he appreciated the council’s cooperation.
“If you get complaints, please let me know,” he said. “I’m willing to help any way we can if there’s a problem. We want to be able to keep the trail in town. It might just take a little education.”
Caroline Thorson, mayor pro-tem, said the council also appreciates the Sno-Masters’ willingness to work with the council.
“We live in Minnesota and we want to enjoy our winter recreation,” she said. “And so I appreciate the fact that we’re able to work together to keep that for our residents.”

The Luverne City Council is seeking bids for paving the Luverne airport runway, according to action at their Tuesday, Feb. 28, meeting.
The project includes asphalt pavement surface treatments, crack repairs, and pavement markings at the Luverne Municipal Airport.
“This is preserving your biggest asset out there, the runway,” said Brian Meyer of DGR Engineering.
“We’re using your available funds to patch that up and get a new surface on it.”
The city will apply for an FAA grant to perform pavement surface treatment and crack repairs on the entire airfield pavements.
The project is estimated at $477,000, with the local share of 5 percent estimated at $23,850.
The work is part of normal maintenance and it’s been part of the five-year improvement plan, according to council member Kevin Aaker, who serves on the Airport Board.
“We keep it maintained so that we don’t have to tear it up and rebuild it,” he said.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the council approved the specifications and authorized the advertisement for bids for the Luverne Airport paving project.
The bid date is set for March 22 at 11 a.m.
The contractor will have 15 consecutive calendar days once work is started later this construction season, with a completion deadline of Oct. 13.
Work will not be permitted between July 15 and Aug. 26 because of crop spraying and the airport’s annual fly-in celebration.
 
PrairiE Loft parking lot
In other business Tuesday, the Luverne City Council approved a final payment of $81,924 to Hulstein Excavating for improvements to the parking lot at PrairiE Loft Apartments.
The city worked with the developer (GreenSmith Luverne Holdings, LLC), to build two 27-unit apartments for workforce housing.
The city and GreenSmith have a development agreement for the 54 apartments.
The developer is financing the apartment complex that will carry a minimum assessment of $8 million.
The city’s tax increment financing fund will pay for the parking lot, and the new taxes generated by the apartment building will pay off the TIF debt.

Rural residents have dealt with diminishing access to health care for decades, largely because increasing costs of services makes sparsely populated areas less economically feasible to serve than densely populated urban areas.
This problem applies just as much to mental health services as to any other aspect of health care in the United States.
But now more than ever, as the demand for mental health services increases everywhere, mental health providers are struggling to hire and hang on to workers.
In rural areas, where demand is on average higher and the supply lower than in population centers, providers and their clients are especially feeling the strain of a workforce shortage.
Based on a survey and a series of interviews conducted in the fall of 2022 by researchers at the Center for Rural Behavioral Health at Minnesota State University Mankato, it’s apparent that the mental health care workforce shortage is being aggravated by a handful of quite specific and identifiable problems.
They include graduating workers, recruiting them, and keeping them once they are hired.
Bringing these challenges to light and solving them may not fix the workforce shortage completely — the wave of retiring baby boomers plays a significant part in the shortage — but resolving them could help with the supply of mental health care professionals and workers going forward, especially in rural communities.
The disparity in mental health care between urban and rural areas is seen in provider-to-client ratios. There is one licensed provider for every 197 residents in metro areas compared with one provider for every 741 residents in isolated rural areas.
The study looked at why these disparities exist and considered solutions.
To attract licensed workers to rural areas, researchers suggest increasing the number of internships in rural places.
The rationale is that students are more likely to stay and practice near where they interned.
They also suggest financial assistance for rural clinics to make more internships and training available.
And they recommend introducing students early to mental health care as a profession, especially in rural areas.
High school and middle school is not too early for students to start considering a career in mental health.
Uneven reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid is a federal issue, but the low pay disincentivizes students.
But even the students who want a career in mental health are limited by lack of college faculty in their field.
Two-thirds of programs responding said they turn qualified students away every year, and 90 percent cited lack of teaching faculty as a reason.
The reason for this, not surprisingly, is financial limits on colleges and universities.
Students are also discouraged from pursuing mental health work in rural areas because of low pay in outstate clinics, so it’s thought that upfront tuition waivers and scholarships could offset this trend. Also, grants could support students at the beginning of the educational process.
 
Lack of access to mental health care leads to ER, jail, addiction, suicide
Early intervention is key when dealing with mental health concerns, and left untreated, mental health challenges often progress to drug addiction and suicide.
Other outcomes are often emergency rooms or jails, especially in rural counties with few alternatives. There they consume valuable resources to treat what could have been an out-patient issue, had care been available.
Unmet need is difficult to measure, but we do know Minnesota is experiencing an unprecedented demand for mental health services, and rural Minnesota is being hit especially hard.
The rates of suicide in rural Minnesota are higher and rising faster than in the Twin Cities or other population centers.
In 2021 suicide accounted for two-thirds of gun deaths in Minnesota, and the largest proportion of those deaths were in the state’s most rural areas.
 
The full report can be found at ruralmn.org.

I invested in snowshoes this winter after several treks across open fields in a borrowed pair with my neighbor friend, Wendy.
In January she purchased two sets, one for herself and one for a snowshoeing partner (lucky me).
My only previous experience with snowshoes was 15 years ago in the Blue Mounds State Park with their rented wooden raquettes and rawhide laces. I remembered that it took nearly as long to put them on as it did to hike the park.
Modern aluminum snowshoes are lightweight, compact, comfortable to walk in and easy to get into and out of.
I lost track of the miles we trekked in the snow — or more accurately “on top of the snow” – this winter, right over ditches, waterways and fence lines that were buried deep under the snow.
I fancied us on Arctic expeditions, our frost-encrusted lashes squinting toward a horizon of never-ending drifted snow, polished smooth by frigid northwest winds. (Never mind that home was right behind us.)
Wendy called one day from Sioux Falls to report the snowshoes were on sale if I was interested.
“Yes,” I didn’t hesitate. “Get two, please.”
A few hours and an Apple payment later, I had my very own pair plus an extra.
… which came in handy last weekend when Matt’s 10-year-old grandson stayed with us for a visit.
Off we went, atop the snow, through the grove and around the acreage.
Our boots, secured in the snowshoes, would sink a few inches if we hit fresh, fluffy stuff, but mostly we stayed on the surface.
Colton, with shorter legs and smaller feet, at the midway point of our return hike, decided the snowshoes were cumbersome, so he handed me his pair and took off without them.
With about 200 yards remaining between us and home, I gently suggested he may need them.
“This is much easier,” he assured me, his boots crunching across the top of a hard drift.
As the words left his mouth, his right foot punched through the crust and his leg disappeared over his knee.
It was one of those teachable moments when no teaching — or even words for that matter — were necessary.
The point of snowshoes, of course, is to enable walking on snow without falling through. What better way to appreciate the value of snowshoes than to attempt snow walking without them.
It later occurred to me a good pair of snowshoes are like good friends (and good grandmas).
They’re comfortable, dependable and can help you stay on top of things through a difficult journey.
Life can get in the way of relationships, but all it takes is an occasional “breakthrough” to realize we’re better together.